"Casey Jones" Fan Film

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Back on February 8, 2010 (quite a long time ago), a trailer for a Casey Jones fan film showed up on YouTube. Fantastically, the project didn't get left forgotten, and last night the movie premiered at a free screening in Austin, TX. Ninja Pizza reader and mega TMNT fan Samuel Barrera attended the screening and wrote in with a report.

In a brief summary, Samuel describes the plot of the movie:

After assaulting Cousin Sid during hockey practice, Casey Jones is kicked off the team with no where to go and no money to his name. Moving back in to his mom's house, Casey realizes that his old stomping grounds have gone from bad to worse. Vowing to change things, Casey dons his mask and sets out to let the bad guys know... it's HIS town.

And his impressions after having seen it:

Hilarion Banks gives a very convincing performance as the hockey player turned vigilante. The violence level is turned up quite a few notches and when the bad guys get hit, we feel it. Casey doesn’t just trip people with that obviously painful hockey stick of his.

Another great surprise in this film was the inclusion of Michelangelo. Though most people know that Raphael is the first to meet Casey, here we see Mikey, who is actually voiced by Robbie Rist, the voice of Mikey from all three films. Now, while I’m not clear on whether Robbie Rist’s voice was recycled from the other films or if he actually voiced the character, it fits in smoothly.

And the Turtle suit used is truly magnificent. While it doesn’t impress as much as the original animatronic suits, this is possibly one of the better suits I’ve seen in any fan film.

There are also many nods to the different franchises, including the first TV series. Many of which will make any fan boy as giddy as a little school girl.

You can read Samuel's full report here.

For the rest of us who weren't in Austin last night, the movie will be online to watch for free at caseyjonesthemovie.com, starting September 17, 2011.

Check out the original trailer while you wait to see the movie:

TMNT Papercraft

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If you don't follow the Ninja Pizza Tumblr blog (and if you don't, you should), you missed today's post of the above picture of some completed TMNT papercraft toys. I just thought the photo was neato, but the picture sparked some interest in the actual papercrafts, so I've collected a bunch that were on the old 4Kids.tv website for your downloading and building pleasure.

You can download the collected .zip file here.

The Ninja Pizza Tumblr blog is updated once a day, every day, with a different TMNT-related image. Absolutely anything can show up here, so be sure to keep tabs on it to discover something new, old, interesting, or just cool!

Full Scan of IDW's TMNT Ashcan

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Thanks to absolutely everyone who participated in the TMNT ashcan comic giveaway over the weekend. I've just notified the four winners and they'll be receiving their comics soon!

For everyone else, I've put together a PDF scan of the complete ashcan! Now, this is not something I would usually do, but IDW had mentioned on their forum that they would be posting the entire thing eventually, and seeing as they haven't yet, I thought I would.

So check out this preview, and then pick up the first issue of the new series later this month at your local comic store. Things are shaping up to be a wild and fun ride!

Download the ashcan here.

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

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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

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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

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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

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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.