It is a real shame the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles never had a crossover with the X-Men.  Then I could have done an easier tie-in post for the movie.  I remember during the 90s, there was a slew of ads stating “Teenagers favorite mutants are no longer Turtles” and it had a picture of Cyclops and Wolverine, drawn by Jim Lee.  I recall thinking that you can enjoy both.

For my money, the Turtles have never been drawn better than when they were drawn by Chris Allan.   I imagine some of the credit has to go to Barry Grossman, the colorist.  When I think Ninja Turtles, without a doubt, I am mentally imagining Chris Allan.

Barry Grossman was essentially the colorist for the entire series, only missing a few issues here and there.

The writer for most of TMNT Adventures was Dean Clarrain, writing issues 5 through 40, and 42 through 66.

The title started off adopting an episode of the 80s series over three issues and then they started new concepts for issue four.  The original art is a bit rough on the eyes, and I would say skip all of that until issue 24.

Issue 24 is Chris Allan’s first issue on the title.  His runs are 24 and 25.  Then 28 through 44, 46 through 60 and 62 through 70.  I remember when I was buying it monthly and for those few fill-ins, being completely disappointed.

I own all 72 issues of the series, besides 53, 56 and 61.  Who knows what happen those three months of why I didn’t get those issues, it was a while ago.

The series ran from March 1989 through to October 1995.

The series is mostly known for The Future Shark Trilogy, which is an amazing story if you ever want to try the series out, I would recommend those issues.  I like a few other storylines :

Midnight Sun, 28 – 30

The Future Shark Trilogy, 42 – 44

The Black Hole Trilogy, 48 – 50 <- this was the storyline that I finally took note of the creative team, including the colorist, everything felt right with the series.

Terracide, 55 – 57

Blindsight, 59 – 60

Dreamland, 62 – 66 <- The sequel to the Future Shark Trilogy

Moon Eyes, 67 – 70

How the Turtles Got Their Weapons, 71 – 72 <- There is this whole issue with the creative team getting in trouble for getting pretty far away from Archie standards (the publisher of the series) and so they were taken off the title and these two issues came out as place holders.  Unfortunately, they ended the series.  I remember waiting for issue 73 to come out, and waiting once a month came and gone.  I didn’t realize the printing schedule and there was no Google then.  I gave up on it, figuring it must have ended at 72.

Chris Allan and Dean Clarrain have done work for Mirage, the original creators / publishers of the Turtles, for Tales of TMNT, and it is always nice to get additional work from the team.  These stories are in black and white and are gorgeous.  For a while, Mirage would hint that the third part of Future Turtles, Forever War, was coming but with the rights being sold to Nickelodeon, that story will never see the light of day.  Clarrain has the plots out there for the first few issues and I believe there is a cover or two by Allen out there to be found.

Chris Allan hasn’t done work, according to comicbookdb, since June 2007, with issue 35 of Tales of TMNT.  His complete work on that title are issue numbers 6, 19, 27 and 35.  When I sold that collection, I kept those issues.

I have my Kitty Pryde collection and my Adventures of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with a selection of Tales of TMNT.

From what I can gather, Chris Allan did some Sonic related work for Archie but I could never get into that series.

Anyone know what Chris Allan is up to these days?

Also part of my Ninja Turtle collection is the Image series, that ran for 22 issues from June 1996 to October 1999, when Mirage got the rights back.  I mostly love it for Raphael becoming the Shredder.  I went from being a die hard Leonardo fan to a Raphael convert right there and then.

This series was written by Gary Carlson and drawn by Frank Fosco, and it is a shame that this series isn’t held in any regard.  They did some drastic changes to the Turtles, to be edgy I guess so I get why they started fresh again.  Donatello became a cyborg, Raphael was blinded in the eye, Leonardo lost a hand and Michelangelo fell in love.

A great blog for the Ninja Turtles is :

http://tmntentity.blogspot.com/

I really like Mark Pellegrini’s way he sets up his reviews.  A recap, where it falls in the run of the comic, any footnotes and then his review and rating.

Besides checking it out on a pretty regular basis.  I can get caught up in just rereading his reviews of the

Archie Comics

http://tmntentity.blogspot.com/2008/06/archie-comics.html

and

Image Comics

http://tmntentity.blogspot.com/2009/12/image-comics.html

runs of the titles but he is covering every possible comic appearance they have made and he does his own researched articles which are always informative.

. . .

Big Brother 16 : Thursday – August 7, 2014

Who went home first?  How much fun is a Double Eviction episode?  Let’s find out!

 Julie wearing an age appropriate blue dress.  No goofy one liners, this is already a good live episode.

I like how the voice over narrator uses the superhero names.  Let’s get as much usage out of them as possible.

If Zach goes home tonight, they should just take him and Amber out of the title sequence.

Narrator said “double eviction night, baby”

Two members of the jury!  One of them will surely come back, as there are too many weeks left.

Never good when people stop talking whem you enter a room.  In RL and in the house.

Derrick has to talk Frankie down.

They sure are wasting a bunch of time for this first eviction.  The final HoH is probably not going to be seen or named this episode.

Houseguests put too much concern in jury votes.  They have to vote between two people, as long as you are one of the final two and played better than the other player, you just won $500,000!

Is that why so much of this episode is pre-vote?  Zach may not be going to jury first.

Big move, five member alliance – and four non member houseguests

Double HoH isn’t dead yet, just skipping for the middle of the episode.

Jocasta, wasting a bunch time on a double eviction night!

Zach did a poem, awesome!

I would also be plugging all my websites

The Votes :

Donny – Zach

Caleb – Jocasta

Christine – Jocasta

Derrick – Jocasta

Cody – Jocasta

I want more fun hallway antics

Hayden – Zach

Frankie – Jocasta

Not an unanimous vote for once

Jocasta going home!

Victoria – Jocasta

No way America votes Jocasta back in.

Zach being a bit of a dick with the loud clapping

I wish Production cut to Nicole’s face instead of Hayden’s.

Julie keep this interview short!

Jocasta was born to be interviewed.

Julie wanted Jocasta to repeat “expect the unexpected” so bad

Nicole picked the wrong week to be HoH.  Now, Donny and Hayden needs to win.

Quiz, so PoV will be the diving in balls competition that ended Jeff’s second game.

Out Round One – nearly everyone

Caleb, Christine and Zach are left.  Bye bye Donny, Nicole or Hayden

Zach out on Round Two

Round Four – Caleb won HoH!

Double eviction never goes our way.  Someone we like always goes home.  We forget this every time

This is the first traditional Nomination ceremony of the season.

Caleb nominated – Hayden and Donny

Come on Donny, win this!

Nicole needs to be picked to play, win it and take one of the guys off

Team America Task – can’t believe they are doing this tonight of all nights – we may be losing one of them.  The options – Convince a player to be a pawn and end up evicting them OR each member form a fake alliance with who they trust the least.  The second one is far easier and less costly.

Does Dylan McDermott have a five television series deal with CBS?

PoV Players –

Christine, Caleb, Hayden, Donny, Zach and Victoria

Yep, the balls are back.

Shoot Nicole wasn’t picked, there goes that plan.

Donny won!!!! Yes!!!

Donny almost died!

Team America Task is still on!  But will Donny even care anymore?  I wouldn’t care if he started sabotaging the tasks.

Donny is a PoV Champ!  He is also all by himself in the house.

Poor Donny is out of breath.

Nicole is the renomination.  She looks pretty tonight.

I rather have Hayden go than Nicole.  Not sure who I want to win now.  That isn’t true, Donny is my pick to win.

Victoria becomes the hot girl in the house, by default.  Shoot

Nicole’s speech should be pure rage

Hayden’s speech trying to blow up Christine’s game.  Poor guy is still super winded.

Nicole pointed out some decent facts, but not enough to stir anything.

Votes :

Cody – Nicole

So she is gone

Christine – Hayden

Maybe not

Derrick – Hayden

Donny – Nicole

Frankie – Hayden

Zach – Hayden

Hayden is gone!  Yes!  Nicole stays!

Victoria – Hayden

Why did Cody vote the other way?

Hayden got a nice hug from Nicole

Donny – Nicole – Victoria HAS to form an alliance

Nicole has to win HoH tonight!

My wife just reminded me that Nicole now has to pack his bag some time tonight.

Hayden and Nicole are nothing like Jeff & Jordan.

Hayden could be great as a return guest.

HoH competition will probably be sometime Friday.

Nicole is spreading the word she was given all week.  It really is her only play.