April O’Neil Pre-Order at Entertainment Earth
I’ve never been a massive Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan. The comic never excited me all that much, I was the wrong age to enjoy the cartoon when it came on, and I played the RPG only a few times (most of my interaction with the game was sitting down and creating characters). About the only thing that ever did excite me about the series were the villains, which ranged from incredibly stupid to incredibly awesome.
Of course, I can accept that my own general interest in the series is far from universal. And I can understand why. It’s a wacky concept with some great villains and over the past few decades I’ve done a pretty good job of (mostly) resisting the urge to grab a villain or two.
It’s things like April O’Neil I never really understood. So imagine my surprise when Entertainment Earth dumped this in my mail:
Start Your April-November Romance
“…as April is coming out this November! The stunning Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles April O’Neil Action Figure Set features the classic comic character with a trio of Mousers. This set features April in both green and yellow jump suits, so you won’t have to worry about missing the best one! “
Can someone explain to me the excitement around this character? Is it a pre-teen crush situation or am I missing something major?
Those of you who are excited by this will be happy to know that you can pre-order the two pack now.
April has been a prominent character in the TMNT universe almost from its inception. She first appeared in issue #2 of the Mirage series as an assistant to Baxter Stockman (creator of the mousers, hence the accessories above), and she was often featured in the comics as a side character. But although she was frequently part of the team, she was never a particularly important character in the original comics. She only had a few issues in which her character was developed in any way: #2, #11, and a subplot in the Vol. 4 storyline. (Am I missing any?)
She was much more important in the classic cartoon. Being a reporter for a TV station, April was frequently used as an agent for the Turtles in human society, and she actively helped them out using her reporter “skills”. 😉
In the most recent cartoon and movie, she reverted back to her Mirage roots, although she played a more active part in the stories. For the storytelling, she mainly serves as a conduit that the Turtles can use to interact with humanity. Maybe she also helps to ground the Turtles and gives the audience a human character with which they can connect.
Admittedly, she’s a bit boring. There are a good dozen or so figures I’d rather see done before her. But she is one of the most prominent characters in the Turtles universe, so it’s understandable that she would be the first to be released after them.
I have the yellow version on preorder, so I’ll do a review as soon as I get it.