In 1984 two unknown comic-book creators decided to parody some of the biggest themes in comics at the time. Black-and-white comics featuring anthropomorphic animals were all the rage on the independent scene; meanwhile, Marvel Comics was taking in money hand over fist with their band of mutants, "The X-Men," and its countless spin-offs. At the same time, Frank Miller had incorporated a new villainous group into his Daredevil comics that spiked its popularity--ninjas. Taking these themes, combining them with the age-old tale of radioactive toxic waste spawning a new breed of heroes, "The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" were born, and just three short years later the face of children's entertainment would change forever.
When the first "Turtles" miniseries debuted at the end of 1987, nobody knew what to make of it. With its absurd title and bizarre cast of characters, "TMNT" was written off as yet another forgettable kids´ show. But the idea of four human-sized turtles, lead by their sensei Splinter, a mutated rat that taught the four brothers the ways of the ninja, struck a cord with children across the country. After rerunning the same five episodes for almost a year, the "Turtles" got their own Saturday morning show in the fall of 1988. A few years after that, Playmates toys unveiled the first line of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" action figures, a move that caused no licensable product to be safe from "Turtle Power."
Their image was plastered onto anything that would hold it: skateboards, costumes, pizza boxes, trading cards, and disposable cameras; you name it, the turtles appeared on it. But after ten seasons on the air, three live-action films, and a touring rock show featuring the turtles "playing" various instruments to use the power of rock-and-roll to defeat the evil Shredder, the franchise folded. What was once at the forefront of the public's consciousness had begun the gradual trip to nostalgia. Several attempts were made over the last ten years to revitalize the "Turtles" brand name, however. A live-action syndicated series, several comic-book re-launches, and an anime-themed series all failed to reignite the fever that swept the world just twenty years prior. In early 2007 an all-CGI feature film promised to bring the "Turtles" back to their gritty comic book roots and hopefully bring back the Midas touch that has been missing all these years.
After spending the past three years sporadically releasing episodes from the first three seasons over six different releases, Lionsgate finally got their act together and released a season-length set. Even though it took them three seasons´ worth of material to figure it out, this five-disc set is an excellent collection for any "Turtles" fan. Released with the intention of capitalizing on the feature film debuting the same month, season four contains a whopping forty episodes and a handful of extras. Among the episodes included are classics like "Slash: The Evil Turtle from Dimension X," and "Plan Six from Outer Space." But without explanation, fourteen episodes from season four's fifty-four episode run are not included. If they were cut for budgetary concerns I don´t know; the only safe bet is the inevitable "Complete Season Four" set Lionsgate will drop on us when our pocketbooks least expect it.
When the first "Turtles" miniseries debuted at the end of 1987, nobody knew what to make of it. With its absurd title and bizarre cast of characters, "TMNT" was written off as yet another forgettable kids´ show. But the idea of four human-sized turtles, lead by their sensei Splinter, a mutated rat that taught the four brothers the ways of the ninja, struck a cord with children across the country. After rerunning the same five episodes for almost a year, the "Turtles" got their own Saturday morning show in the fall of 1988. A few years after that, Playmates toys unveiled the first line of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" action figures, a move that caused no licensable product to be safe from "Turtle Power."
Their image was plastered onto anything that would hold it: skateboards, costumes, pizza boxes, trading cards, and disposable cameras; you name it, the turtles appeared on it. But after ten seasons on the air, three live-action films, and a touring rock show featuring the turtles "playing" various instruments to use the power of rock-and-roll to defeat the evil Shredder, the franchise folded. What was once at the forefront of the public's consciousness had begun the gradual trip to nostalgia. Several attempts were made over the last ten years to revitalize the "Turtles" brand name, however. A live-action syndicated series, several comic-book re-launches, and an anime-themed series all failed to reignite the fever that swept the world just twenty years prior. In early 2007 an all-CGI feature film promised to bring the "Turtles" back to their gritty comic book roots and hopefully bring back the Midas touch that has been missing all these years.
After spending the past three years sporadically releasing episodes from the first three seasons over six different releases, Lionsgate finally got their act together and released a season-length set. Even though it took them three seasons´ worth of material to figure it out, this five-disc set is an excellent collection for any "Turtles" fan. Released with the intention of capitalizing on the feature film debuting the same month, season four contains a whopping forty episodes and a handful of extras. Among the episodes included are classics like "Slash: The Evil Turtle from Dimension X," and "Plan Six from Outer Space." But without explanation, fourteen episodes from season four's fifty-four episode run are not included. If they were cut for budgetary concerns I don´t know; the only safe bet is the inevitable "Complete Season Four" set Lionsgate will drop on us when our pocketbooks least expect it.
In 1984 two unknown comic-book creators decided to parody some of the biggest themes in comics at the time. Black-and-white comics featuring anthropomorphic animals were all the rage on the independent scene; meanwhile, Marvel Comics was taking in money hand over fist with their band of mutants, "The X-Men," and its countless spin-offs. At the same time, Frank Miller had incorporated a new villainous group into his Daredevil comics that spiked its popularity--ninjas. Taking these themes, combining them with the age-old tale of radioactive toxic waste spawning a new breed of heroes, "The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" were born, and just three short years later the face of children's entertainment would change forever.
When the first "Turtles" miniseries debuted at the end of 1987, nobody knew what to make of it. With its absurd title and bizarre cast of characters, "TMNT" was written off as yet another forgettable kids´ show. But the idea of four human-sized turtles, lead by their sensei Splinter, a mutated rat that taught the four brothers the ways of the ninja, struck a cord with children across the country. After rerunning the same five episodes for almost a year, the "Turtles" got their own Saturday morning show in the fall of 1988. A few years after that, Playmates toys unveiled the first line of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" action figures, a move that caused no licensable product to be safe from "Turtle Power."
Their image was plastered onto anything that would hold it: skateboards, costumes, pizza boxes, trading cards, and disposable cameras; you name it, the turtles appeared on it. But after ten seasons on the air, three live-action films, and a touring rock show featuring the turtles "playing" various instruments to use the power of rock-and-roll to defeat the evil Shredder, the franchise folded. What was once at the forefront of the public's consciousness had begun the gradual trip to nostalgia. Several attempts were made over the last ten years to revitalize the "Turtles" brand name, however. A live-action syndicated series, several comic-book re-launches, and an anime-themed series all failed to reignite the fever that swept the world just twenty years prior. In early 2007 an all-CGI feature film promised to bring the "Turtles" back to their gritty comic book roots and hopefully bring back the Midas touch that has been missing all these years.
After spending the past three years sporadically releasing episodes from the first three seasons over six different releases, Lionsgate finally got their act together and released a season-length set. Even though it took them three seasons´ worth of material to figure it out, this five-disc set is an excellent collection for any "Turtles" fan. Released with the intention of capitalizing on the feature film debuting the same month, season four contains a whopping forty episodes and a handful of extras. Among the episodes included are classics like "Slash: The Evil Turtle from Dimension X," and "Plan Six from Outer Space." But without explanation, fourteen episodes from season four's fifty-four episode run are not included. If they were cut for budgetary concerns I don´t know; the only safe bet is the inevitable "Complete Season Four" set Lionsgate will drop on us when our pocketbooks least expect it.
When the first "Turtles" miniseries debuted at the end of 1987, nobody knew what to make of it. With its absurd title and bizarre cast of characters, "TMNT" was written off as yet another forgettable kids´ show. But the idea of four human-sized turtles, lead by their sensei Splinter, a mutated rat that taught the four brothers the ways of the ninja, struck a cord with children across the country. After rerunning the same five episodes for almost a year, the "Turtles" got their own Saturday morning show in the fall of 1988. A few years after that, Playmates toys unveiled the first line of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" action figures, a move that caused no licensable product to be safe from "Turtle Power."
Their image was plastered onto anything that would hold it: skateboards, costumes, pizza boxes, trading cards, and disposable cameras; you name it, the turtles appeared on it. But after ten seasons on the air, three live-action films, and a touring rock show featuring the turtles "playing" various instruments to use the power of rock-and-roll to defeat the evil Shredder, the franchise folded. What was once at the forefront of the public's consciousness had begun the gradual trip to nostalgia. Several attempts were made over the last ten years to revitalize the "Turtles" brand name, however. A live-action syndicated series, several comic-book re-launches, and an anime-themed series all failed to reignite the fever that swept the world just twenty years prior. In early 2007 an all-CGI feature film promised to bring the "Turtles" back to their gritty comic book roots and hopefully bring back the Midas touch that has been missing all these years.
After spending the past three years sporadically releasing episodes from the first three seasons over six different releases, Lionsgate finally got their act together and released a season-length set. Even though it took them three seasons´ worth of material to figure it out, this five-disc set is an excellent collection for any "Turtles" fan. Released with the intention of capitalizing on the feature film debuting the same month, season four contains a whopping forty episodes and a handful of extras. Among the episodes included are classics like "Slash: The Evil Turtle from Dimension X," and "Plan Six from Outer Space." But without explanation, fourteen episodes from season four's fifty-four episode run are not included. If they were cut for budgetary concerns I don´t know; the only safe bet is the inevitable "Complete Season Four" set Lionsgate will drop on us when our pocketbooks least expect it.
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