#htb-tmnt

[heretherebeturtles-comic]

HTB - Ch.02 - Part 5

CHAPTER 2 COVER - << Previous - Chapter End.

NEXT CHAPTER >> (In Progress)

Aaaand that's it for Chapter 2!! :)

[theelvishfiddler]

Hi! Curious if there's an update schedule for HTB yet. It's really well done, so I won't be surprised if it's a long time, but I need to know.

Hello! I do have a posting schedule for Chapter 1!

Cover, part 1, and part 2 (already posted)

Part 3 will be released on May 10th

Part 4 on May 24th

As for the rest of the chapters... ╮(ﾟ～ﾟ;)╭ I worked on Chapter 1 as much as I could in my free time and it took roughly 3 months.

Chapter 2 is currently in the sketch phase and I won't know the posting schedule until I'm done inking (inking takes the longest). What I do know is that it's 22 pages and will be broken into 5 parts.

I have the story fully plotted out and chapters 3&4 are also fully roughly thumbnailed. It is definitely going to be the slow updating kind of comic.

[hypertomboi]

Oooooo I’m experiencing so many emotions today

[heretherebeturtles-comic]

HTB - CHAPTER TWO

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

<< Chapter 1 -- Chapter 3 >>

Same posting schedule as last chapter: every other week on a Friday.

Chapter Progress Dates Thumbnailed: Dec 2023 (revised May 2024) Lineart/inks: May-Jun 2024 Colour: finished Nov 2024

This chapter is dedicated to my late Grandma. She was one of the biggest supporters of my art as a child and the supplier of many sketchbooks. In her last months she asked, nearly every day, about how the story I was working on was coming along. I never had the heart to tell her it was a silly TMNT fan comic, but her encouragement meant so much to me.

A big thank you to my patrons for their support over these past few months while I struggled and still struggle to get back on my feet. Another thank you to them for helping me choose which sketch to use for the cover of this chapter <3 You guys are very cool!

Anyway, I appreciate all the kindness during the long wait between chapters, I am excited to share more of this comic with you soon!

[heretherebeturtles-comic]

HTB - Ch.02 - Part 1 ♪

CHAPTER 2 COVER -- Next >>

This is the chapter where the "The art might fluctuate in quality and style as I experiment with new techniques for inking and colouring." part on my pinned post will come into play, because I sure am experimenting with the colouring.

[heretherebeturtles-comic]

Happy 1 Year Anniversary!

I've had a lot of fun creating this comic project this past year. Thank you all for enjoying the story and being here for the journey so far!

The line only version ^^^

[heretherebeturtles-comic]

HTB - Ch.02 - Part 4 ♪

CHAPTER 2 COVER - << Previous - Next >>

The call to dress up is irresistible to all turtle kind. Also wow, it has been so long since I first thumbnailed that page with April and Sunita... > evidence <

[heretherebeturtles-comic]

HTB - Ch.01 - Part 4

CHAPTER 1 COVER - << Previous - Chapter End.

NEXT CHAPTER >>

Chapter 2 is already in progress! It's a solid 24 pages. Posting will begin once the chapter has been finished. ( owo)b

[heretherebeturtles-comic]

HTB - Ch.02 - Part 3

CHAPTER 2 COVER - << Previous - Next >>

The girls!! Sunita, they could never make me forget about you. In an irl news interview she would not be just hanging out, but I wanted her here, so...

[heretherebeturtles-comic]

HTB - Ch.01 - Part 3 ♪

CHAPTER 1 COVER - << Previous - Next >>

This part contains some of my favourite pages of this chapter. Mini-SHELLDON beloved,,, can never get enough of that little robot guy.

[heretherebeturtles-comic]

HTB - Ch.02 - Part 2

CHAPTER 2 COVER - << Previous - Next >>

[heretherebeturtles-comic]

HTB - Ch.01 - Part 2

CHAPTER 1 COVER - << Previous - Next >>

These pages really show off the fact that this chapter was made over a three month period lol. I bounced around from page to page depending on my mood (background or character).

[heretherebeturtles-comic]

HTB - CHAPTER ONE

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

(This is the beginning!) - NEXT CHAPTER >>

Here we go :)

Chapter Dates Thumbnailed: Dec 2023 Lineart Started: Feb 2024 Colour Finished: Mar 2024

[heretherebeturtles-comic]

⭐ for the ask game. 😄

Here There Be - Director's Commentary

Chapter 1 - Part 2 (pages 5-9)

aka I had a dream about the turtles being hurt/sad/scared limping through a sewer being chased by something and it made me sad so I decided to inflict it on everyone else ( owo)b

MINI-SHELLDON!!! Donnie and SHELLY are completely running offline at the moment. Despite being disconnected from his larger mental server, the little guy is doing a good job scouting ahead and building a rough map for the turtles.

Pizza Rat <3

Page 5 - Panel 5 is where I first experimented with the painting style for the comic. I wanted a watercolour look, but a thicker paint look comes more naturally to me. Finding the right colour to fit the vibe took some time. I was originally going for a more sickly colour, but there is a lot to be said about the struggle of putting characters with green skin in a green environment.

Mikey walks ahead alone, impatient, pulling them forward. Leo supports a struggling Raph; by no fault of their own, the two dictate the slow progress forward. Donnie drifts behind, disconnected. Or maybe they are just walking in a sewer ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

In the movie, Leo wears his swords over his right shoulder, but here he has them at his hip and out of the way so Raph’s arm can rest over his shoulders. This is only partially because I kept forgetting to draw the weapons.

THIS PANEL ^^^ made me feel dizzy while I was working on it >:( I'm not quite satisfied with the final effect here, but I'm not really sure how I could have done it differently? I look forward to solving that puzzle someday with more experience.

Page 8 - The page where I felt bad \( T^T)/ what kind of monster would hurt them like this? Raph is trying his best to not worry his siblings, but oh buddy... Anyway, do you know how scary it is when your older sibling is injured? You can know that they are human and capable of being hurt, but that doesn't stop how earth shattering it can feel to see them fighting tears and down for the count. (my older sibling I know you just followed this blog, don't even worry about it, ilyyy)

In the series we see that they are all capable of lifting super heavy objects, Mikey in particular is comically strong, so the struggle here isn't being unable to lift Raph up, but in trying to support him while he struggles to stay upright despite his injuries.

I prefer stories where the characters get equal attention and screentime. Each and every turtle is going through multiple things the same time even if it's not stated outright, don't even worry about it :)

Page 9 - OH boy, some of the faces on this page are so rough and off model, but redoing the first chapter is the comic killer. Returning to improve the beginning of a story is an endless cycle of perfectionism and the reason many web comics and fanfics end. Plus! I think its cool to be able to look back and see the progress! To watch page by page as a comic artist's skills grow over time!

My storytelling style, while frequently lighthearted and silly, is a bit more down to earth than ROTTMNT's usual high comedy tone. I'm glad folks seem to be vibing with it so far!

[heretherebeturtles-comic]

⭐

ALRIGHT! I told myself I would write this as a reward for finishing today's tasks, so lets go!

Here There Be - Director's Commentary :D!!

Starting with Chapter 1 part 1 (pages 1-4)

First of all, everyone say a big thank you to my friend and editor OurLadyOfCoffee for double checking the spelling and grammar for this comic.

Any mistakes in the writing are my own fault for making last minute changes and not showing her before posting. If she had gotten her hands on this page "missing in all the time in this city" would never have happened ( u_u)... I'll go back and fix the page eventually.

Pages 1 & 2 (and 20) did not exist in the original draft of the chapter. I made it to the lineart/inking stage and the page flow was not working. April's narration felt too cramped and boring. I completely redid the whole 4 page section, and the end the final result is so much better!

Page 1 - Panel 1 had two purposes! One, the establishing shot, introducing our setting. Two, to show that NYC is rebuilding after the Krang. Its been a few months and thanks to cartoon logic, they have made significant progress fixing everything.

I love to experiment with colour as a storytelling device. I use red/orange multiple times at specific points throughout the chapter. It simply morning in NYC or is there something dangerous on the horizon... (figuratively)? The good ol' "Red sky at morning, sailors take warning."

Page 1. Panel 2 has a little 1987 April reference with the lady in the jumpsuit on the right. I was really excited to see a few folks point it out, even if it's not quite the iconic yellow jumpsuit. The colour had to be muted or the bold yellow would pull attention away from April (the focus of the panel).

Hello Junior, what do you have there? Something that won't get context for a while? These panels almost didn't make it into the final cut due to page/panel limits. I was very happy that the added pages gave space for it.

Page 2 - someone sent an ask a while back confused about what April was saying, so to explain the text in a more straightforward way: "the mutants that started out as humans have been going missing, but no one knows how long it has been happening or who has taken them. April has figured out that the non-human based mutations disappeared first."

that orange again, this time over the spots where the now missing mutants used to be :)<. I have no idea if this sort of thing is too subtle or not subtle enough, but it makes me go eheehehee and rub my hands together like an evil mastermind.

Page 3 - I debated whether or not to have them move after the movie. How much structural damage did the Krang do on their way through? What are the chances of the lair being discovered because of this? Would the city be too focused on cleanup elsewhere to bother finding it? Do I really want to design a whole new lair when this one is cool and we barely got to see it? In the end I decided that it was more important to have a familiar visual that the readers can instantly identify as the turtle's home. We'll see if there are consequences for remaining in a potentially compromised lair. :)

Despite only showing two rooms in the page, I spent several hours gathering references and building a layout for the entire station lair. I do not control the hyperfocus, it controls me.

Did you know that there are two different designs for this one archway in the main room? I love seeing stuff like this! If an animation studio with multiple background artists can have small inconsequential inconsistencies like this, then it's completely ok if it happens in my own work. It's relieving in a weird way.

PAGE 3 - panel 5 is another way I tried to show that a few months have passed since the movie. They have put some work into unpacking some of those boxes stacked in the back.

Page 4 - Hello Two Phones Jones <3

The Jones Duo! They both have a little outfit change :D! CJ has a rough edged jean vest calling back to the 1990 movie with 03 colours. Casey has a base outfit colour change to match and a cropped hoodie reminiscent of 1987, in pink ofc.

I do not yet have the skills to show the fight that happened in that shipping yard, so I decided that this comic would begin in the tense quiet after it. This also starts us closer to the actual plot instead of dilly dallying. Maybe I'll eventually make a prelude comic to show what all went down.

Aaand that's pretty much it for April's 03 style narrated opening sequence! This is where the intro theme would start playing~

Thank you for the star, I hope this was interesting! I make so many small decisions per page, it's nice to share some of my thoughts. :)

[heretherebeturtles-comic]

A little progress report for you guys! I am currently over the halfway point with inking the next chapter. If things stay on track, posting should resume sometime mid to late July :)

The chapter 2 posting schedule will be released with the Cover art.