I’m still taking it easy post-surgery (see earlier posts), so not much to say today.
Thankfully, tOkKa sent me this nifty image of Tokka — the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle character based in part on my character designs! — as he will appear in the upcoming 25th Anniversay TMNT animated movie. Thanks, tOkKa; I wouldn’t have known otherwise, and wouldn’t have thought to go looking.
Rest assured Peter Laird and Mirage Studios Inc. took care of me for this property years ago. Though I no longer have a share, I was very kindly and well compensated for my meager TMNT contributions in that one-time negotiation and buy-out deal, so I’ve nothing but satisfaction in seeing Tokka earning his keep anew for the folks at Mirage.
I understand the film (or a preview of it) will be unreeling at San Diego Comicon in a week or so? Keep an eye out, if you’re going. As I long ago gave up doing cons, I won’t be there, of course (so don’t ask). Even if I’d planned to go, my surgery this week would have knocked those plans off the table.
Thanks, Peter — and thanks again, tOkKa!
–>> i believe next Friday evening is the premiere of the movie.. spanning multiple TMNT universes. Not sure Tokka and Rahzar’s role in the movie. Perhaps they will be representing some of movie TMNT universe.
This design is rather keen .. it looks edgier than Tokka’s first animated appearance.
In the original cartoon he looked like a cuddly version of his action figure.
(( ** here’s a bad screen cap .
For so many silly , geeky, personal . and very sincere reasons .. this character is very important to me. Hell he’s pretty much lead me to discovering more of the Mirage Guy’s ,Ryan Brown , and the Bissettes’ work.
He’s kinda part of the whole shebang and a part of life and a little part of why i try to do any of the psychotic work i do with any level of brevity.
I owe allot to you guys .. and like Walt’s dreams and nightmares all started with a mouse. Mine kinda of started with that Snapper !! and that for the most part is a very good thing. Again it all comes back to all this being very special indeed.
( Sorry so hard to explain . )
Glad you are safe from your surgery.
I hope this it has not effected the ability for you to shoot lazers out of your eyes !!
KAZAP!
What amazes me about TMNT is that the folk involved seem to be able to keep the Turtles popular with each new crop of kids.
hey Steve,
Kris Gilpin here
this Web is great for one thing: getting all us old fanzine fiends back together again! 
I’m stuck back in Fla now (Orlando), taking care of my elderly folks & am writing movie crossword puzzles on the side for fun:
http://www.kentuckycrosswords.com/Movie_Puzzle_Index.html
(please start with #s7, 6 & 5, my best ones so far–with a new one every week–have fun with them, kids & please send them to all your film friends–thanks!
and a page for Chris P.’s Temple of Schlock blog, too:
http://templeofschlock.blogspot.com/search?q=gilpin (with more articles (like an M. Emmet Walsh interview, up tomorrow) & puzzles to come…)
but I’m writing because I & other old zine fans wrote in, in response to one of ToS’s articles & I begged people for any info on my old, lost friend Jeff (Wet Paint) Smith–whom I’ve been searching for for decades (& good luck finding a harder generic name to track down online
! & lo und behold, someone sent in some info & 2 or 3 links on, I finally found Jeff again (& Ant Timpson & others)! then I go to Amazon & pick up an old copy of Complex City by Jeff (which I’d never even heard of before)–in which you wrote the intro, of course–& you were nice enough to mention my name in it!! 
– so I just wanted to say, thanks VERY for the mention in the book, Steve! (I love getting mentions in print!) that was very generous of you!
thanks again, LOTS, buddy & keep having fun!…
yours in Naomi Watts love,
Kris Gilpin.
Kris, I just saw this (and the email from Donna forwarding yours), and emailed Jeff at the addy I had last year. Will get back to you this weekend — both my sons (son Dan and stepson Mike) are visiting now, so more later –
–>> In an interesting twist from the classic cartoon show , in the film : Tokka and Rahzar are realized as actual former Foot Ninja. When the 2003 Toon Shredder, Ch’rell the Evil Utrom Shredder (..it’s a long, long story ) conquers Shredder and Krang’s Technodrome from the original cartoon .. Ch’rell utilizes Krang’s stock pile of Mutagen, the evil Ooze that mutated the TMNT in the original show.
Ch’rell starts mutating a good quadrant of his loyal Foot Soldiers (( All human in the newer cartoon )) with Krang’s goo. Rahzar is the first to be seen transformed into a mutant. Later Him and Tokka are integral mutants in Ch’rell’s army of monsters attacking both teams of 1988 TMNTs and 2003 TMNTs !!
I guarantee you i was prolly the only knucklehead cheering for Shredder ,Rahzar and Tokka the whole time during the screening.
It was so good to see the “gruesome chewsome” back in action !!
O man ~!! !! !!