Tales #50 is well underway and looking good so far. Here are some more Tales that didn't make the cut. Wasn't told why by the man himself, but I'm assuming it's simply because at the moment Mirage is still working under its inhouse rule, which is cool. Maybe next year...
TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
“POWER OF THE MEDIA” (Tentative Title)
Proposal for a Tale of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
By Tristan Huw Jones
Lauren Stanton (tentative name) was one of the best investigative journalists New York
City had to offer. She’d won numerous awards, having made a name for
herself for various exposés on the organised criminal element of New
York, but when whispers of a mysterious ninja cult known as “The Foot
Clan” began surfacing, along with rumours of monsters in the sewers,
that name became mud. Her stories on such topics were laughed off,
with people saying she should have quit while she was ahead. But now,
the underworld is becoming restless, as the various criminal factions
vie for power and territorial control after rumours of a major player
suddenly disappearing, and Lauren sees the chance to reclaim her
reputation…
We open with Lauren being blasted by her Editor-in-Chief. She’s been
working on a story looking at the recent rise in gang related
violence and believes that there may be a number of corrupt NYPD
officers with ties to some of the heavy hitters. Her boss tells her
to drop the story and bring him one on the “tragic” fire that broke
out in the Fifth Precinct a couple of days earlier (Tales #36), which
was believed to have been started by one of the local gangs. Knowing
that a couple of gangers are being tried for the fire, she heads to
the hearing.
She arrives just as the hearing is adjourned and manages Gordon
Miller on his way out. Not content to let her story on police
corruption go she confronts Miller, suspecting he may know more than
he’s letting on. He certainly does, but tells her they’re on the same
side and that she needs to be careful, as if she gets in too deep,
there may be no coming back. She says she’ll take her chances. She
also recognises one of the officers escorting the gang members from
the courthouse and takes a photo on her cell phone.
She uses the photo to I.D. the cop and it turns out he’s been under
internal investigation for corruption and links to local gangs.
Lauren tracks him to a nightclub, and after sneaking in, finds him,
and a number of other officers dealing with members of the criminal
underworld there in the club. She tries to get pictures using her
cell phone again but is caught and chased down. She just makes it to
her car and locks herself in, but the crims are relentless and start
trying to bust up the car to get to her. Before long, Casey, Mike and
Raph show up and kick some shell, but little do they realise that
Lauren caught the whole thing on the video setting on her phone!
Realising this is her chance at reclaiming her reputation and proving
to everyone she was right, she starts digging up everything she can
find that connects to the Turtles, including making the connection
between Casey and April, and when the Turtles catch wind of what
she’s doing, they have to stop her before she goes public with
everything.
In the end, Lauren realises that some stories are better left untold
and destroys all the evidence she has of the Turtles existence.
If accepted, this would be a Tale of the TMNT told through the eyes
of a completely new party, showing us how the media, specifically the
tabloid media, views the events of the TMNT universe. It would be a
stand-alone, making reference to a number of key “public” events in
the Turtles’ history, as well as linking in a small way to Tales #36
(to give the story a place in time).
TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
"RISE OF THE DRAGON” (Tentative Title)
Proposal for a Tale of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
By Tristan Huw Jones
NOTES:
Rise of the Dragon fast and furious Tale of the TMNT, combining heavy
elements of Chinese mysticism and mythology, with fast paced kung-fu
action and high fantasy. You’ve got the resurrection of a long dead
Chinese sorcerer, cultists, Jiang Shi (also known as Hopping Corpses
– they were a popular subject of Hong Kong movies during the 80’s,
but these would combine the traditional with the stereotype), and a
demon dragon who plans on merging Di Yu (Hell in Chinese mythology)
with our realm.
Though not necessary to the story, it would be neat to involve Chang
Lao from your story in the old Shell Shock TPB, though a little older
and much more disciplined and powerful (thanks to Don’s teachings).
But again, it’s not necessary and the character can be changed very
simply.
I understand that there is a limited amount of space for stories when
it comes to Tales of the TMNT, and understand that a two part story
isn’t always feasible, however I feel that this story would really
benefit from being broken down into two parts in a similar fashion to
Tales #3 and #4. I have included a breakdown of both issues, one
would focus on the Turtles coming into conflict with the cultists,
the sorcerer and the Jiang Shi, and the second part would see the
Turtles facing the demonic dragon itself. If you do like the story,
but would prefer it condensed into one issue, then that’s not a
problem at all, but I would be more than happy to write both scripts
and take a pay cut if that helps out at all!
Anyway, on with the story!
SYNOPSIS:
Splinter is in deep meditation when he senses a powerful spiritual
disturbance. In a secret chamber beneath the city, a ritual is being
performed before a huge statue of a dragon. A mummified corpse lies
before the statue on an altar, surrounded by cultists. An energy
force seeps from the dragon statues eyes into the corpse, which
reanimates. The cultists bow down to the reborn demon, which tells
them that they must reclaim a special talisman in order for him to be
restored to his full power. The sorcerer is suddenly aware of
Splinter’s spiritual interloping and attacks him on a spiritual level.
Splinter informs the Turtles of his vision and tells them that the
sorcerer must not find the talisman, otherwise the whole world is in
danger. With only an image from one of Splinter’s scrolls to go off,
Donatello suggests they speak with an old friend of his who may be
able to help. The group heads into Chinatown to a small Shoalin
temple, where they meet with Chang Lao, who has learnt much since
Donatello and he parted ways. They explain their situation to him,
and Lao informs them that the talisman is useless without “The Eye of
the Dragon”, a small gem that give the talisman it’s power, and he
knows it’s safe because he has it! Suddenly, the temple is besieged
by the cultists, sent by the sorcerer to deal with Splinter and the
Turtles (being the only beings aware of the sorcerer’s existence and
the only ones capable of stopping him). The Turtles, Splinter and
Chang fight the cultists (who appear to be under some kind of spell)
there in the temple, but they manage to escape with the gem.
Our heroes give chase, eventually arriving at a Chinese Museum, and
find the cultists and the sorcerer in a large room set up in a
similar fashion to the temple in Splinter’s vision. There are a
number of mummies and other artefacts in casings around the room, and
a large statue of a malevolent looking dragon dominates the room. The
statue has the stolen gem it’s forehead, like a third eye and the
sorcerer seems to be drawing power from the statue using the talisman
as a channelling device. The Turtles rush to stop the ritual’s
completion, but suddenly, the mummies in the casings come to life as
Jiang Shi and battle the Turtles. Leo manages to destroy the talisman
during the fight and the sorcerer collapses. Momentary celebration is
broken off when Splinter ominously tells them:
“Something is wrong…”
The sorcerer starts cackling, then suddenly bursts, unleashing a
demonic dragon!
End Part 1!
PART 2
The demon is reborn, and a cultist comes forward to praise it and
mock the turtles. The cultist is promptly devoured and the demon
dragon also mocks the turtles before filling the chamber with flames.
The group manages to find cover, but the demon escapes into the
streets. Splinter tells them that the demon must be stopped at all
costs.
On the streets, it’s pandemonium. The dragon is wreaking havoc in
Chinatown. The Turtles are more concerned for the safety of the
people to care about being seen right now, but the dragon sees that
the heroes are still alive and draws a flaming symbol in the air
which turns the people on the streets against the turtles and
Splinter. Chang makes a break for it.
Not wanting to hurt anyone innocent, but still wanting to stay alive,
the Turtles fight back as best they can. When things start looking
grim, Chang pulls up in a delivery van and helps the group escape.
They break away from the mob and give chase to the dragon.
They chase it for a few blocks, but it draws another symbol in the
air and two dragon-faced warriors materialise from the symbol. They
crash down on the van and try to get at the guys inside. The van
crashes and everyone bails out. The Dragon-warriors are still won’t
let up, and Raph and Leo stay to fight them, telling the others to go
after the dragon itself.
They see it circling in the sky and scale a fire escape to get as
close as they can. Splinter, Don and Mike confront the dragon, but it
scoffs at them and produces more dragon-warriors. Without blades, Don
and Mike feel the fight is useless, but Splinter is determined to
bring down the dragon. He lobs shurikens at it as the battles rage on
the street and the rooftop, but soon the dragon grows tired of
Splinter and swoops down on him, jaws wide.
The dragon swallows Splinter.
The battles seem to freeze as the turtles watch it all happen. Even
Raph and Leo can see something has gone wrong from the streets.
SHUNK!
A long, thin blade suddenly bursts from the dragon’s head, the same
place the gemstone was on the statue. It freezes. Splinter rolls out
from its mouth and stands perfectly poised before sheathing the blade
hidden inside his walking stick. Light and flame burst from the wound
and the dragon starts burning to ashes. The dragon warriors distort
and disappear back to their dimensions, the people in Chinatown
return to normal (without memory of the event) and Splinter has saved
the day.
TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
"NEMESIS PRIME” (Tentative Title)
Proposal for a Tale of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
By Tristan Huw Jones
NOTES:
The idea that the Utroms aren’t all they seem to be is something that
intrigues me, and a number of the readers, based on what I’ve seen on
the message boards and letter columns. This story plays on that, but
takes it one step further hinting that they may or may not be
responsible for not only the destruction of the Triceraton homeworld,
but possibly even their own!
The villain of the piece, Karnox Prime, is essentially a Tyrannosaur
version of the Triceraton, and came about through the simple notion
that if there are Ceratopsian aliens out there, surely there would be
other Dinosaurian races. And with the Tyrannosaurus being the
classical enemy of the Triceratops, a Tyrannotaur would be an
interesting creature to see played against the Ceratopsians.
The story is set loosely in the “Post Volume 2, Pre Volume 4” time
frame, and would really only make reference to the Transmat incident
of Volume 1, Issue 7. The only thing that would definitely put it
before any of the more recent stories involving Utroms is the fact
that this would be the first time since the Transmat incident that
the Turtles have come into contact with the Utroms.
Essentially it’s like an old issues of the Fantastic Four – a fun,
high-concept sci-fi story but with that slightly grounded, darker
edge the Turtles comics are known for.
SYNOPSIS:
Above the Triceraton homeworlds, Karnox Prime – one of the galaxy’s
most wanted and dangerous criminals, and believed to be the last
surviving member of the Tyrannotaur species – is being handed over to
the Triceratons. But even under maximum security, Prime escapes in an
explosive fashion, and he and his rag-tag group of intergalactic
pirates set a course for “Earth”.
Having received the final transmission from the Utrom taskforce
involved in Prime’s incarceration, a hidden group of Utroms residing
on Earth contact the Turtles for help, having traced Prime’s last
known trajectory. The Turtles are surprised at the existence of the
hidden Utroms, believing they had all left the Earth during the
Transmat incident (TMNT vol.1 #7) a while ago. The Utroms explain
their plight – one of them is the Utrom responsible for Prime’s
incarceration, but they can’t run the risk of exposing themselves at
this point in time, and with the Turtles having already come into
contact with the Utroms, they believe they can trust them. The Utroms
would normally try to escape, but with such little warning, they have
no choice but to try and deal with Prime themselves.
The Turtles agree to help, and in the dead of night, Prime’s shuttle
arrives. He appears to be tracking the Utroms somehow, and they try
to lead him and his crew away from the general populace to a derelict
building area schedule for demolition. The groups clash, but as the
Turtles battle the Tyrannotaur, it becomes clear that more is going
on than they realise. Karnox seems to hold vital information
regarding the possible involvement of the Utroms in the shattering of
the Triceraton homeworld, and also reveals to them that there are
more Utroms hidden in the human society on Earth than they could have
ever imagined, but his violent past may be worse than they’d been led
to believe!
Eventually the Utroms employ extremely dirty tactics to defeat the
alien pirates (a cerebral neuralizer – bringing the target into total
submission of the user), and Karnox manages to escape. The Turtles,
while relieved the danger has been suppressed, can’t help but wonder
about the revelations of the night and who should be believed…
TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
"AKUMA WA-MU” (Tentative Title)
Proposal for a Tale of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
By Tristan Huw Jones
INTRODUCTION:
This story is focused entirely on a young Oroku Saki, it also recounts how he came across the worms that were utilized in his resurrection. It’s a bit of a different stroke for a Tale of the TMNT, leaning a bit closer towards the horror side of things, with a touch of sci-fi, kind of like John Carpenter’s classic “The Thing”.
Just before getting to the story itself, when reading the complete comic, the fact that the young warrior we focus is Oroku Saki would not be revealed until the very end.
STORY:
A young Japanese man has been drawn to a small mountainside village in rural Japan. Stories have begun circulating about the mountain being cursed, and that monsters have started to appear in the woods that climb the side of the mountain. But what has ultimately drawn the warrior to the village are the reports of people returning from the dead…
After arriving in a village on the outskirts of the woods at the mountain’s base, the warrior is taken to a family who tells him of their young son, who died of illness and returned from the dead. He is also told about another family who ate fish caught in a river at the base of the mountain and became monsters. Their bodies were burnt out of fear. The warrior asks to be led to the river.
The warrior and three aids head into the woods and find the river. There’s nothing out of the ordinary here, but they are being watched by ominous, animalistic shapes.
They follow the river through the woods and up the mountain for a while, and before long, they are attacked by strange dogs bearing different, but very bizarre characteristics. One is monstrously large, while two others have strange, almost human features. The warrior disposes the dogs, but the aids have already fled in terror.
The warrior discovers tracks in the ground and follows them to the “cursed” village he’s been hearing about. When he arrives, he sees what appear to be ordinary townsfolk in the sparsely populated village, but after watching them from a distance, they are revealed as being horrible freaks, some having animal-like features, others are just grotesque humanoids (physically distorted in a fashion similar to the Shredder-clones). He is set upon by some of the villagers, eventually being overwhelmed by sheer numbers. He retreats into one of the houses and holds up for a while, Night of the Living Dead-style. Freaks pour in to get at him, but being the skilled warrior he is, he manages to escape unharmed.
From the roof of one of the houses, the warrior spots what he’s been searching for – a cave in the side of the mountain, just a little further up. He continues on, and eventually reaches the cave, where he faces a horrific monster – a disturbing combination of bear, humans and other smaller mountain animals that puts the Shredder-shark to shame.
The warrior fights with the creature, eventually destroying it. He ventures into the cave where he finds a large chamber holding what appears to be a meteorite of some sort. An eerie glow seeps out through cracks in its surface, but there are worms everywhere. The warrior picks one out of the surface of the meteor and grins.
Cut to outside where a helicopter approaches. A group of Foot Soldiers greet the warrior, as do two Elite and a rather well dressed Japanese man. The warrior smirks and tells them to get to work, as we reveal the warrior to be Oroku Saki!
