Sunday, March 1, 2015

Geekdom Madness 2015: Heroes in a Half-Shell/Chip Away the Stone

In true Geekdom Madness tradition, we're starting with internal disputes. It's Purple vs. Orange and a Battle of Boroughs!





Let's meet the combatants:

MATCH 1: Heroes in a Half-Shell

DONATELLO

One of four pet shop turtles doused with mutagen of sinister origin, named after famous Renaissance artists, and trained in the ways of ninjitsu by a rat. Wearing a purple mask, Donatello is by all accounts the "geek" of the group. He's not quite as smooth as his brothers, but he has carved out his niche as being far more mechanically and technologically inclined. As the middle child, he is often stuck in the middle of internal disputes.

Pros
* Skilled in the Bo staff, the only weapon with any kind of reach.
* Good with machines
* Comparatively stable and reliable.

Cons
* Can at times be a little shy.
* Rarely sees the limelight.
* A little too wordy to spout an effective catchphrase.


MICHELANGELO

One of four pet shop turtles doused with mutagen of sinister origin, named after famous Renaissance artists, and trained in the ways of ninjitsu by a rat. Wearing an Orange mask, Michelangelo is the youngest brother and self-styled "Party Dude" of the group. He's the one who is having the most fun on the crusade to rid the city of crime.

Pros
* Extremely proficient with the Nunchucku, arguably the most difficult weapon to master.
* An infectious positive attitude.
* Celebrates his biology and rarely hesitates to use it to his advantage.

Cons
* Has a naive streak.
* Can have a very lax attitude.
* Far weaker to the lure of pizza than even his brothers.



***

MATCH 2: Chip Away the Stone


BROOKLYN

A member of the last gargoyle clan, preserved by a curse and awakened in mid-90's New York City. Having never been given a name, his clan chose ones that fit their new surroundings. Brooklyn is at a very crucial stage of his life - he is the second-in-command of the clan and takes that responsibility to heart, but he is still relatively young and wants to have fun and explore the world with his friends.

Pros
* Loyal and responsible.
* Claws strong enough to puncture stone.
* Able to glide on currants of wind

Cons
* Often filled with self-doubt.
* Harder to disguise due to his beak.
* Must sleep in a stone shell during the day.


LEXINGTON

A member of the last gargoyle clan, preserved by a curse and awakened in mid-90's New York City. Having never been given a name, his clan chose ones that fit their new surroundings. Of all the gargoyles, it is Lexington who is adapting to the 20th Century the quickest and the best due to his innate understanding of engineering. He is often unsure of his place within the world.

Pros
* Very mechanically inclined; was fascinated by machinery of his time, and quick to learn modern technology.
* Claws strong enough to puncture stone.
* Able to glide on currants of wind

Cons
* As the smallest and lightest of the clan, he's not quite as strong as his fellows and needs rescuing himself more often.
* Must sleep in a stone shell during the day.
* The less said about an alternate-reality future version of him, the better.

***

Final Verdicts
In both cases, I've flip-flopped my entire life as to which ones were my absolute favorite character of their franchise. I've more or less settled now, but I won't say on who - this is on you guys, and I'm happy with whoever wins.

As always, make sure you're viewing the WEB version of the site and vote in the polls (remember, there are two now) on the right-hand side of the screen. Polls close Friday, and results posted on Saturday. Feel free to discuss your picks in the comments below.

3 comments:

  1. Have you seen the 2012 TMNT series? What are your thoughts on it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have not, but I'm interested in giving it a look someday.

      Delete
  2. Even though the theme song's not that great (I like rap music but.....NO.) and sometimes the humor seems too "current," the characterization, animation and action plot hold up well. Despite being in CGI, the anime-inspired wild takes look pretty cute and not at all awkward (unlike in other CGI Nickelodeon shows such as Fanboy and Chum Chum and Back at the Barnyard). I would recommend it.

    ReplyDelete