Teenage Mutant Ninja Frank Millers

Nique · 10-19-2010, 11:49 PM

Anyone read these original 'turtle' books? They seem pretty cool. I like the idea of a 'grimdark' miller-esque parody.

Fifthfiend · 10-20-2010, 02:36 AM

They're not really a parody. Or I mean maybe they were, but as someone who's spent the majority of his existence basically acquainted with "turtles who are ninjas" as a concept it doesn't really read as parody to me.

bluestarultor · 10-20-2010, 02:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fifthfiend

They're not really a parody. Or I mean maybe they were, but as someone who's spent the majority of his existence basically acquainted with "turtles who are ninjas" as a concept it doesn't really read as parody to me.

Well, the earlier ones were hyper-violent and gritty and Leo made a lot of heads roll until they started going mainstream and things got toned down.

I was under the impression they were kind of a half-parody, half-love note to Jack Kirby though. Just from some stuff I read, assuming my memory isn't faulty. I hear whoever it was actually commended the guys on it and they basically figured they could die happy.

Fifthfiend · 10-20-2010, 03:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluestarultor

Well, the earlier ones were hyper-violent and gritty and Leo made a lot of heads roll until they started going mainstream and things got toned down.

No I mean, I was talking about the original ones.

They weren't even really hyper violent as we'd understand it now. They were like... really about as violent as you would actually expect for a story about four dudes who run around with ninja weapons.

bluestarultor · 10-20-2010, 03:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fifthfiend

No I mean, I was talking about the original ones.

They weren't even really hyper violent as we'd understand it now. They were like... really about as violent as you would actually expect for a story about four dudes who run around with ninja weapons.

Well, yeah, but when everyone else is like "oh, my God, is that blood?" over a paper cut, you have a little more shock value.

I mean, shit, these days, Marvel has a guy tearing a Roman god in half with his bare hands and all anybody thinks of it is they missed a few of the major organs in the two-page spread.

Nique · 10-20-2010, 07:06 AM

All I know is I caught the tail end of 'Turtles Forever' like 3 weeks ago and the 'turtle prime' universe basically appeared to be be a pretty good imitation of something like Sin-City, or at least as close as you could get on the Disney channel. Like, right down to the narration and ruthless protagonists.

Fifthfiend · 10-20-2010, 07:26 AM

Oh man yeah, they really aren't so much like that.

Like, kind of! But in the degree that the original cartoon turtles were like their functionally-retarded Turtles Forever counterparts.

Like within a year-ish in the original comics you have them running around with the fucking Triceratons and this fucking time-traveler girl and ridiculous shit like that.

It's still got more grittynessness in it than any other Ninja Turtles thing but "Sin City" isn't exactly the reference I'd use.

EDIT: Like so it's clear this isn't going by ancient half-recollection, I am sitting here with these things in front of me and there is this fucking girl in a TIME! outfit and goddamn Triceratops people and shit.

EDIT: Like the very very very original Turtles arc with Shredder (it's hilarious how in this he dies like right off and then nobody gives a fuck about him ever again ) is pretty hard-edged but like once April get introduced the characters definitely start getting a little lighter / more emotive.

Nique · 10-20-2010, 08:14 AM

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and there is this fucking girl in a TIME! outfit and goddamn Triceratops people and shit.

Ok, ONE: Sounds awesome. TWO: Are you sitting on a small fortune possibly?

Quote:

Like, kind of! But in the degree that the original cartoon turtles were like their functionally-retarded Turtles Forever counterparts.

'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' was one of the cartoons I was not allowed to watch due to "violence" when I was a kid (i know i know) but while watching this I sort of had my doubts that this was a totally accurate representation.

Fifthfiend · 10-20-2010, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nique

TWO: Are you sitting on a small fortune possibly?

I don't have the original comics I have beat-to-fuck graphic novels that also have random shit written on them in a bunch of places by this kid Adil Hafeez because actually technically they belong to Adil Hafeez except that I borrowed them when I was eight years old and never returned them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nique

Ok, ONE: Sounds awesome.

You may notice a conspicuous absence in my posts of the claim which I am assuredly not making regarding any supposition that these comics are not totally rad.

Magus · 10-21-2010, 10:03 AM

Somebody on here in another topic said that the first one seemed to be parodying Ronin, a Frank Miller novel, at least in certain panels.

But I agree that it only seems dark and gritty version of the Turtles in retrospect of their being lightened up for television and later comics. It answers the question of why the Turtles have bladed weapons but never seem to cut or kill anybody--they used to but then to market the concept broadly they had to remove decapitations.

10-20-2010, 02:36 AM	#2
Fifthfiend for all seasons Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 19,409	They're not really a parody. Or I mean maybe they were, but as someone who's spent the majority of his existence basically acquainted with "turtles who are ninjas" as a concept it doesn't really read as parody to me. __________________ check out my buttspresso

10-20-2010, 07:26 AM	#7
Fifthfiend for all seasons Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 19,409	Oh man yeah, they really aren't so much like that. Like, kind of! But in the degree that the original cartoon turtles were like their functionally-retarded Turtles Forever counterparts. Like within a year-ish in the original comics you have them running around with the fucking Triceratons and this fucking time-traveler girl and ridiculous shit like that. It's still got more grittynessness in it than any other Ninja Turtles thing but "Sin City" isn't exactly the reference I'd use. EDIT: Like so it's clear this isn't going by ancient half-recollection, I am sitting here with these things in front of me and there is this fucking girl in a TIME! outfit and goddamn Triceratops people and shit. EDIT: Like the very very very original Turtles arc with Shredder (it's hilarious how in this he dies like right off and then nobody gives a fuck about him ever again ) is pretty hard-edged but like once April get introduced the characters definitely start getting a little lighter / more emotive. __________________ check out my buttspresso Last edited by Fifthfiend; 10-20-2010 at 07:46 AM.

10-21-2010, 10:03 AM	#10
Magus Archer and Armstrong vs. the World Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 7,164	Somebody on here in another topic said that the first one seemed to be parodying Ronin, a Frank Miller novel, at least in certain panels. But I agree that it only seems dark and gritty version of the Turtles in retrospect of their being lightened up for television and later comics. It answers the question of why the Turtles have bladed weapons but never seem to cut or kill anybody--they used to but then to market the concept broadly they had to remove decapitations. __________________ The Valiant Review