4Kids TMNT (2003-2010) - Review and Analysis

The 4Kids TMNT series premiered on February 8, 2003 as part of  the FoxBox programming block (later branded as 4Kids TV) and ended on March 27, 2010. It was produced by 4Kids Entertainment in conjunction with Mirage Studios, and spearheaded by Lloyd Goldfine with significant input and approval by Peter Laird himself, co-creator of the TMNT.

Since Laird was so heavily involved throughout production, seasons 1-4 are probably the “purest” versions of the property outside of Mirage. In fact, the series is so Mirage inspired that seasons 1-4 are probably the best way to get a grip on what Mirage made without actually reading the comics themselves. Unfortunately, The stories for seasons 5-7, Ninja Tribunal, Fast Forward and Back To The Sewers are quite heavily removed from what came before, as the animation changed, characters were redesigned and the stories were less engaging. That said, season 5, the Ninja Tribunal Saga, is the best of the latter series.

The 2003 show was markedly different for mainstream, non-comic book, audiences because up to that time the turtles were remembered most as a childish, goofy cartoon of the 80's and 90's. And, again, while this show took a lot from the Mirage comic books, it is not a direct adaptation of those comics, because it never attempts to capture the grit and darkness that the original comic series had. It does however adapt several issues into episodes, so, in spirit, it is, as much as American children's cartoons can allow, the most faithful version.

The magic of this show is that it was able to blend the humor and wit of the 1987 cartoon with a more mature tone. The character portrayals were a very faithful blend of the Mirage turtles, the 1990 movie turtles and the 1987 turtles. Their take on The Shredder, however, was a new idea created specifically for this show. Firstly known as ninja-master Oroku Saki, as he was in both the original comics and the 1987 cartoon, he was later revealed to be an utrom alien known as Ch’rell. This revelation bugged me a lot at first, but later grew on me. Utrom Shredder works well for this series, but I would have preferred if he had remained a human ninja master. April not being a reporter confused me at first as well, but now, knowing the source material, I prefer her as the computer scientist/former assistant to Baxter Stockman.

There were also other major characters introduced for this show. Bishop, government agent for the E.P.F. (Earth Protection Force), Hun, leader of the Purple Dragon gang and eventual enforcer for The Shredder, as well as Angel, friend to Casey Jones. Each of these characters would go on to play major roles in the IDW comics and also appear in the later volumes of Mirage. Karai, the high-ranking Foot Clan assassin that debuted in the Mirage Comics City At War storyline, also appears here.

I remember watching a couple episodes as a teenager when this show aired but by the early 2000’s I had long been out of TMNT fandom. By the time I rediscovered TMNT and saw this show again I was blown away at how different it was from the turtles of my early childhood. When I later discovered the Mirage books I saw exactly how faithful a lot of this cartoon was to the source material.

The music of the show was very well done and fit the mysterious, action-oriented and sci-fi aspects of the show well. The majority of the show's soundtrack consists of moody oriental theme music. It's very fitting for a show about ninjas. Lighter musical cues signal when the show needs to be humorous. Occasionally, there will be lyrical songs sung during brief bits of action that give certain episodes a fun "teenage" flair too.The most annoying part of the show, however, is the opening theme, a hard-rocking piece of Saturday morning fluff that introduces the character and plot. It really undermines the otherwise mature nature of the show. In fact, once you've heard it about ten times it becomes unnecessary and painful to hear again. 

As of this writing there have been 4 cartoons. I would consider the 2003 4Kids Series to be the truest representation of what the franchise is outside of the Mirage comics. The show’s humor, action, maturity and characterization sets it apart from all other TMNT cartoons and makes the show feel less like it’s aimed at kids (despite the name of the production company) and more like it’s an all-ages show. It even went on to inspire the overall tone and atmosphere of the newer IDW comics too. My wife and I still try to binge watch this show at least every couple years, but we only really watch the first 5 seasons because the final 2 seasons were a major departure. If you’ve never seen this show, I would recommend watching it, particularly the first four seasons, and give the 5^th season a try. It will forever remain a treat for ninja turtle fans.

TMNT: A Comparison of the Mirage and IDW Comics

*Credit goes to Anton Abrahamsson for helping with this article.

Having recently re-read the Eastman and Laird issues (the main canon) of Mirage Publishing’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic as well as the first 100 issues (and various mini-series) of IDW’s re-imagined TMNT book, I thought this would be a good time to compare and contrast the two, largely because these seem to be the clear favorite iterations among older turtle fans and comics fans.

Some Background on My Fandom

It was the IDW series that reignited my love of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I always loved the 1990 movie and was aware of Mirage but had never read it. I read the first IDW arc, Change Is Constant, in 2012 and was hooked. IDW’s new iteration forced me to seek out everything TMNT I could get my hands on. I went back to my childhood and played the original TMNT arcade game online. I watched the 1987 cartoon pilot on Youtube. I checked out the 2003 cartoon show which I missed as a young adult but really enjoyed upon seeing it in my late twenties. And then I found Mirage, which I'd always heard about but never experienced. Whoa! Talk about running backwards here.

The Comparison

Mirage

The main canon of Mirage Vol. 1, the work of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, is what I will focus on for simplicity’s sake and because the remainder of Volume I is abstract, sometimes to the point of parody.  The Eastman/Laird issues are broken down like this:

Issues #1-12

Issues #19-21 (a story known as Return to New York)

Issues #50-62 (the epic finale of Vol.1 called City At War)

Various issues of Tales of the TMNT Vol. 1

Mirage TMNT has a harder edge. This is largely because it was an indie comic and Eastman and Laird were not beholden to any standard like the Comics Code or any corporate brand. They did whatever they wanted and were able to get away with more than your average comic.

The basic plot of issues 1-12 sees the Turtles fight the Purple Dragon gang, learn of their origin, and find and defeat their mortal enemy, The Shredder. They then battle Mouser robots, confront Baxter Stockman, meet Stockman’s assistant, computer programmer/techie April O’neil, and Splinter is abducted. The turtles go to space where they meet The Fugitoid and the Triceraton aliens and rescue their master. They discover the Utroms and, by issue #8 meet Renet and Cerebus the Aardvark, embarking on a time traveling adventure. Issue #9 is a prequel tale where Splinter and the pre-teen turtles help a man called Hatsumi reclaim his family lineage. In the following issue the TMNT battle and defeat a seemingly resurrected Shredder and the Foot Clan again, with the help of Casey Jones. As April’s antique store burns down after the battle, the turtles, April and Casey, and Splinter retreat to the Jones family farm. They live there for a while and fix the place up. In between all of this, in various issues of Tales of the TMNT (Vol. 1) and the individual turtle micro issues, they meet Casey Jones, are introduced to The Rat King, are ambushed by the Foot Clan where Leonardo is injured, Donnie meets an artist named Kirby, the TMNT confront a hate group at the farm, meet a vigilante called Nobody on the streets of New York, encounter Leatherhead, and Michelangelo goes on a solo adventure, adopting a cat named Klunk.

Issues 19-21 sees Raphael meets the Triceraton named Zog and the turtles Return to New York where they discover Shredder is still alive, or has reformed from a mystical spell involving worms feeding on his body to regenerate him. The Shredder is beheaded once and for all, by Leonardo. The turtles then burn his body at the Hudson River.

The canon continues, after many of the guest era stories, in #50.

Issues #50-62 encompass the City At War arc. After their victory over the Shredder, the TMNT discover that New York has been thrown into a turf war.  The factions of the New York Foot Clan are now in a heated battle with the Shredder's still loyal Foot Elite for control of the underworld. 

I’m not going to give any focus here on what comes after Volume 1 because of the lack of Eastman and Laird collaborations. For those interested, many stories from Tales of the TMNT Vol. 2 build on the main canon from Volume 1.

The art styles throughout the books are quite polished under Laird’s pencil. His characters are dynamic and beautiful. He remains my favorite TMNT artist ever. When Eastman pulls art duty the series has a rougher, grittier edge. Eastman's edgy quality makes him probably the best TMNT pinup artist of all time. His harder style works well for covers too.

In fact, largely because it was an indie book and originally published in black and white, Mirage TMNT has a harder edge all around. The subject matter is less refined and the storytelling is more deliberately paced. Publishing as an indie book and having full creative control, Eastman and Laird were not beholden to any standard like the Comics Code or any corporate brand. They did whatever they wanted and were able to get away with more than your average comic. The series is a highly imaginative concept that feels as mature and grown up as the best works of the 1980’s. It may be primarily informed by Frank Miller’s Ronin and Daredevil, The New Mutants, the work of Jack Kirby, and Cerebus, but TMNT feels completely original.

IDW

IDW has had the benefit, not only of following Mirage, but drawing on 30+ years of TMNT history to tell their stories. The main series hits most of the plot points as laid out by Mirage and it may borrow from the various cartoons and the 90’s Archie comic, but it definitely has its own flavor. The main creative team for the first 100 issues is Tom Waltz as the head writer and Kevin Eastman as co-writer, plotter and co-plotter. A revolving door of talent joins them for the art chores. Over 100 issues the TMNT are revamped, utilizing familiar plot elements and characters while creating amazing new characters and stories as well.

The most notable difference between IDW and what has come before is the origin of the turtles. In Mirage the ooze that mutates the turtles is related to the the alien Utroms and TCRI. The turtles are random red-eared slider turtles and Splinter is a sewer rat. They get covered in the mutagen in a sewer and Splinter relays the origin to them via a story about his master, Hamato Yoshi.  In IDW, the turtles and Splinter are labs animals, mutated this time by orders from General Krang with an ooze that, again, originates with the Utroms. This time however, the spirits of Hamato Yoshi, an ancient warrior from Feudal Japan, and his sons are reincarnated into the animals. Oroku Saki is also resurrected into the modern age through mysticism and is tied to the spirit of a dragon.

IDW does borrow a few plot threads from Mirage Vol. 1. Like Mirage, the IDW Turtles fight the Purple Dragons, encounter mousers, and meet April. They also go to Dimension X, a decent stand-in for Mirage’s outer space plots. After the amazing City Fall arc, which shares similarities to Mirage’s City At War, they visit the Northampton farm in one of IDW's best arcs. The turtles later return to New York and, after some non-Mirage related plot threads, Shredder dies on a roof. After a hundred issues, it all culminates in a story arc called “City at War.” The basic elements of Mirage can be felt throughout but enough is different that the narrative feels familiar without feeling like it’s all been done before.

IDW differs from Mirage however, because it adds in many plot threads and concepts from other sources. The Dimension X and Neutrino concepts as well as the Technodrome appear from the original cartoon, while the Earth Protection Force and Street Phantoms come out of the 4Kids cartoon. Each of these elements play important roles in the overall story and help to distinguish IDW as its own thing.

Along with these familiar ideas many different characters appear as well. Mirage characters like The Shredder, Baxter Stockman, Karai and Leatherhead are mixed with Angel, Hun, Bishop and Ch’rell from the 4Kids cartoon as well as original cartoon characters like Krang (a Utrom in this series), Bebop and Rocksteady, and Slash, the snapping turtle. Where this series really shines, however, is with the creation of new characters like Old Hob, Alopex, Koya and Bludgeon. The Mighty Mutanimals, characters from the Archie comic, also show up here. The villain turned anti-hero, Old Hob, leads them.

IDW’s various mini-series, annuals and maxi-series, including the spin-off comic, TMNT Universe,  mimic Mirage’s Tales of the TMNT series because these stories act as fill-in issues and companions that play into the larger continuity.

Another major difference is IDW’s narrative’s cohesiveness. This has been, arguably, one of IDW’s weaknesses. 100 issues of tight, cohesive storytelling has left little room for self-contained arcs or slice of life stories. Story arcs break up a single narrative but constant callbacks to previous issues leave no room to read these arcs in a singular fashion. Everything hinges on what comes before it. In contrasts, Mirage tells multiple stories with a loose continuity. If read in order Mirage stories can be cohesive but they don’t call back to each other or influence each other, at least not the way IDW’s turtle stories do.

The art styles throughout the series vary considerably, in much the same way that Mirage art has varied over the years with its guest artists. The artwork enriches IDW’s turtle books by providing different flavors and tones that are specific to each story arc. The brilliant Ronda Pattinson does most of the coloring. The art talent includes: Kevin Eastman, Dan Duncan, Andy Kuhn, Mateus Santolouco, Sophie Campbell, Cory Smith, Ken Garing, Michael Dialynas, Dave Wachter, Damian Couceiro, Chris Johnson, and Brahm Revel.

Conclusion

Some believe that comparing these two comics is a futile exercise because IDW is seen as just another brick layered upon the foundation that is Mirage. However, I think comparison is valid and valuable because each comic shares similarities.

Eastman and Laird’s Mirage issues feels much more like a comic book that came out of the 1980’s. These stories  share some similarities with Cerebus, the underground comic that features an anthropomorphized animal character. The run feels like an action-packed superhero book in the vein of Frank Miller’s Daredevil, and it has slice of life stories like Love and Rockets by the Hernandez Brothers.

By contrast IDW’s TMNT feels almost like a fan written comic that happens to be done by the pros. IDW is an amalgamation of all TMNT work. It’s a revamped version similar to the “Ultimate” line of books at Marvel Comics. It takes the best of all TMNT incarnations, adds some new characters, and throws it in a blender. The result is a new story with several familiar elements. It’s a more cohesive, continuity-driven work that tells a single story over several self-contained arcs.

So, which is better? That’s subjective, obviously. Fans who have a long history with the TMNT in all their incarnations may enjoy IDW more. Fans who have a deep love for Mirage and have never seen it topped may like the original better. I tend to think the main canon of Mirage tells better stories and has a more mature flavor, but IDW is better written across the board. I love them both, but I see myself going back to IDW slightly more often than I’ll revisit my Mirage turtles when I need a TMNT fix.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - 1990 – Review and Analysis

       One of the greatest comic book adaptations to screen is the 1990 TMNT film. Why this movie holds up so well, why it was so expertly cast, and why the tone was perfect are all a result of the hard work, care and dedication from director, Steve Baron, the actors, producers and designers.

       Production on a live-action feature film of the Ninja Turtles franchise started in 1988. Filming began in July of 1989 and went to September. A budget of $13.5 million was granted by Golden Harvest (up to then known for making low budget Hong Kong action movies). The film was shot almost entirely in North Carolina at Carolco Studios (one of the largest non-Hollywood studios in the U.S. at the time) with inserts and location shots happening in New York City. 

       As an adaptation, this movie hits several marks and blends various elements from the cartoon and comic book. The turtles’ masks are multicolored just as in the cartoon (in the original comics they all wear red bandannas). April is a TV news reporter, though here she works for Channel 3 News while in the cartoon it’s Channel 6 News. The story is constructed around several plots from the first dozen or so issues of the Mirage comic. In the comic it is Leonardo, not Raphael, who is ambushed by the Foot Clan. In the original comic, the farmhouse belongs to Casey Jones, not April. The rooftop battle and Shredder’s defeat come from the end of the first issue.

       The tone is perfect for a TMNT film. It’s humorous enough in places to be great for the kids and mirroring the then ongoing cartoon series, but also it’s surprisingly hard edged enough to be taken seriously by older fans and adults as well, mirroring the Mirage comic book. The jokes and lighthearted humor mesh incredibly well with the gritty real life drama and dark themes of street crime and gang violence. The movie juggles its disparate elements expertly and it's surprising just how "adult" the film can feel, for something that was essentially marketed to six-year-olds.

       In the film, the turtles are actually actors and martial artists in foam latex suits with animatronic puppet heads. Jim Henson and his famed Creature Shop were responsible for designing the suits and heads. The look of the turtles onscreen remains incredible to this day. In fact, it’s surprising how much better these turtles look onscreen than their CGI counterparts from the newer films.

Elias Koteas stands out in his role as the vigilante sports nut, Casey Jones. He is the definitive Casey Jones. Judith Hoag was charming and beautiful as April O’Neil and has defined the role for many fans, myself included. Shredder looks genuinely menacing in his metal armor and the fight scenes and martial arts choreography are also top notch, on par with other low budget action films of the day.

       This movie would go on to become the most successful independent feature in history (until it was unseated by The Blair Witch Project in 1999), earning roughly $202 million worldwide when all was said and done. The movie’s success prompted several sequels, none of which were very good, however, the second outing, The Secret of the Ooze, will always hold a special place in my heart.

       The reputation this flick has garnered as the “best turtle film” and as one of the greatest comic book movie adaptations is well deserved. It’s all about the tone and the pathos of the characters as they struggle to rescue Splinter from the clutches of the Foot Clan. Is the film dated? Yes. The pop culture references of the time as well as a gritty late 80’s looking setting of New York definitely make it stay in a single place and time. But, for TMNT fans there will likely never be another movie like it. Every time I watch this I am swept away by the gritty, urban fantasy. It remains one of my favorite films of all time and should be held up as probably the greatest adaptation in the history of the franchise.   

My Top Ten Comic Book/Superhero Movies

The following is a ranking of, what I consider to be, the best comic book movies ever made. There are many great superhero films and as a result this list was hard to compile.

I rate these movies on 3 criteria:

1) Faithfulness: Does the film boil the source material or character(s) down to its essence, hit the major points of the character or at least give a decent idea to the viewer of what the mythos is all about?

2) Entertainment Value: Is the film entertaining? Does it leave the viewer with a sense of wonder, amusement or enjoyment?

3) Story: Does the film tell a compelling story? Does the story fit the character?
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10) Hellboy (2004)

Although director Guillermo Del Toro took some liberties with the movie version of Hellboy, this film tells a compelling story. The film is well paced and gives a succinct origin for the hero, hitting many of the major beats of the first Hellboy story, Seed of Destruction. For many people, myself included, this was what got them into the Hellboy comics.
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9) Road To Perdition (2002)

Although not a superhero movie, this film is based on one of the greatest graphic novels ever written. Famed crime fiction writer, Max Allan Collins wrote a fast paced, suspenseful tale that was turned into one of the greatest modern noir films. Tom Hanks was brilliantly cast as the lead, Michael Sullivan. This should be held up as an example that great comic book movies don’t have to feature long underwear characters.
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8) Batman Begins (2005)

While this is probably the best Batman movie ever made on a filmic level, it forsakes much of the fantasy of a superhero in favor of grounded realism. The film is a master class in dramatic storytelling, taking its main cue from the story, Batman Year One. It even manages to tell a great origin story, playing on the fears of a post-9/11 world. However, it misses the escapism that a great superhero story can provide. This is a great Batman movie. The rest of the Dark Knight trilogy, while well-made films, are not good adaptations and explicate too much.
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7) Spider-man 2 (2004)

This movie is the most impressive statement about Spider-man ever put to screen. It boils everything about the classic Stan Lee/Steve Ditko creation down to its essence and features, arguably, the best villain in Spider-man’s rogues gallery, Doctor Octopus. It’s a movie with great action, a fun story, and is probably as close as classic Spidey will ever come to being straight off the page.
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6) The Avengers (2012)

This film is probably the best superhero team movie ever made. It is the blueprint for how to film a team of superheroes. It builds off of many of the solo hero movies that gave birth to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and manages to be mostly faithful to the origin of the team. Impressive visual effects and a credible villain make this film an entertaining spectacle.
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5) Wonder Woman (2017)

Before seeing this I had not been very impressed with DC’s attempt at a cinematic universe for their heroes. Man of Steel and Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice were not that great. Wonder Woman changed my mind. It is one of the best superhero films to ever come out of DC and one of the best superhero movies of the last few years. Gal Gadot is impressive in her role as the Amazon Princess but the story is what really blew me away. There is faithfulness to the origin and it works well as a period film.
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4) The Rocketeer (1991)

The Rocketeer is the perfect example of a pulpy action adventure film. It tells an engaging story, features plenty of action, has heart and is one of the most faithful adaptations of a graphic novel ever put to screen. Billy Campbell is perfectly cast as The Rocketeer and Timothy Dalton expertly plays the villainous Neville Sinclair. Jennifer Connelly isn’t too bad either. This is one of the greatest adventure films ever made.
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3) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles nails the tone of its source material better than any superhero movie ever made. It perfectly captures the gritty, fun and absurd flavor of the original comic book. It adds a few details from the wildly popular cartoon show of the late 80’s and melds everything that was ever good about the TMNT into a masterpiece. Its compelling story is constructed out of bits and pieces of the first dozen issues of the original comic series. It’s probably the greatest TMNT movie that could ever be made.

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2) Batman (1989)

This film is more style over substance and doesn’t really feature much of a plot, but its importance in the pantheon of superhero movies cannot be denied. I rank this so highly as a superhero movie almost purely out of childhood nostalgia. It takes liberties with the mythos and is very indicative of the time it was created in. That being said, every time I watch it, I am impressed and awed by the set pieces and the mood. The film is such an entertaining spectacle, and gives me such a feeling of joy, that it will forever be one of my favorites. It’s also the purest expression, in live action anyway, of the Batman from the 70’s and 80’s, my favorite eras in the bat books. For more on this movie, go here.
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1) Superman: The Movie (1978)

In 1978, when Superman was released, director Richard Donner delivered a blueprint for all future superhero movies to follow. This is the gold standard for all comic book films. Christopher Reeve was perfectly cast as Superman. The story was an epic three-act fantasy that also served as a compelling origin. The effects were like nothing ever seen at the time and are especially impressive because they were all practical effects. It perfectly captures the essence of Superman’s character and is an affectionate tribute to one of pop-culture’s most important icons.
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HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

The Dark Knight (2008)

X2: X-men United (2003)

Black Panther (2018)

Iron Man 2 (2010)

The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)