A thread dedicated to the great TMNT Entity
 

Mark "Dr. Spengler" Pellegrini would never toot his own horn, but I will. Go to tmntentity.blogspot.com, go NOW and read Mark's very wonderful reviews of the comics...every volume. Now to be fair, he's not done yet, but I'll give him credit, he's more dedicated than I. I was reviewing the 4 volumes of Turtle Soup for www.gogreenmachine.org and have yet to get past the first issue. So kudos, Mark on an excellent site with reviews that are just as awesome.

Oh...and by the way Spengs, the Donatello book the commenter was talking about was one of the 4 released by Random House. Leo's was an adaptation of TMNT: Adventures 5 (The Ray Fillet issue), Mikey adapted Incredible Shrinking Turtles, Raph - Return of the Shredder, and Donatello was in fact the lone Mirage adaptation, that of Kirby and the Warp Crystal.

Yes, Spengs is a hero

I read his reviews for clarification when I'm confused about a book. It's a great tool if you need some help while reading as I can admit used to happen to me. It's quite a commitment.

I love his blog. Everything is so eloquently written.

Thanks Spengs for all your hard work!

-ms

I read every post, love it.

Brownnoser.

Seriously though, I've killed hours reading Entity, and sometimes there are details pointed out that I completely missed that completely floor me.

I, for one, appreciate both this talent and his humility. Like Jester said, Spengs doesn't toot his own horn very much, but the quality of his stuff is well thought-out. He really does attempt analysis rather than just ranting about whatever is on his mind.

I've worked with Mark for about the last two years or so on the TMNT manga translation project (he does most of the hard work, of course). While not too many people have kept up with that project, his efforts have been an admirable contribution to the TMNT archives, and I feel like he's doing me a personal favor translating my manga!

Did you guys also know he writes comic strips for a talented artist named Timothy Lin? It's a series called "It's a Good Life," and I highly recommend everybody check it out as well.

It's a good review site. Although he trashes
some issues a bit too harshly like Bodycount. Then again it's not like we all have the same opinions on issues so it doesn't matter.

I mainly discovered his site just because of the Mirage continuity timeline.

On that note (differing opinions among fans)... it's impossible to trash the Bodycount issues too harshly.:lol:

Not that I always agree with Mark, but he just about always makes his case with facts and logic. So it's hard to spite him at the end of the day.

Hyperlink fixed...:D Ooops.

I will check it out, Thanks

Challenge Accepted!

...Yes, his site is great.

I am surprised the site updates almost every 2 days or so. He is certainly putting a lot of work into reading and reviewing these issues in what I is assume almost daily.

The pacing is good. He is almost halfway through the Archie series, although I gather that might be because most Archie issues are only like 25 pages or so.

I absolutely love that site. Every article is well informed, funny and well written, and his reviews are great also. I also enjoy his horror movie reviews, and Its a Good Life is pretty decent too.

hi guys!
I just read his donatello one shot review and was pleasently surprised of how accurate and well put the text seemed, great write, amigo!!
I just wanted to remind you of something that you missed putting in there and that might clearify the one moment that made me think 'okay, here he feels a little uncomfortable with the matter'..I am talking about the 'loveletter' of sorts to a living fellow artist...the donatello micro series was done at the time when jack kirby was at court fighting for his creator rights and all the income for that donatello comic was directly sponsored for his cause...so this isn't that weird but rather noble;)...this I learned from kevin eastman's artobiography and I think you know it anyway giving that everything is in place in your review...
right on!!
cowabunga!

I'm extremely flattered, you guys! Thanks!

I'm glad I've been able to carve a little niche for myself with my site. It gets some pretty modest traffic (300-400 hits a day and 500 on a good day), but I'm glad that the people who find it enjoy what I've written.

I do fear that some times I can be too harsh with my reviews. I try not to be one of those "raging bloggers"; I watch my vocabulary and try to specify what disappointed or upset me without resorting to personal insults. I try to remember that there are people behind everything I criticize and they aren't all millionaire celebrities living in Beverly Hills. Even still, I reread some of my more colorful reviews and feel kind of guilty.

I feel especially bad for being hard on Steve Murphy while going through TMNT Adventures. I feel justified in my criticisms, though there are times I feel I've straddled the line of going "too far"; getting caught in the heat of the moment. And when a guy wrote close to 72 consecutive issues of a series, it's easy for it to look like I'm singling him out. I really don't want to be one of "those" bloggers and I am disappointed in myself some times.


But anyway, I appreciate all the praise, but you guys should be aware that I wouldn't be able to catalogue much of my information without all of you at the Technodrome. I've gotten so many scans, links, tips and golden chunks of info from you guys that it's made my job that much easier and more entertaining. I've been involved in the Transformers online community for 10 years now, and it's so massive and polarized that you can get lost in it despite your contributions. But the TMNT community is very small and close-knit and cooperative. It's really startling, but in the best kind of way.

Anyhow, I'll keep doing what I'm doing and thanks again for all the help you guys have give me over the years. I'll endeavor to be more polite in my critiques in the future.

...Except when it comes to Bodycount. I cannot be polite when it comes to Bodycount.

Personally, I think you have a perfect balance. And I envy your critical analysis skills.... I love checking out your site. :)

Don't ever change!

:mango:

~ Machias

Today is also Speng's birthday, wish him a good one after all you mugs read his articles!

Ahh, I consider myself a huge fan of the Archie universe (it may be my favorite deviation in the multiverse) but I feel the same way about Murphy's eco-preachyness.

About the Archie reviews, are you going to review the Merdude and Don/Leatherhead specials before you get to the arc where the Mutanimals are all killed? It makes sense to review the issues they're still alive in before they get killed.

There's also the awful April MayEast specials, which was so terrible Murphy tried to retcon the story out of continuity.

I figured I've revive this thread to give TMNT Entity a plug! DrSpengler has recently finished his extensive labor of translating Super Turtles #2, (Cryomancer is making quick work on getting it ready for public viewing, BTW) which means he is back to the grind on the TMNT comic reviews.

Today he reviewed the classic TMNT Volume 1, #11, recognizing it as the unintentional yet appropriate send-off to the Eastman & Laird team, their only future joint project being the first issue of City at War. Read it!

The reviews are great and informative as usual.

The only thing that irks me about the site is the constant jabs at David Wise or the Fred Wolf cartoon in general. I know its just opinions and all, but sometimes I feel like I'm reading Peter Laird's blog!

Well, I have a starkly different opinion of David Wise than a lot of fans, I'll freely admit. I think the guy was a total hack.

A real nice guy who shows genuine enthusiasm for his work. But still a hack.


And if it makes you feel any better, I plan on reviewing the Fred Wolf cartoon soon, so I'll be suffering beyond compare.

That'll be an interesting change of pace that I can look forward to seeing as I do all new posts.

Oh, man, I can't wait (Just please don't give half the episodes grades of D & F:tlol:)! And, Mark, is there any chance you might consider joining Jester and I on a fan commentary?

I don't think I have any means of recording my voice, I'm afraid.

And I probably won't grade the episodes. I plan on doing them in episode batches, basically broken down by the disks of the Lions Gate releases. They won't be as "in-depth" as my comic reviews, but I'll give them all fiar appraisals. I want to do the 4Kids series and the movies, too, at least at some point.

Meh, if you don't go into the original cartoon with the right mindset, there's no reason to get into it at all.

I think the reason so many of us still enjoy the old cartoon is because we know what it was intended to be, a fun mindless cartoon show.

Yes, because everyone should love the Fred Wolf series. If you don't you should burn....BURN!!!

Seriously Cubed, the man is entitled to his opinion, no matter how wrong he is....

Some of us have limited interest in fun mindless cartoon shows. (mostly it's the mindless part that rankles.)

I was gonna hold my tongue, but... like Jester said, everybody's entitled to their opinion, no matter how wrong, so...

The OT was many things, but "mindless" wasn't one of them. In order to truly enjoy the show, you have to be paying attention, i.e. use your brain. Pop-culture and literary references, dry-pan humor, puns, subtle in-jokes, complicated psuedo-scientific explanation for things, etc.... all these things require mental effort to notice and appreciate. It's fair to say stuff like that hurt the show's status as an "action show" or a "real drama," but it isn't mindless.

Explosions are cool, but they are by definition mindless and require no real effort on the viewer's part to comprehend what just happened. But the humor of the OT, no matter how corny, requires one to listen carefully to the dialogue. Try watching episodes without the sound off sometime, it's just about impossible to follow the plot. Indeed, the mind is a must to appreciate its brand of humor.

Anyway... looking forward to Speng's reviews! Whether you end up agreeing with him or not, he just about always expresses himself well.

To be honest I always thought the OT's strength was simply the way every character played off one another.

The 4 Turtles, Shredder/Krang/Bebop/Rocksteady, and April/Irma/Vernon/Burne specifically.

They all were such obvious foils of each other and all had comedic banter. And then when all 3 groups interacted with the others and outside their little quartet, it was hilarious.

The fact that the cartoon made fun of itself, with all the 4th wall breaking and basically acknowledging the plots were ridiculous, was basically the best part of it all.

It knew it was a cartoon and completely ran with it.

I don't hate the series as much as some of you see to be making me out to be (or, at least one of you, anyway). If I did loathe every inch of it, I wouldn't have included several episodes in my "25 Greatest TMNT Moments" article some years ago, right?

When the show was trying, it was genuinely entertaining. I love the first season and most of the second. The Red Sky seasons, now that I've finally been able to watch them on DVD, have been surprising me with how tightly written they are.

But I'd wager about 75% of the show is still pretty awful. I love the characters and the characterizations unique to the universe and I enjoy quite a bit about the show.

However, I do not think it averages out to a good show, when you get down to it.

I'd wager Seasons 1-3 were great, Seasons 4 and 5 are a bit hit or miss, Season 6 is a really funny season with a bit more action, Season 7 was excellent, and Seasons 8-10 were pretty good for an action cartoon.

It's only the Euro vacation eps and some of the worst eps of Seasons 4 and 5 that dragged the show down.

That's how I view the show, anyway. Season 6 was almost as good as the later seasons.

Okay, even though were in the Comic Section we're discussing the OT, so I feel I have to throw my 25 cents in the pot: I don't remember laughing much at the OT. I love the hell out of it, which is obvious otherwise I wouldn't be here, but I just remember immensely liking the characters and enjoying the show over finding it funny. It doesn't change the notion that the OT was a comedy with action elements, I think I aid more attention to the action part over the funny part.

Then again, it could have been the Mirage Turtles pulling me in with their seriousness, I dunno. :D

I've been rewatching the DVD's recently and it surprises me how much fun I have with the series. I guess the reason some people forget why adults still find it entertaining is they only watch select episodes once every year, but never sit down to give it a regular watch through each DVD.

I can understand why people don't like the show, but to me the show was the perfect blend of being a cartoon to just watch for entertainment. The show smartly toes the line between smart and bizarre.

We'll never get another show like it.

Count me as a fan of Spengler and his site.

It embarrasses me to admit that I haven't read all the TMNT manga issues, even though I really like them and am very grateful for the translations.

As you should be! :twink:

By at least my definition of the word "hack", I don't quite think it's possible to both of those things at the same time. Not that I think Wise is a master storyteller, but my point stands.

I see your logic, usually a hack isn't enthusiastic. Usually a "hack" will "phone it in." Enthusiasm is not something you think of when you think of hackery.

I dunna, I rather liked Wise. Some of the best Fred Wolf stories were penned by Wise, even if they were cobbled together from plots he used on Transformers and He-man.

There's a reason why a lot of people felt the 4kids series weakest point was its humor. With the exception of some things here and there, the 4kids series was rarely funny. They also wound up ruining Michaelangelo as the series progressed.

They needed David Wise. He wrote the best and funniest banter between the Turtles of the franchise.

Man, I hope David Wise can write a few eps for Nick at some point.

Not to disparage Wise or the 4Kids cast, but part of the success of the Fred Wolf humor may well have been the rapport that the voice cast had with one another. I really wonder how much of what we see was scripted and how much was ad-libed by the cast.

Also....Nice review of Credo. It is odd to see Ch'rell in a Mirage book. Kinda like Krang in Turtle Soup #1.