Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Finally , the BIG MAIN bodacious course !
This is the TMNT tribute I've been hyping up, so let's start with the Best TMNT opening ever www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHorFa…

In case you're wondering which reference I used as a starting point, well there you go i.imgur.com/uTQn4Jj.jpg . What TMNT continuity is it ? Dude, I am a fragging hybridist ! I took whatever I loved and glued it together. And in case anyone wonders, no, the "Grim and Gritty Turtles are so much better" idea that has been circulating is actually Bullshit. I have read and watched the 6 iterations on the sides to reach that conclusion .

To whoever wants to catch on, here's the Index (Err.. for this text , I shall use the lexic of the technodrome forums to make things easier.):

Mirage V1 (only V1. V2 is really not that memorable anyway and V4 is boring as fuck. Seriously...): devilkais.deviantart.com/art/T…
OT Series : devilkais.deviantart.com/art/T…
Archie series : devilkais.deviantart.com/art/T…
Movie 1 & 2 : devilkais.deviantart.com/art/T…
Image V3 : devilkais.deviantart.com/art/T…
2k3 series : devilkais.deviantart.com/art/T…


As for my favorite turtle... I do not really have one, I love all 4. Instead, let's ask the better question :

* Best iterations by character ?

LEONARDO

1) 2k3 : top player and focus of many good story-arcs (especially the feudal japan/mystic ones).Tends to have a blend of the best traits from all past Leos.

2) Mirage : Is the ONLY Turtle that moves the plot forward and has some development due to his involvement in "Return to New-York" and "City At War". Also THIS i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/art… . Well, Turtle power , motherfucker!

3) OT : I find him pretty underrated in the show. Though the funny part is that most of the episodes that focus on Leo are pretty damn good and why he is the quote unquote leader of the quartet.

RAPHAEL

1) Movie : Takes the best aspects of Mirage Raph and makes them natural rather than cliched (and DAMN is that rooftop fight scene fantastic) and the sense of humor and wit of the OT Raph. Do I need to say more ?

2) Image : Gary Carlson did to Mirage Raph what Larry Hama did to Wolverine (BTW Bone claws > Adamantium). Plus Raph-Shredder is a great visual !

3) OT : What can I say ? This is where restraint actually does wonders for a character. This is the version that gave Raphael more range as a character. He can get pissed (or as he says "sarcastic") he does not let define him. That and he's one of the funniest characters in the whole show: many times I wanted say "Wow, what an asshole !" but he's just hilarious.


DONATELLO

1) 2k3 : Has the absolute best one-shot episodes in the whole series. Plus he is the most sensible and kindest Turtle in the show, which makes his angry moments all the more impressive.

2) OT : Is different from most iterations in the sense that he is NOT shy. This Donnie is pretty self-assured and , while friendly, not all that interested in humans themselves (like Raphael , he's more in the "we stick together to survive camp" rather than the "we stick together to fight crime" camp.)

3) Image : Making Donatello into a cyborg was a far better idea than anyone gave it credit for (NOW he looks like a Jack Kirby character !) and it shows his resolve and strength of character since he managed to stop the machine from taking over his mind.

MICHELANGELO

1) Movie : He's indeed the jokester but it is does not stop him from being serious or kicking ass. The screenwriter came up with the best jokes for him, he never felt like he was trying too hard. Plus the donuts plan in the 2nd movie was not bad !

2) OT : While he does talk like a stoner (maybe he's one! That explains his pizza cravings...) he's a very positive and laid back dude.I love his honest and naive charm and the fact that he's ironically easy to anger despite his mellowness. Actually, I think he gets more pissed off than Raphael over the course of the show !

3) Image : This one took the underdevelopped Mirage Mikey and fleshed him out successfully. At 19, he's a writer (and got his novel published !), he 's fatherlike to Casey's daughter and a romantic soul.


APRIL O'NEIL

1) Archie/2k3 : Basically the evolved version of the OT April and , as I said before, I consider the Archie comics to be April's show more than anyone else's even if she's a supporting character. The 2k3 April is also very similar maybe a blend of Mirage April and the Archie one.

2) OT : If you diss the banana jumpsuit, you know jackshit about beauty son !

3) Movie : And this is why you need a talented actress to pull off April's personna on-screen. Great performance by Judith Hoag !  



CASEY JONES

1) Mirage : Is hands down the best character in the book and has the best plotline in the best story-arc.

2) Movie : Elias Koteas is your God !

3) OT : Is Fucking hilarious AND manages to get a job ! Such a great example of social success !


SPLINTER

1) Movie : I love his design and the way he s the most fatherly version of the rat. He is wise, caring but there is also a vulnerability to him that gives a lot of weight to his interactions with his sons, especially when he reminds them that he's not eternal. Plus he has a sense of humor " I made a funny ! HAHAHAHA !".

2) OT/2k3 : The former is unbelievably witty and the first time Hamato Yoshi AND the rat were fused (A good idea quite honestly !). The latter is torn between the well-being of his sons and his vendetta against Shredder... speaking of vengeance...

3) Mirage : The original and yet rather different sensei from any other iteration. All other Splinters trained their children to survive and be able to fend off for themselves. THIS Splinter , while he does like them , trained them for offing the Shredder first and foremost. Will get better after eating some rats...


* Best villains ?

The poster already tells you which ones and which versions by this point ! This, however, cannot be read enough www.thatchickensite.com/krang-…


* Best Episodes ?

From the OT (in no particular order and mostly for characterization, action and hilarity):

Turtles on Trial
Shredded and Splintered
Cowabunga Shredhead
Take me to your leader
The Legend of Koji

Enter the Fly
Shredder's Mom
The Cat Woman from Channel Six
Casey Jones: Outlaw Hero
Corporate Raiders from Dimension X

Invasion of the Krangazoids
Raphael VS the Volcano
Leatherhead meets the Rat King
Get Shredder
What's Michelangelo Good For?

Planet of the Turtleoids
Turtle Trek
Turtle Tracks
The Making of Metalhead
Invasion of the Punk Frogs



From 2K3 (IN particular order !) :

20 What a Croc
19 I,Monster
18 City At War
17 Turtles in space
16 Bishop's Gambit
15 Lone Raph and Cub
14 Christmas Aliens
13 Space Invaders
12 Reality Checks
11 Shredder Strikes
10 Return To New York
9 Time Travail
8 The Real World
7 April's Artifact
6 The King
5 A tale of Master Yoshi
4 Secret Origins
3 Same as it never was
2 Insane in the membrane
1 Exodus


* Best Movie ?

Here's a quick movie vedict :

Movie 1 : PERFECTION.

Secret of the ooze : Pure unadulterated fun (and yes , "Go ninja Go" is a fun song. People just need to get over themselves and try enjoying something...)

Movie III : Behold the laziness !

TMNT 2007 : ... 's okay for the most part.

Turtles Forever : ... sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.608008…

Turtles 2014 : At best , there are good ideas here and there and it's okay. At worst ? Mostly wasted potential. They NEVER should have used Shredder, they should have built him up for a sequel and used Baxter Stockman and the Foot ninjas instead, in order to show the height of the organization. The movie should have been shorter and given the Turtles more brother moments (actually THOSE moments are done rather well. The rooftop, sneaking in, the hashi, the elevator ... We need more of those !). LESS EXPOSITION ! The first 2 movies came across a lot of emotions with subtle and natural interactions. Here ? They tend to throw them on your face ! And Megan Fox as April ? You want a better April ? www.comicbookmovie.com/images/… Need I say more ?
And why does Splinter look like he mutated from the Sumatran Rat Monkey in Braindead ?!
What kind of steroids does the Ooze contain ? (Though I do like the personalized stuff the boys wear. I still think Donnie and Raph mugged people for their glasses though...)


And to wrap this up , I'll say this about the 2012 Series (from what I've seen )

THE GOOD :
- A sympathetic Shredder (the comics started that way, but he was more a plot device than a character)
- Raphael having his sarcastic wit (seriously those are great moments)
- Donatello being voiced by Rob Paulsen
- Leonardo trying to be the leader
- One of the best Karais ever
- Splinter
- The villains ( Baxter , Tiger Claw and KRANG making a come back ! I've also heard that the awesomeness of Bebop and Rocksteady will be included !)
- New spin on the Rat King
- Adorable Leatherhead !

THE BAD :
- I agree that they try waaaay too hard with Mikey's humor and that's  a problem that started with the 2003 series
- April and Casey as teens... NO. Just NO. And April's entire appeal is that she' a regular human, why the hell make her the Kraang's target ?

Oh and the IDW Comics ? Tom Waltz , Kevin Eastman and the rest of the crew are doing  a FANTASTIC JOB ! This new comic is an hybridist's dream come true ! And it pisses on DC and Marvel current outputs out of quality, so it deserves a LOT more attention , praise AND SALES !

Anyhow, Cowabunga and all that jazz and here 's a giant tortoise for ya www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNqTPt… . Isn't he the cutest big guy ?

My favorite iterations (not counting IDW because it honestly got all 4 of them right. I don't have enough praise for it and it deserves more spotlight rather than the crummy big 2 at this point...) are: