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If there is any news about turtles, you will find it here. From folklore from different cultures to the Renaissance artists who are the Turtles namesakes, anything you could ever want to know are the realities behind the TMNT you can learn here. Cowbunga, this stuff is totally bodacious dudes!

Artwork used for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows OST. Source: Amazon
Movie NewsNews

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows OST Hits Amazon

by Justin W
written by Justin W

After the somewhat forgettable soundtrack for the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film from Platinum Dunes and Paramount, you might be wondering why we would bother to take the time to write about this one. Well, it would appear that the filmmakers have discovered a lot about what the fans want to see and hear over the past few years, because they actually brought on Steve Jablonsky to handle the score for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. With several compositions to his name, it’s fair to say that Jablonsky is a competent composer. When you hear some of the work he’s done for this Out of the Shadows OST, you might even agree with me on that point.

Recently, Amazon opened up pre-orders for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows OST. As part of this listing, they provided a selection of 30 second clips for each track on the album. If you’re familiar with the music we heard in the first film, some of the audio clips you will hear on this page may be quite surprising. Jablonsky has done an excellent job with this score, and these clips prove it. If the first few tracks don’t sell you, do me a favor and skip to the last track entitled “Half Shell.” Don’t ask questions, just click that little play button and let the nostalgia fill your ears.

Screencap from a trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Source: Paramount

Screencap from a trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Source: Paramount

As you can hear, this track on Jablonsky’s Out of the Shadows OST borrows heavily from the original theme for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series. If it wasn’t clear enough that they were trying to make a movie that more closely replicates what fans of the original cartoon remember, this should be all the proof you need. Obviously, this music is not an exact recreation of the original theme, but it is heavily inspired by that song and it will no doubt evoke all of the right memories for long time fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. If Bebop, Rocksteady, Krang, Casey Jones and Baxter Stockman weren’t enough to convince you, now they have revealed that this movie will in fact feature music inspired by the original theme.

I don’t know if that track alone will be enough to convince fans to buy this Out of the Shadows OST, but it is available for pre-order if you are interested. We’re only a few days away from the official release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, and this is exactly the kind of thing that I love to hear before making my journey to the theater!

What do you think? Is the Out of the Shadows OST worth picking up? Does this score sound right for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Share your thoughts and opinions either in the comments section below or on facebook/twitter!

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Taken from the cover of the original first issue and volume of Usagi Yojimbo, available now on Comixology Unlimited. Source: Fantagraphics Books
Comic Book NewsNews

Comixology Unlimited Offers Several Issues of Usagi Yojimbo

by Justin W
written by Justin W

If you haven’t been paying attention to the world of comic books lately, then you might be surprised to learn that one of the most popular services for digital comics has just unveiled a new monthly program. Comixology, now owned by Amazon, has decided to create a subscription service known as Comixology Unlimited. For $5.99 a month, you will have access to thousands of different comics, graphic novels and manga titles. The best way to describe this subscription service is simply to call it Netflix for the comic book industry.

Unfortunately, despite the potential positive impact of Comixology Unlimited, a lot of people in the comic book industry have been crying foul and complaining about a potential loss in profits. To be honest, I don’t really believe that this will result in lost revenue. Personally, I believe that this could actually increase revenue for a lot of publishers. This system has the opportunity to introduce entirely new audiences to long running comic book series that they might not have otherwise discovered. Some of these items don’t sell very well as it is, so you aren’t necessarily taking a big risk.

An advertisement describing the service provided by Comixology Unlimited. Source: Amazon

An advertisement describing the service provided by Comixology Unlimited. Source: Amazon

At a price point of only $5.99 a month, you have to figure that quite a few readers will be entirely new to the content you are providing. If those readers enjoy your content, they will be more likely to continue purchasing it once they’ve read everything offered on Comixology Unlimited. This could ultimately lead to better sales over all, and it could bring in a wider audience as well. A subscription service for comic books could also be an excellent opportunity for older comics that have all but been forgotten to see a resurgence in popularity.

The first issue of Classic Usagi Yojimbo, available now on Comixology Unlimited. Source: Dark Horse

The first issue of Classic Usagi Yojimbo, available now on Comixology Unlimited. Source: Dark Horse

As an example, I present to you the selection of Usagi Yojimbo comic books provided by Comixology Unlimited. As of right now, Classic Usagi Yojimbo issues 1-4 and issues 1-15 from the first volume of the original Usagi Yojimbo comics are all offered through this service. Considering the individual price of this content, readers actually stand to save a lot of money while discovering the character’s roots. With a story this good, it wouldn’t surprise me if a lot of new readers got hooked to the classic Usagi Yojimbo story. The more readers get hooked, the more likely they will be to continue buying issues.

In other words, although the creators and publishers don’t stand to make as much money from Comixology Unlimited as they would have initially from individual sales, the potential gained revenue from newer audiences could more than make up for that. I can easily see this being used as a “try before you buy” service, and that could actually introduce a much wider audience to the work of either burgeoning or well established authors and writers. In the same way that Netflix has forever changed the way that people watch television and film, Comixology Unlimited could be the beginning of a movement that changes how people read comic books, graphic novels and manga.

Issue 2 of Usagi Yojimbo, available now on Comixology Unlimited. Source: Fatnagraphics Books

Issue 2 of Usagi Yojimbo, available now on Comixology Unlimited. Source: Fatnagraphics Books

I was one of the first supporters of Netflix, and I have been a subscriber for around ten years now. Needless to say, I couldn’t be happier to see their work influencing other industries to attempt similar changes, and I have high hopes that this may even keep several much beloved publishers in business. Sales are dwindling for a lot of independent publishers, and this could be exactly what they need to not only stay afloat, but potentially improve sales over time. In a world where all of our favorite comic books are hitting the big screen and making millions of dollars, it seems fitting that we should return to the source and rediscover the inspiration for those silver screen heroes.

If you’re the type that likes to try before you buy, Comixology Unlimited could be an excellent opportunity to discover stories that you might otherwise have passed over. Most of us don’t have a lot of money to devote to buying comics, so being able to find what we really like without spending too much is going to make a huge difference. If you’ve been holding off on Usagi Yojimbo, this could be a great opportunity to discover the character for a very low price – just don’t be surprised if he gets his hooks into you!

What do you think? Is Comixology Unlimited a good thing or a bad thing? Are you excited to check out some Usagi Yojimbo comics with this service? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or feel free to share your thoughts on facebook/twitter.

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Vanilla Ice performing at the premiere of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows in Madison Square Garden. Source: Paramount.
Movie NewsNews

Vanilla Ice Performs Before Premiere at Madison Square Garden

by Justin W
written by Justin W

As you may have noticed, one of our very own writers recently got the chance to attend the premiere of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows in New York. Daniel took several pictures of the event, some of them even revealing the appearance of Vanilla Ice at Madison Square Garden.

As if it weren’t clear enough that this show must have been an absolute blast, Paramount recently provided a video recapping the hip hop artist’s performance before the film. Surprisingly, he wasn’t just performing his classic “Ninja Rap” – he actually gave the song a twist, creating something new and interesting for the event.

It’s probably been a while since most fans have seen or heard Vanilla Ice performing something new on stage, so this is definitely going to be a treat for all you 90’s kids out there. The video starts with Ice making his way down to the stage, where he is joined by none other than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Okay, so they’re four guys in really weird costumes that don’t even appear to be very high quality, but who cares! As a matter of fact, it looks like these might be the same suits worn during his performance on the Today Show a few weeks ago. It’s hard to say for sure, but we’ve definitely seen better TMNT costumes than these before.

Although I’d love to say that Vanilla Ice kills this performance, the reality is that it feels like he drifts off toward the end. He’s still got the showmanship and he can still spit rhymes like nobody’s business, but something tells me he didn’t have much to work with for this particular event.

Either way, it was pretty cool to see him get down with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles once more. If you want to see more from the premiere at Madison Square Garden, make sure to check out Daniel’s coverage of the event.

Did Vanilla Ice nail this performance? Are you interested in seeing him make a comeback? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or via facebook/twitter.

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