Goongala! A bit later than usual, but I wanted to take the time to spotlight Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #52. Before we dive in, I want to mention that this issue had some really stellar variant covers, which can be seen here. There were a variety of Blindbox/Retailer Exclusive action figure covers, as well as a beautiful Retailer Incentive cover by Ibrahim Moustafa (click here if you are unfamiliar with the different types of covers). Here is our review of Issue #52:
The time has come. Although Stephen Amell originally teased that the trailer would release alongside Star Wars: The Force Awakens, he just recently dropped a teaser for the trailer which announces that it is coming out tomorrow. That’s right, our long wait for the first official trailer of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequel is finally over! Already, the teaser alone has fans psyched for what is to come, as there are some genuinely interesting shots on display.
Not only do we get our first look at Bebop, Rocksteady, Casey Jones and Baxter Stockman, but we get to see them all in action as well. If you thought the first movie was action packed, it looks like the sequel might even kick it up a notch. Of course, a release this anticipated wasn’t going to come without some level of confusion, as there are some outlets reporting that the movie actually has a new title. Although we were originally told that the sequel would be entitled Half-Shell, eventually it was generally accepted that the movie would just be entitled “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2.” With the release of this teaser, some websites are reporting that the official title is now “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.”
Trailer coming tomorrow at 10 am ET / 7 am PT. Cowabunga.
Posted by Stephen Amell on Wednesday, December 9, 2015
While there’s nothing wrong with this title in theory, it seems odd that they would choose to give the TMNT sequel the same title as a previously released video game. To be quite honest, this might just be a mistake made by another writer that has now made the rounds and become accepted as fact. We still haven’t seen an official title for the movie as of yet, but rest assured that this question and many others will more than likely be answered tomorrow. Check back in tomorrow morning for a look at the first official TMNT 2 trailer and our thoughts, but until then, have fun with this 15 second teaser!
UPDATE: If you’re eager to check out the full trailer, check it out here!
Late last year, Nickelodeon gave fans of the 4Kids Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series an excellent holiday gift when they began airing the first few seasons on their Nicktoons channel. Over the past year, they have continued to air the TMNT 2k3 series, with one of the most recent examples being Season 5 in late October. Just a month later, they have now committed to airing Season 7 of the 4Kids series starting on November 30th. Starting at 8 PM on Monday night, Nicktoons will be airing 2-3 episodes per night over the course of the week.
With this much attention given to the oft forgotten animated series, one has to assume that the viewer numbers have been pretty good. After all, why would they keep giving the fans even more of the 4Kids series unless it was popular? Even if you’re not interested in checking out this special event, the success of TMNT 2k3 on the Nicktoons channel is ultimately a good sign. If Viacom notices a growing demand for the series, we might actually begin to see more DVD releases, which could mean that the long out-of-print season sets may soon return.
Also known as “Back to the Sewer,” Season 7 of the 4Kids TMNT animated series follows the turtles as they return from the future. If you’ve never seen it before, this is a golden opportunity to see why so many shellheads consider TMNT 2k3 the best animated series in the franchise. Expect them to air three episodes on Monday and Tuesday night, two episodes on Wednesday night, three more on Thursday night and then a final two episodes on Friday night.
Will you be enjoying some shellraising action on the Nicktoons channel next week? Are you hopeful that the popularity of this series will lead to full season sets of TMNT 2k3 on DVD? Let us know in the comments below!
Fans were lucky enough to not get just one, but two TMNT comics for the month of October. In the wake of issue #50, the Turtles encounter their next villain and try to strengthen broken bonds:
When it comes to artwork in comic books, James Jean has made a name for himself as one of the greatest cover artists of our time. Since he began work with DC Comics in 2001, he has earned six Esiner Awards for his work in the industry. Let’s just say that if you’re writing a comic or graphic novel and you know that Jean is going to do the cover, you are going to feel a mix of both excitement and terror. Why terror? Well, nobody wants to be the writer who screwed up the story behind the work of this creative genius.
Needless to say, Jean’s work is both highly regarded and sought after, which is probably why the company Good Smile commissioned an art project from him recently. As a matter of fact, they liked his work so much that they decided to make a series of TMNT statues based on the print. These aren’t the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles we all know and love, but they are pretty awesome. Jean gives us a much more stylized version of our heroes in a half shell that most fans will truly appreciate.
Typically, collectors items like this are very expensive and cater to wealthier fans, but Good Smile has actually priced each of their TMNT figures fairly. At about $130 per collectible, one can actually imagine saving up their pennies to get one of these awesome James Jean TMNT statues. Of course, they want you to buy all four, so they’ve actually provided an incentive for you to purchase each individual statue: Owners of all four turtles will get a code to receive a free print of the artwork that inspired these beautiful pieces.
Originally shown off at NYCC, all four TMNT statues are now available for purchase at many retailers. While many fans still won’t be able to afford these collectibles, it’s important to note that the price is actually pretty decent considering that there is a relatively high level of detail on each figure, and all four are over ten inches in height. $130 is still a lot of money for most fans, but if you’ve got some extra money saved up, you might want to consider these awesome Ninja Turtles statues for your collection.
What do you think? Will you be picking these up immediately, or is this going to go on your wishlist? Let us know in the comments below and tell us what you think of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles design from James Jean!