Issue 54: Top 10 Ridiculous Moments (of Back To The Sewer)

Who remembers TMNT: Back To The Sewer? The cartoon was released in 2008-2009, the 7th and final season of the 2K3 series that limped to the finish line. At this point the show had lost much of its steam. The previous seasons had the Turtles battle bad guys in the year 2015. The Turtles belong in NYC, not the future. At least the creators ended the series where it belonged - the sewer.

Issue 40: Top 10 - A Turtle Tribute (Part 3)

ISSUE 40: TOP 10 - A TURTLE TRIBUTE (PART 3) 

The third film in a franchise can be disastrous. There’s a fine line of originality and familiarity a movie must walk in order to be successful. Audiences don't want a clone of the previous films, but if producers push the plot in a completely different direction, a box office flop is very possible.

The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a colossal success. The second flick also performed well and launched its own wave of action figures. The Turtles caught lightning in a bottle not once, but twice! Could they pull off a hat trick?

TMNT 3 was met with mostly negative reception when it was released in 1993. Critics and fans didn’t dig the Turtles latest adventure - which saw the green guys travel back in time to feudal Japan. But, the Turtles were still riding their wave of popularity and enough fans flocked to theaters for the film to open #1 at the box office. But, the damage had been done. The movie didn’t rake in the same money as its predecessors. This halted development of future TMNT movies. Fans had to wait 14 years for the wounds to heal…

Decades later, is the third film really that bad? 

Issue 33: My Wish List

ISSUE 33: MY WISH LIST.

Nickelodeon has served up a solid premiere season of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Our favorite reptiles have momentum back on their side. What seems like an endless supply of episodes (in high definition!) has once again brought TMNT merchandise to store shelves. Stand back and take it all in. Does this mean we are on the cusp of another TMNT golden age? Fingers crossed, but that remains to be seen. With at least two more seasons hitting the airwaves, there will be plenty more ninja nonsense from the green guys.

There are other areas to be conquered for a complete Turtles' takeover. There are specific things that proved successful in the past and solidified the Turtles as pop culture icons. If these guys want to relive their glory days, I have a Wish List that will make it happen. This Top Ten is a blueprint to their triumph - tapping into the essence of what kids love about TMNT. Nickelodeon, turn these wishes into a reality, and you've got gold. Nostalgic fans and young guns too.

Ring in a new era of ninja with a blast from the past.

Issue 25: Top 10 - A Turtle Tribute (Part 2)

ISSUE 25: TOP 10 - A TURTLE TRIBUTE (PART 2)

The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie was an instant classic and a box office success story. I've already given my Top 10 reasons why the movie is unbeatable. So when the time came to cook up a sequel, what did the Turtles come up with?

Issue 20: Top 10 Mutants

ISSUE 20: TOP 10 MUTANTS

Merchandising. Forget that the Ninja Turtles had a TV show and a few movies, they made their sweet bucks selling a haul of silly goods. A typical day for a kid in the 90's was surrounded by the madness at every turn. You woke up in your green pajamas, followed by a bowl of nutritious Ninja Turtles Cereal for breakfast, then off to school with your TMNT-themed lunchbox, eventually returning home to eat dinner off your Raphael plate, and then finally you would find yourself drifting into sleep between your comfy Ninja Turtles bedsheets. It was fun for sure, but to the parents it must have been exhausting.

Issue 17: Top 10 - A Turtle Tribute

ISSUE 17: TOP 10 - A TURTLE TRIBUTE

It's been 25 years since the original Ninja Turtles movie hit the silver screen. The film is plenty old enough to go into a bar and order a drink.

I saw the film twice in the theaters when it was originally released. Once with my Mom and again with my grandfather, good ol' Pop Pop. My Mom was wrapped up in the Ninja-craze, so she knew what she was getting into. But, what did my grandfather think? I'll never know his true thoughts on the film, but I'll always remember he laughed when Donatello spit water in a Foot Soldier's face. One laugh from a grandfather is a success in my book.

Now aged 25 years, how does Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie hold up? Is it like a fine bourbon - absorbing more flavor and charm as it ages? I've been fortunate enough to experience the green machines on the silver screen many times since my childhood. How does it hold up? Perfect - a true cinematic gem. I mean, com'on...did you expect anything else? But, here's a Top 10: A Turtles Tribute.

10 reasons why I still love this movie. And...GO!