Stop Motion Usagi Yojimbo Is The Fan Tribute Stan Sakai Deserves

While not directly related to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this fan tribute couldn't be more timely with Michael Bay's big screen adaptation. As a kid, I first learned of the Usagi Yojimbo comics through the animated series, in which the turtles travel through dimensions and meet Usagi. It was a rad concept then, and still an equally rad concept now, but also a concept that I'm glad Michael Bay never touched with his newest film.

The Last Request is a fan tribute to Stan Sakai's original character, and while there aren't massive explosions and Megan Fox cameos, Lintika Films holds the feel fans of Usagi Yojimbo have come to expect. The above short, originally created as a proof of concept for Sakai has since been approved for a full length film.

With about 90% of the film completed the small team at Lintika Films has their work cut out for them, with a DVD release planned after the film's completion. It's not everyday a comic book creator gives their thumbs up for a fan project, especially for a character as iconic as Usagi, but it's alway pleasant to see the acknowledgement from the creator. If you'd like to learn more on the full length film you can check out their Facebook over here.

Gallery Nucleus Teases Some Imagery From "Heroes In A Half Shell - A TMNT Tribute"

(Via)

LA's Gallery Nucleus is currently gearing up for the premiere of their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles exhibit, and we've actually stumbled into a few amazing images floating around on Tumblr from the likes of AwesomeRobo faves Reyyyy and Sachin Teng.

They both created some fantastic takes on the entire TMNT squad, Krang, Master Splinter and a few others. The exhibit will feature over 60 pieces of tribute art and will launch July 12th and run till August 3rd, so if you happen to be in LA be sure to check the show out! And as a full disclaimer, this has nothing to do with the Bay produced reboot, and is sponsored by the Nickelodeon CG show. Check out Sachin's awesome pieces after the break!

10 Fanmade Versions Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles We'd Rather See

We've all seen it at this point. A trailer featuring the Michael Bay produced version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And in general, our response was pretty much in line with the rest of the internet. Confusion, a little bit of anger, a bunch of Shrek jokes thrown about liberally. In this day and age it seems warranted to be concerned about Michael Bay getting his hands on anything, as historically he's shown us the ability to drain the soul out of properties he touches (Transformers 1-4). And after watching the gritty trailer and the telltale signs of a style filled with flash but no substance, seeing Megan Fox recast as April O' Neill..It seems like this world exists in the exact same realm as the ill-fated reincarnations of the Autobots and the Decepticons (The merchandising did amazing though).

It's not the worst thing we've seen, and it might be half decent- But the overly designed reimaginings of these Turtles sure do bug the hell of us. Why did they feel the need to push the iconic turtles designs into an uncanny territory by giving them more humanoid features? As a result we've spent the last few days scouring the internet for artists who probably could have done it better, if only they'd been offered the chance. Joining the fight against terrible reboots, we present our top ten fanmade takes on the Turtles after the break!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tribute

Malcolm Sutherland's awesome animated tribute to the turtles absolutely rocked my world, and if you're left wondering just how in the hell this has anything to with the series, here's why: Malcom Sutherland paid tribute to the original, black and white comics prior to the series taking off and becoming the classic cartoon. And I have to say, major props to him for managing to translate that visual look into an animated style. As Sutherland put it:

'A tribute to the Ninja Turtles.. ever since I read the original black and white comics as a kid I have been a fan. In TMNT Vol. 1 by Mirage Studios they frequently had guest artists and almost every comic was a totally different style. Those books are so beautiful, and are so intense and full of magic that they left a deep mark on me. Anyway, I always wanted to do a TMNT comic myself, but in the meantime here is a fan animation instead. I know its super nerdy to make fan videos but I don't care, making this was like my 10 year old dreams come true. '