Mirage Volume 4 - Number 32 Update - Page 6

*CyberCubed* · 01-04-2013, 07:54 PM

Laird commented on issue #32 on his blog today when someone asked:

Tim, Volume 4 is on what might be called "indefinite hiatus". The next issue (#32) has been penciled and inked, and I have to tone the artwork and write the dialogue and do the lettering... but I don't know when I will get to it, as I am just not inspired to work on a Turtle comic right now. I hope to get back to it at some point, but I am not sure when that will be. -- PL

So basically the issue is far from done, but at least PL does intend to go back to it eventually.

*Powder* · 01-04-2013, 09:36 PM

Not exactly news, but thanks for trying.

*frank_one* · 01-05-2013, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

I hope to get back to it at some point, but I am not sure when that will be. -- PL

It is good news to read he still want to do it. He admits he doesn't know when, but he says he hopes he will do it eventually.

*CyberCubed* · 01-05-2013, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frank_one

It is good news to read he still want to do it. He admits he doesn't know when, but he says he hopes he will do it eventually.

Yeah, but its just one issue. Who knows if he'll actually finish Volume 4 altogether which would be at least another 6 issues he said.

Mewzard · 01-06-2013, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Yeah, but its just one issue. Who knows if he'll actually finish Volume 4 altogether which would be at least another 6 issues he said.

I imagine he will, he's just doing work when the mood hits him, rather than forcing it. I bet they will get finished...just expect to wait about a decade.

*frank_one* · 01-06-2013, 09:39 AM

And finally we'll see Leo meeting Splinter again (or a mutant rat from a parallel universe, who knows), Mike kicking some Styraci ass and Raph and Don turning back to their normal form. I was not in that Guardi-friend and Xihad subplot so much, on the other hand.

*CyberCubed* · 01-06-2013, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mewzard

I imagine he will, he's just doing work when the mood hits him, rather than forcing it. I bet they will get finished...just expect to wait about a decade.

Well Peter Laird is 58 now, isn't he? Another decade and he'll be 68.

Do you really think we're more likely to get comics from him when he's going to be much older and much less interested in the property?

corvus · 01-06-2013, 03:44 PM

its sad. Such an epic series just fizzled out like that.

gbhq · 01-06-2013, 05:21 PM

I think waiting a decade is stretching it, maybe 3-4 years. To be honest
i think its probably better off not bieng finished, maybe just having a really good issue 32 and finishing it there, sometimes forcing it you get a really bad ending.

*CyberCubed* · 01-06-2013, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbhq

I think waiting a decade is stretching it, maybe 3-4 years. To be honest
i think its probably better off not bieng finished, maybe just having a really good issue 32 and finishing it there, sometimes forcing it you get a really bad ending.

32 is just going to be a random issue though, it wasn't intended to wrap anything up.

We know how the Mirage universe ends due to the old Turtle stories

gbhq · 01-06-2013, 06:58 PM

what I meant was issue 32 should be just really good, and we actually never
get a proper ending. To be honest I think it was not fair to the fans the way Peter Laird treated the series toward the end(having to wait so long between issues), and he's still doing it to us. Although I really enjoyed it I am tired of waiting.

bjh13 · 01-06-2013, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbhq

I think waiting a decade is stretching it, maybe 3-4 years. To be honest

It's important to note that Peter Laird hasn't touched TMNT in years now. He mentioned back in 2010 that he was going to post #32 online since it was "virtually complete" like he did #31, than then post the plots for the remaining 6 or 7 issues. When he posted #31 he noted the plots needed to be beefed up and since he didn't feel like dealing with the Turtles he didn't know when that would happen. Two years later and the only comments we have seen have been more of the same, he doesn't know if he will ever work on it again, he would like to complete the series some day but doesn't know if he will, and that he isn't inspired to work on it.

I don't see how anything he has said in the last 2-2.5 years should give us any confidence we will see anything past #32 getting posted in some form online. I wouldn't be surprised when #32 is posted if it would be in it's current unlettered, undaiologued, untoned state. Since the sale he really does seem to be done with the work creatively.

dkram230 · 01-07-2013, 08:33 AM

Really, now is the prefect time for this series to get finished as the franchise has sparked up so much interest again. While not necessarily to the extent of the current IDW releases, old and new fans would pick this up if published. If he waits too long, the property will go back into hibernation losing these fair-weather fans. Wait too long, and many who are even fans of the volume 4 series will probably just stop caring. Peter is a business man and I'm sure he is well aware of this. The fact that he is not riding the coattails of the Nick success, even when he made a point to add in a clause to allow him to legally do so, implies that he truly is no longer looking to profit from the Turtles and that to complete the series would be solely to satisfy his own desire to do so, should that ever return.

*CyberCubed* · 01-07-2013, 10:32 AM

I think hardcore TMNT fans can wait forever, honestly. Some of us have been waiting over 20 years for Archie's, "Forever War" to come out for example, and we never lost interest.

I'll pick up a new issue of Volume 4 whenever it comes out, even if its not for another 10 years from now.

**Venom** · 01-07-2013, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkram230

Peter is a business man and I'm sure he is well aware of this.

Actually, no, he was an artist forced into becoming a businessman. Gary Richardson was the businessman.

Pete started Volume 4 because he had a story he wanted to tell; it was fun for him until the mid-naughts, around 2007 or so you could sense the shift in attitude.

He's made it known that he'd like to finish the story at some point, but feels artistically void and uninspired when it comes to the Turtles.

He's essentially late-90's Kevin Eastman.

dkram230 · 01-07-2013, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Venom

Actually, no, he was an artist forced into becoming a businessman. Gary Richardson was the businessman.

Pete started Volume 4 because he had a story he wanted to tell; it was fun for him until the mid-naughts, around 2007 or so you could sense the shift in attitude.

He's made it known that he'd like to finish the story at some point, but feels artistically void and uninspired when it comes to the Turtles.

He's essentially late-90's Kevin Eastman.

Gary may have managed the affairs and handled all of the details, but it was Peter who still called the shots, albeit on an advisory basis I’m sure. But your point is very true: He was an artist who was forced into becoming a businessman. And it was the stress of such an ordeal caused the rift between the creators and that lead both to eventually walk away from the property. I remember reading an article or a blog or something where Peter fielded the question on why he didn’t just hire people to takeover control of TMNT while still retaining ownership. His response was that because of the type of person he was, that would never be possible for him. As long as he still had ownership, he would feel compelled to work. The only way to truly retire for him was to sell. Anyway, I’m babbling about something we all know. But to both our credits, yes he was first and foremost an artist. But he was also a businessman.

*Andrew NDB* · 01-07-2013, 01:29 PM

It's just a shame that Mirage's 18 TMNT comics a year clause with Nickelodeon has and is just being wasted.

*CyberCubed* · 01-07-2013, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

It's just a shame that Mirage's 18 TMNT comics a year clause with Nickelodeon has and is just being wasted.

PL more or less said he only pushed for that because he wanted freedom to publish comics without getting approval from Nick or IDW, not that he definitely intended to use it for anything.

*Powder* · 01-07-2013, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

It's just a shame that Mirage's 18 TMNT comics a year clause with Nickelodeon has and is just being wasted.

Amen to that... I wish he would've just let Tales continue, and have Jim/Dan give approval over storylines. They have good judgement.

*CyberCubed* · 01-07-2013, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Powder

Amen to that... I wish he would've just let Tales continue, and have Jim/Dan give approval over storylines. They have good judgement.

PL was losing money out of his own pocket for every issue of Tales and Volume 4 he published. Other than the Vol. 4 issues that he charged $10 for, (and that was only two of them), he lost money on every single issue. Every single one was sold at a loss, because he was making them for himself and the fans, not caring if he drew in casual comic buyers.

Now think of all the money PL lost dating all the way back to 2001 when Volume 4 started till 2009 when Tales ended. That's nearly a decade of losing money on over 100 comics.

Its pretty obvious why Tales ended, and I remember Dan saying they were thinking of canceling it much earlier but only kept it around to give the Mirage staff some work due to their bought stories.

01-06-2013, 03:44 PM	#108
corvus Stone Warrior Join Date: May 2012 Location: London Posts: 783	its sad. Such an epic series just fizzled out like that. __________________

01-07-2013, 01:29 PM	#117
Andrew NDB Weed Whacker Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Auburn, WA Posts: 34,360	It's just a shame that Mirage's 18 TMNT comics a year clause with Nickelodeon has and is just being wasted. __________________ [ ODYSSEY \| ORIGIN \| THE IMAGE/VOL. 3 CONCLUSION \| THE SHELLSHOCKED PODCAST \| ON FACEBOOK ]

01-04-2013, 07:54 PM	#101
CyberCubed Overlord Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 43,765	Laird commented on issue #32 on his blog today when someone asked: Tim, Volume 4 is on what might be called "indefinite hiatus". The next issue (#32) has been penciled and inked, and I have to tone the artwork and write the dialogue and do the lettering... but I don't know when I will get to it, as I am just not inspired to work on a Turtle comic right now. I hope to get back to it at some point, but I am not sure when that will be. -- PL So basically the issue is far from done, but at least PL does intend to go back to it eventually.

01-04-2013, 09:36 PM	#102
Powder 40 Years of TMNT Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Shell-Ri-La Posts: 26,945	Not exactly news, but thanks for trying.

01-06-2013, 09:39 AM	#106
frank_one Mad Scientist Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Southern Europe Posts: 2,223	And finally we'll see Leo meeting Splinter again (or a mutant rat from a parallel universe, who knows), Mike kicking some Styraci ass and Raph and Don turning back to their normal form. I was not in that Guardi-friend and Xihad subplot so much, on the other hand.

01-06-2013, 05:21 PM	#109
gbhq Foot Soldier Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Edmonton, Alberta Posts: 167	I think waiting a decade is stretching it, maybe 3-4 years. To be honest i think its probably better off not bieng finished, maybe just having a really good issue 32 and finishing it there, sometimes forcing it you get a really bad ending.

01-06-2013, 06:58 PM	#111
gbhq Foot Soldier Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Edmonton, Alberta Posts: 167	what I meant was issue 32 should be just really good, and we actually never get a proper ending. To be honest I think it was not fair to the fans the way Peter Laird treated the series toward the end(having to wait so long between issues), and he's still doing it to us. Although I really enjoyed it I am tired of waiting.

01-07-2013, 08:33 AM	#113
dkram230 Stone Warrior Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Midwest Posts: 613	Really, now is the prefect time for this series to get finished as the franchise has sparked up so much interest again. While not necessarily to the extent of the current IDW releases, old and new fans would pick this up if published. If he waits too long, the property will go back into hibernation losing these fair-weather fans. Wait too long, and many who are even fans of the volume 4 series will probably just stop caring. Peter is a business man and I'm sure he is well aware of this. The fact that he is not riding the coattails of the Nick success, even when he made a point to add in a clause to allow him to legally do so, implies that he truly is no longer looking to profit from the Turtles and that to complete the series would be solely to satisfy his own desire to do so, should that ever return.

01-07-2013, 10:32 AM	#114
CyberCubed Overlord Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 43,765	I think hardcore TMNT fans can wait forever, honestly. Some of us have been waiting over 20 years for Archie's, "Forever War" to come out for example, and we never lost interest. I'll pick up a new issue of Volume 4 whenever it comes out, even if its not for another 10 years from now.