POP CULTURE WE LOVE: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

[D. MARQUIS]

YOU KNOW HOW SOMETIMES "THE COMIC BOOK IS BETTER THAN THE CARTOONS AND THE MOVIES? WELL, THIS WOULD DEFINITELY APPLY TO TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. I REMEMBER SEEING THE COMICS WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER IN THE 80'S. I REMEMBER THEM BEING DRAWN IN A STYLE I WASN'T REALLY FEELING- PLUS THEY WERE OUT OF MY BUDGET- I WOULD REMEMBER THE NAME THOUGH. EVEN THOUGH I COULDN'T AFFORD THEM- THEY WERE QUICKLY AND QUIETLY GAINING STEAM AND POPULARITY.NEXT THING YOU KNOW- THEY WERE INTRODUCED TO US AS A CARTOON ( A 5- PART MINI SERIES IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN- BEFORE A SERIES RUN).

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES HAD ARRIVED WITH A BANG. THIS FRANCHISE WAS UNIQUE BECAUSE WE LITERALLY SAW THEM STYLIZE PRETTY QUICKLY  RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES.  SEE ACTION FIGURES

THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT CARTOONS AND COMIC BOOKS IS THAT SOMETIMES A COMIC BOOK COVER OR A COOL INTRO  TO AN ANIMATED SERIES CAN REALLY  FOOL YOU....I THOUGHT NINJA TURTLES KINDA GOT OVER ON US IN THE CARTOON DUE TO THE FACT I THINK THE INTRO LURED US IN WITH AWESOME ANIMATION. BUT THE STORY -TO ME DIDN'T LIVE UP TO THE ACTION IN THE INTRO IN THE EPISODES. 

AFTER THE 5 PART MINI SERIES
THE ANIMATION AND STORY WAS GEARED MORE TOWARD A YOUNGER AUDIENCE. I REMEMBER DROPPING OUT OF CONTINUING TO WATCH THE SERIES.

I'D COME ACROSS SOME OF THE EARLY TMNT GRAPHIC NOVELS AND I REALLY ENJOYED THE ART AND WRITING BEFORE THEY BECAME POP CULTURE ICONS WITH CARTOONS AND MOVIES. I LOVED THE GRITTY- HARDCORE NINJA TURTLES STORIES- THEY ARE SPECTACULAR. 

TAKE A LOOK

THE ORIGINAL ACTION FIGURE LINE WAS COOL BUT ARTICULATED THE SAME AS THE HE MAN LINE. THEY HAD A GOOD BALANCE OF MEMORABLE CHARACTERS AND ACCESSORIES.

THE REVAMPED LINE LOOKS STYLIZED TOWARDS MORE LIKE THE CLASSIC GRAPHIC NOVELS WHICH IS GREAT. SEE ACTION FIGURES

THIS SERIES HAS MADE ITS PERMANENT MARK AS IT CONTINUES TO GROW TODAY. IM GLAD I WAS AROUND TO SEE IT FROM ITS ORIGINS AND EVOLVE.

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