Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

From "regifting" to the "friend zone", we can thank TV for these words and phrases.

We might be living in a golden age of comic book movies, but they’re not all winners.

Cowabunga!

It's the 30th anniversary of the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie and Judith Hoag, who played April O'Neil, is hosting a Zoom reunion. Cowabunga dude! Source: Movie Web

‘Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ is coming to Blu-ray and DVD this spring.

I don't want to be an armchair editor here or anything, but you'd think that if you're doing a story where Batman crosses the dimensional barrier from Gotham City to hang out in New York --- specifically the NYC that's home to the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles --- you'd have to take a page or two for him to ask questions, right? "Where are all the abandoned warehouses," he asks, scowling, "And why isn't there a single Playing Card And Chemical Factory on the entire island of Manhattan? And why are your sewers so... livable?!"

When you really think about it, the fact that we are living in a time where you can get high-end statues of Bebop from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles based on the work of illustrator and artist James Jean is a pretty surprising development. I mean, that we can get any Bebop statue would be kind of remarkable --- what with him being a mutant warthog who was created during negotiations for a toy line and all --- but a James Jean Bebop statue? That's supposed meant to link up with four other villains statues in a big diorama of evil ninjutsu? It's remarkable. And it's happening. This week, Japan's Good Smile Company released their Jean-inspired Bebop statue for pre-order, and it's pretty fantastic.

Everyone loves trivia about their favorite animated features and series, but with over 100 years of animation history behind us right now, there’s always some new obscure fact to learn. That’s why ComicsAlliance is going deep into the minutiae of your favorite names in cartoons in this continuing video series. You think you know cartoons? Well, here’s a few things you might not know! This week we're taking a look at the heroes in a half-shell, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

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.

Here’s a question: Why do the Ninja Turtles wear masks? What could they possibly have to hide? Are they worried people will discover their secret identities as mutant turtles who work as, like, electricians or tech support?

If you didn’t like Michael Bay’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, just know that it could’ve been a lot worse. An early draft of the script turned the Turtles into aliens from another dimension and Shredder was turned into Colonel Schroeder, a secret alien who can grow blades. That’s just one of the facts packed into the latest episode of You Think You Know Movies, which gets totally tubular with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!