Ultimate Ninja Turtles
 

Hi guys,

Lately, I've been tossing around ideas for a fanfiction series that retells and revamps the Turtles' origin. Similar to Marvel Comics' Ultimate Marvel line, the series (tentatively called Ultimate Ninja Turtles) would put new spins on the many characters who've appeared in the various incarnations of the TMNT in ways that (hopefully) stay true to the core characters.

Sure, the 2K3 series already did that to some extent, but there were some characters that they didn't have the rights to. In fanfiction, that's not a problem. No TMNT character is off-limits. Each character has a chance to show up in one form or another (not to say they all will, unless the series goes on for a reeeally long time).

For instance, the basic setup is as follows:

Fifteen years ago, martial arts instructor Hamato Yoshi and his wife are murdered in their New York apartment by a man called Shredder, who seeks vengeance for the years-ago death of his older brother. Hamato's rat survives and escapes.

Ten years ago, Oroku Saki (human), head of Oroku International and secretly the Shredder, jonin of the Foot Clan's New York branch, is attacked by a five-foot assassin wearing what looks like a rat costume. Oroku's men manage to drive it away, and it disappears ... evidencing a ninja discipline.

Five years ago, 16-year-old April O'Neil was accosted in an alley by a pair of low-ranking Purple Dragons gang members and almost mugged ... but her attackers are pulled into the shadows and knocked out.

Present day, the Foot Clan's criminal empire flourishes. Tatsu and Hun train street-level ne'er-do-wells like the Purple Dragons into ninja thieves and assassins, overseen by the Shredder and backed by Oroku Saki's corporation. But a new threat to them bears a ring of familiarity: four warriors have surfaced, practicing ninjutsu and wearing what seem to be animal costumes. Turtles, in fact.


So, thoughts? The idea is to release 'issues' on a monthly or bimonthly basis, and I'd like a co-writer for this. In fact, collaborators of any kind are welcome, as I wouldn't mind seeing character designs and/or comic art for this project. PM me if interested.

Well I don't have the schedule to be a co-writer but I do have an idea.

If you're really going to do things in the Ultimate style, you need to present the characters...different but the same. Weird I know but here's my idea for "Ultimate Shredder"

Instead of The Shredder being this mantle and just a suit, Shredder would be a sort of split personality from Oroku Saki, but then again....I love the psycho characters and giving Shredder a twist like that is in the vain of Ultimates.

[QUOTE=King Stryker]If you're really going to do things in the Ultimate style, you need to present the characters...different but the same.QUOTE]

Waaaaay ahead of you on that. :)

Shredder won't have a split-personality, otherwise with his status as a corporate CEO he might seem too much like Norman Osborn/Green Goblin. Trust me, Oroku Saki will be in full control of his faculties as the Shredder. Which just might be even scarier.

I am planning a similar project, only I get so sick of origin stories! They're mutant turtle ninjas, I get it... although it's not as bad as shows who's theme song is just someone telling their origin story (like the Powerpuff Girls). Anyway, rather than revamp their origin again I'm just continuing after the unpublished Forever War of Archie comics plus the '80-90's cartoons. These two especially different universes don’t easily fit together, so I let the readers assume their own continuity. Also mine is a comic series rather than fanfiction, hopefully ready to be downloaded sometime after the new movie comes out.

I am way ahead of you on that. Here's a redesign of Mona Lisa from OS episode #83, of course it's just a tentative redesign. I was really hoping for more feedback on it.
http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=16653

Man, not another the-prime-nemesis-is-a-legitimate-businessman thing; aren't people sick of those yet? No offense intended, but we just got that with the most recent incarnation of Shredder. I think if anything he should return to his original "protection racket" scheme. Well, that's my opinion anyway. In my project I'm bringing them more towards DC style where heroes are allowed to be heroic (at least they used to be); after having a crappy week in real life, the last thing I want to do is read about someone else's problems. Obviously everyone making comics disagrees with me...

To tell the truth Saki was never really dealt with as a real buisness man in the new show, we just saw him plotting the turtles demise and so on. So if you think about it Saki in the new toon really could of been doing the "protection racket" deals but where never seen and just done off screen.

We havent seen the different sides of Saki all to much, mostaly him as the shredder, no one has really gone into his inner pyshe all that much. We've seen him use his wits when he tried to get Leo on his side but again it was to gain somthing.

Thats another thing that makes Saki so dangerous, he's a buiness man that controls a army of assassins, to me hes a very interesting character in that way.

Sorry, that came of a bit harsh. I am also looking for co-writers, and co-artists, and as many as possible to simulate Archie’s unusual problem of having the story direction change habitually, and art style to switch even more often. However, I’m thinking now that it would just be easier to do my own thing than find people who are similar enough to help me and different enough to add diversity.

well if your doing it in a comic book format I can provide covers from time to time if need be.

The series won't spend a lot of time on the origin story (though it will be told with a few twists in the second issue), but it'll still be included, because there are a few things that always bugged me about their origin that I'll try to address.

Oh yeah, I've seen that design and I've been meaning to comment. Great design. Raven is currently handling the character designs for the Ultimate NT comic, and he's got some good stuff brewing.

I can't speak for everyone, nor would I want to. As Raven pointed out, the 2K3 cartoon is so far the only one that really presented the businessman angle, and it hasn't actually done much with it. The angle makes sense to me as a way to fund the Foot, and the "protection racket" is part of how he came into the money in the first place; he wisely invested the money from thievery, protection and assassination, creating an influential corporation with a large amount of political power. Since there's no public connection between Oroku Saki the business man and the Foot Clan, he can hide in plain sight.

Another reason I'm using this angle is so I can explore a throwaway line in the first TMNT movie: Shredder told the teenage Foot trainees, "[Shredder] uses you to obtain that which he desires." Which makes me wonder what Shredder desires that would depend on thieving underlings; I'd bet that he makes a fortune off the black market and lives like a king.

Again, I have no idea what everyone thinks. I don't think it's particularly wise to make assumptions. As such, I'm not sure where the comment about crappy lives is coming from or what it refers to. All I ask is for readers to give this a chance, and to refrain from making judgments about this based on limited information.

That was one incident, what about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Final Countdown s.3 v.4? He used a great deal of his own personal wealth to restore the city after the Triceriton war. Yes it was motivated by gaining the downed ships so he could finally leave our pitiful little mud-ball, but he had a big banquet with the mayor and all sorts of aristocrats. I guess it wasn't overdone in TMNT itself; but still 4 out of 5 Superman movies feature Lex Luthor as the main villain, and the other one has a generic evil businessman as the villain.

Well, to each his own; I still miss the days when he and Krang would argue like an old married couple. Together with Bebop and Rocksteady, the Technodrome was the metrosexual capital of New York. I say metrosexual because everyone except Krang has demonstrated an attraction to the opposite sex at some point (and technically Krang has lost his gender along with the rest of his original body).

Anyway, if you want to do covers from time to time it would be most appreciated. The first story arc features the return of Aska, mainly because Shredder would have just been prominently featured in the last five-issue story arc. At any rate, would you be giving story ideas to go with your covers or would I send you the story and then you draw it?

I actually found that to be just bad writting and some what out of character for him.


Just send me the story and I can draw a cover for you, or if you have an idea of what you want to see I can do that also.

hey I sent you a message already but I thought I would post on here. I might be interested in being the co-writer. You're idea sounds good, and I do have some thoughts of input. It might be good t owork with another writer for once.

That refers to me, after I have a crappy week I want to read about people who can make a difference. However, Spiderman popularized the whining-hero syndrome where most of the Superhero comics these days are mostly about the heroes themselves complaining about how they have all this power but they can’t really do anything about it. I apologize again if you thought it was aimed at you, it’s just that I tried to get back into comics and stuck it out for two whole years, but they never get any better. Plus hardly anything remains in continuity for more than a year anyway, so why are we supposed to collect them? I assume there are similar reasons that made you decide to start your own project.

That’s another reason I need help on my comics. You may have noticed I’m a bit scatterbrained sometimes and change subjects mid paragraph...

I see your point but those comics always seem to be the most popular because they hit somthing that every one can relate to.

Yeah, I'd been meaning to reply to your message. Since you've already collaborated with Raven, this could be interesting. Since the series already has Spawn Guy and myself as co-writers/plotters, I dunno how it might work to have three people on the writing end. I've never tried it, but maybe it could work, especially since the second storyarc has very little set in stone, so I could use quite a bit of help there. So ... welcome aboard.

I've been wondering about the format: I mean, how are we going to do thid=s as a comic? Some guys do story, some guys do art, some guys do colour? Just like the pros? Or am I running before walking here?

It's cool. My primary reason for starting my own project isn't necessarily dissatisfaction with what's going on in the comics (considering I spend more money than I should each month on comics), but a desire to see the results of a story idea I have in my head that might not ever happen in canon. I'm curious as to what might happen, for instance, if all the characters who've ever appeared in a TMNT story existed in the same universe. And another major factor is simply a love for the characters. I don't necessarily have to hate canon in order to be inspired to write fanfiction.

And to be honest .. I like heroes with feet of clay. I don't always like whiny heroes, but I like the idea that superpowers isn't going to solve every problem a character's going to have. And I like it when events in stories have consequences; that's something that'll happen a lot in the Ultimate NT series. The Turtles won't make it through every adventure unscathed; they wouldn't learn much if they did.

The way I'm currently puzzling it out, the co-writers will collaborate on plot, turn that into a script with each one writing different scenes. As far as I know this'll be a black & white (and green) comic, with Raven handling the art chores. And I'd like to do the lettering, though if someone with a decent program (I've just got Photostudio 5 and MS Paint) wants to tackle that part, I wouldn't mind.

Long story short? That part's not yet finalized. I'm open to suggestions.

o I didn't know you were already working with spawn guy. I don't nkow how it would work. I can tell you this much, I have plenty of experience in scripting. Having different writers per scene may not work well but perhaps for each issue t ohave a differnt writer. Or have each of us work on a different story arc. I dunno we can discuss the details later. I'm loging off.

I've got some concepts for Slash.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ork/Slash2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...p/Slash1-b.jpg

I've got more artwork of some of my original characters on the artwork page on my website

Here's an idea of his story. He was mutated along with the turtles, but instead of just being bathed in the ooze, he actually consumed it, producing different effects on him than the other turtles. Splinter still took him in, but could not control him as the consumption of the ooze damaged his mind and also caused him to grow at an increased rate. He fled the lair and took refuge elsewhere laying low until the turtles start going topside. Years later, Slash finds these creature who are "just like him" and follows them. When he realizes their sensei is Splinter, the master who abandoned him, in his mind, he flips out. He starts terrorizing and brutally murdering people. Reports of a "turtle monster" start flying around and Master Splinter is forced to tell the turtles the truth of their long lost brother causing a rift between the turtles and Splinter.

I'm not sure if it would work, but feel free to rework it if you'd like.

Good luck with this, I'd really like to see how this goes.

Ah, retroactive continuity is it? So who have we got there now? Splinter, the four original turtles, Leatherhead, Mondo Gecko, Venus (at the time), Slash, and probably more that I've forgotten. No offense but its just that I've always preferred the TMNT Adventures origin the best, and messing with the origin seems pointless. It's been told and retold and changed and altered; etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. What's the 21st century way of saying that I'm a broken record?

I don't mean to be too critical, mind you, it is a nice picture.

I know, I've become a sadistic pessamist, it comes from reading DC comics. Marvel seems to be nicer to its fans, but for some reason most of their characters don't apeal to me. I mostly just like Rouge and then the rest of the X-men too I guess.

Yeah, before the 2003 series started I was going to do a mixed universe; but then it seemed unfair if the Mirage characters are currently getting new stories and the classic cartoon characters aren't. I even started a back story where Warlord Krang (after he lost his body) stole the Mutagen from the Utroms by infiltrating their building "disguised" as one. That and several alien parts needed for the half-completed Technodrome... you're free to use that to help merge the universes if you want.

Well, mostly the whining gets to me; I guess it's just the age old debate about whether a character, say Superman, should be more powerful or less powerful. Sure blowing out a star like a candle or even pushing planets is too much, but the ultra-weak "mullet-man" days of the comics were probably the worst ever.

Whatever, back to Ninja Turtles; I agree that the might-makes-right approach to Superheroes is bad. I also intend to have consequences and mutant prejudice in my series, but I'm not going to focus on it. Anyway, it seems that we are planning two very similar, yet slightly different projects, and I look forword to swapping ideas and such.

Well, either way, count me in as a potential plot co-ordinator/ concept artist. I've got some ideas for the Rat King and Krang. I'd love to see Rat King become a Shredder/ Foot-level threat to the turtles.

No current in-story plans for the Rat King in UNT, though I do have a vague idea of what I'd do with him if/when he shows up. But I'm certainly open to suggestions.

If the comic gets as far as the third storyarc (issues #9 - #12), Warlord Krang will show up. He'll be an Utrom, and a dangerous criminal similar to what Ch'rell was in the 2k3 cartoon. Yes, that also means the Technodrome will appear. :)

Regarding Slash, there are plans for him in the second arc (#5 - #8), as a snapping turtle mutated by the Foot. Raven was talking about designing him similar to Tokka in TMNT II, but I do like your character design, and the origin was something that I wouldn't have thought of.

I believe most of the character designs are finished, I might go back and do some touch ups but other wise from Wyze and SpawnGuy have planned out most have been finished.

In the next few days I'll have some promo and cover art up so people get an idea of what were going for with this book.

Well if you need any ideas, I'm more than willing to contribute.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...06/TMNTban.jpg


Just one promo I've put together. More still to come.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...6/Shredban.jpg

well i wonder where you guys are so far? I know Raven's got a script he's workin on. You gotten any further then the first script? I still want to help, and if you're still fleshing out the next arc I would be happy to throw around some ideas.

Cool! This sounds like it will be great! Any hope for Bebop and Rocksteady? Maybe they wouldn't act as "dumb" as they did in the original toon. I would also like to see Usagi.:) Because theres going to be Krang, it would be cool if General Traag shows up.

Have fun with this comic all you dudes are putting together. Hopefully it'll be worth the wait. I'm looking forward to it very much so.

The promos are lookin' pretty cool. They make the comic all the much more promising.

Sounds interesting.When do we get to see some of your concept works guys? I was going to do something like this last year, But in a totaly different vein. In appearence, my turtles were similar to Zulli's "souls withering" style, But with a touch of the traditional TMNT blended in the mix. that's how my turtle concepts posted at GreenWillows came about. I did dozens of sketches on how I thought they would look. in the end, they were very predatorish, as if the Predator had a reptilian hea, green skin tones, and a shell. All from the influences of Zulli,Classic Mirage, and what I thought was cool. I hadn't intended it to look so Stan winstonish. lol. My Splinter had jet black fur, but Charcoal fur down the front from chest to groin. My Shredder was essential the world's nightmare. Bane of everything. He lived to destroy, Conquest was his only satisfaction. He rose through the ranks and slew the inner circle, wresting power to himself and setting the stage for world domination. The man simply dosen't care about anything other than his agenda. I had just started to figure in Slash and Tokka when I sat it aside. They were essentialy a mad scientist project, Created by rogue Utroms. lol. I guess now we would call them "Replicants". I actualy have started a replicants fanfiction...anyway, I think you have a good start guys. Lets see how it plays out. Good luck!

Concept work can be posted shortly, I guess.

I'm not surprised that other people have been tossing around ideas for a similar Ultimate Turtles project, and I think it's pretty cool. Different writers and artists have different ideas on how to approach the material, so I like seeing the different takes on the concept. Your Zulli-esque approach sounds really fascinating, Nightwalker.

There are definite plans for Bebop and Rocksteady. Look for them early on in the series. And I can guarantee they won't be as stupid as they were in the '80s cartoon (it's not hard to smarter than that). While they won't exactly be geniuses, they'll present a threat level for the Turtles akin to what they were in the early episodes of the '80s cartoon, and in the video games where they were level bosses. It always annoyed me that B&R in the cartoon were reduced to pushovers so quickly, so in this series they'll be dangerous again.

Miyamoto Usagi would be a great character to show up eventually; I've always liked him. I'm also fond of General Traag and the rock soldiers, so they'll show up as well.

Well this is a cover for one of the issues, I wont say at the moment.

I dont want to show alot at this moment because I lot is this in flux, nothing has been finalized. I do have some pages done for the first issue, I'm taking my time with it and making sure I do this right and hopefully not make some mistakes that I tend to do.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...06/utncov3.jpg

As everyone should be able to see, it's going to be pretty easy to tell the Ultimate TMNT apart from their various franchise counterparts.

This looks interesting. I'm a big fan of Ultimate X-Men and Ultimate Spider-Man so I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

I would also be more than willing to lend my ideas to this project. I know you guys already have a pretty big team on the writing/plot outlines,scripting etc, but I have spent much time peicing together my own little tmnt universe in my head, and have a lot of cool ideas that I think would really fit in with an Ultimate style book of the TMNT, so lemme know if you guys need any help!

I wonder if I should be scared this many people are after my job.

Wow....nice work guys. can't wait to read it. Mikey's Slash origin seems to be almost like some sort of Bizarro Turtle. I kinda like that. Is there more expanding of the origin? I mean E&L never really explained how their TMNT recieved their weapons and "costumes." Just a thought.

Question: Will they be all red, or have multicolored bandanas? (if it's black and white....I guess the point's moot.)

I can answer these questions for ya Jester.

From what I have read that Wyze and SpawnGuy have put together they are expanding on the orgin, but nothing drastic. Things that werent explained will be in this fan comic, think of this has Batman Begins, were going in and giving every thing a reason for being in the story.

As for the bandanas they will be multicolored, I'm hoping soon to have a colored version of the covers finished so I can show them to every one so they can see how it will look.