So, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have returned to the
box office 2 years after their universally panned reboot film. While Out of the Shadows seems to have fixed some of the previous film’s
problems audience interest seems lapsed at best, mainly owing to the first
films complete lack of quality and the much more popular Nickelodeon show only
picking up steam in the interim.
However, I’m not here to discuss the failings of the new
TMNT movie as I didn’t bother to go see it, fixed income and all that. Instead, let us actually celebrate the
Ninja Turtles the only way a comic book nerd like me can: with an arbitrary
assortment of covers arranged into a ranking format so as to give the illusion
of meaning and import to my personal preferences. With that said, let’s dive into the shallow end and get the
cover story on the top 15 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles covers.
15.
This list is drawn from across 4 different series, one of
them being Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Adventures the comic that spun out of the TMNT animated series in the mid
‘80s. This was essentially meant
as tie-in merchandise and a way to recreate the stories of the show while
moderately expanding the universe.
In the case of this cover, I’m fairly the aliens at hand were linked to
the TCR ooze that helped create the Turtles. People tend to forget that but in the original comics and
the mid-2000s animated series the aliens known as the Utroms were linked to the
Turtle’s creation. In any event
this is a pretty fun cover.
The really great thing about the Turtles as a media property
is that they ended up so incredibly versatile. The team has gone up against ninjas, mutants, Cyborgs,
aliens, extra-dimensional beings, and all manner of other creatures in between
so throwing Donatello into a room full of classic gray aliens is a great way to
utilize that. I actually really
like how much the aliens aren’t outwardly hostile towards Donnie here. That was another neat notion in the
TMNT series, the idea that the various bizarre beings they encountered didn’t
have to be hostile and could just as easily end up long time allies as they did
archenemies.
14.
This cover, featuring the Turtles’ humanoid rat master
Splinter, is drawn from the more recent IDW Turtles comic. I’m still not sure what connection this
new book has to the original stories as it does seem to follow some of the
storylines but the design work and art is all informed by slick modern
conventions as well as the grittier realism of the original work so I’m not
really sure.
What I am sure about
is that I really like this particular take on Splinter and how well the art
style does compliment the Turtles.
Splinter is one of the stranger aspects of the Turtles continuity in how
many different origins he actually has but, for a lot of fans, I think
Splinter’s core identity is Hamato Yoshi.
That idea that Splinter used to be a person before he was
horribly mutated into a hideous rat man is honestly a pretty terrifying notion
and one that a lot of Turtles media tends to gloss over or simply excise
whenever it can. However, I like
how much this cover tacitly references that idea, with the eyes of a man
reflected in Splinter’s sword but slow super imposed onto his face. It’s a neat little gimmick and adds a
greater tinge of weight to the anger behind his eyes. There’s a sense that Splinter isn’t just angry at this guy
because he’s evil, but maybe he’s just angry all the time because he can never
return to a life where he doesn’t live in the sewers.
13.
Going all the way back to the Mirage Comics original Turtles
book for this cover. This image,
more than any other, has become an iconic symbol of the turtles and it’s easy
to see why. There’s something gritty and lived in
about the tone of this image, something unique to the aesthetic sensibilities
of the ‘80s and the way New York was envisioned in that era. The Ninja Turtles started life as a
parody comic, making fun of things like Frank Miller’s Daredevil and that
connection shines through incredibly clear here.
The solemnity of the figures, the grit and grime of the
surrounding city, those sickly orange windows and that burnt sky framing the
crooked skyline, it all screams of serious crime and drama in a broken
city. And then, on top of all that
gritting and darkening there are…four gigantic humanoid turtles carry ninja
weapons in cheap masks. That kind
of visual dissonance is the core joke of the Turtles and it’s hard to think of
an image that better encapsulates that identity in such a pure and singular
form.
12.
Now back to the recent series, with this really nice
re-imagining of Krang’s design. I
like that Krang himself remains more or less the same as he was in the cartoon,
this squishy tentacled brain creature with a really gross face sitting inside a
giant robotic body. I really like
the little controls they gave him inside his body suit and the way he maneuvers
the thing with tiny leavers and buttons, that’s a damn funny visual. However, the rest of the redeisng is a
really nice take on the classic animated version of the character, keeping the
dopey human head but adopting a heftier, more industrial metal design to the
rest of the suit.
It’s a nice way to balance comedy and genuine menace with
this character, which was always the point of the original comics this series
draws from. What’s more the actual
image on hand is a really great scene that just exudes menace and
villainy. Krang, metal hand
outstretched, gripping the tattered and discarded masks of the four Turtles,
it’s a chilling image of evil’s triumph punctuated by a big mushy brain in a
vat.
11.
Back to the original comic with this really cleverly
designed cover. If you’re not that
familiar with the Turtle mythos the thing you’re seeing is one of villain
Baxter Stockman’s robots. They’re
these freaky little bird bots that run around like sandpipers and have big
powerful jaws to take a chunk out of anything they please. They’re a really fun, really dopey
concept that’s a perfect example of the Turtles unique blend of humor and
genuine action.
All of that is a
great point in this cover’s favor but I put in on here mainly because of just
what a brilliant design it is.
Reflective surfaces in covers are a tricky concept but this is a great
way to handle it, really letting us get up close and personal with the robot
and reflecting the entire team in its gaping jaws. There’s a lot of detail to the reflection and it creates a
very unique and memorable image.
What’s more, the framing of the cover and how close the robot is to the
audience does a good job in tricking the viewer into think this is some kind of
looming giant metal beast rather than a tiny chicken-bot.
10.
All through out this list so far I’ve been talking about how
the original Mirage Turtles comics are a parody, which is because they were. The whole point of the initial books
was skewering the overly serious tone of modern comics and the cavalcade of
momentary trends like ninjas, mutants, and teens that informed that moment in
time. As such, a cover like this
from the original series shouldn’t be that surprising but it really is.
The complete shift in artistic style
from gritty and real to overtly cartoony and fantastical, the situation drawn
directly from classical cartoon set-ups, the “pie in the face” type approach to
comedy, all of it is a complete inversion of the Turtle’s usual style and I
really kinda dig it.
The Turtles would eventually find their feet in the realm of
animation, becoming a dominant pop cultural force well beyond the comic thanks
to how much the animated series embraced the crazy cartoon elements of the
parody while discarding the snarky dismissiveness of it. So, a cover from the original comic
that goes whole hog into the whackier nature of the characters and their world
is very refreshing and it’s not like you’re going to forget this image anytime
soon.
9.
Overall this cover is a lot more standard in terms of what
the characters are up to but I absolutely love the gimmicky construction at
hand. The turtle posing is pretty
solid and nicely reflective of how they might be set-up for a battle based on
their personas. Leo is prepping to
shout out orders and lead the team, Raph is ready to pounce and do his own
thing, Mikey and Don are held up in the rear waiting to see what comes next,
good standard stuff.
What earns it a place on this list is that really cool crime
scene tape effect that’s going on.
I’m a sucker for this level of gimmick conception in comic covers and
this is a really great gimmick, especially given the very urban nature of the
Turtles. Additionally, the block
red background color creates a great visual pop for the tape effect,
highlighting the yellow and helping to keep it from just seeming like a mass of
yellow taking up 2/3rds of the page for no reason.
8.
Man I love this cover, it’s just so incredibly fun. The idea of the Turtles joining up with
the neighborhood watch is a pretty ridiculous concept in and of itself but I
really like the subtle extra layer of commentary it includes. One of the interesting things about the
Turtles is that they were meant to skewer the bleak, gritty, gang riddled
version of New York that informed ‘80s comics like Frank Miller’s
Daredevil. As a result, one such
way of skewering that New York was to point out how much it was slipping out of
existence. That’s part of why the
Turtles ended up fighting folks alien threats and evil robots.
So the idea of the Turtles having so little actual crime to
fight in NYC that they just join the neighborhood watch is absolutely
hilarious. What’s more, the detail
on this image is just phenomenal, especially in terms of the exposed faces on
Raph and Mikey. This is one of the
few times we see the Mirage Turtles with their masks off in the classic books
and they do a great job of keeping them as monsters while also giving them
genuine emotion and humanity in their features. Overall, it’s just a great image that utilizes the Turtles’
nature perfectly and features superb artwork.
7.
Okay, full disclosure here, I have no idea why Donatello is
carrying a giant rock cut out of ‘1492’ in this picture. One might assume it’s meant as a
metaphor for him symbolically carrying the weight of that year on his back
though I have no idea why Donnie would be carrying the weight of 1492.
It could imply some time travel
shenanigans, which would make sense and could maybe explain why he’s carrying
the fate of that year on his back.
But, for all I know this is literally what happens in the actual issue
itself and this is just a random story about Donnie transporting some giant
stone numbers because Splinter thought it’d be a hilarious prank.
That’s something I absolutely love about these covers,
there’s so much awareness of the conventions of comic covers and a playfulness
about their own nature and existence that you can create a joke out of
something that might’ve been intended to be serious.
What’s more, the level of detail and style on this art is
phenomenal. Everything from the
shading on Donnie’s outfit to the textured cracking of the numbers is
beautifully rendered in immaculate levels of depth. Throw in some
of the crispest coloring I’ve ever seen and this is honestly an all time great
of cover creation.
6.
Like I said, there’s a playfulness to the Turtles covers
that’s just delightful. Humor
comics are, overall, a very bizarre bread of book and one that’s rarer than one
might think. The bigger names in
the genre tend to be more modern entries like Deadpool or Preacher but
the Ninja Turtles are a major force in the genre and draw on even older
influences like Howard the Duck This particular pop culture reference
is a pretty unique thing to pop up in their collection of covers but I’m glad
it did because it’s pretty hilarious.
I don’t know why there are only three of the Turtles on hand
for this particular mission, forcing frequently collaborator Casey Jones to
fill in the 4th spot, but it’s a fun image regardless. I like that even dressed as gangsters
the Turtles are still sporting individualized weapons, also Raph’s bowler hat
is adorable. This is another
example of how well the gritty and detailed style of artwork can compliment a
more ludicrous and ridiculous image.
Even the name of this cover speaks to a cartoon origin, using the same
play on The Untouchables as Bugs
Bunny did in an episode of Looney Tunes.
5.
This is one of the few covers from the fourth series I
mentioned Tales of the TMNT. I don’t really know why I ended up with
so few covers from that particular entry that’s just the way it happened to
shake out but this cover is absolute dynamite. April has been pretty well absent from most of these covers
so far so it’s good she got to be in one before the end and this is a pretty
interesting take on how to incorporate her into the cover.
There are a lot of great elements here but by far my
favorite is the lighting and color blending on display here. The neon blue and hot pink blending
across the cover is phenomenal and exudes a kind of ‘80s color palette that’s a
perfect fit for the Turtles. All
of it’s framed against this great black background that makes the neon pop even
more. The concept makes for a
great inversion inside the photos as well, with the turtles shrouded in
darkness that pops against the neon background of their surroundings. Just a really well crafted image all
around.
4.
Back to the animated series tie-in comic, this may be one of
the greatest images the Turtles have ever been a part of. In case it’s not obvious, this cover
depicts a humanoid shark covered in belts and pouches inside of a giant
insectoid mech complete with 2 opposable hands. This is just so beautifully ludicrous I’m not sure I have
the words for it. It was actually
pretty rare that the Turtles would go full pants on head crazy like this so
when they did it was all the greater for the saved up lunacy they had from all
the times they chose quiet reservation over noisy insanity.
Actually, this image bares even greater significance for me
as I was never really a fan of the Turtles growing up, instead favoring their
‘90s rip-off counter part: the Street Sharks. I’m not sure if the Future Shark trilogy (yes, that’s really
what this is called) was meant as a Street Sharks slam, probably not given how
late into the Turtles’ lifespan the Sharks popped up, but it’s a pretty damn
serendipitous occurrence all the same.
Other little bit of trivia about this Shark’s amazing mech design is
that aside from the gigantic tank it sits in, it has a fin on top of the robots
heady for apparently no reason other than making it clear it’s a shark. That’s how you build a robot right
there.
3.
Damn…I mean, just…wow, this all got sad really quickly. Remember, this is still the animated
tie-in comic TMNT Adventures; this
was made for children. I guess
someone just decided that Mickey, the funny goofball Turtle, getting blinded
and enslaved by the US government for nefarious purposes was the perfect
storyline for the children.
Incidentally, if you’re wondering how I know which Turtle this is it’s
thanks to the inter-title logo at the top of the cover.
I’m not really sure what “Blind Sight” means but presumably
it’s why Mickey can see in issues that came out after this downer fest but the
nun-chucks in that logo clearly indicate that Michelangelo is the one whose
gone blind/was blinded. Even
though the main Turtles comic was a parody and the adjunct universe was
intended for children I like that they were still occasionally willing to get
serious with stories like this one.
The fun and games are all great but without the occasional darker tone
none of it can really mean anything and ends up as empty and one-not as the
dark and gritty comics the Turtles were created to mock.
2.
Speaking of dark and scary, this is an amazing cover and
probably my favorite out of the entire Adventures
comic run. I’m fairly certain the
giant looming Turtle using Earth as a matchbook is Slash, a turtle powered
enemy of the main heroes. This
whole saga, Terracide, was a great example of how dark the Turtle comics were
willing to get when they wanted to go about it on their own terms. Much like the various Silver and Bronze
age comics that inspired the Turtles, the idea of dark storytelling in TMNT is
based around the scope of destruction within a universe where nearly anything
is possible.
The story at hand involves time travel and future versions of
the Turtles trying to avert a major crisis that threatens to end the world, as
indicated by the term Terracide, literally meaning, “to kill the earth.” This cover is a great embodiment of
that kind of blending between the dark and fantastical. Slash is monstrous in his realization
but still with a cartoonish bent like his pointy triangle teeth. The metaphor of the cover is a great
blend of elements as well, with Earth being crushed in Slash’s hand while also
burning, further obfuscating the level of literalization at hand. For a tie-in product to an animated
children’s show this is really one of the best covers I’ve ever seen.
1.
It’s weird that for the best TMNT cover I’d go with
something that wasn’t dark and serious or really all that funny or jokey, but
something more somber and pretty contemplative honestly. I’m actually kind of hard pressed to
say exactly what it is about this absolutely beautiful cover from the modern
series I find just so compelling but it’s there whatever it is.
Maybe it’s the juxtaposition inherent
to this image, having Mickey, the funny jokester Turtle, sitting along, quietly
with his thoughts is a real shell shock to the system in terms of
expectation. Though, at the same time,
this kind of switch would fit with some elements of Mickey’s character. Part of the reason he likes to joke
around is that it’s easier to feel safe that way, that acting silly can make it
easier to stare death in the face in the midst of a vast conflict that he had
no part in starting.
The visual reminds me a lot of the 1st Ninja
Turtles movie, specifically the 2nd act digression with the
characters all chill out on a farm a together. It’s quiet and soft but it’s also moving and hinged very
heavily to the kind of loneliness these characters would be experiencing as
they try and carve out an identity against the backdrop of a world that fears
them and a conflict they inherited.
Maybe that, that search for personal identity, is why this cover is so
powerful and impactful to me, because it’s the only one that tries to emphasize
the teenage part of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
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