Tales of the TMNT 31

[discordiatookie]

Originally Posted by xZAOx

My problem with 31 was the continuity.

Well for one, alot lately April is drawn with blonde hair. When the hell did that happen? She's had black curly hair forever. Only Lawson seems to remember this anymore.

Also, where are they living? When is it?

It's obviously after the start of Volume 4 - the utroms are on Earth. Yet Raph is not a mutant yet, but they don't seem to be living in the city (when they leave, it looks like the farm) - yet they say the turtles are off in North Hampton, so they must not be at the farm. Else they'd say they are outside.

So, continuity gripes aside, the story was okay. I really dug Casey fighting his brought-to-life-nightmare. The thought the alien guy was fairly stupid, boring, and corny (granted - alot of TMNT is corny though). The art was decent (cover was excellent).

At first I reckoned it was set not long after Splinter's funeral, just before April discovers her origins. But then there's April's hair, she's bald just after her operation, so that cant be right. So perhaps before Splinter's death? So why the reference "They want to regain their focus as a team after all they've each been through lately." Which makes me believe that its set after vol 4, and everything's okay, Raph's back to normal. April's over her issues. Donnie's normal sized again. Mikey aint in space anymore. Leo aint in the battle nexus. So perhaps its a near-future story?

As for April's hair, aint she a redhead? Remember its in black and white, so some artists might do that as black, others as white....

[quinnmjohnson]

Hey, this is Quinn Johnson. It's been interesting reading the different reactions to my story. The continuity questions are interesting, because originally I wrote it with the idea that it would take place sometime in the near future after the Turtles were back to normal (hence "after all they've each been through") and April was back with Casey and Shadow. But then Steve Murphy (the editor) expressed a little alarm that it takes place in "the future" (a valid point since Peter Laird has said that's territory he wants to cover himself). So I thought they might tweak the story so it takes place in the six months between the Utroms landing and being officially accepted by the United Nations, but they kept the script intact. So at this point I figure it's in Mirage's hands as to when it takes place; my biggest hope is that people enjoy the story. Concerning April's hair, Kevin Eastman himself said that it's changed a lot throughout the series; in the colored version of her original appearance in issue 2, it was brown, then she soon got a new haircut where it was dark and curly. Personally, I like it lighter, but whatever!

[quinnmjohnson]

Just out of curiosity, when did 31 hit stores in Scotland? They came in Jan. 31 in Salt Lake.

[discordiatookie]

Wahey! another TMNT official onboard! welcome!

My local comic shop (Asylum Books and Games) gets their delivery in every thursday, and it came out last thurday, making it the 1st of feb! The forbidden planet store normally gets deliveries in both wednesday and thursday, so it may well've came out on the 31st, but i've got a pull list with Asylum....

And can I ask how you ended up writing an issue of Tales? Did Murphy get in touch with you, wondering if you'd like to do one, or did you send him in a script/idea that you thought they might like?

[quinnmjohnson]

I've always dreamed of professionally writing comics, and I've always been a huge fan of the Mirage TMNT, so last year when I found out that the Mirage crew was going to attend the New York comic convention in 2006, I realized I could fulfill at least one dream by meeting those cool fellows! Then I realized, Hey, I should write a script for Tales and see if they like it! I met Peter Laird and Steve Murphy at the con (very cool guys, both) and pitched my idea. A couple weeks later Steve emailed me back and said they liked it! It's been a great year where I've learned a lot and had a lot of fun.

[discordiatookie]

That's pretty awesome! Its so cool that they were as aproachable as that, and they got back to you in no time!

I just checked out your website: Your original script of Tales is great! I know a few folks on these forums would probably of prefered that! I especially liked the way that Casey found evil-Casey, a total homage to the Raphael one-shot. The way the actual comic had evil-Casey come to life is a bit more believable though. Although, I kinda dig the original too, reminds me a bit of The Dark Half by Stephen King.
And RuneStone looks great too, good luck on getting a great publishing deal!

[quinnmjohnson]

Thanks! I've got more plans for Tales stories if Mirage likes them! Shredder, anyone?

[Time Mistress]

Welcome Quinn! I'm pretty new here myself too.

For the record, I was thinking your story took place during the 6 month gap. I look forward to your future stories and yes, I'd love to see one with Shredder.

[quinnmjohnson]

Thanks! We'll see what happens!

[Aztec General]

Wow! Best Tales issue yet!!! Wow, I really loved the story and art here. I'm a big CJ fan and it was really great to revisit one of his classic storylines. I also enjoy how they incorporated the world of Volume 4 into the story in order to make it more believable. Four star issue!

Nice work Andres!!!!

[Aztec General]

Originally Posted by Quinn Johnson

Thanks! We'll see what happens!

Hey Quinn, didn't realize it was you. As you can see from my previous post, I LOVED the issue. It was honestly my favorite Tales issue yet. Thanks for posting and prepare to receive the star treatment that all Mirage staff receive around here .

Nice work.

[quinnmjohnson]

Thanks Aztec General! Your comments really mean a lot to me. I'm a huge Casey Jones fan too and I'm glad you liked what I did with him. I just felt like he can be such a deep character and we need to see more of what he's all about, as well as more of his fighting skill and worth to the team, so I'm glad that Mirage gave me the green light! You're also the first person to mention this story's connection to the older issues. Nice work!

[quinnmjohnson]

Oh, and what kind of "star treatment" are we talking here? Do I get free cookies in the mail?

[Aztec General]

Originally Posted by Quinn Johnson

Oh, and what kind of "star treatment" are we talking here? Do I get free cookies in the mail?

LOL. Actually it's "Mangos" around here. I'm surprised nobody's given you one yet.

You're user name will be in all Green with a zillion stars below it and it'll say something like: "Official Mirage Staff" or something like that, lol. Kind of like Ponce's.

[quinnmjohnson]

Ooo, how do I get that? Sounds expensive!

[Aztec General]

Originally Posted by Quinn Johnson

Ooo, how do I get that? Sounds expensive!

The order has already been placed.

Oh and here's some mangoes:

[Spitfire]

Cool issue, I just ordered #29 and #30 which I was missing and my friend has #28 waiting for me at his house I need to pick it up.

[discordiatookie]

Originally Posted by Quinn Johnson

You're also the first person to mention this story's connection to the older issues. Nice work!

http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/sho...98&postcount=7

whaddabout me? i mentioned it ages ago!!!

[quinnmjohnson]

Humble pie! I will now commit seppuku. Sorry about that! Apparently I haven't been on the forum long enough. Congrats goes out to tookie!! How do I get to that thread?

[quinnmjohnson]

Oh, I just figured it out. I'm not as tech-savvy as you dang kids!

Okay, I'm only 28.