Ask a Question: IDW's TMNT Editor Thread

[Bobby Curnow]

Spoiler:

Originally Posted by neatoman

So what was the rationale for killing off Dunn and Libby?

Well, we don't see Libby die, but she's certainly not in good shape. As for Dun, it was simply an intersection of something that made sense for Splinter to do in the situation and us wanting to put a bigger divide between the TMNT and Splinter.

[Zog The Magnificent]

Are there any plans for Chi-you to return later in the Pantheon story, or was he just for the Ghostbusters arc?

[Bobby Curnow]

Just little inklings of ideas for him to return, but I'd like to see him again in TMNT proper someday, yes. His absence in the TMNT world will be noted in story in 2017.

[MikeandRaph87]

Spoiler:

Do you feel that the Street Phantoms were fodder used to oppose and lose to the Foot under Splinter to show the clan's strength as ot seemed before them the Savate ninjas were in purpose the same for Shredder to defeat and thus show his strength with the Foot Clan being served Savate fodder?

[old_hob88]

Originally Posted by Bobby Curnow

The first is 5 issues, the next will be four. No set length, depends on the story the creators want to tell.

Awesome! Thank you. I really like the odea of having a back up in universe. Happy Thanksgiving to you and the rest of the IDW crew!

[Bobby Curnow]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

Spoiler:

Do you feel that the Street Phantoms were fodder used to oppose and lose to the Foot under Splinter to show the clan's strength as ot seemed before them the Savate ninjas were in purpose the same for Shredder to defeat and thus show his strength with the Foot Clan being served Savate fodder?

I don't think we've ever really thought about it in those terms-- to show the Clan's strength-- but that's a byproduct, for sure. I think we're more interesting in these transition states of power in the Foot Clan and NYC as a whole, and how those changes affect the characters. There's definite parallels between Shredder's use of the Clan and Splinter's use of the Clan that aren't too subtle but are hopefully interesting. But at the end of the day it's just a dynamic that allows us to create tension between the characters and explore them a bit.

[CyberCubed]

Is Lindsey still with Old Hob and the Mutanimals against her will, or is she free to come and go as she pleases? We saw her with Old Hob's gang back in those issues in the early 50's and I imagine she'll be in this upcoming arc when Bishop's troops target them? Old Hob did kidnap her after all and then there was the fallout with her girlfriend in the Null story in the Mutanimals mini.

I nearly forgot about her because she's been so low-key. With Hob's prejudice against humans, I'm surprised he's OK with her sticking around.

[Utrommaniac]

Oh lord, she would likely snap if Bishop "hired" her to give information about the mutants

[Bobby Curnow]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Is Lindsey still with Old Hob and the Mutanimals against her will, or is she free to come and go as she pleases? We saw her with Old Hob's gang back in those issues in the early 50's and I imagine she'll be in this upcoming arc when Bishop's troops target them? Old Hob did kidnap her after all and then there was the fallout with her girlfriend in the Null story in the Mutanimals mini.

I nearly forgot about her because she's been so low-key. With Hob's prejudice against humans, I'm surprised he's OK with her sticking around.

Yes, we'll see her in #65. She came to terms with the Mutanimals in their mini-series and I think actually likes many of them. So I would say she's there voluntarily. As for Hob, he knows he needs her mutagen expertise and I think on some level likes and respects her. He's not so black and white that he can't see the value of her.

[spookycookies]

Originally Posted by turtlefanforever

You ever thought of putting in a character in name only but is never actually seen? Like Seinfeld did with Bob Sacamano where he is constantly brought up but never seen in the series. Would bring a sense in intrigue into it i think.

I was just thinking about this and have we ever once seen Ol' man Rupert? Woody talks about him a lot but I don't ever remember seeing the guy...

[Bobby Curnow]

No, we haven't. But if we ever do Pizza Face, that's gonna be him!

[Jephael]

Originally Posted by spookycookies

I was just thinking about this and have we ever once seen Ol' man Rupert? Woody talks about him a lot but I don't ever remember seeing the guy...

Originally Posted by Bobby Curnow

No, we haven't. But if we ever do Pizza Face, that's gonna be him!

Are we talking Pizza Face as he looks in the Nickelodeon cartoon (basically Pizza the Hut from Spaceballs) or the original toy by Playmates?

[Erik Burnham]

Originally Posted by Bobby Curnow

Just little inklings of ideas for him to return, but I'd like to see him again in TMNT proper someday, yes. His absence in the TMNT world will be noted in story in 2017.

Yeah, I wanna see ol' Chi-You back, too! (;

[Xav]

I'm surprised you get away with Splinter killing Dun. Did Nickelodeon have any problem with that?

[Bobby Curnow]

Originally Posted by Jephael

Are we talking Pizza Face as he looks in the Nickelodeon cartoon (basically Pizza the Hut from Spaceballs) or the original toy by Playmates?

No clue. Depends on the story and what the artist involved would want to do.

[Bobby Curnow]

Originally Posted by Xav

I'm surprised you get away with Splinter killing Dun. Did Nickelodeon have any problem with that?

Not too much, no. It was in the context of a larger discussion of plot between #51-75, so they were able to see how it fit in. And don't forget he just gave the order here, whereas he personally killed Shredder.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Hi Bobby, Happy Thanksgiving! Hope yours was better than mine...

I have two questions.

#1. Why has Freddie Williams done the regular cover for all TMNT Universe issues? Not complaining, I LOVE his art. Just curious.

#2. I've enjoyed seeing different artists cycle in and out of the main TMNT ongoing, even though I've definitely had my favorites (Cory Smith, Dan Duncan, and Mateus)... was it a deliberate decision to not have one dedicated artist for all issues, and if so, why?

Thanks!

[Bobby Curnow]

Freddie's covers were mostly just to make Universe stand out a bit-- a calling card. I thought it might get a little confusing if we had two books with rotating main cover artists. Batman/TMNT was just taking off when we were putting Universe together, and I knew what a big fan Freddie was, so it all just made sense.

If I could keep one artist on the book, I likely would-- as evidenced by Dan Duncan's run on the first 12 issues. But mostly it's just scheduling. Mateus definitely can't regularly hit a 4 week deadline. The others you mentioned can for a time, but things start getting pretty tight by issue four or 5, especially when you factor in they are doing covers and going to conventions, etc. So in order to keep the book on deadline, we have different artists. We try are best to tailor the artist to the storyline, so I hope it's worked out. I know i've enjoyed being able to work with all of these guys!

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by Bobby Curnow

No clue. Depends on the story and what the artist involved would want to do.

Alright, I will now remain unsatisified with TMNT Universe until someone does a Pizzaface story. Y'hear me, Bobby? You'll only ever get an A- until Pizzaface.

Originally Posted by Bobby Curnow

Freddie's covers were mostly just to make Universe stand out a bit-- a calling card. I thought it might get a little confusing if we had two books with rotating main cover artists. Batman/TMNT was just taking off when we were putting Universe together, and I knew what a big fan Freddie was, so it all just made sense.

If I could keep one artist on the book, I likely would-- as evidenced by Dan Duncan's run on the first 12 issues. But mostly it's just scheduling. Mateus definitely can't regularly hit a 4 week deadline. The others you mentioned can for a time, but things start getting pretty tight by issue four or 5, especially when you factor in they are doing covers and going to conventions, etc. So in order to keep the book on deadline, we have different artists. We try are best to tailor the artist to the storyline, so I hope it's worked out. I know i've enjoyed being able to work with all of these guys!

Cool! I LOVE Freddie's art, and I wish you'd bring him in for another TMNT story. So far, he's only done the Batman/TMNT crossover, right?

Makes sense. As much as I've enjoyed all of the artists, I would prefer to have a dedicated consistent artist for the main ongoing. I think it sometimes hurts the story to not have consistency, especially when some people say "Eew, I hate this art. I'm dropping the comic until the next story arc starts."

Thanks Bobby!

[Sophie Campbell]

Sorry for butting in! I can only speak for myself obviously but another factor in not having one constant artist could be burnout and wanting to do other projects. Personally even if I had no trouble doing 12 issues of TMNT per year on time, I don't think I'd ever commit to that if IDW (or any publisher) were to ask me. Artists need to do different things sometimes.