IDW multi-colored masks
 

Alright, here we go. My first real thread, I hope people will find it interesting enough to respond :D.

So as most of you probably know the colored masks have started showing up in IDW's TMNT recently. First they were seen in preview art for infestation and now they've popped up in the Raphael one-shot.

What do you guys think would be an acceptable (or least unnacceptable) reason for them storywise to switch from all red to multi-colored masks?

My theory, assuming it's a permanent change, is that they all want to express themselves more as individuals but they still need a good reason to do that all of a sudden. It's also a little odd as they have been wearing all red bandana's for over a year now.

If it's a temporary change I really can't think of a valid reason why they would want to switch to different colors. At least so far.

I wish Tom Waltz would confirm if it was a definite or a temporary change, lol.

So anyway, what are your thoughts?

The real world reason is the colored masks are what most casual Turtle fans are used to so it was done to drive up sales. Perhaps Nick mandated they switch to color masks as well.

Most people never read the Mirage books who are picking up IDW now.

I'm okay either way really. I mean the Mirage turtles had all red but it didn't really mean anything to me since the comics are in black and white. The majority of TMNT in color has had multicolored masks.

As a "clan" standpoint it makes since for them to have all one color. It shows unity.

But I can see them doing the color masks to "help" people keep who's who straight.

Agreed, Mirage and Image were always black and white anyway so it didn't matter. Volume 2 and some specials are the only exception.

Huh? I thought the other Turtles didn't appear in the Raphael one-shot?

Personally I'm a fan of the all-red bandana's, though I used to be in the multi-colored bandana camp because they are more recognisable that way. However the ninja clan argument convinced me all-red is actually cooler.

I understand the real world reason of making them more recognisable to the public. But what I'm driving at is how will they explain this in-universe without upsetting fans of the all-red bandanas.

It would be weird if they'd just started to draw the TMNT with multi-colored bandana's from now on without ever mentioning how they started out with all red bandana's ever again.

I personally hope it's a temporary change, if not, I wouldn't lose interest as I'm used to multi-colored masks just the same but they should provide a really good reason for the change.

I don't mind the switch. I think the reason is going to be related to Raphael's entry into the group.

Here's a thought - do you guys think the reg. ed. of #6 showcase the TMNT in colored masks? Didn't Bobby C. say that he was holding out in showing it because there was a major spoiler?

That would make sense Donnie. I am not sure how valid this is but I found this declined Leonardo micro series cover with Leonardo wearing a blue mask. Apparently it was declined because Nickelodeon didn't approve.
Here's the source: http://menton3.deviantart.com/#/d4ft817

Yeah, I believe that was a rejected variant for Infestation 2. The same artist is still doing a variant though, it's similar but a little better, still of Leo in blue. I'm personally not a fan of the style...

When I think about it too the all red makes it feel a little less cartoonish. Maybe it's just me on that one but something about having them in different colors makes it seem less intense.

Yeah, this is definitely true, at least in my opinion. I may prefer colors just a tad over all red, but I still like all red and there's no doubt about it that all red is overall a darker, more mature Turtles.

Looking at that cover I thought it would fit Infestation a lot more too despite the artist's claim that it was for Leonardo's one shot. Also the style of that cover is so out of sync with the ones we got for the other three turtles.

Oh, and speaking about the other turtle's covers, with Mikey there was some doubt but Donatello is definately wearing a red headband on the cover of his one shot. Curious.

Yes, this is a good point. We haven't seen the variants yet though. Still haven't seen the Mikey variant, either.

It could be a Nick mandate that they don't want brand confusion by having Leonardo wear Red, then again is the IDW comic violent? Because I doubt that is the brand they want to show with the turtles either.

But I think it has more to do with the fact that IDW sells based on nostalgia for the most part, look at all their licenses, and while everyone likes to pretend they are die hard Mirage fans the sales for Vol.4 show just how many of those actually are. Everyone and their mom has read #1 and like the idea of gritty turtles but besides that people are picking this up because of the OT.

Counting this isn't part of Mirage continuity and it's already taken plenty of liberties I don't see why many people would care about the change. I mean they're definitely the minority. I could see people getting angry if it was Mirage continuity or coloring the bandannas of the Mirage issues.

I'll repost:

There is no sense in the TMNT having different colored bandannas. None. I don't say this as a Mirage purist, I strictly say this out of logic and good sense. I mean, hell, give them all BLACK bandannas (or no bandannas) if you must, but whatever they should be adorned with it should not be rainbow/mood-colored ones. Unless the TMNT universe in question will be so drastically different from the Mirage universe that the TMNT are no longer a ninja clan (I'm actually a supporter of the "Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles" title for the rainbow-bandannaed TMNT... as they're not ninjas in that and the storylines in those basically make them nonsense superheroes or vigilantes or something equally rubbish), ninja clans have one color (or no color at all). As soon as you enter into account a ninja clan with members all picking different mood-colors for their bandannas to make metrosexual fashion statements or to say, "I'm different!" then the whole thing becomes a sham. I don't want the TMNT to be a sham, do you?

"But I have trouble telling them apart when they don't have different colored bandannas!!!"

#1: A lot can be achieved in artistic variation of the Turtles in body types, facial features, and even skin tones (though varying the skin colors too much becomes odd when it's too drastic... they're all supposed to be red-earred sliders and brothers, and it's not like you'd ever see a brown red-earred slider come out of one egg and a forest green red-earred slider come out of the one next to it). And it's not often that you see a Turtle without his trademark weapon anyway.
#2: It's possible you're a moron. Sorry.

"But in all the TMNT spinoff universes they have different colored bandannas!!!"

#1: It's neither the source material's (in which they all wore red) fault or any reflection on the source material.
#2: The spinoff universes are geared for little kids and otherwise had to be toy conscious (you know, "buy me the blue one, Mommy!" and this whole kind of New Kids on the Block-esque deal where little girls can bond/fawn over the one that best suits their mood, etc.)... so why support commercialism, when it's contrary to the spirit of what you're following?

"Aw, c'mooon, guys... I really, really, really liked the children's cartoons when I was like 6 and to me Leo will always be blue, Mikey orange, and Donnie purple!!!"

#1: You can get all of those cartoons on DVD and rekindle the sanctity of your childhood at your leisure.
#2: Chances are if you're on this forum you're already out of the target audience/demographic for TMNT in the mass media, whether you're talking about movies or new cartoons or whatever. The new generation of toddlers and little kids do not care about your childhood -- why should they?

"Who CARES what color their bandannas are?!?"

You should. That is, if you don't want your TMNT to be a sham.

I am not a fan of the colored bandannas. I truly believe they should stay all red. Why didn't they just start the series with colored bandannas if that is the direction they wanted to take? I will continue to read either way, but it will definitely be disappointing.

What's really puzzling to me is why they went to all the trouble of making the Turtles' skin colors so different and like the action figures when the plan all along was to add the rainbow bandannas anyway. Rainbow bandannas and the different skin colors is too much, and a little insulting to readers (you know, "We don't trust you to know who this is so we're going to really, really make sure you know!").

That's a good point...

I don't think we should panic about the colors yet, it might still be a temporary thing. Like I said above, the Donatello cover still has him wearing a red mask and I think it takes place after Raph's one-shot in which he wears purple. Maybe they will switch to color for a while and then at some moment stop and think "what the hell are we doing?".

I'm as baffled as you guys as to what the reason of them wearing the colored bands all of a sudden is though, be it temporary or permanent. Feel free to post your theories.

I must admit, if it turns out the colored bandanna things are just a temporary thing, something the Turtles "try out" for whatever reason before getting smacked upside their heads by Splinter to stop being emo and then going back to the reds... I'd be very pleasantly surprised.

Wait, has Tom or anyone from IDW confirmed that they would be switching to colored bandanas?! Because if that's the case, I'm gonna be dissapointed.

Nope, but the cold hard fact is that the turtles were wearing them in the last issue.

There is a mounting pile of evidence to indicate things are going that way. Rainbow bandannas are on the TMNT in the Infestation 2 material (which takes place after TMNT #5, or TMNT #6), rainbow bandannas on the TMNT at the end of the Raphael special (which takes place after TMNT #5), that the cover of #6 is not being shown because of a "major spoiler," and a general... let's call it a "playful evasiveness" whenever the colored bandanna question is brought up in the lettercol and elsewhere.

All signs seem to be pointing to them putting them on in #5. Let's hope the reason isn't something silly, borderline racist like Raphael going, "Huh? You all look the same to me, I don't know who's who!" despite them all having very different skin colors, bodies, and faces.

But, the cover of issue 7 has them in all red. And there is also a cover for Infestation of them in all red. Man, what's the deal? I like my comic turtles in RED. They can wear whatever they want in a cartoon, show, movie, ect. I don't care. But I want my comics with red bandanas! Jeez, can we not atleast have that small part of the pie?

Here we go again. If this turns out to be true, my excitement every month for a new issue will go down. Yeah, not sure why, but the bandana color is THAT important to me.:x

For now I think I'm just gonna hold on to the fact that Tom Waltz said the ninja family aspect was important to him and the red bandana's are a major part of that.

I'd also like to add that I'm sure the turtles have their own distinct voices (in the comic universe, of course). That alone should be enough to help differentiate between turtles. If we watched the live action ninja turtle movies and colored their bandanas red, I'd be surprised if people couldn't tell that was Raphael by his Brooklyn accent, Donatello by his Corey Feldman impression, etc...

I am really hoping they stick with red bandanas too, but at the same time, I don't think Tristan would say that he has a good reason if he didn't truly believe so. I have no problem admitting people can be smarter or more creative than myself, so I'll just see if this is one of those cases when I read the issue!

Another good point.

You see, I get the whole "Now hold on a minute guys, maybe there's like a really good story behind the Turtles getting the rainbow bandannas -- you never know!" thing, because maybe there is. You see, I'm pretty sure next week DC could commission Neil Gaiman to write an amazing, amazing heart-wrenching story to explain how and why Batman will suddenly start wearing a tutu in the pages of Batman and Detective Comics. Seriously, with the right writing and high enough caliber of creativity/storytelling, just about anything can be made to work and be moving, even Batman in a tutu by Neil Gaiman -- it might even win accolades, critical acclaim, and people that never thought Batman could wear a tutu might even be converted into believers.

But we would still arrive at a situation where Batman is wearing a tutu. And that sucks.

The turtles are wearing red on issue #7's cover. I seriously doubt the oh-so devious spoiler has anything to do with something so insignificant as freaking bandanas. Christ.

That example's a little excessive though and catering more to your personal disliking of the situation. Realistically, it's more akin to Batman going from his current suit to a red and blue one.

Solicit cover colors are seldom definitive and final, so that's not real good proof either way. And covers are seldom an accurate representation of a given issue's events in any comic.

Though it's at least a little bit reassuring, I'll admit.

It may not at all, it's true. Could be the Technodrome on it, could be a big Shredder reveal, or it could be boys turning into baby turtles.

I'm not claiming to represent anyone's opinions but my own. If I'm using a bit of hyperbole it's just to better illustrate my point.

If you want to be technical, wouldn't it be more akin to Batman going from his current suit... to a rainbow one?

OK, admittedly the Zur En Arrh Batman was pretty cool, I guess...

Nah.
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.comicsall.../06/tec241.jpg
I'd still buy it.

LOL! Yeah! He was, see! But to answer, technically no, because it's one colour -- if Robin, Nightwing and Batgirl ALL changed, sure, but each character is only changing once. It's also not done to make fun of anything, which I'm almost certain putting Batman in a tutu could ever only do. The general populace would never be able to take batman seriously in a tutu, regardless of what he does, whereas here it's only a fanbase division. Some people just don't care, some do. Pretty sure EVERYONE would turn their heads to a Batman in a tutu. ;)

Well, those who are converted wouldn't think it sucks, right? And what you're talking about almost sounds like blurring the line between good writing and... hypnotism. There are plenty of cases where I was proven wrong and I don't wish I never read a story that convinced me that something I used to think sucked was cool. Alan Moore showed me that a cheesy b-movie-esque monster (Swamp Thing) could be amazingly cool and I'm glad he did.

Sure we can and ought to exercise some discretion on what's worth giving a shot, but as you pointed out with your admission of hyperbole, I don't think rainbow bandanas are as huge of a leap as a tutu-wearing Batman because even if I'm sold on the story, I would still not prefer that visual design (as close to "objectively stupid" as you can get, which I think was your intent). My reason for preferring red bandanas is not entirely aesthetic, so if there is a convincing reason for the change, I won't be sad that I now like different colored bandanas. If you simply hate the look, then as Tristan pointed out, that is a preference thing.

I'm in the minority, but while I like the red bandanas I would just shrug if they changed it. I'm having way too much fun with this series to be bothered by them changing it. I can see why it would bother people, but, it's not a huge problem for me.

I'm all for multi color. Never did get why everyone liked all red, it doesn't make them anymore badass

You're in the minority, but you're not alone. Red or colored, I really don't care. The Turtles can wear whatever colors they want the same way I can wear any workout shirt I want to my Kickboxing class.

Will there ever come a time where you stop acting as if your opinions are facts?

Actually I think it does, the ninja clan aspect of the red bandana's makes them a lot more badass. But again, if they can provide a good enough reason to switch to colorbands it wouldn't freak me out, but it probably wouldn't change my opinion that all red is more fitting to the grittier tone of the comic.

I actually really like that this comic is slowly becoming a combination of everything I like about all of the Turtles different universes! I am starting to get a feel of this being like a more serious version of the Adventures universe and that is EXACTLY what I wanted from this comic!!!

I also liked that they started out all red and then I am assuming there will be a storyline reason to turn to their more mainstream colored bandanas. I don't care if the Turtles are in black and white or color because as long as their personalities shine through you can tell who's who.

It feels like they are taking the best parts of all the universes and making the best combination possible. I was hoping for this in the Nick show but I think we are going to get it in the comics and that actually makes me even happier!