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Based on the phenomenally popular animated TV show by Nickelodeon, Panini’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic launched in 2013. Printed in the UK and translated all over Europe, it’s gone on to become one of the UK’s best-selling originated comics for children.
Writing comics for children is no different from writing for adults. What many adults don’t realise is that children’s media has come a long, long way since the 1980s. Thanks to the sophistication of movies by Pixar, Disney and DreamWorks (every one of them a masterclass in visual storytelling) and TV shows like Turtles and Star Wars Rebels, it’s no longer enough to just fill the page with lasers, monsters and characters punching each other because it’s ‘just for the kids’ (there shouldn’t be a ‘just’ in that phrase, IMO).
Comics for children have to be as rigorous in terms of drama as any adult story. The gags have to work, the characters have to have some kind of arc and the story has to make logical sense (even when it’s completely crazy). With Turtles, the emphasis is on humour and physical comedy, cool inventive action, and the brotherly dynamic of the four main characters, all of which gives plenty of scope for stories. The main challenge is having to write within the strict guidelines laid down by Nickelodeon (what you can and can’t do with Mutagen, when the story takes place within the continuity of the series, etc), but I’ve found the TV show is so well constructed and its characters so well defined that once an original premise is in place the stories pretty much write themselves. 
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BIBLIOGRAPHYTag TroubleTwelve-page one-shot, with art by Iain Buchanan, colours by Kat Nicholson and Jason Cardy, colour assist by R. Hogan and letters by Alex Foot, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #33, October 2015.
The Purple Dragons have got their hands on an experimental spray-paint. Suddenly their graffiti can take on a life of its own, as the Turtles find out...
Robo RumbleTwelve-page one-shot, with art by Ryan James Neal, colours by Kat Nicholson and Jason Cardy, colour assist by R. Hogan and letters by Alex Foot, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #34, November 2015.
During a battle with bug-headed scientist Baxter Stockman, the Turtles unwittingly unleash a techno-chip that can turn humble machines into war-bots - anything from an ice-cream truck to a porta-potty...
Terror TaleSix-page one-shot, with art by Walter Carzon, colours by Kat Nicholson and Jason Cardy, colour assist by R. Hogan and letters by Alex Foot, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #35, December 2015.
The Turtles take it in turns to tell a creepy campfire tale that ends in the biggest scare of all...
King StinkbeakTwelve-page one-shot, with art by Bob Molesworth, colours by Kat Nicholson and Jason Cardy, colour assist by R. Hogan and James Stayte, and letters by Alex Foot, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #36, January 2016.
SYNOPSIS TO COME...
The Mighty Multi-MutantTwelve-page one-shot, based on an idea by Krystal Cheung, art by Ryan James Neal, colours by Kat Nicholson and Jason Cardy, colour assist by R. Hogan and J. Stayte, and letters by Alex Foot, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #38, March 2016.
SYNOPSIS TO COME...
Night of the Scare-Bros!Twelve-page one-shot, with art by Ryan James Neal, colours by Kat Nicholson and Jason Cardy, colour assist by J. Stayte and R. Hogan, and letters by Alex Foot, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #39, April 2016.
SYNOPSIS TO COME...
Cloud PiratesTwelve-page one-shot, with art by Ryan Neal Neal, colours by Kat Nicholson and Jason Cardy, colour assist by Randy Hogan, and letters by Alex Foot, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #42, June 2016.
SYNOPSIS TO COME...
Behold, Crab-Beard!Twelve-page one-shot, with art by Iain Buchanan, colours by Kat and Jason Cardy, colour assist by Randy Hogan, and letters by Alex Foot, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #44, August 2016.
SYNOPSIS TO COME...
Steam TeamTwelve-page one-shot, with art by Cosmo White, colours by Kat Nicholson and Jason Cardy, and letters by Alex Foot, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #46, October 2016.
SYNOPSIS TO COME...
Burping Alien Viking BikersTwelve-page one-shot, with art by Bob Molesworth, colours by Kat Nicholson and Jason Cardy, colour assist by Rob Smyth and R. Hogan, and letters by Alex Foot, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #48, December 2016.
SYNOPSIS TO COME...
Let It Grow!Twelve-page one-shot, with art by Lee Sweeney, colours by Jason Cardy, colour assist by Randy Hogan, and letters by Alex Foot, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #53, May 2017.
SYNOPSIS TO COME...
The Freak SeekerTwelve-page one-shot, with art by Iain Buchanan, colours by Jason Cardy, colour assist by Randy Hogan, and letters by Alex Foot, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #54, June 2017.
SYNOPSIS TO COME...
Game Over!Twelve-page one-shot, with art by Bob Molesworth, colours by Jason Cardy, colour assist by Randy Hogan, and letters by Alex Foot, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #56, August 2017.
SYNOPSIS TO COME...
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