Sunday, March 11, 2018

Comics Lust 3/9/2018

Welcome back, Donist World Denizens! For those of you new to our site, I’m Donist, and I am joined by Donist World CFO the Reverse Obie* (my friends’ Boston terrier whose fur recently swapped colors) and by our marketing director/administrative assistant/party planner/consolation commander Tulip (my dog, Reverse Obie’s sister). And here I thought last week was bad. Oh, my stars and garters. Oh well, I won’t let it get me down! And how could I, when I have my puppy executive team to back me up and…guys? Guys? Tulip? Reverse Obie? Okay…it’s a crummy, rainy day—which I actually kind of love—and as I sit here organizing odds and ends, the dogs are upstairs, cozy in bed, drinking coffee, and watching some Jessica Jones Season 2. Come to think of it, that sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Anyhow, be kind to each other, mind your health, drink plenty of water (maybe a beer or two), cherish the ones you love, and read some great comics. Thank you for reading!


*Obie, through his dabbling in arcane magiks mixed with ancient corrupt business practices, has had not just the colors of his fur switched, but a complete overhaul of his work ethic as well…I think I’m kinda okay with the mishap.


Not sure what “Comics Lust” is about? Take a look at the Introduction to “Comics Lust” post or take a look at the static “Comics Lust Table of Contents” page to jump to a topic.

Comics Lust

Generation-Specific Tragedy-Ridden Martial-Arts-Trained Critters (Part 1)


The ‘80s were a magical time to be a comic book fan. Those lucky enough to grace comic book specialty shops during this glorious decade—now affectionately known as the Local Comic Shop (LCS)—got to experience such monumental new books as Watchmen, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, and Crisis on Infinite Earths while a shift in ongoing books such as The Uncanny X-Men (with its increasingly-popular character Wolverine), Daredevil, and The New Teen Titans gave comic readers much to be excited about. But the Big Two weren’t the only players in town. Publishers like Comico, First Comics, Eclipse Comics, and Pacific Comics saw huge success with their offerings, as did many even smaller publishers, but somewhere, in the midst of it all, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles rocked not just the black and white indie comics scene, but the comic book industry as well. The deluge of books attempting to mimic that success, however, didn’t do the comics industry any favors as comics caught the eye of the dreaded speculators.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

(Everythinged by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, published by Mirage Studios beginning in 1984...originally)
I have to admit that my brother and my cousin were the ones who dragged me into the world of TMNT. I was reluctant and turned off by the ridiculous-sounding name; I was a serious comic fan. Then I read an issue, was instantly hooked, and scrambled to find whatever TMNT material I could. I initially started with the magazine-sized fourth issue and began pestering my comic shop for the ever-elusive #1 and #2. Road blocked, I then combed the mail order ads found in the pages of all the comics of the time and I was able to get a reprint of #1, the first printing of issue #3, and my prized second printing of issue #2. My brother and I loved the dark, gritty, and often violent comic that seemed to be a twisted expansion of Frank Miller’s Daredevil, which we positively loved. We madly sought everything and anything TMNT related that we could find for a few years before eventually drifting from our once favorite “heroes in a half-shell” upon the arrival of an overly-goofy animated television show. The Turtles had a roller coaster ride of a publishing history before IDW took up publication rights of old and new comics, but it’s the historical material that we are looking at today.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1–4 (Everythinged by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, published by Mirage Studios beginning in 1984) It all started with these magazine-sized black and white comics. There were multiple printings, many counterfeits, and all were—and still are—highly sought after. Here we meet Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Splinter, and the rest is history.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5–62 (Story and art by MANY different people, publishing continued by Mirage Studios through 1993) Here is where the series went from magazine-size down to standard comic size. This run began with Eastman and Laird handling everything and ended with Eastman and Laird scripting with art by Jim Lawson. In between this was a flurry of creators including Richard Corben, Rick Veitch, Eric Talbot, Michael Zulli, Stan Sakai, and many others in an impressive series that launched cartoons, movies, toys, and all sorts of merchandise. The Turtles became a brand.
  • Raphael (Everythinged by Eastman and Laird, published by Mirage Studios in 1985) Part of the solo issues. This one is magazine-sized.
  • Michaelangelo (Everythinged by Eastman and Laird, published by Mirage Studios in 1985) Part of the solo issues.
  • How to Draw Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Written by Allan J. Fromberg; illustrated by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, and Rich Buckler, published by Solson in 1985) Yeah...drawing is not as easy as they want you to believe.
  • Donatello (Everythinged by Eastman and Laird, published by Mirage Studios in 1986) Part of the solo issues.
  • Leonardo (Everythinged by Eastman and Laird, published by Mirage Studios in 1986) Part of the solo issues. Story continues in issue 10 of the main series.
  • Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1–7 (Written by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, art by Jim Lawson, published by Mirage Studios beginning in 1987) An anthology series that saw some hefty delays during its short publication.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #1–3 (Written and illustrated by ?, published by Archie Comics in 1988) A three issue mini that adapted five episodes of the animated television show.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #1–72 (Written and illustrated by a whole mess of people, published by Archie Comics from 1989–1992) This initially followed the goofy animated television show, but quickly dropped pizza munching camp in favor of becoming its own thing. There were also tons of specials, one-shots, and supporting character miniseries to keep fans busy.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe Sourcebook #1–3 (published by Archie comics from 1992–1994) If you love Marvel’s OHOTMU, then these are the books for you!
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1–13 (Everythinged by Jim Lawson, published by Mirage Studios beginning in 1993) This is the “Volume 2” in the Turtles saga before ending in 1995 to make the jump to the (fairly) new kid on the block publisher Image Comics.
  • Savage Dragon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (Written by Erik Larson and Michael Dooney, illustrated by Michael Dooney and Robert Jones, published by Image Comics 1993) They’re all green and they’re all mean! They later teamed up in 1995 with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Savage Dragon #1 but I’m not sure of the creators involved in this Mirage Studios publication.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Flaming Carrot #1–4 (Written and illustrated by ?, published by Mirage Studios 1993–1994) I never read The Flaming Carrot back in the day, but something tells me this miniseries is a trip and a half!
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1–23 (Written by Gary Carlson, illustrated by Frank Fosco, published by Image Comics 1996–1999) Volume three allegedly did not please Laird so he snatched the property back over to Mirage. R.I.P. volume number three.
  • Creed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (Everythinged by Trent Kaniuga, published by Lightning in 1996) I have never read Creed but I know the comic had a following at one point. Someday, I should check it out.
  • Bodycount #1–4 (Written by Kevin Eastman, illustrated by Simon Bisley, published by Image Comics in 1996) Wow. I almost missed this one completely as the title says nothing about TMNT anywhere on this four-issue miniseries. Looks to be crazy, violent adventure starring Raphael and Casey Jones, and it definitely fits the "Extreme!!!" trend that drove me out of comics in the mid-'90s, but dang I’m not curious to check it out. A hardcover collection looks to come out sometime in August 2018.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1–32 (Written by Peter Laird, illustrated by Jim Lawson, published by Mirage Studios from 2001–2014) This series pretty much ignores what happened during the Image years and picks up fifteen years after the end of volume 2. 32 issues over 13 years isn’t exactly the best of release schedules, but whatcha gonna do. To complicate matters, issue number 31 was never printed (it is available online), issue 32 came out four years after that with a “to be continued,” but your guess is as good as mine as to when, if ever, issue 33 ever sees the light of day…or your favorite LED screen for that matter.
  • Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1–70 (Created by many, published by Mirage Studios beginning from 2004–2010) This series focused on the unknown adventures of the Turtles and served to explain what happened during the 13 lost years between the second and fourth volumes of the main series. Ouch. Laird must have really not liked that third volume from Image. I guess this can step in as the in-canon third volume as far as the creator is concerned.
  • Tales of Leonardo: Blind Sight #1–4 (Everythinged by Jim Lawson, published by Mirage Studios in 2006) I had never even heard of this, but it is miniseries focusing on one character of a larger team, and I’m a lover of the miniseries wave of the ’80s (hello, Wolverine), so this sounds like fun.
  • Raphael: Bad Moon Rising #1–4 (Created by Jim Lawson and Eric Talbot, published by Mirage Studios in 2007) Werewolves and Vampires in a four-issue miniseries starring TMNT’s main tough guy? How did I not hear about this?
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Color Special #1 (Written and illustrated by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, colored by Steve Lavigne, published by Mirage Studios 2009) 25th anniversary of the first issue with a colored #1.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Brain Thief #1–4 (Everythinged by Jim Lawson, published by Mirage Studios in 2009) Another four-issue miniseries? I’m totally down for this.
As you can see, the Turtles have been around the block a few dozen or 100 times and I am sure I missed a bunch of other one-shots and minis, and I haven’t even touched anything after 2002, primarily IDW, which is where you should go if you are looking for some nice collections of the early material. I also remember having a Turtles “how-to” book that supposedly taught you martial arts and how to fight with things like a bo staff, none of which saved my ass during my junior high years. Anyhow, best not to dwell on that…

Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters

Okay, you kind of had to expect this kind of thing to happen after the explosive popularity of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brand. In looking into this comic, I was surprised to see the numerous disappearance and rebirths of this series over the years. I distinctly remember seeing my brother reading the first issue and I definitely gave him the stink eye for doing so, but I honestly never gave the book a chance. Who knows: I might be missing out something kinda cool.
After running through the various ARBBH titles, I have to say that I am rather interested in checking it out. Too bad there aren’t any trades readily available.

Pre-Teen Dirty-Gene Kung-Fu Kangaroos #1–3

(Everythinged by Lee Marrs, published by Blackthorne in 1986)
The crazy thing about this one is that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles briefly make an appearance in the comic (they are drawn by Peter Laird) and Howard the Duck is in there too…not sure if Howard’s appearance ushered in a lawsuit or not, but there you have it.

Naive Inter-Dimensional Commando Koalas #1

(Written by Sean Deming, illustrated by Dan Green, published by ICG in 1986)
Hey, the Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters make an appearance in this issue…so, cool?

Mildly Microwaved Pre-Pubescent Kung-Fu Gophers #1

(Written by George Macas, illustrated by Jim Molina and Jill Thompson, published by Just Imagine Graphix in 1986)
Jill Thompson?! This must be her first comic book work.

Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos #1–5

(Written by William Clausen, illustrated by Michael Kelley, published by Blackthorne from 1986–1987)
Although I cannot determine the age group of the Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos—I’m guessing they must be of enlistment age for a reptile—I decided to include them on the list because…well, because.

Geriatric Gangrene Jujitsu Gerbils #1–3

(Everythinged by Tony Basilicato, published by Planet X in 1986)
Please. Make it stop. Please make it stop!


When I revisit the subject of anthropomorphic comic book characters, I’ll be looking at bears, maybe some fish, and definitely a certain mammal from the order Tubuildentata. Until then, Turtles and Hamsters and Kangaroos, oh my!

This Week’s Reading List

Man, I gotta bow out here. I read a bunch of stuff this past couple of weeks, but this entry took forever to research and organize and write about, and every time I thought I was done, more comics and spoofs and spin-offs would pop-up to send back into digging. I will say that you should definitely check out the following amazing recent comics:

  • Gideon Falls #1 (Written by Jeff Lemire, illustrated by Andrea Sorrentino, colored by Dave Stewart, lettered and designed by Steve Wands, edited by Will Dennis, published by Image Comics) This one had me at "New Lemire comic," but having Sorrentino on art made this a must-read-immediately. Gideon Falls is a horror comic that is certain to instill the willies and even though I have no idea what is going on yet, I am 100% on board. Get it. Read it. Be thrilled and chilled by it. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
  • The Terrifics #1 (Illustrated by Ivan Reis, written by Jeff Lemire, inked by Joe Prado, colored by Marcelo Maiolo, lettered by Tom Napolitano, published by DC Comics) Again, Lemire’s name brought me to this “fantastic” new series that definitely follows the “arrive late, leave early” style of storytelling. I was instantly drawn to the characters, wowed by the action, and loved every page of this “fantastic” book. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
  • Oblivion Song #1 (Written by Robert Kirkman, illustrated by Lorenzo De Felici, colored by Annalia Leoni, lettered by Rus Wooton, associate editor Arielle Basich, edited by Sean Mackiewicz, published by Image Comics) A new epic begins from Kirkman, and this time we are looking at a hard-sci-fi series where I am fairly certain no character will ever be safe. Alternate worlds, stranded humans, crazy monsters…it’s almost like this book was made for me. A heck of a great start. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
  • Saga #49 (Written by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples, lettered and designed by Fonografiks, published by Image Comics) An issue of Saga is either really good or friggin’ great. This leans toward the latter. Still reading it. Still loving it. You should, too. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!


Share/Bookmark
Posted by Don McMillan at 11:56 AM
Labels: ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)