TMNT: Mutant Mayhem

[CyberCubed]

But she's fat and black now. That's scary.

April went from a slim/fit white girl with either brunette or reddish hair and now she's a fat black obese overweight woman. It's like they're saying women cannot be white and in shape anymore!

[Galactus]

I've been very apathatic about the franchise since Out Of The Shadows. I find it difficult to get either hyped or angry about TMNT since then so no surprise that this all looks very meh to me.

I do find some of the reactions to this kinda eye rolling though. I'm seeing a fair amount hyped about the mutant toy characters and how this is the TMNT movie they have wanted since they were kids. It's very reminiscent of the reaction to Out Of The Shadows and look how many of them actually turned up to see it..

I'm also seeing a fair amount of focus on Raphael licking the sai and it being used as evidence that this wont just be a kids movie. Like kids media doesn't occasionally let the odd thing slide. It's like how we keep hearing that Seth Rogan also produced Invincible and The Boys so we we're going to get something like projects. It's been 100% clear that this movie is completely for little children from the beginning. Anyone who is holding out for a darker movie taking any inspiration from the comics is going to be sorely disappointed...or at least they would be if I felt that they were genuine and not just trying to persuade skeptics to give the movie a chance.

I think we've also got an answer to what does Seth Rogan's role as producer entail; Getting all of these celebrities to cameo (and that's more or less what most of them will be) I feel is very much a Seth Rogan thing to do. I understand why this is the first time anyone outside the hardcore turtles fans have even acknowledged this movie's existence.

I wouldn't rule out Shredder (and Krang) being in this movie. For one thing he and the Technodrome were in the concept art. Also while I don't pretend that this is going to be particularly faithful to any version of the property but it makes sense for the Technodrome crew to be behind mutating people.

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

Doing it to side characters I really don't feel any attachment to is mostly just an eye roll for me, but agree and still continue to feel that it's the laziest option. Demographics that could use a little more representation in older media deserve new characters that might actually get to stick around.

Are they going to be seen as one of the "cool" characters everyone loves immediately? Of course not, they'd be new and no one is attached to them yet and everyone just wants those established ones that are already loved. But that's not to say a new, well written character couldn't become a future staple in the franchise that people love. I'm all for new friends of the TMNT. And expanding their world so stealthily that even they don't realize just how large their circle has grown and aren't nearly as isolated as they once were.

I feel we went through this with the comicsgate crap. For years those of us who followed comics constantly heard "we don't have anything against diversity we don't like changing characters races/ethnicity/gender etc. Just use the diverse characters you've already got and also create new ones and we'd love it"...only for every time it happened they led campaigns against those characters being "shoved down our throats" and leading massive pile ons to those characters creators and fans. The truth is there is no way to increase diversity that isn't going to enrage assh*les.

TMNT specifically is ill equipped to deal with these kind of issues. Since Nickledeon just panders to the '87 cartoon we're not going to get new characters and there is precious few non white guys in the Fred Wolf show. Also since the franchise as a whole is mostly populated with aliens and anthropomorphic animals the franchise has long not to deal that much with questions of how to add diversity so much so that when someone suggested that it might be a good idea that April who was always meant to black to be portrayed that way it ended up causing meltdowns.

[Cowabung-Gal]

Originally Posted by Galactus

Since Nickledeon just panders to the '87 cartoon we're not going to get new characters and there is precious few non white guys in the Fred Wolf show. Also since the franchise as a whole is mostly populated with aliens and anthropomorphic animals the franchise has long not to deal that much with questions of how to add diversity so much so that when someone suggested that it might be a good idea that April who was always meant to black to be portrayed that way it ended up causing meltdowns.

If Nickelodeon just panders to the ‘87 cartoon, then why did they make Baxter Stockman black again in both the 2012 and Rise cartoon instead of just sticking to the classic whitewashed version? The 2012 show was a mix between the original Mirage comics and the ‘87 cartoon, which worked really well.

April wasn’t “always meant to be black”. She was conceived as an Asian woman by Peter Laird in the early concept stages, but he later envisioned her as a white woman “and very likely of Irish/Scottish/English ancestry” in his own words, which makes sense since her last name is “O’Neil”. As for Kevin Eastman, he named her after his late wife April Fisher, who was half-black. But he never intended the character April O’Neil to be black too. And just because Mirage April had Cher’s 80s hair doesn’t mean that she was a black woman; that kind of hairstyle was very popular back then.

I hear black fans voice their displeasure over raceswapping all the time, but for some reason the “progressive” white creators continue to ignore them, even though they claim that they want to give all black people a voice. A character doesn’t have to look exactly like you for you to see yourself in them. I can relate to Peter Parker even though I don’t have a d*** and I’m more fat than muscles. In fact, that was Stan Lee’s intention: to make Spider-Man the most relatable superhero so that anyone can see themselves behind that mask. Most black people aren’t that shallow, and giving traditionally white characters a black makeover is no better than the “blackface” performances that were done by white people. It’s disingenuous, lazy, and insulting.

[Andrew NDB]

It seems like the strategy now with a lot of things. Put out a movie and race/gender swap a well known character, sit back and wait for the people decrying it (or if it doesn't exist, make it happen yourself), cite racism and bigotry, then hang the whole marketing campaign on "If you don't see this movie, you're exactly the same one of THESE people!" pointing then to mean tweets or whatever from probably fake accounts.

[AquaParade]

I’m pretty sure no one here has the expectation that this will be like the comics. I haven’t seen that sentiment shared anywhere but maybe I’m in the wrong discussions.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by Optimus Primer

who cares? aprils been white a thousand times. this is just one movie, im sure she'll be white again in the future - but then again, who cares? most aprils are bland as **** anyways, all i care abt is if she's well written or not.

White April is April. I watched all of Rise, and that April was basically any other character in name only. This April, if the storyboard leaks are true, is a fat obese black school teacher, even more removed from the origin of the character.

[Wildcat]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

It seems like the strategy now with a lot of things. Put out a movie and race/gender swap a well known character, sit back and wait for the people decrying it (or if it doesn't exist, make it happen yourself), cite racism and bigotry, then hang the whole marketing campaign on "If you don't see this movie, you're exactly the same one of THESE people!" pointing then to mean tweets or whatever from probably fake accounts.

Oh ya the plants must be coming tomorrow. Gotta keep an eye out for Nickelodeon plants.



Not the gif I wanted but still...Funnie

[Dpooly84]

Originally Posted by Wildcat

Oh ya the plants must be coming tomorrow. Gotta keep an eye out for Nickelodeon plants.

https://i.postimg.cc/C1dt06tQ/03-E52...BEE7302947.gif

Not the gif I wanted but still...Funnie

Lmao

But does anyone else see Baxter turning into Superfly? That's a pretty funny juxtaposing from Carlo to Ice Cube lol

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Wildcat

Oh ya the plants must be coming tomorrow. Gotta keep an eye out for Nickelodeon plants.

Oh, they're already here, man.

[TheJ-manTurtleMan]

Anyone know where and when the trailer will drop tomorrow?

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by Galactus

I feel we went through this with the comicsgate crap. For years those of us who followed comics constantly heard "we don't have anything against diversity we don't like changing characters races/ethnicity/gender etc. Just use the diverse characters you've already got and also create new ones and we'd love it"...only for every time it happened they led campaigns against those characters being "shoved down our throats" and leading massive pile ons to those characters creators and fans. The truth is there is no way to increase diversity that isn't going to enrage assh*les.

That's because there are ways to do things and nowadays the woke crowd always chooses to do things the wrong way. Literally nobody complained about the Static Shock cartoon back then and everyone loved Spawn's edginess.

Don't just make new character, make GOOD new characters with GOOD new stories. A lot of times when people try to market a super brand new character, it either sucks cause it's woke garbage or the story is just boring. That's why they rely on raceswapping established characters. Like for example, the Velma show only made headlines and such because they used the name Velma. If it was an all-new show, it would have been as forgotten as that Queer Force or whatever cartoon that literally faded from memory the same month it came out.

Maybe create new characters that appear as a temp member of the X-Men or Titans or whatever and make them cool enough that people would buy a solo series about them, if they are unable to sell a new character based on their own merits.

But I don't know. People just suck anymore at creating all new characters that catch on. Gone are the days when the Ninja Turtles, The Mask, The Crow, Witchblade and Spawn were brand new and original properties that weren't particularly tied to 'The Big Two'.

[Chris_a_Bunga]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

But she's fat and black now. That's scary.

April went from a slim/fit white girl with either brunette or reddish hair and now she's a fat black obese overweight woman. It's like they're saying women cannot be white and in shape anymore!

everyone here totally realizes that storyboard happen very early in production and things can change drastically... I think it's silly that people are complaining about those boards in general, whatever April you love will never change. so relax and let it be.

That being said, her logo on the new stuff looks to hint like she might be a punk with a leather yellow jacket or vest, which I personally think would be sick. Skin and size don't matter just make things fun with heart and we should be good!

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Chris_a_Bunga

everyone here totally realizes that storyboard happen very early in production and things can change drastically... I think it's silly that people are complaining about those boards in general, whatever April you love will never change. so relax and let it be.

Mm-hm. You seem legit. Signed up in... mm... 2014? And there are X number of companies that do this kind of work? Glad you got rehired. Here we go. Get ready for more of this, folks. Some flora and fauna. Enjoy.

[Wildcat]

Haha. How does someone even get a job as a plant? Like it can’t be it’s own thing. It’s gotta be something you’re tasked with in an overall bigger more important job.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Wildcat

Haha. How does someone even get a job as a plant? Like it can’t be it’s own thing. It’s gotta be something you’re tasked with in an overall bigger more important job.

Well documented. Companies hired to social media influence. A bunch of mega corps have been caught doing it INCLUDING Paramount even a couple of years ago.

Basically they give you a lot of Youtube likes or social media fervor.

[Wildcat]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Well documented. Companies hired to social media influence. A bunch of mega corps have been caught doing it INCLUDING Paramount even a couple of years ago.

Basically they give you a lot of Youtube likes or social media fervor.

Oh I’ve seen jobs posted online for social media influencers. I thought it was like marketing. Where you create and maintain social media accounts for brands and stuff. I know some people are their own influencers for whatever they do.

So wait it’s not that? It’s just “liking” things anonymously? That can’t be what all those jobs are for.

Edit: I just looked it up it’s like endorsing stuff. Not being a plant. I don’t know what that job description would be but Social Media Influencers are like online celebrities.

[shredder orokusaki]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

But she's fat and black now. That's scary.

April went from a slim/fit white girl with either brunette or reddish hair and now she's a fat black obese overweight woman. It's like they're saying women cannot be white and in shape anymore!

Only the 2018 April is black but she is not fat.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by Wildcat

Oh I’ve seen jobs posted online for social media influencers. I thought it was like marketing. Where you create and maintain social media accounts for brands and stuff. I know some people are their own influencers for whatever they do.

So wait it’s not that? It’s just “liking” things anonymously? That can’t be what all those jobs are for.

Edit: I just looked it up it’s like endorsing stuff. Not being a plant. I don’t know what that job description would be but Social Media Influencers are like online celebrities.

There aren’t any actual plants here. It’s more of Andrew’s way of lashing out at people who support tmnt products he doesn’t like.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

For me, I feel that I shouldn't have to like something anonymously just because "it's TMNT" or that "it's different" or that "my favorite character is in it." The product itself would need to be cohesive enough for me to actually care, otherwise it's just gonna lose me on what they're trying to do.

[Slash-Dash]

trailer was ok. really wanted to see the looks of the other characters - alas it wasn't to be.