Ok, I waited a few weeks to really put my two cents in about the sale of Ninja Turtles. I didn't want to rush out and say stuff without thinking this through. So I've sat on this subject, not really posting my true feelings anywhere on the internet. I've read what had to be said in the press releases, the blogs, and the websites. Even though we are just the fans, a lot of us have connected personally to the people behind the scenes over these past 25 years, and so we are taking this more personal than we would if it was just another media we barely pay attention to.
I have to admit, I always thought that if Peter Laird was to ever let go of the Turtles or Mirage, it would be back to Kevin Eastman. I thought the Turtles would remain Mirage as long as they were out, because it was apart of who the Turtles were to us. A survivor in a world of business and money, big names, big companies. These heroes that came out of left field, stormed the world with entertainment, and stayed around... were able to live against all odds and keep millions of people happy. It was something to all of us to see, an inspiration that even if we're down on our luck with work, there's always hope of something changing the tide for anyone who tries. And that is what Eastman and Laird did, they kept trying even when they were not with any big company, did not have a lot of money... they took their ideas and shared them with the world. And thanks to them, a lot of our lives have been changed for the better. So yes, I've always been one of those fans who hoped that the Turtles would remain free from large corporate businesses.
So being a fan who felt that way, when I first heard the news I was depressed and upset by it. I felt like we didn't even get the chance to say good bye to the Mirage-side of the Turtles properly since by time we heard, the Turtles were already sold. I felt that we were loosing that comfort zone. And at first I didn't hear anything about Peter still being able to do comics, so I thought we'd never get the chance to see Mirage Turtles again, even if Peter wanted to. So I was scared of loosing that.
I was on the road at the time this news came to me, driving from South Dakota to Michigan without stopping to sleep. I just took this time to think, and even that wasn't enough time for me. I only talked to a few friends to be able to vent this out over the phone as I went over and over the news. Though I got messages from people asking for my thoughts. I just was not ready to really reply.
During that drive I thought about Peter, what he's done for us, what he's been through, and just how much of his life he's given up for us. None of us have the right to ask Peter to give up his full life to the Turtles... for the fans. He's human. He's an artist who's for the most part lost his chance to take other creative rolls because the Turtles take up so much of his life. When Peter brought TMNT Volume 4 out, he said in the letter page how he would do this as long as he was having fun. He said that it was fans who helped inspired him to get back into this. He made the choice to bring the Turtles back, for us, the fans. Though in the last 9 years it has fully taken over his life. The show, the movie, the toys, the conventions, the comics, and every other little thing. And what makes it even harder on him is every thing that comes out, every choice he made was being judged by the fans.
Starting early on fans were not happy with some changes, then other fans were not happy about something else and more fans not happy with another thing here or there. For every 10 fans that were excited and enjoying what was out there, there was 10 to 15 fans getting mad and taking things personal. And sadly the feedback that usually is sent out, isn't the feedback from people who are happy, but those who are upset.
So while a lot of us sat here happy and not said much unless we saw them in person or got the time to write something, those that were angry were making their voices heard and usually aimed their anger at Peter, or even the CEO of Mirage, Gary Richardson. These are people who are not just working to please the fans now, but please their business partners. Trying to do what they can to keep the Turtles around for us. So for these past 9 years, Peter lost the time that he needed to work on the comic which is what he wanted to do, he's been attacked by upset fans in angry blogs or letters, he's been doing more of the business man route, which isn't who he is.
Anyone who has talked to me in the last 3 or 4 years normally would know that I do speak of this. How I feel for the spot that Peter and Gary have been thrown into. How we're going to loose the Turtles if things keep this way. The Fans are killing what we have. And yes this is a reason I have moved down to only speaking in very few areas of the fandom. I don't care for the negative side of things. It's why we don't allow the bashing of people or forums by names, true people are allowed to vent.. but don't make it personal by bringing who you're mad at into the topic. Just release how you're feeling and why, and be able to move on.
As fans we don't get true say in where things go when it comes to the comics, shows or movies... we sit back and see what happens. And no one is forced to be a fan of every media out there, we're welcome to limit what we like, only buy what we want to. And watch what we want to. So all the negative energy isn't really needed, but it's there. I have mentioned to people over and over how in that first comic of Volume 4 that Peter was only going to stay with it, as he enjoyed it. I do feel that he stayed with it longer than he intended to, and the enjoyment part of it has been harder for him.
As I thought of this, I put myself in his shoes and realized that I too would want out. But than came the question of why he went the route he did with this. Kevin Eastman is doing his Heavy Metal stuff, it's his dream area. I have not heard his personal feedback on how he feels about this, so I can not speak much on why things didn't head back that way. I do know that Peter wanted to keep the fans happy, and keep the Turtles going strong.
And than I looked at the choice... I have to say, not that I don't like Disney cause I do see all of their movies and such, but my first reaction was "At least it's not Disney" (Sorry all Marvel fans!!!). Than I thought of Nick itself, I have never seen a show get destroyed by Nick, true I've seen shows that I don't like on Nick, or their animation was low quailty even if the story was good. Though those were all Nick originals. But than you stop and look at how well they're doing with other shows like "Wolverine and the X-Men", "Fantastic Four" and "Iron Man". These are not bad shows, they're not original Nick characters, they were not destroyed by Nick. I realized than, that I watch "NickToons" these days more than any other cartoon channel.
So is this really a bad direction?
I don't think so. I think Nick will treat the Turtles with respect and make this buy worth their money. They're going to do something different, they're going to give us a new view of the Turtles.
And is that a bad thing?
Not every version of the Turtles that has been on TV has been new versions. With the original cartoon, most of the original fans of the comic did not like this show too much, because it was a bit too kiddie. But Millions of fans out there loved this show, it introduced a lot of us to the Turtles to begin with. It made the Turtles a household name around the world! Than we had the Next Mutation, while up in the air if this is good or bad, when it was airing the reviews that were passed around TMNT-L was good. Fans looked forward to each week. It was number one for it's time slot and Kids programming! It was handled a lot differently from the Original cartoon series. And than there's the 4Kids Series which was a mixture of both the original series and the Mirage comics with twists of it's own. None of us knew what to expect, a lot of us were scared of a new cartoon. Though it ended up being a great show that brought us a lot of wonderful story lines. All three of these are different from what the fans beforehand knew of the Turtles. All three of these were a success of their time.
Ok so we got something new coming... let's bring it on and see where it leads us!
One of our problems with Turtles and 4Kids wasn't the show or the toys, or even the movie. It was the promotion for everything. It was so low key, we barely got noticed at times. Even when the movie was out of the theaters people would see me wearing Turtles and say "Hey I heard there's a new movie coming out" I'd break the news to them that it's already been out. The 4Kids series, did you really see ads for it outside of the 4Kids block on weekend mornings? I didn't.
The Turtles were getting buried by this lack of promotions and this isn't something I see happening with Nick. They have the ability, the connections, the money and the power to get the word out there. If a new movie is coming out, they'll let it be known and we'll know when it's in the theater. If there's going to be a new show, there will be ads and not just on one channel. If any company can promote the Turtles it's Viacom, and they can do it with keeping the edge to the guys that we enjoy.
I think the thing that made me relax the most about the news on this sale was the fact that Peter Laird can do up to 18 comics a year. This made me breath easier as it took a lot of my depression off of my head. This told me that Peter can still be a part of the Turtles if he chooses to be. This tells me that we can still see his creative side and views of the Turtles, which I would of missed if he did not get this. True there's no promise of a Turtle Comic from him, esp anytime soon. Though to know he's got that choice, the option of still giving us Turtle stories and being who he wants to be again. It made this full sale make sense.
When both Eastman and Laird entered into this... they never thought we're going to become businessmen in charge of a huge global market where their choices were going to either make a lot of people happy or make a lot of people unhappy. This is not what they went in for. They're comic book fans, big time comic book fans. They did this for the comic, they did this to have fun and if people read what they were doing, that was cool. But they wanted to enjoy doing what they loved. And Turtles blew up way too big for them to be able to still do what they enjoy and manage the Turtles at the same time. By selling off the Turtles to Viacom, Peter can become this artist again... he can get creative again. And if anyone has read his other work, they'll know he's got some good stuff he can still work on besides Turtles. He just wants his life back, and after 25 years of giving and giving for the Turtles and the Turtle Fans... he deserves this.
I hope that Peter gets his break that is much deserved and needed, though I also do hope to some day see future comics from him about the Turtles. I always enjoy seeing where he's going with the story lines. I want to thank Peter for everything he's done for us and let him know that I have truly enjoyed his work over these years. And not just the Turtle work, I love Planet Racer!!
So how do I feel about this sale? I feel that things can go well with it. I know that it won't stop me from being a fan. It's not the death of the Ninja Turtles, just a new branch. I will miss the artist and writers who have made the Turtles what we've known for the last 25 years, and hope to see their work in future Mirage comics. I will not stop being a fan of their work. I will still hope to see these people who've touched our lives and hope to remain friends with those who I already know.
My biggest regret about this sale... not knowing back at San D. It would of been nice to have given the Mirage crew a real "Good Bye and Thanks for the 25 years" party. Where we could of talked to each of them on how they felt and been able to give them our respects for everything they've done for us. "Turtles Forever" isn't a lie, they'll always be around... but the movie itself is a great nod to the 25 years of Mirage!
What is going to be different for me with this... well my autograph shirt is going to be one difference.. I'm going to keep that shirt as a first 25 years shirt. Meaning only people who's worked on TMNT from 1984 to 2009 can autograph it. I'll need a new shirt for the people who do 2009 + work
Other than that, I don't see how my fandom can change. I love the characters for who they are. I don't see Nick or anyone else changing that. I am a fan of Michaelangelo, Donatello, Raphael and Leonardo. And will always remain a fan of them, who ever is taking care of them at that time, voicing them, drawing them, ect.
A Big Thanks to everyone who's been with us for the past 25 years working on bring the Turtles to Life! You are and always will be a part of the Turtles, no matter your new paths!
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