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Two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Matt Bors has been entertaining readers with his thought-provoking work for years, and now he's bringing his incisive commentary to Tromaville in The Toxic Avenger comic book series. Written by Bors with artwork by Fred Harper, The Toxic Avenger #1 (the first of five issues) is now available from Ahoy Comics.

To celebrate the new release, Daily Dead caught up with Bors in a new Q&a feature to discuss his timely take on Toxie, pitching his idea to Lloyd Kaufman at San Diego Comic-Con, his affection for The Toxic Avenger movies and cartoon series, and what readers can expect from the latest addition to the boundary-pushing franchise. Bors also talks about working with Ben Clarkson on Justice Warriors: Vote Harder, the new graphic novel that takes readers back to Bubble City and is also now available from Ahoy Comics!

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions,...

“Fortnite” creator Epic Games kicked off its Unreal Fest event Tuesday with the debut of Unreal Engine 5.5 and previews for new features of the massively popular video-game-building tool. Used to produce not only Aaa game titles, but also big-budget VFX-heavy shows like “The Mandalorian” and Tim Miller’s upcoming Amazon animated video game-focused anthology TV series “Secret Level,” Unreal Engine is Epic’s pride and joy and the service is adding more features to make it an attractive production tool for Hollywood.

Top of mind for Epic today was Unreal’s new experimental “MegaLights,” which “enables you to use orders of magnitude more lights than ever before—all movable, dynamic, with realistic area shadows and the ability to light volumetric fog.

“When I started at Epic 10 and a half years ago, there was a big void between the way you would create content for a game versus a movie,” Epic...

Pop culture might love nothing more than to toss big personalities together and see what happens, but not all teams are created equal. The Avengers might set their biggest box-office records together, but at the end of the day, they’re solo stars temporarily sharing space. By contrast, the central appeal of the Friends is that they’re, well, friends; split one off from the pack, and you end up with Joey.

Paramount+’s Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles seems, at first, like it might have misjudged where its heroes fall on that spectrum. Its first six-episode arc (of a twelve-episode season) largely separates the core four, losing much of the winsome rapport that defined 2023’s Mutant Mayhem. But it retains enough of that film’s zip to stand as a worthy follow-up — and eventually circles back toward a deeper understanding of what makes the Turtles tick as a team.

The Seth Rogen-produced film “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” was a tremendous commercial and critical success when it hit theaters in 2023. Building on that momentum, Paramount+ is bringing this newest iteration of the turtles back in a brand-new limited animated series. “Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” will hit the streaming service on August 9, the first new series in the franchise since 2018’s “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

The creative pedigree behind the show is significant. Between them, showrunners Chris Yost and Alan Wan have worked on every animated incarnation of the turtles since 2003.

In Wan’s case, he’s been moving up the production ladder with each subsequent show with which he’s been involved. He started out as a storyboard artist for the 2003 Ninja Turtles show developed by 4Kids Entertainment. For the 2012 CGI Nickelodeon show, he was a director for individual episodes. By...

This week on The Anime Effect: The Great Isekai debate continues, anime pops up in baseball and wrestling, Delicious in Dungeon gets a symphony event and more! Episode 25 of Crunchyroll Presents: The Anime Effect is now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere else you listen to your podcasts! If you're waiting to watch the video episode, it'll be live on Crunchyroll and YouTube at 7 p.m. Et. Listen or Watch on: Episode 25 Summary In this week's news episode, Nick, LeAlec and Leah discuss their favorite Sdcc moments, the Tmnt x Naruto collab and more before once again debating what qualifies as an isekai. This week's video episode features an interview with One Piece English voice actors Robert McCollum, Chris Rager and Kent Williams to celebrate the show's 25th anniversary and the arrival of Dr Vegapunk. All that and more, only on The Anime Effect . Topics Discussed in Episode 25 Crocs...

When Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem opened a year ago, it hit like a mutagen bomb. Despite our fab four characters of Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael being around for decades—this year marks their 40th(!) anniversary—never before had anyone really thought about treating them like… teenagers.

In the dizzyingly animated film, the characters were played by real adolescents like Nicolas Cantu (Leo), Micah Abbey (Donnie), Shamon Brown Jr. (Mikey), and Brady Noon (Raph). None of whom were old enough to vote when first stepping into the recording booth—a place where they recorded entirely together and in a style apropos of writers and producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The creatives who long favored spontaneity, and in this case the filmmakers wanted to catch the giggling authenticity of youth.

But you can’t be a kid forever, even if you’re a pizza-loving turtle in a half-shell.

This article is part of Collector’s Digest, an editorial series powered by:

From out of the shadows of indie comic books to the bright lights of Hollywood, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is one of the unlikeliest success stories in modern popular culture. Centered around juvenile ninjutsu masters Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello, plus their many friends and enemies, Tmnt has outlived most other franchises from the 1980s. Its cultural dominance of 40 years is asserted across comics, cartoons, big-budget movies, and, of course, collectors’ shelves.

What has given the Ninja Turtles their lasting legs, aside from their intense training, is simply the genius of creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Tmnt began life as a comic book from Eastman and Laird’s humble Mirage Studios, (so named because Mirage wasn’t an actual company and was based out of their apartment). In May 1984, the first issue of Eastman and Laird...

There’s no doubt that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League once was an interesting project by Rocksteady. But, since its launch back in February, the game has quickly become infamous as one of the first big disappointments of the year. Right from the controversial decision to even make the game a single-player live service title to horrendous character choices, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has left a fork for Rocksteady as a developer.

Fans have been desperate for a game like Batman: Arkham Knight for years. Many believed that if Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice followed the same formula as the Batman title, it would’ve gone down in gaming history as one of the best. However, there’s still a chance for Rocksteady to make a comeback by finally using the Ninja Turtles IP combined with its experience with Arkham Knight.

Rocksteady Needs to Bring a Ninja...

Masters of the Universe and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are two franchises that had a massive impact on my childhood – and now Dark Horse Comics has revealed that they will be bringing characters from those franchises together in a four-part comic book mini-series called Turtles of Grayskull! Super Hero Hype reports that the first issue of Turtles of Grayskull will be reaching store shelves on September 25th – and they also got their hands on three different covers for that issue, which you can check out at the bottom of this article!

Longtime He-Man writer Tim Seeley has written Turtles of Grayskull, with Freddie E. Williams II (who previously drew the Injustice/Masters of the Universe and Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossovers) providing the artwork. Space Ghost colorist Andrew Dalhouse is also on board, with the lettering coming from AndWorld Design.

Turtles of Grayskull finds the Ninja Turtles sent to...

Brazilian director Marcelo Caetano’s Critics’ Week title Baby has been sold to Dark Star Pictures and Uncork’d Entertainment for North America in advance of its Cannes premiere later this week.

Germany’s M-Appeal is handling sales on the film about an 18 year-old boy is released from a juvenile detention centre, only to find himself alone and adrift on the streets of São Paulo.

The film is a Brazil-France-Netherlands co-production involving Cup Filmes, Desbun Filmes, Plateau Produções, Still Moving, Circe Films and Kaap Holland Film.

Further recent Dark Star releases include 2023 Critics; Week winner Tiger Stripes and Fantastic Fest winner Property.

Hannah Marks started acting when she was 6 years old, after seeing her mother’s acting reel. And she’s pretty much worked nonstop, from roles in the films “Accepted” and “The Runaways” to the cast of “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.” In fact, just last year she took her first vacation — though she confesses to recording several self-tapes during it.

In recent years, she has also made a (forgive me) mark behind the camera as a filmmaker, beginning with writing and directing “After Everything,” The indie film starred Jeremy Allen White as a young man diagnosed with bone cancer who embarks on a new relationship, premiering at the SXSW Film Festival in 2018.

That same year, she landed the coveted directing job of the film adaptation of John Green’s beloved novel “Turtles All the Way Down.” The story focuses on a teenage girl named Aza (Isabela Merced) struggling with...

It's hard to believe, but 2024 marks 40 years since the story of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles began on the page. Idw plans to celebrate the anniversary with a new line of comic books, including a relaunch of the main series from Avengers and Thor writer Jason Aaron.

In the series, the prolific comic book writer plans to take the Heroes in a Half-Shell back to their gritty roots, bringing them back in line with the original black-and-white stories from creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' first four issues will feature a revolving door of artists with Joëlle Jones (Catwoman) kicking things off in a Raphael-focused first issue. The second instalment shifts the spotlight to Michelangelo with art by Rafael Albuquerque (American Vampire).

Then, in issue #3, Paper Girls co-creator Cliff Chiang will put his spin on Leonardo before Donatello takes centre stage in the Chris Burnham-illustrated (Batman Incorporated) fourth chapter.

Deadline’s Most Valuable Blockbuster tournament is back. While studios during Covid wildly embraced the theatrical day-and-date model when cinemas were closed, they soon realized there’s nothing more profitable than a theatrical release and the downstreams that come with it. If anything, theatrical is the advertisement for a movie’s longevity in subsequent home entertainment windows. Entering the conversation in 2023 were the streamers, such as Apple, who have also realized the necessity of theatrical to eventize their movies. The financial data pulled together here for Deadline’s Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament is culled by seasoned and trusted sources.

The Film

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Paramount

When Paramount Pictures CEO Brian Robbins was looking to revive the beloved Nickelodeon-owned Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird property Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the big screen, he got some input from Playmates executives involved in the brand’s licenses: they...

“Turtles All the Way Down” was always going to be a tricky movie to get right. Based on a popular, well-reviewed 2017 book of the same name by YA maestro John Green, the story follows Aza (Isabela Merced) a girl with sometimes-crippling Ocd — in addition to regular Being a Teen problems. It’s a beautiful story, but not one that necessarily screams blockbuster.

Green himself — who oversaw adaptions of his work like “Paper Towns” and “Looking for Alaska” and serves as an EP on “Turtles” — was hesitant about selling the rights to adapt it, he recalled to IndieWire.

“It was hard for me to imagine that a good movie could be made from the book,” Green said. “Also, Hollywood has a long history of depicting Ocd terribly. But because the producers were people I had such confidence in, I felt like we could at least give it a shot.”

Also helping his confidence?...

Lili Reinhart and Jack Martin aren’t seen together that often, but they made a rare public appearance while attending a screening over the weekend!

The cute couple posed for a photo while attending an advanced screening of the Max film Turtles All The Way Down on Saturday (April 27) at the London Hotel in West Hollywood, Calif.

Lili and Jack joined other special guests including Kirsten Dunst and Bailee Madison.

Turtles cast members Isabela Merced, Felix Mallard, Cree, and Maliq Johnson, director Hannah Marks, and best-selling author and executive producer John Green were also in attendance!

The movie, based on Green‘s book, tackles anxiety through its 17-year-old protagonist, Aza Holmes. It’s not easy being Aza, but she’s trying… trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, and a good student, all while navigating an endless barrage of invasive, obsessive thoughts that she cannot control. When she reconnects with Davis,...

Roguelike is one of the most popular genres in the last few years and there have been several excellent titles that impressed gamers. The most recent Nintendo Indie World Showcase revealed a new Roguelike game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate and it will be released on the Nintendo Switch soon.

The game will see the famous ninja turtles with a new power once again fighting against the deadly Foot Clan, which wants to destroy them no matter what. Nintendo Switch will receive the game as a timed exclusive in July. It was already released on mobile as an Apple Arcade exclusive last year.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate Is Coming to Switch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate will be released on Nintendo Switch.

Every couple of years, the most famous turtles on the planet have a peak in popularity. These last few years, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have had another opportunity,...

After the success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, inspiring a sequel and animated series, Paramount Pictures continues to go all in on Turtle Power. THR reports that the studio is now developing a new R-rated, live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

The live-action movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, an adaptation of the bestselling Idw comic miniseries of the same name. It’ll mark the first R-rated feature film for the franchise.

The Last Ronin is “Set in a totalitarian future New York City, the comic mini-series told of how the Turtles and master Splinter are killed off one by one by the grandson of the villainous Shredder and synthetic ninjas. One Turtle manages to survive, barely, and vows to exact bloody vengeance. One trick of the book was that it wasn’t clear, for a while at least, which one of the Turtles lived as...

The 40-year-old, kid-friendly franchise Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is returning to movie theaters in live action, in a project that Paramount Pictures is targeting instead for adults.

The studio is developing the bloody and intense graphic novel series “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin” with screenwriter Tyler Burton Smith (“Boy Kills World”) and Walter Hamada’s 18hz production company through his multi-year deal. The 2020-2022 miniseries — written by original “Turtles” creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, with Eastman and Tom Waltz developing the script — is set in a bleak, dystopian future in which Oroku Hiroto, the grandson of the Turtles’ arch-nemesis, Shredder, rules New York City as a totalitarian despot. Hiroto has killed all but one of the Turtles, as well as their mentor, Splinter; the remaining Turtle seeks revenge by wielding all four of their signature weapons.

The project is the latest and perhaps boldest adaptation of the long-running Turtles franchise,...

“There’s that great old quote about Hollywood: ‘No one knows anything,’ ” says Kemp Powers. “Yet everyone acts like they know everything. I get particularly frustrated by some of these trends, because they selectively omit things that don’t validate their thesis,” admits Powers, one of the trio of directors behind Sony Pictures Animation sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which made $690.5 million at the worldwide box office. “There’s always a selective omission. Apparently no one wants to see any superhero movies, but Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 did pretty damn well, too, with superheroes.”

Seth Rogen, one of the writers and producers of Paramount and Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (and the voice of Bebop) agrees, pushing back against a perception that family and animated movies might not yet have recovered from the pandemic. “Good movies prevail, period,” he asserts.

In this season’s Animation Roundtable,...

7th Update, Monday, 2:43 Pm: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles came out of their shells to send the The Expendables 3 cast packing to a rest home this weekend. Expendables 3 dropped slightly on Sunday to end the weekend with an anemic $15.8M, the lowest opening for the franchise and a No. 4 slot, even behind the poorly reviewed buddy comedy Let’s Be Cops. Fox’s R-rated comedy brought in around $17.8M for the three-day weekend (and $26M for the five-day). It was a lackluster weekend overall for the newcomers. Even The Giver (TWC), based on the popular YA novel, underperformed with $12.3M. The highlight was that Turtles, with a 57% second weekend drop, still took the No. 1 spot with $28.5M for Paramount. Guardians Of The Galaxy in its third weekend out was right behind with $25.1M.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros.’ disaster pic Into The Storm dropped 55% in its sophomore outing to raise its domestic cume to $31.5M.