Some insight from inside the TMNT World

[TristanHuwJones]

This is true, but Hellboy also doesn't have the various different incarnations the Turtles have had (certainly not one of the most memorable and successful cartoon shows in history). Same with Sin City.

The popularity of the Turtles at the time certainly had a big say in how the movies turned out, which you can see just by looking at them. The original was a blend of the cartoon and the comic, because the comic had revolutionized the B&W boom of the 80's, and the cartoon was really going strong. When 2 came about it was all about trying to get Rocksteady and Bebop in there. 2k7's movie, while very much its own thing, also felt a lot like what was happening in the 2k3 season at the time (and it had the coloured bandanas).

If you don't have a cartoon running, and the comics are suddenly popular again, what do you think people are likely to look to for source material, especially if the comic manages/d to outlast the cartoon shows? I'm not saying it'll happen, but it's a possible scenario, and the only one (combined with yours Andrew) that's likely to get us a truly Mirage-esque movie.