Eastman & Sim Art Print With Cerebus Kickstarter Support

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About a month ago, Dave Sim (with a little help) launched a Kickstarter campaign to support efforts to digitize his Cerebus comic book. The original plan was to just raise enough to do the "High Society" story, but as support for the project has grown, Sim is now dedicated to releasing all 300 issues in an ultra-high quality digital format.

As is the case with all Kickstarter campaign, there are rewards offered for different support levels. For one of these rewards, Sim is teaming up with Kevin Eastman to create an exclusive art print featuring the TMNT and Cerebus as "Matisse, the Unknown Turtle."

Matisse is shown above; Kevin is still working on finishing the rest of the piece. This print will be sent to all backers who pledge $50 or more. There is a specific $50 level that specifies this print, but anyone who commits to any reward priced at $50 or higher will also get the print.

There is just over 1 day left to support this campaign! Don't delay and don't miss this chance to own a print of what is sure to be an amazing and unique piece of art!

Visit the Kickstarter page and pledge now!

IDW TMNT #11 - Variant Cover Guide

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Search your couch cushions for some extra change; it's yet another New Comic Book Day! Today you can grab TMNT #11 from your local comic shop, or digitally from comiXology.

Check out a preview!

Cover A

Cover B

Cover A: Dan Duncan.
Regular cover; distributed in a 4:1 ratio with cover B.

Cover B: Kevin Eastman.
Regular cover; distributed in a 1:4 ratio with cover A.

Cover C

Cover D

Cover C: Zach Howard.
Retailer incentive cover; 1 copy sent to retailers for every 10 copies ordered.

Cover D: Kevin Eastman.
Convention exclusive cover for San Diego Comic-Con.
This cover will be sold at the IDW booth at San Diego Comic-Con for $5.

New TMNT Nickelodeon Books Available For Pre-Order

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As the debut of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series from Nickelodeon draws near, expect to start to see a new wave of merchandising hit stores. Early signs of the new merchandise have started to hit the Internet, in this case in the form of book pre-orders available on sites like Amazon.com. You can check out some of the cover art below, and hit any of the title links to reserve them now. And many, if not all of the titles, are eligible for a buy 3 get the 4th free promotion on Amazon!

Turtle Power!

Turtles to the Rescue!

Ultimate Turtles Fan Book

Available August 7, 2012:

Turtles to the Rescue!
Turtle Power!
Ultimate Turtles Fan Book
Mutant Origin: Leonardo/Donatello
Mutant Origin: Michelangelo/Raphael
Saved by the Shell

Mutant Origin: Leonardo/Donatello

Mutant Origin: Michelangelo/Raphael

Saved by the Shell!

Enter the Lair

How to Draw TMNT

Additional titles available in January 2013:

Enter the Lair
How to Draw Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Robot Rampage!
Sewer Squad!
Half-Shell Heroes!

Robot Rampage!

Sewer Squad!

IDW San Diego Comic-Con Exclusives

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A very exclusive TMNT item to be sold only at San Diego Comic-Con has become available for pre-order on IDW's website. Pictured above is a special full-color slip cover that comes packages with IDW's TMNT Ultimate Editions Vol. 1-3. The three volumes included will be the variant black and white cover versions. The outside slip cover features some of the same cover art by Kevin Eastman, which has also been colored by Kevin. This package is selling for $200 and is reportedly limited to 40 copies. You can pre-order the set here, but the only shipping option is picking up the set at the convention.

Also available at the convention is an exclusive cover variant of TMNT #11, the regular covers of which will be in stores this Wednesday. This variant is limited to 500 copies and will sell for $5 at the IDW booth.

First Trailer For New TMNT TV Series Now Online

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The first trailer for the new TMNT series is online! Check it out above, over on EW.com, or share it with your friends over on Facebook.

In the trailer we can hear the voices of the four Turtles and can get a better feel for what the animation style is going to be. You can also hear a hint at what might be the theme song, which sounds like a remix of the infamous theme song from the original TMNT cartoon. At the end, the URL www.nick.com/turtles is shown on screen, although that site doesn't seem to be live at the moment.

This is likely the beginning of a publicity force that will be launched in full at Comic-Con in a couple weeks. There should be a lot more goodies in the upcoming months!

TMNT Panel Planned for Comic-Con

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It's been assumed that Nickelodeon would have a strong TMNT presence at San Diego Comic-Con to advertise the upcoming new TV series, and now we've seen a first glimpse at exactly what it is they have planned.

As reported by Variety, a panel for the show will be held on Friday of the convention. Panelists will include the four Turtles voice actors from the show - Jason Biggs (Leonardo), Sean Astin (Raphael), Rob Paulsen (Donatello), and Greg Cipes (Michelangelo) - as well as executive producer Ciro Nieli.

Additionally, the Nickelodeon booth in the exhibitor hall will have visits from TMNT costumed characters, and possibly autograph signings.

Be sure to stay tuned to Ninja Pizza for more Comic-Con details as the show draws near! And, if you can't make it to the Con, Ninja Pizza will have full coverage of everything TMNT throughout Comic-Con weekend, July 11-15.

IDW Micro-Series #5 Splinter - Variant Cover Guide

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This week, IDW's TMNT Micro-Series books expand beyond the four Turtles to bring us a Splinter tale.

Check out the preview!

Cover A

Cover C

Cover A: David Petersen (color).
Regular cover; distributed in a 4:1 ratio with cover B.

Cover C: David Petersen (black & white).
Retailer incentive cover; 1 copy sent to retailers for every 10 copies ordered.

Cover B

Cover B: Charles Paul Wilson III.
Regular cover; distributed in a 1:4 ratio with cover A.

Free TMNT Comic For Halloween ComicFest 2012

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Consider it Free Comic Book Day Part 2. This year on Halloween, Diamond and select comics publishers will be distributing free, specially designed comic books. For the past few years, a small selection of mini comics have been distributed on Halloween, but this is the first year that a larger selection of regular-sized comics will be made available.

For this year's inaugural event, IDW is making available a special Halloween variant of last year's TMNT #1 issue. It seems that the only difference this book has is an orangish-colored cover.

Make sure to ask your local comic shop to get it for you!

"Ninja Turtles" Movie Not To Be Delayed Too Long

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Last week's announcement that production on the new TMNT movie scheduled for 2013, which was just about to begin in Vancouver, had been suddenly shut down came as a bit of a shock. As more details became available, it was discovered that the movie has, at this point, only been delayed for about five months.

Variety reports that the new target release date for the project is May 16, 2014.

Sources say "Turtles" was pushed because the filmmakers and studio felt they wouldn't be ready for the October shoot date. Paramount had no comment. 

The shutdown is not indefinite and the plan is to work on the script over the next couple of weeks in order to beef up the material and bring the budget down slightly.

It sounds like there are concerns about the script in its current state, but they're not starting over from scratch, so it's unknown if the "alien" element of the story will remain or not. But if they're trying to bring the budget down, it may be that they need to tone down the amount of effects-heavy space elements. It will certainly be interesting to see how this develops!

New "Ninja Turtles" Movie Cancelled?

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An annonymous e-mailer has written in stating that the new TMNT movie that was to film in Vancouver this summer/fall for a Christmas 2013 release has, apparently, been shut down.

The e-mailer, who works in the Vancouver film industry, states that this went down suddenly just yesterday, apparently due to the massive amounts of negative backlash that followed Michael Bay's revelation that the story was to be spaced-based and that the Turtles would now be aliens.

However, although the current production has been halted, there will likely be (yet) another script written for an eventual movie. Maybe...

Ain't It Cool is also now reporting this news.

New TMNT Playmates Action Figures Appear on eBay

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Two months ahead of the schedule we've been told, a seller on eBay has gotten ahold of some of the new action figures for the upcoming TMNT CGI cartoon series from Nickelodeon. I'm not going to link to them, but if you go looking, just remember that if you wait you'll be able to easily purchase these for $8.99 in a couple months and the premium for getting them now probably isn't worth it.

Given that we've seen plenty of pictures of the front of the new action figures back in February from Toy Fair, I found the backs of the cards to be interesting to read.

Shellback Artworks Grand Opening Tomorrow

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Here's one last reminder that Steve Lavigne's new store of comic stuff opens tomorrow. Details on the opening have been a bit lacking, but the above image showed up on Facebook, which seems to give all the info you need to know.

Looks like it'll be a good time!

IDW TMNT Color Classics #2 - Variant Cover Guide

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In today's edition of New Comic Book Day, we have TMNT Color Classics #2! You can pick it up from your local comic shop, or digitally from comiXology.

Check out a preview!

Also available in comic shops today is the TPB of the first four TMNT Micro Series issues from IDW. Other retailers are scheduled to get this book in a couple weeks.

Cover A

Cover B

Cover A: Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird (color).
Regular cover.

Cover B: Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird (black & white).
Retailer exclusive cover for Jetpack Comics.
This cover is available from Jetpack Comics.

Peter Laird Appearing at Shellback Artworks Saturday, June 16

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Former Mirage Studios employee Steve Lavigne is opening a combination art supply store, art gallery, and comic book/memorabilia shop this Saturday, June 16. The shop, titled Shellback Artworks, should of particular interest for TMNT fans.

While the specific offerings of the shop still aren't known, Peter Laird has revealed on his blog that he has given Steve the TMNT life-size figures that once hung on display in Kevin Eastman's Words & Pictures Museum. And as a show of his further support of Steve's new business venture, Peter will be appearing at the shop on Saturday to sign autographs from 12-3pm.

Scan thanks to tOkKa/terrible2z on Flickr.

Location:
Shellback Artworks
1509 Post Road
Wells, ME 04090

If you go, send in a report!

Kevin Eastman Sale and Signing at Meltdown Comics This Wednesday

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Meltdown Comics in LA will be holding a "Black Wednesday" sale this Wednesday, June 13, to help move some Kevin Eastman-related merchandise. Kevin himself will be on site signing items from 4-8pm.

Complete details from the Meltdown Comics website.

Michael Bay's "Ninja Turtles" to Film in Vancouver This Fall

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TheProvince.com has picked up on buzz around Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, that would have the new TMNT movie, currently titled "Ninja Turtles," filming in the city late summer/fall of this year.

This is in line with statements from director Jonathan Liebman earlier this year saying that they were looking at filming in Canada this summer/fall.

"Ninja Turtles" is scheduled for release Christmas 2013.

Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation Vol. 1 Comes to DVD Sept. 4

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Amazon.com is listing the 2-DVD set Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation Vol. 1 as having a release date of September 4, 2012.

With 26 episodes total in the series, this collection should have 13 episodes across 2 discs. And with any luck, Vol. 2 won't be too far behind it.

This set is available for pre-order right now!

TMNT Ultimate Collection Vol. 3 Cover Art Revealed

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IDW Editor Bobby Curnow has revealed the cover art for the upcoming TMNT Ultimate Collection Vol. 3 book, which, like the previous two, is a brand new piece of art by Kevin Eastman.

TMNT Ultimate Collection Vol. 3 should be available in about two months. It is currently available for pre-order at Amazon.com and other retailers. It will collect issues #12, 14, 15, 17, and 19-21 of the original volume 1 comics from Mirage Studios.

TMNT Comics Go Digital With New App From IDW & comiXology

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Yesterday, IDW launched a feature that has been often requested ever since they acquired the TMNT license last year: Digital downloads of TMNT comics!

Read the full announcement on idwpublishing.com.

The TMNT comics downloads are available via comiXology through a choice of apps. On Android devices, including Amazon Kindle, the TMNT comics can be found using the comiXology app or the IDW-specific app. On iOS devices, in addition to being found on the comiXology and IDW-specific apps, there is also a TMNT Comics app.

Screen shot from inside the TMNT Comics iPad app.

Individual issues cost $1.99 and collected editions of four books cost $7.99. So far all of the issues that have been released as monthly books are available: The ongoing TMNT series, the Micro-Series books, the two INFESTATION 2: TMNT books, and TMNT Color Classics.

There are currently three issues available for free download: IDW TMNT #1, Micro-Series #3: Donatello, and INFESTATION 2: TMNT #1. Using the app requires having a comiXology account. All of your purchases are kept track of both by iTunes (for iOS) and by comiXology, so you can restore your purchases anytime you might need to. The first time you read an issue it downloads to your device, where it is then stored for future reading.

However, it should be noted that according to the comiXology Terms of Service, you are simply purchasing a license to read the comic. They are not claiming to be selling you actual digital copies of the comics, making it illegal to backup your purchases. Technicalities such as this makes it extremely difficult for me to convince myself to invest in comics that I could potentially lose access to at some point in the future. Especially in the case of TMNT comics where I've already purchased one or more copies of the physical books.

That said, the reading experience is quite pleasant, and this is an especially convenient way to keep up on the new issues. Especially if you have trouble getting them from a comic shop each month, or you don't have a local comic shop.

Ernie Reyes Jr. and Jim Lawson Team Up For New Martial Arts Comic Book

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Two names that should be quite famous to TMNT fans are teaming up to create a brand new martial arts comic book titled Sonny Dragon and the Wuxia Knights! Ernie Reyes Jr., creator and co-writer of Wuxia Knights, was Donatello's stunt double in the first TMNT movie, and Keno the pizza delivery boy in The Secret of the Ooze. Jim Lawson, artist on Wuxia Knights, has drawn more TMNT comic books than anyone else in the world. Rounding off the creative team are co-writer Samuel R. Barrera, Steve Oliff on colors, and Tom Orzechowski on letters.

Ernie has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to support the Wuxia Knights comic book effort!

Check out a video below to get a sneak preview of Wuxia Knights. And I highly recommend that you support the book on the Kickstarter page! A selection of awesome awards are available at many different support levels! Let's all spread the word and help the team reach its goal!




From the Kickstarter page:

Sonny Dragon and The Wuxia Knights is an ALL-AGES comic, which tells the story of Detective Sonny Dragon joining an elite team of martial arts superheroes known as the Wuxia Knights, after he traces the death of his master to a mystical martial arts kingdom hidden in the streets of San Francisco known as the Wuxiaverse. 

I have assembled an oustanding team for this new project. The comicbook script for Sonny Dragon and The Wuxia Knights VOL.1 is written by myself and Samuel R. Barrera. The artwork is done by Jim Lawson, who is known for his work on the "Teenage Mutatnt Ninja Turtles" comics. Colorist Steve Oliff is an Eisner award winning colorist best known for his work on the Japanese manga "AKIRA." Letterer Tom Orzechowski is a Harvey award winner known his work on "Uncanny X-Men." 

The ALL-AGES comic featuring Sonny Dragon and The Wuxia Knights is created to be a launchpad for licensing across multiple platforms: cartoons, toys, games, and apparel. 

Funding for this project will help with printing costs, budget for hiring a full service marketing company, and the production of Vol.2. If the goal is not reached before the end of the 30 days, then you will not be charged anything. You only pay if the project reaches its goal before the deadline! 

My goal is to distribute 25,000 copies of Vol. #1 in 12 months of distribution via digital downloads and conventional print publishing. My plan is to launch martial arts superheroes Sonny Dragon and The Wuxia Knights on July 11th, 2012 at Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA. 

My mission is to introduce to the world a universe of new martial arts superheroes that inspires health, happiness, and well being while promoting the core values of martial arts: Honor, Loyalty, Family, Bravery. 

Thank you for your support! 

- Ernie Reyes Jr.

IDW TMNT Comic Book Cover Art Contest

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Calling all artists! Albuquerque, NM, comic shop Astro-Zombies is holding an art contest to design a cover for an upcoming issue of IDW's ongoing TMNT series. What an amazing opportunity!

All entries must feature the outside of the Astro-Zombies store with their "COMICS" sign as well as either the store name as it is seen on the store front, or the the oval logo and scene from the corner of the front of the store.

The contest runs through the end of June, at which time the store owners will pick a winner. The winning piece of art will be used for an Astro-Zombies retailer exclusive cover for an issue that is still to be determined.

All entries become the property of MPSL, Inc. The winning art is subject to approval by Nickelodeon, who may require minor changes be made. Entries are due by June 30, 2012.

Head over to the Astro-Zombies website to enter! And good luck!