It’s been reported for the last several years that Dimension has been wanting to restart their dormant Scream series with a fourth entry that would provide a new trilogy for the character Ghostface, first seen in the now-classic 1997 original that starred Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette. Alongside these returning actors, several names have been tossed around as potential fodder for Ghostface to wreck havoc on: Ashley Greene (best known for portraying Alice Cullen in the Twilight franchise), Hayden Panettiere (“Claire Bennett” on Heroes), and Rory Culkin (You Can Count on Me) have all been in talks for starring in the upcoming Scre4m (or Scream 4) that is also confirmed to be helmed by the original creative team of Kevin Williamson and legendary director Wes Craven.
However, aside from definite confirmation of the crew behind the project and the return of Campbell and the Arquettes, the only solid peice of casting news has been reported by Entertainment Weekly, with Emma Roberts (Nancy Drew) being confirmed today for the role of Jill Kessler, cousin to Sidney Prescott (Campbell). Details are still being sketched out as the film gears up for production, with the Weinstein Company look for a release date of April 15, 2011. Jamie Kennedy, who appeared in Scream, Scream 2, and a cameo in Scream 3, was also rumored to reprise his role as film geek Randy Meeks, despite being killed off in Scream 2.
I remember sitting in 5th period Journalism in high school, in the back corner with Darby and Thomas and we were discussing slasher villains. It was joked that of the big three (Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Krueger), Jason would be a metalhead, Freddy’d be into disco, and Michael would be the sophisticate, with his smoking jacket and fez hat shaking his head at the children he gave birth to. I also remember the end of Jason Goes to Hell vividly; it’s the one where it was revealed that this whole time, Jason Voorhees was the product of some demon worm, for those playing the home game. Anyway, at the end of the film, when all is said and done and Jason has been dispatched for the last time (until Jason X), Freddy Krueger’s gloved knife hand pops up out of the ground and, laughing maniacally, grabs Jason’s mask, bringing it down to hell with him. Along with several references to Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead series, this set the peice for not just 2003’s Freddy vs. Jason, but also the immensely popular Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash comic books from Wildstorm, Dynamite Entertainment, and DC Comics.
What does all of that mean? It means that the stuff nightmares are made of, Freddy, Jason, along with Chucky (Child’s Play), Ghostface (Scream), Michael Myers (Halloween), Ash Williams (Evil Dead/Army of Darkness), Pinhead (Hellraiser), that fiend Dr. Herbert West (Re-Animator) and more come together in a PC-fan game entitled “Terrordrome: Rise of the Bogeymen”. The game’s creators, HUR4C4N, Fabien Rixens, and Mike Tibo, have brought together some of the biggest names names in horror for a Mortal Kombat/Street Fighter style one-on-one fighter (using an engine that looks similar to the polygonal one used for Mortal Kombat 4). In a nod that could only come from fans of the old MK games, the announcer either appears to be an appropriation of the one that shouts “FIGHT!” or it is the same guy.
Is it 1984 yet?
Terrordrome is populated with all your usual fighter moves: grab, punch, kick, and dodge, and also throws in some special goodies that hark back to specific scenes from the films the characters come from. What this means, according to the game’s creators, is that if “You’re an unconditional fan of Japanimation style video game, pose to pose animated characters, and epileptical moves happening in the blink of an eye, you may not be seduced by Terrordrome. The game is more about realistic characters and animations with even more violent and lethal moves than any ninja or karate master!“: in the case of Ash, who is designed according to his classic Army of Darkness look, you have moves that allow him to open up the Necronomicon for Spell (down, right, K), another for use of his shotgun (down, right, S), which can also be augmented with an air shotgun move using the same combination. Sadly, I was not able to use much of Ash’s chainsaw when I was playing, but I am looking in the future to figure out a combo for it so that I could. Leatherface, however, is able to use his fully functional chainsaw for all moves, including the Thunder Saw, which provides some devastating damage that allowed me to dispatch Freddy before he went wormy on me. Each level is also a specific scene from the killers movies, allowing you to chose where you want to do battle. We’ve got Crystal Lake, Elm Street, even the old Myers place in Haddonfield puts in an appearance.
Good, evil, undead, it don't matter, as long as I'm the guy with the gun
What also makes the game ideal, besides the plethora of slasher/serial killer legends, is that the game is free for download. Yes, that means that all it takes is just the click of a button, cleaning out the 4gb’s of porn that you probably have to make room, and then downloading Terrordome to start enacting all the ideas you’ve written down for fanfictions; wanna have Maniac Cop take on Candyman? It can happen. Jason in his many different looks beat the crap out of Chucky? You got it. While there is no definite storyline, it’s probably appropriate; I mean, what slasher film has ever had a clear, cleanly defined storyline in their series? After all, Jason’s made it through ten sequels and a remake without anyone knowing what the heck’s going on. In effect, by taking out that pesky element, that leaves the gorehound to sit back and enjoy the fights without anything in between.
Shapes and Masks
Check out the game site for more news and for the free download. Not sold yet on whether you wanna play? Take a look at the bottom for a sample clip.
Batman's gonna pet this pussy (cue audience "booooo")
The idea of comic books and adult entertainment is as old as the medium itself. Do you think that your favorite superheroes were innocent back then? Well, maybe after the 1950s they were for a while, but in the early days, there was a lot of kinkiness hidden in the most subtle contexts of numerous titles…one that immediatley comes to mind is Wonder Woman under William Moulton Marston and her legendary penchant for bondage and domination. And then there’s the art of Greg Land, whom I did not notice before until I read this article that Land has a dirty, dirty…pencil. But that’s another subject for another blog.
On May 10, it was announced the one of the biggest distributors of adult entertainment, Vivid, has launched a superhero pornographic imprint called Vivid-Superhero and they are looking specifically at the stable of heroes that populate the universes of Marvel and DC, but they are also looking at the non Marvel/DC character the Green Hornet for parody purposes.
“The parodies under this new imprint will pay tribute to the world’s most popular comic heroes,” said Steven Hirsch, Founder/Co-chairman of Vivid. “[Lead Director] Axel [Braun] already started pre-production on a parody of Superman, which will be followed by those of The Green Hornet, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Captain America,Thor, and The Incredible Hulk. We made the decision to create the imprint after working with Axel on “Batman XXX: A Porn Parody“, an Axel Braun Productions movie to be distributed by Vivid. Axel truly did an amazing job with it, and we agreed that together we could mine the really rich treasure of superheroes and have a lot of fun doing it”
Previously there was a notable Spider-Man porn parody in the form of the softcore, Cinemax feature “Spiderbabe”, starring Misty Mundae in the title role (that had so-so production values and a humorous switch on the Raimi plot), but this is the first time that a large adult company has decided to take on some of the big names from the big two of Marvel and DC. Out the gate first, as mentioned in the above press release, is “Batman XXX”, of which there have been two trailers released so far, and, from what I can tell, Vivid definitely has spared no expense in this venture.
One of the first things I noticed in the trailer (there are two, by the way, both posted at the bottom of this article) is that this is probably one of the most faithful parodies I’ve ever seen. From the outset of the first trailer, it shows that Vivid did not pussyfoot around when it came to creating the look and feel of the Adam West 1966 Batman television show. There is a rumor (unsubstantiated as of yet) that some of the original costume designers from the show did work on this parody and it shows in the below picture of Evan Stone as the Riddler…if he’ll even be called that. Interestingly enough, while Vivid was able to get the rights to likenesses for use in this parody, this did not extend to the famous iconography of Batman (portrayed by Dale Dabone) and Robin (brilliantly cast James Deen) who are now sporting XXX’s and X’s in place of their famous logos.
Riddle me this, riddle me that: What weighs 500 pounds and flies?
Also starring Tori Black, Lexi Belle, and porn legend Randy Spears channeling Cesare Romero as the Joker, the parody also looks to be adding the original 1966 Batmobile along with the famous “red phone” , wall gags, and….well, you’ll just have to check out the trailers for good measure.
Both are safe for work, by the way. Sit back and do the Batusi while you’re at it.
Welcome to Part 2 of my interview with Michele Ivey, best known as the Turtle Girl for her large collection and vast knowledge of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. For Part 1, please check out the previous entry where we discussed her life a bit more.
Now we’ve talked about your origins and different aspects of the fandom, let’s discuss your collection for a minute. What would you say is your favorite piece in your collection that you have and what was the rarest item for you to find?
Rarest piece in my collection… oh that’s a hard one because a lot of my items are rare. I could say the heads from TMNT 3 or the Combat Cold Cuts from TMNT 2… so yeah, Movie props are rare, original comic art is a rare thing.. TMNT merch from Japan and other countries… oh and a 1st print of TMNT #1.
My favorite item in my collection is a tie between my home made Turtle Costume and my Autograph Shirt. The costume has brought me some wonderful memories and have been a big part of my life. The T-Shirt is my project that I started in 2004 that has turned out to be really impressive… filled with autographs from all parts of TMNT History.
The original Playmates line lasted for ten years, and in that time there were many, many figures produced and many more probably unreleased. What was your favorite series of figures and what would you consider the worst vehicle and/or figure that was released?
My favorite series of Turtle Toys goes to the TMNT Movie toys from 1992, those have been a big favorite of mine since they came out.
Worse Turtle toys… that’s a hard one, I like most of the Turtle Toys that came out. I wasn’t to fond of the Toon Turtles, because it was the only set of Channel Six characters we got and they were done up kind of goofy. Wacky Action toys were fun, but sadly they were easy to fall apart. I think the thing that annoyed me most about the toys was making some so that they were rare… to where the kids wanting the toys no matter how they search could not find them.
A good example is Hot Spot and Scratch… when I saw them on the list of Turtle toys I wanted them really bad. More than the Camel, the ant, or the elephant… I wanted the dog and cat. I circled them on my list all the time as the toys I wanted the most. I was a little kid, I wasn’t going after value of the toy I was going after what I liked… but I never did get them as a child. It wasn’t till I was grown up and buying stuff of ebay that I finally got those two in my collection. They sit on display… as a reminder of the toys I tried to find when I was young.
One of the unique things that I loved about the old Turtles line was that there were so many side characters that were exclusive to the toyline like Genghis Frog, Pizzaface, my favorite Ace Duck, and Scratch. Was this helpful for keeping the line going as long as it did or was it simply a matter of cashing in as much on the property as they could?
Heh well I’ll like to say Genghis Frog was in a few episodes of the original series, Ace Duck was from the Archie Comics and is mentioned very briefly in one episode of the original series. Though I know what you mean about toys only for the toy line like Pizzaface, Scratch (which was in a game and now can be found on a shirt), Halfcourt, Sandstorm and many others. These were made to cash in on the hype.
Do you think it’s interesting that there were so many variants of the main four but after 1988 they never reissued plain classic versions of the Turtles until the startup of the 4kids series?
They did have plain Turtles coming out all the time… the first set, the TMNT Movie 2 Toys, the Action Turtles, The Next Mutation toy line, the 4Kids series, the TMNT 2007 movie. Always saw them around, I was tired of how many sets of Turtles we got when I wanted toys of characters like Tatsu and Keno. Ninjara would of been an awesome toy, instead I have the new version of Clown Michaelangelo.
Venus de Milo has a polarizing effect on the Turtles franchise to this very day, and yet when I looked back on things, the same cannot be said Mona Lisa, who only ever had one figure and that one appearance on the cartoon and yet there’s not a lot of negative criticism about her in the same way there is for Venus. What’s your feelings on Mona Lisa?
Mona Lisa was a very fun character, and by her not being a Turtle it was ok with a lot of people for her to be in the series. She had a spark to her that when I saw that episode I wanted to see more of her in the series. I was really disappointed that she was only in one episode… Though if I have to pick who makes a better girlfriend for Raphael, I go with Ninjara. She’s my favorite female character in the TMNT History.
In either the Mirage or Archie Comics or Image runs, what would you say are the five best stories?
Five best stories from TMNT comics… ok here we go counting down to my favorite.
* 5 * “I, Monster” the original Rat King story in tales of TMNT. Very interesting comic and I love how it turned out.
*4* Image is hard because they all tie in together, but I’m going to go with the Michaelangelo story line of loosing Shadow and because of this Raphael deals with the Foot, which all leads up to Raphael becoming the new Shredder. Image did a great job and was willing to push our limits to see how far they could go.
*3* “Twlight of the ring” in the Mirage TMNT volume #1. This issue is great, the art is different but totally works for it, and it’s a story based around Donatello. Really interesting, and fun. It’s been one of my favorite Mirage comics for a long time now.
*2* “Blight sight” issue #59 of the Archie Comics. A wonderful Michaelangelo story, about him being caught by the Government. It is where the Turtles come public in the Archie Comics. Great art, great writing and all around awesome story!
*1* Mirage #1, Volume 1. This story means so much to me that it remains my favorite. We get to know Shredder in away you don’t get to see him in any other story. You get to see the Turtles as they were meant to be. And learn the true reason why Splinter taught them to be Ninjas. This issue done by Eastman and Laird is a master piece which I will forever encourage people to read.
You’ve mentioned it several times, so now it’s time to really go to town about it: Cowabunga Corner, what do you expect to get across with it, and would you like to tell viewers about what they can expect in future episodes.
Cowabunga Corner, the video blog where I come out to tell my real stories. The things that have not made it into any interview, show, or even message boards. I plan to show video and photos through my life and fandom. Starting off real heavy with the Turtle stories since that’s what people come to see, but I do want to go into other parts of my life. Like about RSD, what is it and why it’s changed my life. Also talk about my family members, friends and pets.
People see me as the Turtle girl, but do they really know why I’m the Turtle girl? Not if they watched VH1’s “Totally Obsessed”, or many of the other stories out there about me. They see a girl with a collection… and the think the obsession is about the collection, but really for me the fandom comes before the collection. I wouldn’t have all of this stuff if it didn’t mean something to me. I’m a Ninja Turtle fan, who’s done a lot of crazy things and I like to share my stories.
Coming up on Cowabunga Corner, home footage from the set of Ninja Turtles : The Next Mutation, more video from Party Turtle gigs, home video taken during the filming of “Totally Obsessed”, interviews with TMNT guests, interviews with fellow TMNT fans, reviews of episodes, comics, movies, toys and more. I hope everyone enjoy all that this blog will have to offer. 🙂
We look forward to everything that you’re going to be doing in the future. Is there anything that the fandom has taught you that you wish to say to other people, even if they’re fans of other things?
I’ve learned through fandom that just because a group of people like the same thing, doesn’t mean we’ll all get along all the time, though it doesn’t make us a worse or better fan if we don’t get along with everyone all the time. I’ve got a lot of good friends in and out of the fandom… but I’ve watched some of my good friends leave the fandom because they didn’t get along with others who are in the fandom.
I don’t think anyone should let the fandom affect how they feel about the things they enjoy, be it Turtles, Star Trek, Venture Brothers, or any other thing out there. We’re all human, and have the right to enjoy what makes us happy. As long as we’re not hurting anyone.
One very important lesson is that there is no “Best fan” We’re all great fans for taking part in the fandom and supporting what we love. The thing that hurts the fandom the most is people challenging each other for the top spots. I did not become a fan to compete for being the best, I became a fan because I like what I see and collect. That’s what makes a fan. If we could loose the “I’m better than you” or “I got more than you” games… the fandom would be a happier place.
Your life has been impacted so much by a lot of people, not just connected with the Turtles. Is there anybody that you want to personally thank?
There’s a handful of people who deserve Thanks for the way my life has been. Most of all would be my mom and Grandma. Through all times in my life, good and bad, they have always been there for me. My Grandma was someone who never let me down and gave me a lot of wonderful memories. She encourage me and helped me so much I could never say Thanks enough!
I’ll like to Thank Eastman and Laird, for creating the Turtles and giving me a hero on TV that I could understand and inspired me to stand up for myself even though I didn’t have super powers or enough money to make myself a bat belt with all those gadgets. I’ll also like to Thank David Wise, for writing the original cartoon and giving the Turtles the personalities we know them for to this day.
I’ll like to thanks Jim Henson, who sadly I never got the chance to meet, for inspiring my dad to build costumes and inspiring me to wear costumes and work puppets, he was a master and my favorite artist.
There’s so many more people who deserve Thanks, as no matter who you are a lot of people can touch and you and change your life. There’s never only one person who helped… it’s a group effort ([;{-)
Thank you for taking the time to discuss your life, the fandom, and all things Turtles with those of us who still have fond memories of the series.
Anytime, I enjoy getting to spend time talking to Turtles and getting to know fellow fans. For I myself, am only another fan *G*
Earlier last week I had the distinctive pleasure of sitting down and talking with Michele Ivey, who is best known around the media for being one of the biggest fans of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. If you’ve never heard of her, I recommend checking out her Youtube blog Cowabunga Corner for a little bit more about her life than any interview could potentially delve into. Michele has been collecting TMNT merchandise for the last twenty years and has amassed over 500 peices related to the franchise. In addition, she has met and interacted with many names related to the franchise, from creators Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman, to writers and artists such as Ryan Brown and Stan Sakai, to voice actors such as Michael Sinterklaas and Townshend Coleman, to those involved with the live-action franchise. During the course of our talks, she revealed a vast knowledge of the franchise that restored dormant memories, for me at least, of Saturday mornings and racing with my brother the Party Wagon vs. the Ecto-1. Check out the links at the end of the interview for other media related to Michele.
Thank you for taking the time and sitting here with me. Please state your name for all those not familiar with who you are and where you’re from
I’m Michele Ivey, from Ferndale, Michigan.
Now, you’re known across the internet and assorted media for being “Turtle Girl”, the big fangirl for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. You’ve probably told this story numerous times, but how did you come into becoming a fan of TMNT?
Back in October 1989 my brother and I went down the street to one of his friend’s. While there we were going to play toys, so the boy brought out a tin of toys Ghostbusters, He-Man & Thunder Cats. There was one weird toy in the tin, it was a Turtle with an orange mask and a belt with some loops on the back holding four weapons. I thought it was the coolest toy and insisted to play with that one.
The next week my brother came in while I was watching Chip & Dale’s Rescue Rangers and changed the channel on me over to Ninja Turtles. I was upset at first, but he reminded me that Chip & Dale was a rerun, and to try something new. The episode was “A Thing About Rats”. It did not take long for me to find I was hooked to this new TV series.
That year for Christmas I got all of the Turtle toys that was on the market besides for Rat King and Baxter Stockman (which we hunted for till we found at a store called “Children Palace”). In 1990 I was nick named Turtle Girl at my school, so Turtle Girl is a name I’ve had for 20 years now.
I understand that you had a hard school life. Would you like to elaborate on that for a bit?
School was very hard for me. When I started School there was a boy in my class who decided he did not like me, he got his friends not to like me, they got their friends and they got their older sisters and brothers to all hate me. I had only 2 friends, I didn’t let it trouble me that other kids picked on me… I was a normal girl for my age into Little Pony’s and Care Bears. In 1st grade one of my friend’s stopped being my friend which brought me down to one friend. By 3rd grade that friend left and I was alone.
3rd Grade was also when the fighting started, 15 to 30 kids would gang up on me at a time. I would curl up on the ground and let them beat me up. I never wanted to hurt anyone, so fighting back was not an option no matter what they did to me. From 3rd to 5th grade the fights kept getting worse… I was thrown in front of cars on busy roads, pushed into an iron poll so hard I needed stitches in my forehead, and the police were even breaking up fights. When asked why they were doing this, the kids reply would be “Because my friends are”. At school if we had a sub I would be pulled out of the class with a black eye, bloody nose or fat lip.
School was hard, though I had a great home life to make up for all the problems there. I learned a lot as a child, how to read people, how to not put all of my trust into anyone to fast, and how to be a good friend to anyone who wanted or needed a friend. I don’t hold any grudges against those who hurt me, while yes I will never make friends with any of them, at the same time I don’t wish them any harm.
In 6th Grade my mom put me into another school for the year, best school year of my life, though in 7th grade I had to go to Jr. High with the same kids that use to attack me. To end the fighting my mom put me into Karate, I had a few fights after getting into Karate and I’m very happy to say not me or any of the kids I had to fight were hurt. Just scared them enough to realize the fight was over before it started.
The kids never changed though, as never stopped picking on me all the way through High School. I did make some friends in Jr. High and High School who I am still friend’s with to this day. I don’t see anyone else from school anymore as I’ve been out of school since the mid 90’s.
On the episode of VH-1’s “Totally Obsessed”, I remember your parents being depicted as not quite understanding your hobby; however “Fanatical” shows that they were very supportive and nurturing of TMNT. Did they hold the same interest in TMNT as you do and what extent did they have with helping you develop this passion?
My mom and dad have always been there for me. I’m very close with my family, my mom is even a fellow Turtle fan as she has her own collection. My dad got more into it, in 2000 when he saw the good I was doing with it, as I held a booth at a convention which brought in over 50 Turtle fans from across the country. Though my dad’s sense of humor is the sarcastic type… which is why VH1 got that line out of my dad, they interviewed them for over 2 hours and that was the only line they used because the rest of what my folks said was very positive.
My dad is a bit of a celeb himself, as he works on TV shows and such in the Detroit area. Back in the late 70’s through the early 80’s he worked on a TV show known as the Ghoul Show, some of the golfers on that show have made it big like Bruce Campbell and Sam Rami. Now my dad works on a show called Wolfman Mac’s Chiller Drive In that is on RTV Saturday nights at 10pm.
My mom is one of the back bones of my fandom. She’s always been there for me, and being a fan herself she’s enjoyed all of the events as much as I have. From going to Chicago to see the Tours at Six Flags Great America, to driving to Northampton Mass for the parties at the Words & Pictures Museum. In the last 10 years she has not gotten to travel as much with me, as her health has been harder on her. Though she’s still very supportive of me going out to do what I enjoy.
Your dad does some amazing work, I looked up the Wolfman Mac series. Hopefully it airs here in Jacksonville on WAWSD, since we get RTV as well. The Michaelangelo costume is definitely interesting to beheld, and while I’m not sure if anyone’s ever asked you this, but have you retired it now that you’re older or do you still bring it down from time to time for special occasions and the like?
My costume got retired in 2004 after I got an injury at work, and am no longer able to wear my costume. Though I am going through surgery to be able to wear costumes again I am hoping to make a new one instead of using the old one.
Conventions are very amazing places to be, I love interacting with other fans and meeting collectors and even wheeling and dealing for new pieces to my own collection. What would you say has been your most memorable con experience?
I go to so many conventions and do so many amazing things, even this last weekend was pretty awesome as I got to hang out with some very cool people. To choose one event out of all these cons. Here’s a few good ones…
Motor City Comic Con 2000: Nick named Turtle Con 2000 to fans who came for the booth that I held, we had Tokka, another well known fan come in and he played Bebop. There was around 50 fans that came in total and gave us a wonderful weekend of hanging out and talking Turtles.
Anime Next 2003: An insane weekend, my first trip out of state driving without my mom with me. A friend and I went to this convention, only saw two panels… only went through two autograph lines before having to come home for work… but during that time got to meet the voices of Michelangelo and Leonardo from the 4Kids series. There first time seeing me in costume can be found on my youtube channel.
Toronto Fan Expo 2004: When I got to meet Scott McNeil, he called me to the front of the panel room to show my Bonesteel action figure than told the story behind the toy for everyone to hear.
Anime Vegas 2005: An insane panel of 30 Voice Actors, and Michael S (4Kids Leonardo) pointed me during the panel… a fun and crazy time.
It’s really hard to say which conventions are my favorite or to even get into the full detail of the ways… since I love so many of these conventions… they’ve been so good to me. I do post convention reviews with photos for every convention on http://www.tmnt-l.com/
Over the last few years, the media has definitely picked up on the fact that fandom is a big thing. It’s gotten to where it’s seemingly cool to be a geek and a fanboy, but sometimes this has been to where media outlets such as MTV and VH1 have turned such depictions into an episode of Freaks and Geeks, case in point your appearance on Totally Obsessed and the more recent True Life: I’m a Fanboy (along with earlier I’m A Gamer), do you feel that as much as we see t-shirts proclaiming geekdom and retro shirts showing Ghostbusters and TMNT on the shirts as well, that there is still a certain negative stigma connected with being a fan even now?
Fandom has always been a roller coaster with media… either made to look good or to look crazy. The thing is we’re in a world where everyone is different and see things differently, a lot of people out there feel that if adults are spending all their times with toys or cartoons, that they’re not grown up or there’s something wrong with them. So media finds this as a sale point and do their shows to make fans look crazy. Than there’s the people in media who are fellow fans and want to fix that, so they try to get the real story out. It goes into a circle of different views… in away it keeps things interesting though the main thing for people to know is that it doesn’t matter what everyone thinks, all that matters is that you’re enjoying your life, not hurting anyone and living up to your responsibilities.
One of the big lessons I learned in school was to laugh at those who are wasting their time picking on me, than I go on with what I’m doing… for it does not matter to me who they are, where they’re from, or what they do. If bored I might reply and toy around, but usually I got a lot more important things to do than to play games with people who are not going to truly affect my life.
Growing up, were you ever into other comics or cartoons such as Ghostbusters, Superman, Batman, or X-Men?
I’ve always been more of a cartoon fan than a comic fan, the only comic books I keep up with have Ninja Turtles in them. Though I still love all of the cartoons that I loved as a child. I watched and collected, He-Man, ThunderCats and Ghostbusters.
I still watch a lot of cartoons, Nicktoons, Cartoon Network and Toon Disney are some of my main channels to watch, for shows like Fullmetal Alchemist, Venture Brothers, Avatar the Last Air Bender, Gargoyles. Cartoons are fun, a lot of work are put into them and it helps lighten the load of all of the serious stuff going on in life.
As another kid who grew up on the 1987 TMNT series, I was disappointed with how they were depicted in “Turtles Forever”. But I’ve heard a story that the reason why they were treated as clown-like and incompetent was that Kevin Eastman has a long-standing hatred of the old series and thus wanted to ream it as much as he could, due to the fact that he did not have as much control over that series as he did on the 4kids one. Do you think that this is true?
Kevin Eastman had nothing to do with “Turtles Forever”, he sold his rights to Peter Laird, the other creator. While Peter wasn’t a huge fan of the original series I don’t think him or anyone else behind the Ninja Turtles would ever do something out of hatred. If you ever get to meet them, they’re all real nice guys very light hearted and the only area that they’ve shown real disappointment with was the Next Mutation. So I know that none of what you heard there is true.
I’ve done a video blog about “Turtles Forever” where I mention that while it’s true that the original series Turtles were treated goofy, it was a new set of writers handling them that I don’t think did a lot of research, they just went off of the general reaction towards the old series. And they did give a lot of nods to the original turtles on progressing the story, Donatello played a big role in solving their problems.
To be totally honest I think they wanted to pick on all of the group of Turtles in this and do it as one big nod to the guys. I mean look how the Mirage Turtles treated the 4Kids Turtles, and how the easy Mirage Shredder fell. It was all a circle of joking around and having fun. Just a lot of fans are being too serious about it. I really enjoyed Turtles Forever all the way through.
Be sure to tune into Part 2 of this interview on Wednesday, where we’ll discuss Michele’s legendary collection, “Cowabunga Corner” and future plans for that, and other goodies in store. Big thanks to Michele for taking the time to speak with me, and for more about her and her life as “Turtle Girl”, check out her Youtube page for a healthy dose of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles nostalgia.
For more Cowabunga Corner, as well as Michele’s numerous other media appearances, check out: Michele Ivey\’s Youtube
But, if you care for a sampling, watch Cowabunga Corner #8, where Michele discusses the history of the 2003 4kids “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and see for yourself!
Last week I published a blog about life and death within the medium of pop culture, and that feelings of sympathy and disdain are in constant flux with each other. That was in the reality of the Real, where death provides itself a unique final solution but flickers of memory remain unabated in a singsong fashion, particularly if you are a celebrity where your soul and your very being trancends the life the life lived. In the amazing fantasy of a comic book, death is driven to push sales, and remind the audience why the character in question was important in your life to begin with. But once upon a time, there was a moment where the emotional investment the reader had for a particular character was nailed home in a flashy way. Excuse the pun.
There ‘s something to be said about the Flash: the character has had as much exposure as cohorts Batman and Superman, one of the most distinctive iconography in the whole of comics, and has been a featured character in all media related to the Justice League. Not quite on the level of the Big Three, the Flash is perhaps one of the greatest heroes of all time on the fact that the character does not need super-strength or a dark persona to get the job done. Just common sense, wits, and courage. Elements that each character who has borne the mantle have had. It is the second Flash, Barry Allen, who established all of these attributes. As a longtime member of the Justice League and it’s first chairman, he protected his city with distinction and pride. He also had a longtime girlfriend in Iris West, something that even Superman could not boast for several years and many Crises later. He was also the first high-profile superhero to die, specifically in Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 where he sacrificed his life to save the universe. For twenty-five years afterwards, fans watched as his sidekick Wally grew into the role under the writing of William Messner-Loebs and Mark Waid, and became just as revered and respected as Barry. The closest fans could come to having Barry return is the fact that Barry’s powers allowed him to travel through time. So the Barry that appeared in #156 could appear to Wally later on. But there was always something missing, a void that DC Comics set about to fill.
Barry was a central character in both Final Crisis and Blackest Night, and he returns fully to comics with a new Flash #1, by Johns (writing) and Francis Manapul covering art duties. Johns is no stranger to the Flash legacy, particularly Barry Allen: from 2000-2005 (that’s issues 165-225) he handled the second volume of the Flash, bringing Wally full-circle into the legacy and also establishing something of a trend where Barry would appear on the three worst days of Wally’s life. He also brough the Rogues, the Flash’s special blend of villains, back from obscurity, making guys like Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Weather Wizard, and the Top into surreal threats. He also penned the six-issue series that saw Barry return to the DC Universe proper, Flash: Rebirth (in conjunction with his Green Lantern cohort Ethan Van Sciver). Coupled with another successful relaunch of the Teen Titans, it’s safe to say that this is a man who knows what he’s doing, particularly in reverence to the Silver Age that he so obviously loves. Francis Manapul’s name is not known at first glance, however, he handled art duties for Witchblade and The Necromancer at Top Cow before signing with DC in 2007, and, alongside this work, is also providing art for the relaunched Adventure Comics.
The opening page drops the reader in almost immediatley into understanding Central City: “New York may be the city that never sleeps, but Central City is the city always on the run–” begins Iris. We are brought back up to speed (another pun) with what Barry is all about in just a few pages, as he takes down the Trickster. There is a moment when Barry dismantles the Trickster’s car that a steering wheel flies towards a kid, ready to turn the kid’s nugget into a smashed onion, when Barry grabs it and casually introduces himself. That’s not saying that Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman would not do the same, but it establishes how close to regular people that Barry sees himself as.
The writing itself is what one has come to expect from Johns. Crisp, filled with personality, each character has a personality all their and it’s appreciated that Johns did not see fit to alter what made Barry Allen so iconic to many fans: while most will see Barry no more than just a “guy in a bowtie”, he was and is just a regular guy with a regular 9 to 5 job who just happened to be a superhero on the side. Johns understands that, perfectly; it’s probably a bit of overanalyzing, but one almost gets the sense that Johns is harkening back to the return of Captain America to comics in the 1960s, that fish out water/man out of time approach that gave Steve Rogers that edge that many Marvel heroes had in the 60s and 70s. Spotlighted in this issue and the recently released issue 2 is that Barry is butting heads with his police captain (comic book nerd trivia: Barry was a police scientist) over justice for unsolved crimes, which is hopefully just the edge that Barry is provided with, as he moves through usual superheroics and the type of stuff seen on Crime Scene Investigation.
It’s too early yet to see who will round out Barry’s supporting cast, but it’s a welcome sight to see Iris back. Reporter Iris West was an important aspect of Barry’s original run, his girlfriend and later his wife, first appearing along with him all the way back in 1955 in that issue of Showcase #4 that introduced Barry and kickstarted the Silver Age of Comics. In the 1970s, in an effort to give Barry the type of darkness that was swirling around comic books at the time, DC had the Flash’s arch-nemesis Professor Eobard Thawne (Professor Zoom/Reverse-Flash) kill Iris by vibrating his hand through her head. She eventually returned to life (and to the present…she’s from the future believe it or not) and returns to the Flash title.
The issue ends with the discovery of the body of one of the Rogues, along with Barry’s encounter yet again with the future (with the exception of Superman, no superhero has had more interaction with the future and alternate dimensions like Barry has) and Barry being framed for murder. There is also a teaser page of a future storyline in 2011, entitled “Flashpoint”, that shows something big is going to be concerning not just Barry, but all those connected with the Flash legacy, as well as something happening with Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and Batman. To be written by Johns with art by Andy Kubert, it’s expected to drop in 2011.
Following the mega-successful Blackest Night event, it looks like DC has finally found itself settled in for the next few years of what storylines they want to do. and resurrecting Barry Allen is a prime example of that. It’s an exciting ride time to be a comic book fan.
I was sitting in my room, whittling away at nothing on the internet in particular, when I decided to endeavor upon my usual venture and go to Wikipedia. Once on the site, I led my cursor to their “Recent Deaths” tab and clicked upon it. I have a morbid curiosity to see who has passed away in the world of popular culture, and yesterday’s crop of celebrity passings yielded a dry crop. I’m neither a huge follower of Bollywood (the recently departed Mac Moran) nor a politico junkie (Jeff Shaw, Aussie Attorney General). I am, however, a fan/follower/fanatic about comic books, and recognized one name that graced the page of the recently deceased: Frank Frazetta.
There is an interesting dichotomy of sympathy when one learns of a death. It does not matter that you knew the person personally or not, that when the death is made known, the automatic response is to eulogize the passed. Celebrities are an interesting lot, in that we invite them into our homes like vampires, via radio, television screens, and now the World Wide Web. In the overarching theater of ice that is the entertainment world, the celebrity has become more than just a means through which I and so many others latch on our hopes and dreams; in a reverse Faustian sense, there is a line where the person ceases to exist and we see them as Peter Venkman, The Doctor, or Screech and very little after that. The celebrity’s soul is no longer their own, even after death. They belong to us.
Frank Frazetta’s passing elicited a multitude of mixed emotions as I read the obituaries and numerous accolades afforded to the man, as the milky white radiation of my laptop seared into my brain the information that I required. For the whole of my existence as a fan, I’d known Frazetta as simply a name, which isn’t uncommon: even on Wikipedia there’s an impression of Frazetta as the entry’s image of choice for him, along with examples of his work. I couldn’t tell you what those examples were, of course, because of my inability to have had a real defining familiarity with Frazetta. It has only been in the last few days that I’ve come to see that I may have glimpsed his portraits at one time or another as they graced the covers of novels and collections that I walked past in numerous bookstores in my lifetime, and I may even have one or two of those novels with a Frazetta cover in my own collection.
I felt hollow because of that fact that I had no emotional ties to the man nor his work, but at the same time I had to take a moment to appreciate all that he had done for the medium. I also realized that the passing of, not just an artist, but someone in the comic field, yields interesting emotional attachments in a way dissimilar to the passing of a celebrity. My inability to know who Frazetta was beyond his name is common for someone not in the know; I do not doubt that there are those my age and more than likely older who have a more fundamental understanding of his life and work. But because Frazetta spent the majority of his life working in a medium where only his name was seen brought about curious feelings to me, in that those in the field of comic books exist as essential ghosts and boogeymen, giving life to characters who previously had none. It goes back to that Faustian example, except the writers, editors, and artists give their souls to the characters, and in turn we feel attached to the characters as we read them. The characters exist in the stead of the writer, editor, and artist, leaving the trifecta with their names, but without faces, able to be seen and heard through Batman, Wolverine, and Captain America. The exception to that rule will probably be Todd McFarlane, who’s parlayed his success into other ventures that he’s as much seen and heard than Spawn.
I could not tell you what it felt like when Bob Kane (co-creator of Batman), Dan DeCarlo (longtime Archie Comics artist), or Steve Gerber (writer of Howard the Duck and numerous off-beat tales for Marvel Comics) entered Valhalla. With perhaps the large exception of Dan DeCarlo, I don’t feel much of an attachment to a lot of creators in the field, which causes my feelings to be at odds with those of others. But the minute I say that, I realize again just how twisted I have things around in life, and have to remember the looming emerald guardian that for years sat ontop of my television screen keeping a never-ending watch over my room each time I left, and remember that some attachments are more subtle than others.
I met Martin Nodell in June of 2006, which was the first year that I and my friends ventured to Megacon in Orlando. This was the year that Billy West and John Schneider also made an appearance out of their respective characters and reclaimed their existence from the fans to appear for the fans as themselves. The four hour long car ride in Darby’s car is occasionally pleasant; the memory of the weekend is often bookended with the fact that I met my first…I suppose you could say “girlfriend”, even though I cocked that up completely, as well as seeing the University of Central Florida for the first time and being enamored with the idea of living so far away from home, as I realized I was turning twenty that year and still stayed at home with mother.
I’d been aware of who Martin Nodell was for quite some time. I try to stay out of comic book arguments about our favorite bearers of the title of Green Lantern because tastes are vastly different. I’ve usually said Hal and Kyle are my favorites, as I came in around the time of Emerald Twilight when Hal was ushered out and Kyle was ushered in. But if I had to be 100% honest with my true fanboy feelings, I will automatically say I have more affinity for the Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott than Hal or Kyle. My town’s library is interesting for the fact that in our children’s section, there used to be a binder filled with reprints of molding comics from the 1940s, on up to the 1970s. In the dimming recesses of my mind, I can remember going through this section, my mother being not far from me, and stumbling across this binder. There was a crude charm to these comics that drew me in; there were no Superman reprints, nor any Batman, and I recall there being only two Wonder Woman stories. But I remember seeing Alan Scott leap from the page, in an adventure involving Solomon Grundy (whom I thought looked like the Hulk at the time, not knowing how often that has been parodied) as he used his magic ring to defeat the monster. There was another where Alan faced off against the Sportsmaster, who became a favorite villain of mine from the Golden Age, along with Thorn. There was something about his costume that I was attracted to as well: the awful mix of red, green, and purple with the belt that looked like he stole from Douglas Fairbanks’ wardrobe. And yet, I ate up these stories for the fact that they stirred inside of me an imagination that, when I went home at the end of the day, I’d try to recreate these stories and come up with my own.
Flashing forward thirteen years later, I’m wading across a sea of people creepier than myself. That is perhaps a virtue of a con: that no matter how offbeat you think you are back home, you will always meet someone ten times insane than yourself. Nodell’s table was sparsely attended, but filled with related Green Lantern memorabilia such as green lanterns, Alan Scott plush dolls, and assorted collections of Alan’s adventures. To this day I wonder why he did not recieve a lot of attention; it may be because he wasn’t a superstar artist on the level of Ethan Van Sciver or the late Mike Weiringo. Or it was that the as we move forward the Golden Age seems so much more distant. Whatever the reason, I found it easier to go up to the man and ask for his autograph. I was shocked at first by how small he was, as opposed to the pictures I’d seen of him (Alex Ross caricatured him in a panel in Kingdom Come) but then relaxed a little as I handed my books to be signed by him. He had his granddaughter and her fiancee with him on this day, and his granddaughter happened to be a fan of jellyfish. Why is that important to note? Because I was wearing a t-shirt that had a jellyfish on it, and one upon which she commented on. It was actually the logo of a band I’d seen the night before, which led to a conversation about music. Nodell looked up from signing my book to quip: “You do know that that’s her fiancee right?” smiling at me as he handed me books back. I eventually bought an art print from him the following Saturday that he also signed.
As fate usually has a hand in these things, it would be his last convention as he passed away a few months later.
And I distinctly recall a hollowness that was unlike the feeling of Frank Frazetta. This was the feeling that an important facet of my childhood had faded. And I can sit back and understand why Frank Frazetta yields the accolades that he has. And then I realize that it does not matter if the celebrity in question was meaningful in life. The influence can be far overreaching to someone who was a fan, rather than to one who wasn’t.
The Android's Dungeon 
