What are the chances of an Usagi Yojimbo appearance? - Page 2

**Venom** · 04-13-2011, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Pannozzi

Don't forget the Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa and the Planet Racers characters, as well as all of Usagi's supporting cast.

What I meant was characters not owned either in part/wholly by Mirage.

The C.O.W.Boys are/were created by Ryan Brown, but I forget if they fell under the Mirage ownership umbrella, and the Planet Racers by Peter and Jim.

I did forget about Gen, though.

I was hoping someone would take a stab at my original question regarding the cartoon likeness of Usagi, especailly the OT where he looked nothing like his comic counterpart. A simple change of name would technically be enough to skirt around any infringement issues.

*Candy Kappa* · 04-13-2011, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Venom

I was hoping someone would take a stab at my original question regarding the cartoon likeness of Usagi, especailly the OT where he looked nothing like his comic counterpart. A simple change of name would technically be enough to skirt around any infringement issues.

They could make a Usagi Analog, as long as he's not too similar of the original. Most comic publishers have a superman analog, they just have to be clever in cheating

**Jester** · 04-13-2011, 08:07 PM

Yes, but if they're going to use Usagi, I'd want Usagi, not an "analog."

Newton Gimmick · 04-14-2011, 05:07 AM

I don't want things arbitrarily changed just to make them "new and fresh"... There are plenty of ways to make TMNT new and fresh without giving them horns and goatees. You can tinker some, but the things that generally need tinkering are not cosmetic or origins. It's the situations and the strength of the storytelling that make things new and fresh. Not an endless circle of new coats of paint.

If you have a character in mind, but you want to make them completely different than they originally were, but still want to staple the old name on them... JUST MAKE A NEW CHARACTER! In this incarnation of TMNT, I'm going to make a Usagi Yojimbo a motorcycle repair man who accidentally gets mutated into a kung-fu Hyena! It's a totally fresh take on the character... No, it's a new character that you've tried to tell people is someone else.

Marvel and DC can constantly tinker with their creations, because truth be told, nobody really cares what goes on in comics anymore, whatever works or doesn't work, has little effect in the end. They'll just reboot it and retcon it whenever they need to. Batman will always be Batman. Spider-man will always be Spider-man. It doesn't matter how many times they change Spider-man's back story, he's younger, he's older, he's a Skrull, he married Mary Jane, he killed Mary Jane, Mary Jane's a Skrull, he's a clone... Nobody pays attention to that stuff, because at the end of the day Lee & Ditko's Spider-man is Spider-man.

Television is a tougher medium in that sense. With TMNT you've already got a couple of distinct versions of the characters and no particular version is more right than the other. Some more popular, yes, but none more official. The different universes are tied together with very loose threads and that, in and of itself, is the beauty of it all.

The point I'm trying to make here, is that there's massive differences between the OT, the NT and the comics... But each have elements that remain consistent and they all appear new and fresh from one another. When you start changing things just to be "fresh", it's not really doing anything but showing a real lack of depth.

I'll quickly point to GI Joe, which was hardly the greatest cartoon in the universe. However, it had a lot of core elements. The comic books were different, but had a lot of consistent elements. The toys, carried over the same ideas. It all worked... And ever since those original days of Real American Hero, they've been trying to make it "new and fresh" by arbitrarily changing random things and it's never worked. Each and ever version is a new failure. Create new and fresh situations and stories, or new twists on old favorites, don't make Dial-tone a woman, just because it hasn't been done before.

It's that sort of lunacy that led us to crap like Venus.

04-13-2011, 08:07 PM	#23
Jester Rat-faced Dude-guy Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Arkansas Posts: 26,298	Yes, but if they're going to use Usagi, I'd want Usagi, not an "analog." __________________ "Clearly, you're Ninja Turtling incorrectly." - Leo656

04-14-2011, 05:07 AM	#24
Newton Gimmick Mad Scientist Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 1,154	I don't want things arbitrarily changed just to make them "new and fresh"... There are plenty of ways to make TMNT new and fresh without giving them horns and goatees. You can tinker some, but the things that generally need tinkering are not cosmetic or origins. It's the situations and the strength of the storytelling that make things new and fresh. Not an endless circle of new coats of paint. If you have a character in mind, but you want to make them completely different than they originally were, but still want to staple the old name on them... JUST MAKE A NEW CHARACTER! In this incarnation of TMNT, I'm going to make a Usagi Yojimbo a motorcycle repair man who accidentally gets mutated into a kung-fu Hyena! It's a totally fresh take on the character... No, it's a new character that you've tried to tell people is someone else. Marvel and DC can constantly tinker with their creations, because truth be told, nobody really cares what goes on in comics anymore, whatever works or doesn't work, has little effect in the end. They'll just reboot it and retcon it whenever they need to. Batman will always be Batman. Spider-man will always be Spider-man. It doesn't matter how many times they change Spider-man's back story, he's younger, he's older, he's a Skrull, he married Mary Jane, he killed Mary Jane, Mary Jane's a Skrull, he's a clone... Nobody pays attention to that stuff, because at the end of the day Lee & Ditko's Spider-man is Spider-man. Television is a tougher medium in that sense. With TMNT you've already got a couple of distinct versions of the characters and no particular version is more right than the other. Some more popular, yes, but none more official. The different universes are tied together with very loose threads and that, in and of itself, is the beauty of it all. The point I'm trying to make here, is that there's massive differences between the OT, the NT and the comics... But each have elements that remain consistent and they all appear new and fresh from one another. When you start changing things just to be "fresh", it's not really doing anything but showing a real lack of depth. I'll quickly point to GI Joe, which was hardly the greatest cartoon in the universe. However, it had a lot of core elements. The comic books were different, but had a lot of consistent elements. The toys, carried over the same ideas. It all worked... And ever since those original days of Real American Hero, they've been trying to make it "new and fresh" by arbitrarily changing random things and it's never worked. Each and ever version is a new failure. Create new and fresh situations and stories, or new twists on old favorites, don't make Dial-tone a woman, just because it hasn't been done before. It's that sort of lunacy that led us to crap like Venus.