If the TMNT franchise ever dies...
 

Leo656 wrote a post which made for very uncomfortable reading. He said that he thinks the franchise will die in future if Viacom doesn't freshen it up. Essentially meaning they need to make it more mature in theme, or at least create a branch of the franchise which is more adult.

So if the turtles ever cease to exist - no more shows, no more films, no more comics, no more toys etc - how will you cope with it? It would be devastating to many of our lives, I expect.

By now there's enough TMNT material to rewatch or re-read for a lifetime that it doesn't matter if we never get anything new after the Nick era ends:

- Original cartoon (193 episodes)

- 4kids cartoon (157 episodes and Turtles Forever)

- Nick cartoon (probably over 150 something episodes by the time it ends)

- 5 movies with a 6th on the way

- Mirage with every series combined comes out to nearly 300 issues

- Archie TMNT is over 100 issues with all specials

- IDW TMNT will likely hit over 100 issues when it ends


This is more than enough to rewatch or re-read even if the franchise ends after the Viacom era.

I knew someone would say that. However, the point is that we always want to see new takes on the characters. Clearly we will be watching and reading all that has gone before no matters what happens in future, but it's great to have fresh iterations & interpretations.

I dunno, TMNT isn't like Batman or Spiderman that needs to be constantly rebooted and last 70 years.

I'm sure there will be more incarnations after the Nick era, but I also wouldn't mind if the franchise takes a 10 year break after it ends just to recharge.

A hiatus is fine. Just not a permanent stop.

Believe it or not, I feel the same way as Cubed that we'd still be Fine. I already had "accepted" that it was over by 2000. I swore this thing was Dead. (Keep in mind I'd literally only had the internet for, like, 5 minutes. I swore I was the only person who still cared.) I didn't know the 2003 cartoon was coming, so obviously I'm much, much happier it WASN'T dead, but by 2000 it had been years since anything TMNT was relevant and I hadn't talked to anyone about it in anything other than, "Hey, remember that?" for a long, long... LONG time. My wife was the first person I met who was still REALLY into it, not just, "Eh, the movie's alright" and that's all they wanted to do with it anymore. Lucky me. :)

But yeah, we would have long conversations about and watch old VHS tapes of Ninja Turtles, but it was still all "Remember when...?" and "I wonder if they'll ever do anything with it again." We were still, like, 5 minutes from 80s Nostalgia really being a thing, yet, for those of you who were either not around or still in diapers, bound to be a couple of 'em reading this. :lol: The closest thing we had to any 80s property getting a "revival", was when Toys R Us briefly re-released a handful of the old He-Man toys. I don't think anyone predicted that, for the next 15 years, we'd be literally drowning in "Nostalgia".

So that's why I thought it was already dead, and was already accepting of it. That's actually why I wrote my first (and only completed) fic, because there were literally No New TMNT Stories being told and my (then-girlfriend, now-) wife wanted to read a new one, so I wrote one. Now we have even more stuff, though. I would prefer it if TMNT one day becomes an "Ever-green (Pun Kind Of Intended)" property like Superman and Batman. That's my hope.

But, IF that doesn't happen, we've still been pretty spoiled. We've got plenty to keep us busy until the end of time. And, of course, people would always get bored and keep themselves amused with fanfic. :) I'd just prefer TMNT doesn't slide into being a "drag it out and shake it off every 15-20 years for a Nostalgia Pop" kind of thing. TMNT deserves a better fate than "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan does, for cryin' out loud. :lol:

If anything the Nick revival happened too quickly.

The 4kids cartoon ended in 2009, and the Nick show started in 2012 only 3 years later. The IDW comic also started in 2011 only 1 year after Mirage put out their final Tales issue.

This. & there will always be fan-comics, fan-fics, etc. to soak up.

What happened to Dawn of the Ninja? There have only been two chapters. Did the guys lose interest?

They probably lost interest, or lack of funds.

I enjoyed the first couple of chapters. Is MNT: Gaiden still going? Been years since I read that. Obscure Zodiac.

Anything in this world is not permanent, but I feel TMNT still are kicking and are still gonna be around for a long time, what with the recent excellent movie release and Nicktoon. :)

Yeah, Obscure Zodiac/Tiger Fog is still doing the comic

True, I think there's plenty life left in the old turtles yet. The topic is hypothetical, though.

That must be abput 8 or 9 years it's going, yes?

I still have faith it won't die and WB will pick it up...one day... BUT if worse comes to worse I'd rather see it sold off to a Japanese Company. It might not ever see a live action movie or tv series that's more serious but at least it will be given the freedom it deserves in an animated sense as Japan would not hesitate in doing a more mature anime and mangas as well as kids versions. Hell, I'd even look forward to the 'reverse dub' with American actors.

Yes, I was thinking that anime would be a great compromise for the property. You're the second person I've seen suggest it today, so there are plenty of us thinking along those lines. Anime has no constraints.

Also, the it's for kids stigma doesn't exist in Japan. I remember riding the trains there a few years ago and seeing men and women between 20-60 with mangas and even 3DS's. It's just in the culture there and what a more fitting place for the turtles to end up in then their 'actual story origin' mother land :tcool:

Very true.

Going to sleep now. I hope this thread grows while I'm asleep.

If the current owners decide to shelve it indefinitely, they better aught to be open to selling should someone make them an offer. Would rather they were a perpetual foster child of companies and move on at some point if the current company decided it was done paying attention to them.

Yes, there is plenty of media to continue to enjoy if the franchise called it quits. At the same time though, that's like looking at photos of old friends, it's great and all and grateful to have those mementos to remember those times with them, but it's not the same as still having them around.

(Noooo... no anime please... lol)

It came close to death at the end of the 2k3 toon. And then, suddenly, Nick/Viacom acquire it out of the blue. It was kinda sad at the time knowing the turtles could be near their end and most people outside of a few more "hardcore" fans didn't know or care about it.

Since Nick/Viacom acquired it, I began to believe that TMNT is gonna live for a long time like many other iconic franchises. If it ever dies, though? Well, I'll be a bit sad to see a big part of my childhood and my favorite franchise dying just like that. But on the other hand, many good things come to an end. And like others have said already, the franchise is gonna leave a hell of a history behind it that would take quite sometime for a new fan to watch everything.