Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Hey, remember when they released a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie this past summer? Crazy, right? No hard feelings if you forgot: the second movie in the franchise hit theaters the first weekend in June and promptly tanking, making less than $100 million at the domestic box office despite a nine-figure budget. It’s the sort of showing that could stop a franchise in its tracks; and according to the film’s producers, that might be exactly what happened.

I don't think Shredder gets enough credit when it comes to the greatest villain conversation. I'm not saying he's the most vile foe to ever stalk a hero day and night, but the man has haunted to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for decades. He's always looked imposing, but as time has progressed past his debut, his suit of armor has gotten more and more fearsome. I'd argue that aside from Super Shredder, Oroku Sakai has never looked more dangerous than he has in Good Smile's new statue series.

I'll admit that I never got into the Nendoroid craze until they started making figures of characters I really liked. I've bought plenty of more traditional figures of characters I was merely ambivalent about, but the investment in Nendoroid figures meant I had to be particular about who made the cut. With this new crop of toys shown at New York Comic Con, I'm afraid I've reached a tipping point, and will have very few Nendoroids I'm capable of turning down when it comes to adding them to my collection. I mean, just look at those faces. How can you say "no" to them?

Today at New York Comic-Con, Playmates revealed an upcoming line of Ninja Superstars action figures, a collaboration with WWE that combines Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael with John Cena, "The Macho Man" Randy Savage, the Undertaker, and Sting. And just for the record, you are awake. This is real, and this is happening.

This year's Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series was one of the most purely fun comics in a good long while. It was the platonic ideal of a crossover, one that played with the pre-existing ideas of invading dimensions that we've already seen in TMNT, and threw them up against Gotham City's arch-criminals until we got to the perfectly logical conclusion of Mr. Freeze being turned into a mutant polar bear. The thing is, James Tynion IV and Freddie E. Williams did so much with that book that I was really left wondering just what they'd do in a sequel. In retrospect, the answer is obvious: Revive The Batman Adventures, the jaw-droppingly good tie-in to Batman: The Animated Series, and mash it up with the TMNT's own current cartoon universe to see what happens. It looks amazing, and we're revealing the covers and solicitation for the second issue below!

Finally. That' really all there is to say about NECA's long "lost" Foot Clan and Shredder figures from its planned Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mirage line. After being shown off at trade shows in 2009, the figures for the Turtles' biggest foes never saw the light of day at retail for reasons many of us will likely never know. For years, the prototypes sat at NECA's New Jersey studio, offering but a glimmer of what could have been but never was. Then at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, NECA finally found a way to get Shredder and some Foot Clan soldiers out to the masses in the TMNT Arcade Set. A companion to the newly minted Turtles, the set was a hit with fans who'd been waiting for ages for these forgotten figures to arrive. Now, NECA has made another miracle happen, and will finally release Shredder and the Foot as originally intended at this year's New York Comic Con.

This week marks the launch of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe, a new spotlight series that kicks off with Paul Allor and Damian Couceiro for a story about the Turtles under siege. To find out more, we spoke to them about their favorite Turtles, the challenge of designing a new mutant, and the importance of battling evil with #TwoSticksAndAChain.

The NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade Set was arguably one of the most anticipated and sought-after San Diego Comic-Con exclusives this year. Fans have been after more NECA TMNT figures ever since the company delivered its Mirage-inspired foursome way back when. The rest of the planned line, which consisted of Shredder and the Foot Clan, never saw the light of day --- though those "lost" figures were retooled and repainted to fit into the Foot Clan companion set to this Turtles collection at SDCC. The Turtles themselves got all-new sclupts, paint apps and accessories that more closely resemble the animated characters on which the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game were based. The wait has been long for some truly quality TMNT figures, and even though these are a very specific set of ninjas, they're damn brilliant.

James Tynion IV and Freddie E. Williams II's Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover was one of the best comic books of the year, and if you doubt that, consider that there was a scene where Shredder and Ra's Al-Ghul used mutagen on Batman's enemies and turned Mr. Freeze into a polar bear. If you can think of a comic where something better than that happened, then folks, I want to hear about it. The only downside was that it ended after only six issues. Now, though, it looks like we're going to get a sequel --- sort of. Today at San Diego Comic-Con, IDW and DC announced Batman/TMNT Adventures, a second crossover between the Dark Knight and the Heroes in a Half-Shell --- and this time, it's set in the animated universes of both characters.

A little over a month ago, Sideshow Collectibles announced a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles print based on a gauche painting by artist Paolo Rivera. The company teased there would be some statues to go along with it eventually, and today we have our first official look at the new line of four pieces inspired by Rivera's work. If you were wondering if they'd be able to capture the detail and style, these first prototype images sure make it look like they will. Things kick of with Leonardo, who is captured perched on a sewage pipe ready to lead the rest of the Turtles into battle with whatever poor soul dared venture beneath the New York City streets. While not based on any particular incarnation of the Turtles, Rivera's own interpretation looks terrific in sculpted form.