Win a TMNT IDW Ashcan from Comic-Con 2011!!

Tweet

We've got a contest! And a really easy one, too. I've uploaded the above photo to Facebook, and everyone who "likes" the photo by 1:00pm Pacific time on Sunday, July 31, will be entered in a random drawing to win the ashcan comic given away by IDW at Comic-Con last weekend! Winner will also receive a convention exclusive Ninja Pizza button!

For each 50 "likes" received, one additional winner will be chosen, up to 5 winners! Each potential winner will win both prizes. We're already at 50+ "likes," so there will be at least two winners! Everyone is eligible, even international fans!

Follow the link to jump to the photo and "like" it now! http://fb.me/EZesJaMx

Nickelodeon TMNT "Mutation in Progress" Comic-Con Event

Tweet

Check in desk.

The Comic-Con "Mutation in Progress" event was held on Friday at Basic in downtown San Diego. All of the giant glass plate windows of the place were adorned with double-sided decals that created giant images of the Turtles on both the outside of the building and on the inside. Three sessions (all with the same content) were held at 4pm, 5pm, and 6pm, with pizza and beverages provided. I attended the 6pm show and arrived to find many familiar faces and friends hanging out outside the premises. Also hanging out were some of the ninja street team I had spotted earlier in the Gaslamp. They were handing out ribbon bandanas that had the new TMNT logo on them. None of the information revealed was particularly new if you've been paying attention (especially here on Ninja Pizza!), but I'm going to do a straight run-down of all of it. (Hold tight. This is gonna get a bit long.)

IDW Report From Comic-Con; TMNT Micro-Series Announced

Tweet

Poster from the
Diamond/Previews booth.

As could be expected with the title launch only a month away, IDW made sure to let all of Comic-Con know that the Turtles are coming back. The cover to issue #2 adorned part of the IDW booth, and either by design or happy coincidence, the Diamond/Previews booth also had a poster up.

At the IDW booth.

The ashcan, which features the first eight pages of issue #1 and an interview with Dan Duncan, Tom Waltz, and Kevin Eastman, was available for taking, and I think they ran out on Saturday. Attendees of Nickelodeon's preview event also got a copy of the ashcan, and heard IDW editor Bobby Curnow briefly talk about the new series. On Saturday, IDW held a booth signing with Dan, Tom, and Kevin, which I hear was really well-attended (I showed up right when it started, so I was out of there pretty quick).

Raphael Micro-Series is announced.

At IDW's panel on Thursday, the biggest news was the announcement of the return of the Micro-Series books that feature solo Turtle adventures. The first book will be Raphael, written by Brian Lynch and art by Franko Uru, which is scheduled for November 2011. The other Turtles will soon follow. And it was also announced that the TMNT would be fair game for future multi-license projects. About the regular series, it was said that it will be 100% brand new, and they're especially looking forward to bringing the Turtles into the 21st Century. But the core spirit of the Turtles will still be there. They will be aiming to appeal to both a brand new audience, as well as the existing hardcore fans. You can expect to see Casey Jones, alley battles, new bad guys, April O'Neil, and Baxter Stockman. It was also revealed in the interview in the back of the ashcan that one of the new characters is a local pizza boy named Woody.

The inside back cover of
the exclusive ashcan comic.

I had a chance to chat with Tom Waltz a bit while waiting to get into Nickelodeon's preview event, and he confirmed that both Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird are providing annotations for the upcoming Ultimate hardcover collections. Very cool!

And for anyone wondering about the layouts Kevin is providing for the series, he had photo copies of two or three issues worth with him at the Heavy Metal booth and they are AMAZING!! They are incredibly detailed, and pure Kevin. Don't be surprised if IDW eventually publishes them. They're that good.

If you didn't get to Comic-Con, I'll be giving away some copies of the ashcan in the very near future! Stay tuned!

TMNT Guide to Comic-Con 2011

Tweet

San Diego Comic-Con 2011 cometh!! And with it, an exciting line-up of TMNT events and promotions. The three biggest items of note are the plans for IDW's convention floor booth, the "Mutation in Progress" private TMNT event on Friday, July 22, and Kevin Eastman's reissue of his TMNT 25th anniversary book.

AT THE IDW BOOTH (#2643)

• Visitors to Comic-Con can pick up a free ashcan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and get an early look at the upcoming August release for the new series.

• Members of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be signing at the IDW booth, #2643.

• TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Ashcan (FREE) will be available at the IDW booth, #2643, during Comic-Con, while supplies last.

• TMNT "Launch Party" at the IDW booth on Saturday, from 1:00pm-2:00pm. Kevin Eastman, Dan Duncan, and Tom Waltz will be signing the ashcan comic.

KEVIN EASTMAN
Per usual, TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman will spend much of the Con at the Heavy Metal booth (#1529). As previously reported, Kevin will be selling the reissue of his TMNT 25th Anniversary book, with four different covers available. And if you ask him nicely, he'll probably draw a picture in it for you.

Kevin will also be signing at the Hero Initiative booth (#5003) on two occasions:
Friday, July 22 - 5:30pm-7:00pm
Saturday, July 23 - 11:30am-1:00pm

MICHAEL DOONEY
Look for Mirage Studios artist Michael Dooney to be selling and drawing art in Artists' Alley (#DD-22) throughout the weekend.

SIDESHOW COLLECTIBLES
Expect the upcoming Shredder comiquette statue to be on display, somewhere within their massive floor space (#1929 - This is almost right next to the Heavy Metal booth).

MUTATION IN PROGRESS EVENT
As previously reported, this event will be on Friday and a ticket is required. Fans will be treated to a one hour preview of Nickelodeon's up-coming TMNT CGI series, as well as the new toys from Playmates and the new comic book series from IDW. Sessions are at 4pm, 5pm, and 6pm. Pizza will be served!

PANELS
There are even more panels with TMNT-related guests participating; these are some of the highlights that I've picked out. The only panel that is likely to feature TMNT content is the IDW panel on Thursday.

"Panel to Panel: Exploring Words & Pictures" Available to Pre-order

Tweet

Back when Mirage was still publishing, they had struck a special relationship with John Rovnak of PanelToPanel.net. Books ordered through John often included exclusive, signed bookplates, usually featuring brand new art. Well, times change. Mirage no longer publishes comic books, and John no longer sells them. However, John has been working on a very cool project that is just about ready to (finally!) be published.

Using the connections and relationships he's established through his years as a comics fan and retailer, John has compiled a book of comics, art, interviews, and articles that feature many creators whose names will be familiar to TMNT fans. You can read the full contents on the Panel To Panel website.

Here are the highlights that should be of particular interest for TMNT fans:

• STEVE MURPHY: Comes Out of his Shell by John Rovnak.
• MARK BODE: A 21st Century Renaissance Man by John Rovnak.
• DAVE SIM: The General in His Labyrinth by Jon Mathewson.
• BUDDY COPS in Full-Color by Mark Martin.
• BEAT PANELS: OR; IS THERE MONEY IN POETRY COMICS? by Stephen R. Bissette featuring the graphic poetry of Peter Money and Rick Veitch.
• An archive of past interviews, from paneltopanel.net, featuring DAVID MACK, LARRY MARDER, LARRY HAMA, JAIME HERNANDEZ, JAMES STURM and STAN SAKAI.
• and more….

The book is scheduled to ship in August or September. Order yours now!!

TMNT "Mutation in Progress" Event Set for Comic-Con

Tweet

If you've been watching Facebook or Twitter, you've heard by now that there will be a special "Mutation in Progress" event held during Comic-Con next week in San Diego. Here's some additional information on the event, as well as some ways in which you can get a ticket (if you don't yet have one).

On Friday, July 22, there will be a special fan preview event for a limited number of invited guests. TMNT fans will get a sneak peek of the “Mutation in Progress” of the new animated TV series, including a look at the new comics from IDW and toys from Playmates. There will be three one-hour previews, at 4, 5 and 6 PM at an off-site location close to the convention center.

Fans can come by the Nickelodeon booth at Comic-Con to learn more about how they might get a ticket. They can also be on the lookout at the convention for ticket giveaways via a ninja street team and a series of Foursquare check-ins. A select number of tickets are also being given out in advance of Comic-Con via a series of giveaways by @TMNTMaster on Twitter this week.

Capacity for the event is extremely limited and all guests must receive a confirmed ticket from Nickelodeon events in advance of the preview.

Introducing the Fresh and New Ninja Pizza!

Tweet

Hey everyone! I'm really excited today to show you the project I've been working on for awhile, and that's this brand new look to the website! (Something that has been long, long overdue.) Pretty much every part of the site has gotten way cooler. So please, poke around and check all of it out!

I also now have a new e-mail address: rosemary@ninjapizza.net. The old one will still work, but this is now my preferred address for matters concerning the site.

If you're not yet aware, Ninja Pizza has active accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and YouTube that you should check out and follow/like/subscribe to. I'll be making an effort to deliver regular, unique content to each of those channels. But of course, all the news you need to know will be delivered right here on the blog, as always.

That said, we're only two weeks away from San Diego Comic-Con! Details for the Con are still vague, but there should be some news to report from Nickelodeon and IDW about their upcoming projects. For anyone attending the show, I'll post a schedule of TMNT stuff in a week or so (or whenever stuff is made known).

Thank you to everyone for staying tuned to Ninja Pizza for your TMNT news - I really think we're going to be in store for some fun in the next couple of years!