30th Ann: Should There Be More?

[Powder]

I know we're only a little more than halfway into the year, but I feel like there's not nearly as much going on as there should be for the turtles' 30th anniversary. Yeah, we're getting a new movie, which is a big deal, but that was coming regardless, as was Turtle Power, the doc. The animated series & IDW comic are still ongoing & have done some stuff on the side, & there are some new collectibles coming, but none of this really feels special with respect to it being a celebration of the property. I mean, we've been getting tons of stuff since Viacom got the TMNT, so none of this is really new or surprising, short of the book IDW put together which has new tales set in the old comic universes (& that was awesome, so check it out if you haven't already).

Or is it just me?

I dunno, I guess I sort of expected there to be some sort of big announcement of some kind, though I don't know what. Another movie/comic/show? An Eastman & Laird collaboration/reunion that goes beyond sharing art duties on a cover, perhaps? A turtlecon? I suppose I feel like the 25th anniversary was a bigger deal than this one, or that there was a really special charm to the hype surrounding it, that is different than now. Am I alone in this? I by no means want to come off as ungrateful for all the wonderful things we have, & those still coming our way, but for whatever reason I feel a bit underwhelmed. Any thoughts?

[CyberCubed]

We've gotten a lot actually:

- The Ultimate Visual History, which goes through almost the entire TMNT timeline from 1984 till now

- TMNT Documentary which comes out on DVD in August

- Volume 4 #32 came out. This is a damn big deal, since Peter Laird hadn't made a new Volume 4 issue in 5 years and looked like he was never going to go back to it. He also said #31 will receive a print edition soon.

- IDW's 30th anniversary special, which gave us new stories in the Archie and Image series in over a decade. Not to mention new Mirage stories.

- Lionsgate is re-releasing the original cartoon full series Turtle Van set in the Fall

- Nick is releasing the complete Season 1 of the new show on DVD in the Fall. Although sadly no blu-ray

- We have the new movie, even though it looks like a disaster, a new movie is a big deal

- Playmates released 1990 Classic Movie figures, as well as more hinted Wave 4 figures


And other than that we have the usual new episodes of Nick Season 2 and IDW comics that have come out all year. And with IDW releasing so many old Mirage and Archie collections we have that too.

Its been a good year for a TMNT fan.

[Metropoliskid41]

I definitely agree, I wish there was more. The 30th Anniversary Comic Special was nice, the Visual History was great, and now the TMNT/Ghostbusters Crossover is a fantastic way to round out the year for both properties celebrating their 30th Anniversaries. From a Comic Standpoint, we've done pretty well. But there definitely could be more. A TMNT Movie Adaption Comic that was in the Prestige Format like the adaptions released by Mirage for the first 3 movies would have been great. I think that is more of a Viacom thing though vs. an IDW thing.

It would have been nice if for the 30th Anniversary we could finally get either a complete series DVD Collection, or some proper full season volume releases of the 2003 Turtles Cartoon. Man those things were distributed pretty scarce when they first came out in mini volumes, and are extremely rare now. It'll cost you nearly $30 for a dvd with 5-6 episodes on it from ebay. The market is there, they could make a killing by finally giving this fantastic animated series a proper release.

I feel like Playmates really dropped the ball too, we get one series release for the TMNT Classics line, and it doesn't get a mass release (and by mass I mean it never shows up in my area just like the previous wave). Man they should have released 2-3 waves to coincide with the 30th Anniversary. They could have rereleases the OT Turtles & Bebop & Rocksteady with 30th Anniversary Packaging, and then give us an OT Shredder, Foot Soldier, Splinter, Casey Jones, April, as well as a Mirage inspired set of Foot Ninja, Shredder, Casey, and April. I think people would have been flocking to buy these things.

A turtle con would have been great, as would have been a new Laird & Eastman One-Shot or something. I agree, I have loved the stuff we've gotten so far, but I would eat up anything else they threw at us, so I wish they'd do more.

[IndigoErth]

I demand a new, hour long special Barbara Walters interview with them. I suppose the old costumes would be too much to get new exact likenesses again in short notice, so willing to settle for mocap suits and adding the CGI guys in.

[Redrumh2o]

I always want more!!

Also...don't forget they appeared together for the first time in however many years! Its hard to do more i guess when PL is pretty much checked out of the TMNT. I was hoping for a mini Mirage con in Northampton

[pingclang]

Couldn't agree more. There isn't near as much going on as there should be. I'd like to see some special covers from IDW. Alex Ross did covers for Marvel`s 75th, why not Turtles 30th? How about a big special in the new series, like maybe movie length. Not much is going on at all, though Cyber pointed out a few things I didn't know about but still. There should be more.

[tfranzone]

I'm hoping for something special to be available at NYCC in October. There's def been a decent amount of stuff but definitely not that one must have item. I'd say the visual history and the doc seem most up there but as mentioned. Already we're coming out. Crossing my fingers for TMNT NYCC exclusives.

[Ramboraph4life aka Matt]

We've gotten a lot actually:

- The Ultimate Visual History, which goes through almost the entire TMNT timeline from 1984 till now

- TMNT Documentary which comes out on DVD in August

- Volume 4 #32 came out. This is a damn big deal, since Peter Laird hadn't made a new Volume 4 issue in 5 years and looked like he was never going to go back to it. He also said #31 will receive a print edition soon.

- IDW's 30th anniversary special, which gave us new stories in the Archie and Image series in over a decade. Not to mention new Mirage stories.

- Lionsgate is re-releasing the original cartoon full series Turtle Van set in the Fall

- Nick is releasing the complete Season 1 of the new show on DVD in the Fall. Although sadly no blu-ray

- We have the new movie, even though it looks like a disaster, a new movie is a big deal

- Playmates released 1990 Classic Movie figures, as well as more hinted Wave 4 figures


And other than that we have the usual new episodes of Nick Season 2 and IDW comics that have come out all year. And with IDW releasing so many old Mirage and Archie collections we have that too.

Its been a good year for a TMNT fan.


A crappy-looking new film. A 'Definitive' Documentary that is so 'Definitive' that it cuts out about 70% of the 30 year timeline with Zero features on the DVD. Nick releasing a Season 1 DVD that should have been done In The First Place...because shame on some of us for buying their separate volumes that made up Season 1 to support them (when it seems they could have just released that 'Season 1 Set' at the beginning).

And even that 'Ultimate Visual Book' wasn't perfect (the 2003 section was pretty poor...a small section of text, & most of the pictures were only from the last/Back to the Sewer season...1 page was just a pic of Mikey from that last season. 1 page was just a pic of the Shredder they had in that last season...out of all the great action scenes/pics/promos that they could have put in, that's what they choose?)

Lionsgate re-releasing their poor version of the 80's show (which had so-so picture quality and Episodes out of Order). Thank God for that!

And please, don't give me this 'Better than Nothing' crap. So yeah, Great Year for a Fan :roll:

[CyberCubed]

LOL, what are you complaining about? The documentary was a fan project, I'm surprised its getting released at all. The Visual History book was great for what it was, even if some sections came up a little short.

As for DVDs, this is how the kids DVD industry works. They release smaller DVDs so parents can buy them for their kids, and then they make boxsets later. This happens all the time with other kids superhero shows like Batman, Spiderman, etc.

[pennydreadful]

Yeah, I'm a little bit underwhelmed... I feel like if nothing else, we should've gotten the Director's Cut of the 1990 flick at this stage.

[Ramboraph4life aka Matt]

LOL, what are you complaining about? The documentary was a fan project, I'm surprised its getting released at all. The Visual History book was great for what it was, even if some sections came up a little short.

As for DVDs, this is how the kids DVD industry works. They release smaller DVDs so parents can buy them for their kids, and then they make boxsets later. This happens all the time with other kids superhero shows like Batman, Spiderman, etc.


'What am I complaining about?' What I just typed.

Sections on the Ultimate Visual History Did come up short, that is Exactly my point. I paid a lot of money for a copy, and there was stuff that was Poor. Thus, I have a right to complain & criticize when it Does fall short. But a lot of folks want to act like it's perfect when it is not (in my opinion). Or they use that 'it's better than nothing' excuse.

The 2003 cartoon section of that book is Extremely poor and I stand by it, especially with the lackluster pictures that were used. In My Opinion. If you don't agree, that's fine.

If I come out of a Desert and someone gives me a cracker, am I supposed to be like 'Thank you for the cracker! It's better than Nothing!'?

No, I'd rather get a Burger, Fries, and a Cold One instead.

And in case folks don't know, look up the definition of 'Definitive' in Any Dictionary. A Documentary that completely neglects/disregards the 2003 Show, the Nick Show, the second film, the third film, the Next Mutation show, various comics, the video games, the 2007 CGI film, failed Projects (and yet it talks about Coming Out of Their Shells and Action Figures?), and doesn't even bother to try to get folks like Robbie Rist...to me, it's an insult to call that Definitive.

That's like me going to get a car that is advertised 'Brand New Car'. But when I get there, it's missing the Bumper, the Windshield, and one of the tires.

'Well, it's kinda Brand New. But you might get the rest of that next time (volume). Or at least, maybe the Bumper and Windshield because we don't have all of it.'

If people mention 'well they only had this much time/money'. Then use Kickstarter like everyone else does to get the rest. Hell, someone got Thousands of dollars to Remake Shaq-Fu for crying out loud. I think a documentary of the Turtles would get funded Very Quickly on Kickstarter. That way, they could have used that money to get folks like Corey Feldman, Robbie Rist, and such from the first movie...and so on.

And all the stuff they have so far? Showing clips of that would entice thousands to give $ to make the True Definitive Documentary. One worthy of the title 'Definitive'.

Plus, why are you that surprised? There's a documentary on the 1994 Fantastic Four flick being made. There's a documentary on the 'Tim Burton Superman Movie that never was' being made. This is a brand that made Millions of $$$ for Various companies throughout 30 years.

'As for DVD's'...just because they do that, doesn't mean it Should be done.

[raph27]

I as presumably many others would accept Hot Toys 1st movie turtles as redemption. :P

[CyberCubed]

Sections on the Ultimate Visual History Did come up short, that is Exactly my point. I paid a lot of money for a copy, and there was stuff that was Poor. Thus, I have a right to complain & criticize when it Does fall short. But a lot of folks want to act like it's perfect when it is not (in my opinion). Or they use that 'it's better than nothing' excuse.

I was content with 90% of the book. The only odd things about it was little to no coverage of Volume 4/Tales V. 2. The 4kids section could have been a little meatier, but when you look at the original cartoon or Nick section, those cartoons barely got any more focus either. Half the art they used for the original cartoon wasn't even from the actual show, especially that awful Bebop/Rocksteady art from 2010.

And all the stuff they have so far? Showing clips of that would entice thousands to give $ to make the True Definitive Documentary. One worthy of the title 'Definitive'.

It started off as a fan project that was only going to get a limited unofficial release on the internet. The fact that its getting a real nationwide release says a lot. There's always the possibility for a "sequel" with the stuff cut out from the first.

As for DVD's'...just because they do that, doesn't mean it Should be done.

You must not know how kids DVDs work. Look at the early Batman, Spiderman, X-men DVDs...they were done poorly as well. Very rare to see a cartoon get a full series boxset from the start.

[Ramboraph4life aka Matt]

I was content with 90% of the book. The only odd things about it was little to no coverage of Volume 4/Tales V. 2. The 4kids section could have been a little meatier, but when you look at the original cartoon or Nick section, those cartoons barely got any more focus either. Half the art they used for the original cartoon wasn't even from the actual show, especially that awful Bebop/Rocksteady art from 2010.



It started off as a fan project that was only going to get a limited unofficial release on the internet. The fact that its getting a real nationwide release says a lot. There's always the possibility for a "sequel" with the stuff cut out from the first.


But, doesn't that perfectly illustrate the problems with the book? You said it yourself, 'the cartoons barely got any more focus either'. For a book called 'Ultimate', shouldn't we expect...well...Better? It's an 'Ultimate Visual History Book' but most of the pics for the cartoons were meh or lackluster, especially (for me) the 2003 cartoon. Doesn't it make sense to have issues with that?

And why does it matter to me, you, or other folks that the doc is getting a 'nationwide release'? What, do we get a percentage of the sales and I just didn't know about it?

Also, the 'sequel' that you mention? It's still going to be missing stuff, because some stuff they didn't bother to do. I know, cause I talked with one of the guys behind the doc, via personal messages. For example, they never bothered to film Anything on The Next Mutation (which again, is strange to neglect that and yet concentrate on something like Coming Out of Their Shells), so that wouldn't be in any 'sequel' doc/DVD.

And they didn't try to interview folks like Robbie Rist, didn't have money for folks like Corey Feldman (which again, Kickstarter would have helped them in that matter)...so stuff like that wouldn't be in it either.

And before someone mentions 'well maybe they'll film more' or 'maybe they'll film more of what you'd like'. And 'maybe' I'll be rich one day. Maybe doesn't mean anything to me, I'm sorry.

'It started off as a fan project that was only going to get a limited unofficial release on the internet'.

Yes, I know that. That's why I said that it would have made more sense to try stuff like Kickstarter, instead of 'funding it from their own money' which is one of the reasons they are giving for not having everything. Again, if someone can fund a remake of Shaq Fu, and someone else can get money from 'Making Potato Salad'...then a documentary on the Turtles would get that money with no problem.

Or, take what they have Now, and Now go to Kickstarter to get that other stuff in order to have the true 'Definitive' Documentary...

Instead, it's a 90-some minute DVD with no features that neglects/disregards/ignores 70% of the 30 Year History of the Turtles, and yet wants to call itself 'Definitive'...and then a 'hope/maybe/possibly' that a Volume 2 will come out (in a month? a Year?) which will cost you another $20 to $25, and will still not feature all that you might have wanted (simply for the fact that they didn't bother to attempt certain things like Next Mutation, or a possibility of getting all of the voice actors for the first live action film, and more. Or you could say 'well they couldn't cause they didn't have enough money'...which things like Kickstarter would have Absolutely Helped them in that regard).

[Shred Head]

Yes yes there should be with a huge company like Viacom backing the Turtles now hell yeah. I would understand if there investment didn't bare fruit if the Nick show and toys failed and they didn't make there money I could understand them not giving a crap. It seems to me all signs have pointed to yes they did clearly the turtles brand has had some success. I mean repackaging of old dvds yeah that's not celebration that stuff probably would have came out any year. What would have been cool a remaster bluray of the original movie with deleted scenes in the extras. We know theirs content we know it could be done and it wouldn't take that much money or effort to do it. With a reboot movie out this should have been expected.

Also why is there no direct to DVD animated movie that's geared toward older fans. Maybe a Fred Wolf animated movie for the nostalgic crowd maybe give that Turtles vs Shredder and Krang final battle that the final OT season didn't give. Better yet something adapted from the Mirage continuity using the red masks. Marvel made an animated movie about the Punisher and Black Widow yet the Turtles couldn't get something on there 30th yeah I call bull **** on that one.

Oh and do I need to mention the fact that 2K3 Turtles still are with out a DVD or even digital or streaming release that just embarrassing. So far the only official anniversary merch that came out has come from IDW there the only ones who seem to acknowledge the 30th anniversary. So far this is a very underwhelming anniversary I think there can be some redemption I'm hoping for something big at comicon. I mean come on IDW cant be alone in acknowledging the turtles have been around for thirty years.

[Shark_Blade]

We're getting a new movie and it looks AMAZING so far!

There's also the Revoltech turtles and other toys/merch.


So I'm pretty content. :D

[Candy Kappa]

It has been a bit lackluster, most of the stuff like new movie and Revoltech figures, Nick season 1 set and Classics figures feels more like it was a coincident that it landed on the 30th year.

[Yorae]

I was hoping we'd get the 4Kids series released in a proper DVD boxset. That or a new animated feature similar to Turtles Forever.

[Master Splinter]

It has been a more productive year than the 25th anniversary. In 2009 they went around the U.S., released #1 on Free Comic Book Day, and re-released the original playmates line of toys. I suppose you could count Turtles Forever as well, but 2009 is also the year that the turtles were sold to Nick. I am pretty sure that is it as far as what we got that year...

I would say this year has been great as far as a 30th anniversary goes. Compared to something like The Ghostbusters which is also in it's 30th year, we have gotten a lot of special stuff. Some of it does seem like it would've been released regardless of the year but that is because the property is more popular than it has been in years.

-ms

[Raptor86]

It has been a bit lackluster, most of the stuff like new movie and Revoltech figures, Nick season 1 set and Classics figures feels more like it was a coincident that it landed on the 30th year.

I agree with you.
For the 25th anniversary we got this website http://tmnt25.crtti.com/ with that logo I loved sooo much!

http://nerdcityonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/tmntanniversry1.jpg

And also the release of the vintage toy turtles was awesome to me...

[Shark_Blade]

Coincidental or not they're all still considered as a gift, just like the creation of this franchise is.

I'm grateful with everything we've got. Not many franchises are lucky like us. :D

We are so blessed.

[Donatello19]

I agree with you Powder, I think there should be a lot more stuff going on too (there could be some things we don't know about, though?).

[pingclang]

Coincidental or not they're all still considered as a gift, just like the creation of this franchise is.

I'm grateful with everything we've got. Not many franchises are lucky like us. :D

We are so blessed.

That's a good point. Some other fandoms don't get nearly as much. Poor Metroid hit 30 and Nintendo did absolutely nothing.

[terrorblade]

Maybe you're just expecting too much or maybe the overall negativity towards the upcoming film overshadow the fact that this year is the TMNT 30th anniversary.

[HeroTurtlesFan]

We're getting a new movie and it looks AMAZING so far!



Definitely. A great way to celebrate the 30th!

[Panther10]

I think I would like to see The History Channel, H2 or even Sy-Fy broadcast a TMNT documentary for the 30th anniversary.

[Warhorse]

Just out of curiosity, what did other comic book properties do in their 30th year? X-Men, Batman, Superman? Don't most big anniversaries happen around the 50th?

[miru]

Well, I would have liked a series of deluxe TMNT figures based on characters from throughout the franchise's history...

But instead, they continue with poor quality, unpainted, Karai-free, continuity error-packed Nick figures and disappointingly inaccurate classics.

[Panther10]

Uh in the early 90's marvel readers and subscribers were given a chance to meet stan lee for the 30th anniversary of "Merry Marveldom" I believe winners were also given a chance to tour the marvel offices in New York. it was kind of a packaged deal.

[victory_angel]

As long as TMNT fans exist, the series will never die. It will just be reborn in different ways.

[sdp]

Well I think it has to do with Nick is not that big on anniversaries, it still feels like they just bought the franchise not too long ago so they probably don't see the milestone. Also the 25th anniversary is a much bigger deal than a 30th anniversary, heck what did we get for the 20th anniversary?

It'd be great if we could get something but anniversaries are usually saved for something bigger. Well except for Power Rangers, they have smaller but they do acknowledge the anniversaries every 5 years with toys and special team ups,s o that's cool.

[Roseangelo]

I'm actually fine with the way things have been this year. I don't think we should have an expectation of a huge celebration every 5 years. It is fun to recognize, and it's a good excuse to gather the troops and put together collaborations like IDW's 30th Anniversary book, and I'm content with that.

[CyberCubed]

The Ultimate Visual History, IDW's 30th anniversary comic, and the Documentary were enough for me.

The fact that we got new stories set in the Archie and Image series in over a decade with the original artists/writers was a pipe dream in itself. Also getting a new Jim Lawson Mirage story was nice too.

Peter Laird getting Volume 4 #32 out finally after so long was good too.

[ssjup81]

Well I think it has to do with Nick is not that big on anniversaries, it still feels like they just bought the franchise not too long ago so they probably don't see the milestone. Also the 25th anniversary is a much bigger deal than a 30th anniversary, heck what did we get for the 20th anniversary?That sounds about right. Nickelodeon didn't even celebrate its own 30th anniversary. Instead, they went on about Spongebob's 10th anniversary. >_>

Seriously, I felt it was a slap in the face to those who remembered the early years of Nickelodeon or who was around for it. I was expecting something. Maybe a Nickelodeon documentary special or anything.

Maybe they did something worthwhile for the 20th or 25th and I just missed out on it....

[Metropoliskid41]

Just out of curiosity, what did other comic book properties do in their 30th year? X-Men, Batman, Superman? Don't most big anniversaries happen around the 50th?

That is really not a valid comparison, simply because they hit milestones at different times compared to TMNT and the expectations were different. Superman hit his 30th Anniversary in 1968, that was pretty unprecedented, so there weren't a lot of expectations. The 40th Anniversary coincided with the first Christopher Reeve film, which absolutely changed the game and was the first comic based major motion picture. When Superman hit his 50th Anniversary, DC did go all out, and the treatment he got was pretty revolutionary at the time. A Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told HC (when collected editions were extremely few and far between), a new cartoon, and tons of Merchandising that related to the 50th Anniversary. Other properties have set the precedent for big celebrations, and those were in days when celebrating the anniversaries really weren't that big....until they made it big.

And frankly, because aside from Superman's incredible popularity in the 40's and early 50's, TMNT stands alone as a cultural phenomenon. Spider-Man has been around for over 50 years. How many movies does he have? 5? TMNT is about to have its 5th Movie in 30th Years. TMNT has had 2 cartoon series (on its way to a third) that have run longer than any Spider-Man cartoon series did. Toys? I would guess there are more shear volume TMNT figures than Spider-Man ones. For Amazing Spider-Man a couple of years ago Kelloggs put out a limited time Spider-Man cereal that was only available for a few months. How long did TMNT have its own cereal?

30 years is a big deal, and it is the first big Anniversary since Nick/Viacom have had the property and doing their own thing with it. You'd think they'd want to celebrate their big investment have a resurgence with a popular cartoon, a new movie, and very successful new comic series, and fully embrace (or exploit) every dollar out of it and flooding us with more 30th Anniversary stuff than we can handle!

[Donnieangelo]

That sounds about right. Nickelodeon didn't even celebrate its own 30th anniversary. Instead, they went on about Spongebob's 10th anniversary. >_>

Seriously, I felt it was a slap in the face to those who remembered the early years of Nickelodeon or who was around for it. I was expecting something. Maybe a Nickelodeon documentary special or anything.

Maybe they did something worthwhile for the 20th or 25th and I just missed out on it....
Darn it, Spingebill... I mean; SpongeBob!

[Mr._Mutant_Man]

Pop culture wise, you can't get much bigger than a new movie.

I'd say that's a really good 30th anniversary.