The first TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES movie from 1990 is dismissed as a "comic book film" I believe solely because in the eyes of pop culture, the Ninja Turtles were famous for their TV show and subsequent merchandise, not the original Mirage comic book. This is ironic because the original creators of the franchise had more control and at least influence over the movies than they did the TV series, and the original film from 1990 has some loose translations of original Mirage comics from the early 80's, from TMNT #1 to trading Leo for Raph from LEONARDO #1, to Casey vs. Raph from RAPHAEL #1, to TMNT #10 with the battle against the Foot in April's apartment, to TMNT #11 and the bits at the farm recovering. The ending to TMNT #1 is merged with at least the spirit of "Return to New York" from TMNT #19-21 (all circa 1984-1989).
It isn't the first place, either. The 2k3 era TMNT cartoon was very, very faithful to many of those aforementioned Mirage stories and then some, but received little attention from the usual stock of comic themes websites that usually cover every episode of a Spidey, Bat, or X-Men show. Frankly, it is a bit of a mistake that the industry doesn't seem to want to let go of, that the Ninja Turtles existed before 1987 (which was when the first TV series started) and their original comics were very different.
It is a shame, but at least we the fans can make sure this error isn't committed within some of our ranks.
That said, in a way it seems hypocritical because many of us Turtle Fans, of which I consider myself to be one, were first exposed to the franchise via the cartoon. In 1987, I was 5, and I recall watching episodes of it before attending Kindergarten classes. So did my friends. It would be many years before the Mirage comics got a look.
Also confusing things were the ARCHIE series of comics, the "TMNT ADVENTURE SERIES" that started out as sheer comic adaptations of the TV show for the first mini and then for the first 5 or so issues before moving in a unique direction, from 1989-1996. Because this comic shared many elements of the TV show, like Krang, Bebop, Rocksteady, and so forth, some may believe the comic sprung from the cartoon, not vice versa. A little research isn't hard; the Ninja Turtles have an official website that is clear, but maybe this effort is dismissed, or thought to not matter.
(There was also that period of time, from 1996-1999, that Image published their own gritty TMNT comics with their own strange continuity, and even some action figures.)
I think a lot of people, especially those who were not little kids, i.e. the target audience, for TMNT from 1987-1996 grew irritated with the sheer merchandise, which naturally was over the top. It was a cash cow for a good 11 years. That cartoon lasted 10 seasons across two networks. In it's prime, which was about 1988-1992, it was bigger than POKEMON would be later. Anything and everything had a Turtle on it. Toys, video games, trading cards, cereal, PASTRIES, and so on. There was even a monthly magazine, that I naturally was subscribed too. Throw in the abysmal "live action" NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION from 1997-1998, and there was barely a respite of 5-6 years before TMNT would be relaunched with new comics, another TV series that has now lasted 7 seasons, and even another feature film two years ago (their 4th; one more and they will have as many Ninja Turtle movies as DIRTY HARRY). Resentment, or astonishment, or even bemusement, at the height of "Turtlemania" (even Barbara Walters interviewed the Ninja Turtles themselves), may also be why the roots of the franchise are dismissed.
Plus, the original TV show was VERY different from the comics, and letting go of lighter hearted childhood memories is hard.
I had been thinking of launching a TMNT 25TH ANNIVERSARY topic somewhere, but genuinely did not know whether to post it in the MOVIES forum, in MISC. COMICS, or in the TV SHOWS forum. As the wealth of well known material and the motivation of why many people became fans was the fact that for 18 out of those 25 years, the Ninja Turtles were a presence on TV, I felt the TV FORUM would be best. I just haven't gotten around to it, and PM'ing the known SHH Turtle fans I know.
While the TV show was what caught my attention as a youth, I have sought out the original comics at times, and am more than aware of their roots as a cult, gritty little semi-parody ninja series. In that way, the TMNT are essentially the golden example of what an "indie comic series" can accomplish. The original print run of TMNT #1 in 1984 only had 3,000 copies (which wouldn't even get it in the Top 300 these days), but has naturally become a worldwide juggernaut. 25 years later, the Ninja Turtles are still on Saturday Morning TV, still selling on home video, still have toys on the shelf, still have a comic title (sort of, TALES OF THE TMNT), still are developing video games, and still are well recognized proves to me lasting power. They may never be as hot as they were in the late 80's-early 90's, but the Turtles at 25 are stilling hanging in there.
I for one would always put the original TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES movie from 1990 within a Top 10-20 list of Comic Book films. As for the other films, less so. They aren't as faithful. The second and third films especially lightened up and got cartoonish.
t:
