Hi Tumblr! It's been...wow, a while. I started this blog during the 2012 turtles series as an anonymous fan account. And here we are a decade later and I'm fortunate enough to be working in the world of TMNT!
To reintroduce myself: I'm Andrew Joustra, the script coordinator of Mutant Mayhem (and script supervisor on the sequel), writer of the theatrical short Chrome Alone 2: Lost in New Jersey and writer of the Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book series where I've gotten the chance to reimagine my favorite TMNT character, the Fugitoid.
It's been overwhelming and exciting to see all of the positive reactions to our upcoming projects and I'll try to post here more often when I can.
Did you miss out on some Tales of the TMNT issues?!? Don’t fret, the first two arcs of Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are releasing as collected editions later this year. A Very Mechazoid Summer releases in July and Fugitoid Frenzy in September, both available for preorder now! 🐢🐢🐢🐢🤖🤖
Happy Fugitoid Friday! Here's another panel from issue 6 that's packed with symbols, references, and Fugitoid on a skateboard! Let's do a breakdown of each one:
When we meet Zayton in issue 4 he's under a waxing crescent moon, representing new beginnings. In issue 6, he rides past graffiti of a first quarter moon, symbolic of growth and moving from intention to action.
The Latin phrase "Cogito, ergo sum," made famous by philosopher René Descartes, can be seen on the wall, which means "I think, therefore I am." Zayton is now confident that, regardless of his robotic body, he is still in fact himself.
The hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules) represents resilience and transformation. These little guys can lift far more than their own weight, demonstrating strength through perseverance. I also included one of these as an homage to my wife, Tina, who designs cute beetles (and gives me strength or some sappy thing like that).
And I had to throw in a nod to "Project 2501" from Ghost in the Shell, which we also referenced in issue 4. The manga/anime wrestles with the complexities of what makes us human (and blew my mind the first time I saw it).
The Tales comics are the ONLY content we're getting until the sequel in 2027! If you've enjoyed the comics so far, take a minute to send IDW some fanmail! Let them know what you liked & that you want more!
Our friends at IDW let Louie and I know that a bunch of you wrote in over the weekend giving love to Tales of the TMNT/Fugitoid Frenzy! I'm overwhelmed, thank you guys SO much for reading and taking the time show your support. It truly means the world to me.
The new TOTTMNT comics fulfilled my long time desire to see Honeycutt in clothes because I think he deserves to feel more human and be confident in his identity 🙏 fanart of his hotel attire and nerd boy swagger I put him in myself... also I love his cartoony smile in the comics, but I hate to admit, I always though his "mouth" was actually his "nose" he's like Jack Skellington to me lol. Individuals and print credits under the cut
The date totally passed me by BUT I read the final part of Fugitoid Frenzy and I loved it!!! Spoilers under the cut
I need to collect my thoughts a bit more, but I really really like the tables turning with Honeycutt being the one to come in and save the turtles. Him being accepted into Splinter's fold and given a proper mask makes me SO happy! He's part of the group!!
I also love how it ends on a hopeful note with him being with Zog and Lonae. It's not quite the life he envisioned for himself but he looks comfortable in his own skin and that's such a huge obstacle for him to overcome. I love love love this panel towards the end:
Despite everything, he still has a future to live for.
I've been really loving this new take on Honeycutt and I hope we can see him again in the future!
A moment over 40 years in the making! In 1984 Eastman & Laird illustrated Fugitoid wearing ninja gear and wielding a kyoketsu-shoge. Peter posted the drawing on his blog back in 2008 saying, “Looking at this again makes me think it could have been a lot of fun to do something like this in the comics.”
I wanted to finally make that happen in “Fugitoid Frenzy,” but it was important to me that it feel earned. At this point in the story, Honeycutt has faced defeat, regained his confidence and is embracing his new identity - he has become The Fugitoid.
The full arc is available now in Tales of the TMNT issues 4,5 and 6! Check your local comic shop and be on the lookout for the trade paperback with all three issues in September (available for preorder now).
So Fugitoid, Zog and Lonae end up taking refuge at a robot hotel in Amerikamura, an “America themed” village in Osaka.
It’s got a little Statue of Liberty, fun graffiti, streetwear, pizza places… and even a robot hotel!
When Mutant Mayhem was released a few graffiti murals were painted in Amerikamura. I went on a solo quest to find them when I visited in 2024. Though very different from NYC, this area felt like a small piece of home and I thought it may bring Fugitoid some comfort being there.
Don't worry guys - I already discussed TADC leaks in private and won't post about it until the episode's official release...instead, I'm gonna
Geek out over "Fugitoid Frenzy" #3: a review | SPOILER WARNING
note: this one is a lot less structured then the previous ones so you'll just have to bare with me
In short - I liked it! A lot! But, as always, I'm gonna talk a bit about things that bugged me first:
• It's nice to see the two talk their feelings through, but I genuinely don't get what Zayton's apologizing for here?...
• As promised, this issue did answer some questions I had before - which is great, don't get me wrong - but now I have some new ones. Honeycutt doesn't want to put his family in danger (makes sense) and went into hiding in a robot hotel (again, makes sense) but Zog is there too I guess?...Did everyone just assume he's a mutant so he gets to have a job too? Does everyone think he's a dinosaur animatronic and that's why he's at the robot hotel? Even the investigator April's talking to is more concerned about the existence of a robot with human consciousness then the unadressed triceratops in the room
Speaking of the robot hotel!
I'm so glad Zayton got a happy ending he deserved! Not gonna lie, I was fully ready to cry a river because of that TMNT 2003 vagueposting by the comic's writer AND all the possible outcomes of the situation me and friends made up in our DMs...we were so scared and cynical we forgot that "robot jobs" can actually be wholesome 😭
Anyway! Onto more things I enjoyed:
• OMG METALHEAD CAMEO I was so glad to see him, I wish he got a chance to fight alongside Honeycutt but it's ok
• Thank you Louie Joyce for giving us skater boy Zayton I didn't know I even needed it but now I know I do
• That part where General Blanque says "You couldn't just follow simple directions. How very human of you" is SO good
• I already said that before, but I'll say it again - that ending was really wholesome! I'm sure nothing bad will happen to Honeycutt again and he won't be kidnapped again by some other villain/delusional
Genuinely my honest reaction this morning MY GUUUUUYYYYY
Final score for the whole comic: 10/10 (with multiple bonus points just because it greatly improved my mood) thank god my copy is FINALLY arriving soon (yes. the issue four. yes only now. i know how insane it must sound to my american followers 😭)
It’s a bittersweet feeling; for me to reimagine Honeycutt truly took the stars aligning and I’m so honored and proud to have gotten the chance. I hope I did him justice.
While this story is coming to an end and I say goodbye to Fugitoid (for now) there may be some more Tales of the TMNT left to tell…
