The Cosmic Side of TMNT 🐢

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Nicktoons-related blog post, thus I (Ethan Stranger) believe it’s time to resume those types of posts, resuming with a franchise that many kids (now adults) grew up with during the 1980s and 1990s, and that (ladies and gentlemen) is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Franchise, though I’ll be more discussing about the 2012 TMNT Series, as this series (in particular) really got me more hooked on the Heroes in a Half-Shell Universe, especially the final 3 episodes of Season 3 and the 1st half of Season 4 (as I really enjoyed witnessing the “The Cosmic Side of TMNT”), I also enjoyed this particular TMNT series altogether, thus let's get reviewing, shall we? 

To be honest (while I was growing up), I was more of a DC Comics fan and the (only) Marvel hero I enjoyed was Spider-Man (due to the Tobey Maguire films and several Lee/Ditko reprint Spidey comics I had). 

 

By that time, TMNT wasn’t as popular as it was back then, though I do remember watching several episodes of the 2003 TMNT series (Picture: Bottom Right Corner) on Cartoon Network and while it had many of its fans, I was young back then when it aired (to be honest, when you’re young, you literally watch anything worth watching and you don’t often have too truly understand the concept, as long it’s enjoyable), plus I’ve never even read any TMNT comics prior to watching the series, but I still enjoyed it.

I’ll never forget when I watched the 1990 TMNT Movie (Picture: Top Center) when my Mom took me to her work while waiting in the waiting room, there was a TV and a large pile of VHS tapes and she put on that movie for me. Then in 2007 (around my 4th-grade year), is when the release of the 2007 animated TMNT film came out (I didn’t see it right out, thought I was hooked on the Trailer epicness), it won’t be till years later, I would watch it on while on a vacation flight, but because it was so late, I mostly ended up listening to the film than actually watch it as I was sleeping (despite listening, I don’t remember much)  

(Click here for the 2007 TMNT trailer)

And finally, we’ve come to the 2012 TMNT Incanrtion and it was that seriethat s got me more hooked onto the world of the Heroes in a Half-Shell, I started watching the series around my senior year (I believe season 2 was wrapping up and Season 3 had begun), despite falling behind from the start of the series, it was there that I remain following the series (while also trying to catch up, which I didn’t do until after High School Graduation). From that moment on, I began watching this version of TMNT and I gotta say (in my opinion), best verison of the TMNT ever, as I felt like it had the perfect blend of both action and comedy (something that I believe that the franchise has been struggling with), as there are some you prefer the grim and grittness from the original Mirage Studios TMNT Comics while other would prefer the lighthearted cartoonish 1987 TMNT (the 2003 series that I grew up with followed the original mirage comics, while toning the violence a notch), but the 2012 TMNT manges to mix that all together into 1 big series, but really important, “Always in the spirit of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, this series also introduced to the World of the “The Mighty Mutanimals (Picture: Bottom Right Corner)”, as well as got me reading the IDW TMNT series whenever I go to any bookstore (I’d also check out the TMNT Mirage comics). Out of the 4 Turtles, my favorites are both Raph & Mikey, Despite Donnie donning a Purple bandana (since Purple’s my favorite color), it’s Mikey and Raph that stand out as my favorite Turtles, with Raph being the rebellious hothead amongst the group (something that I myself am at times) and Mikey being the goofy one of the group (which is like me…a lot), I also like to point out that incarnation of Mikey has ADHD, as he’s impulsive and very excited in certain situations, as well as enjoying giving out names to friends or enemies, Like Mikey, I too had ADHD (which is why I find him very relatable) and also give out names at random (mainly to stray cats & dogs).  

(Click here to watch a review on the IDW TMNT Comic Series)

I love the concept of the Mutanimals (in general), but I really enjoyed this version of Leatherhead (Picture: Bottom Center), he’s like a crocodilian-like Hulk (which is why I wish I had him for a pet, sorta like an “Attack Dog”, one that’ll chomp my enemies)   

(click here to see why Leatherhead would make an excellent attack dog)

As I mentioned before, My biggest reason for my love for the 2012 TMNT Series is mainly for the epic cosmic adventure the turtles were about to go through, I enjoyed the last 3 episodes of Season 3 (where the Turtles, Mutanimals, and even Shredder) band together to prevent the Triceratons from unleashing the “Heart of Darkness” onto to Earth, but fail badly, but are given a 2nd chance by Fugitoid, as they manage to stop both the Triceratons and the heart of Darkness, while also messing with the fabric of time (especially with the episode, “Earth’s Last Stand”, it’s shame that this time-traveling conflict didn’t catch the attention of the Turtles time mistress ally, Rent, or her master (Lord Simultaneous), unless the (past) Fugitoid tools the (past) Turtles, April and Casey to the Future, where Earth was already destroyed (just to prevent the space-time continuum from collapsing & preventing Lord Simultaneous from ever finding out).

If you think about it, the final 3 episodes of Season 3 and the 1st half of Season 4 of the 2012 TMNT series ironically predate the events that’ll later be seen in “Marvel’s infinity War and Endgame”, as both scenarios show the protagonists losing and the antagonist succeeding, but are later given a 2nd chance (which involves time-travel), and the antagonist losing big time.

In my opinion, The aliens that exist within the World of TMNT (in general) are very bizarre and unique, but overshadow by the alien races seen within the comic pages of Marvel, DC and even from Robert Kirkman’s Invincible Series, perhaps the best known alien races from the “Utroms (Picture: Bottom Left Corner), who be the inspiration for the Turtles greatest cosmic foe (Krang) and the Kraang Hivemind (for the 2012 TMNT Series) and the Triceratons (Picture: Bottom Right Corner), fun fact: Triceratops is my favorite dinosaurs of all time, so seeing the Triceratons makes my love for the Triceratops stronger and wish that these alien creatures were real.   

I also enjoy the crew of this TMNT series putting a “cosmic spin” on several Mutant Characters from TMNT, Like Wyrm (Picture: Bottom Left Corner) and Armaggon (Picture: Bottom Right Corner), both were mutants that appeared in TMNT Archie Comic series but were given a “Cosmic Spin” for the 2012 TMNT series (and I liked it). Bellybomb (Picture: Bottom Center) was already an alien with the TMNT Archie Comic series, but he was completely different from his 2012 TMNT series counterpart, it’s like looking at the son of “Jabba the Hutt and Jimmy Gourd”, interesting design.

Oh…can’t forget about Lord Dregg, personally, I prefer the 2012 design for him, as he looks more insectoid-like while his 1987 counterpart looks more like a “Power Rangers-Styled Villain”. Kinda wish that when they brought Lord Dregg for that 2-parter episode, “When Worlds Collide”, they did a better job in explaining how he was brought back (since he was sucked out into Space by the Triceratons, in “The Ever-Burning Fire” Episode”), however (in the “Evil of Dregg” Episode), he’s a really a robot…or was he, I was believed that “Maglina (the insectoid queen from theTMNT Archie Comics)” was revealed to be the real “Major Threat in the Cosmos”, while Dregg was just a simple puppet (though Dregg’s new Instetoid in “When Worlds Collide” was called the Maglina, probably just an easter egg for eagle-eyed fans to catch on and listen), if Nickelodeon is interesting in doing either a continuation series or comic series (based around the 2012 TMNT Series, starring the Mighty Mutanimals), Maglina should be the main antagonist (as well as clear other plot holes from the 2012 TMNT Series).  I also hope they bring in the one-shot bounty hunter from the 1987 TMNT Series, Medusa (Picture: Bottom Center), she can be reintroduced as the “Aurra Sing of the TMNT Universe”. 

Having expressed my love for both the 2012 TMNT Series (in general) and the Cosmic Side of the TMNT (in general), I do hope int he future, I get a chance (if I do make it into Nickelodeon), I get a chance to put my own spin on the TMNT (as well as be able to tell my own cosmic tales featuring the Heroes in a Half-Shell), perhaps by doing a spin-off mini-series of “Fugitoid (Bottom: left Corner)” or a Mini-Series based on another Mirage Studios character, “Gizmo Sprocket (Picture:  Bottom Right Corner)”, to help better explore “The Cosmic Side of TMNT”, plus with Paramount owning the rights to the TMNT, imagine what would’ve happen if TMNT crossover into the Star Trek Universe, check out the toys Playmates made (Picture: Bottom Center) and this was even before Paramount  even bought the rights to the TMNT, though best way to do a Star Trek/TMNT Crossover is either “explore the TMNT Multiverse, perhaps they already exist within there (The Teenage Mutant Starfleet Turtles) or do a Holodeck-style episode (featuring the TMNT) 

(Cue the Star Trek Theme Music)

After watching the 2003 TMNT Fast Forward Season, I was hoping they reintroduce “Starlee Hambrath (Picture: Top Center)” to make a cameo appearance within 1st half of Season 4 (and yet, the crew behind this TMNT series wanna start fresh and not think too much about the 2003 series), but I still hope that (someday) Starlee Hambrath will be molded into the TMNT continuity (permanently) as there’s potential in here (plus she wears Purple, which is my favorite color) and she has a burgeoning relationship with Cody Jones (great-grandson of April O’Neil and Casey Jones), though gets annoyed whenever Cody backs out from a date (which is like the opposite within Today’s society, where it's usually the guy who pursues the girl and the girl is the one who often backs out on the date), for Cody Jones and Starlee Hambrath, romance is the other way around. Speaking about Mixing the TMNT with Star Trek much earlier, I believe the best way for “Starlee Hambrath” to have a cameo in the Star Trek Universe is to have an “Andorian Father (Picture: Top Left Corner) and a Vulcan Mother (Picture: Top Right Corner)”, if they do that for a future Star Trek Universe, not sure how they’re going to explain her roller skates (the never did explain why she moves around on roller skates so much), as for Medusa (that Bounty Hunter from the 1987 TMNT Series), if she were to appear in a Star Trek series, she obviously be some sort of Orion Mercenary (with more of an Aurra Sing-Styled Persona)

Overall, I really enjoyed the 2012 TMNT Series (as a whole), but still enjoyed the epic cosmic tale they managed to tell (as well as crossovers with their 1987 Series Counterparts, kinda wish we saw the 2012 TMNT interact with the 1987 April, Casey Leatherhead, Slash and Splinter), but at least the 2012 TMNT series manage to find a good balance when it came to both the humor and the action (as well as adapt characters from the comics or were inspired by characters from the comics and molded them into something new for this series or even create characters that best fit with the series), where the 1987 TMNT series was completely goofy, they create a new character (ally or villain) and be done with it and move on to another 1-dimensional character for the series (as the main villains were Shredder and Krang, alongside Bebop and Rocksteady).  A perfect example of the 2012 TMNT series creating original characters is Tiger Claw, as I picture him in the “The Mutant Deathstroke of the TMNT universe (Picture: Bottom Center)”, hope he becomes officially a part of the TMNT continuity (as a whole), besides could be defeated Deathstroke himself?   

(Click here to view the behind-the-scenes of the 2012 TMNT series)

An Important thing whenever to do whenever you’re involved in doing a TMNT-related project that you need to focus on “an aspect” of the franchise, like how Seth Rogen's upcoming animated TMNT film (Title Picture: Bottom Center) is expected to focus on the “teenage aspect” of the TMNT (which has me curious and caught my full attention), plus (judging by the Mutation drooling title), I’m sure it’ll have to do something with Mutants running loose on the streets of New York), perhaps pulling inspiration from the 1st episode of Season 2 of the 2012 TMNT series. The 1990 TMNT film had a perfect blend of both the original Mirage Comics and several elements from the 1987 series, but the 2 sequels were too goofy (like the 1987 Series), while the 2003 TMNT series was more loosely based on the original Mirage Comics (while still being appropriate for a younger audience), but the 2012 TMNT was able to find a perfect blend. Thus, the TMNT franchise (in general) is a challenge to find the perfect blend of both action and humor (to please a worldwide audience), that’s what a lot of talented writers (in general), such as myself go through with our work.

I’m also excited that Seth Rogen's TMNT film will be followed by “spin-off films (for Paramount+) starring the villains within the TMNT franchise”, I do hope there’s one on the Triceratons (due to my love for my favorite dinosaur, The Triceratops), plus who thinks The Triceraton Gladiator (Zeno) would’ve made a good football player? 

“You are honorable beings and deserve a warrior's end. Perhaps I will only chop off a limb or two.”

(ZENO QUOTE)

So until my next TMNT-related post (or until the Cosmic Side of TMNT is furthermore explored in the future)…Ethan Stranger says Cowabangua...  

And to y'all TMNT fans…stay tricky (just like the song) (#TurtlePower)