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The Strange Evolution of the Original April O’Neil - TMNT Comics

The Turtle Nexus

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April O’Neil has always been one of the most important yet misunderstood characters in TMNT history. From her origins in the Mirage comics to the shocking secret origin twist, her story is anything but simple. In this video, we explore the evolution of the original April O’Neil, her changing identity, and the creative decisions that shaped her over time.

📇 EPISODE 236

✍🏻 WRITTEN AND EDITED BY
Javier S. Montano

🎙️NARRATED BY
Ian Smith
Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/ismithbwr

🔖 CHAPTERS
00:00 Origin
01:59 The exile
04:07 City at War period
06:23 Nanobot crisis
09:01 Identity crisis
14:42 Alternate versions
16:55 Behind the scenes

🔗 ADDITIONAL LINKS
Check out that conversation between David Choe and Peter Laird from ‪@CartoonistKayfabe‬
Peter LAIRD & David CHOE! Teenage Mutant N...

And the Paul Jenkins interview from ‪@TurtleTracksPodcast‬
SoundCloud: turtle-tracks-062-paul-jenkins

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20 Comments

@vonVile 5 months ago

So April is immortal. As long as she believes in herself she can't die.

@blackphoenix77 5 months ago

I really don't like the idea of April being a drawing brought to life, so I'm glad that they haven't referenced it outside of those issues.

@krank23 5 months ago

Meanwhile, in the cartoon: "Well, she's the girl of the group, just like Donatello is the smart one and Michaelangelo is the wild party person"

@marktheshark7588 5 months ago

I didn't know April was such a complex character in the original run of TMNT.I always thought she was created to add a pretty face in the TMNT comics and shows.

@IntMains 5 months ago

I've only ever read the early Mirage so hearing about the later issues is definitely an all time "what the fuck" moment

@terrysyvertson9205 5 months ago

the crystal probably came from space, maybe from the utroms

@tthheettrraasshhppiitt 5 months ago

April's one of my favorite characters ever, she is a staple of TMNT and I love her history, plot weirdness and controversies and all

@ForestsOfOdin 5 months ago

Can’t wait to meet April in TMNT: Empire City!!!

@TrojanGamer10 5 months ago (edited)

I always had a headcanon idea that the crystal is the Turnstone/Hyper Stone and that its effects depend on what the user uses as a catalyst i.e. a pen/pencil, a spectre, etc and its a small fraction of the multiverse itself, which can be as malleable as possible because of a creator's emotions towards a creation. The more a creator cares, the more detailed and lifelike even a work of fiction becomes. Thats how I view works such as comics and tv shows when different writers are at the helm of a project. Thats not to say its bad when multiple people have creative input but too many cooks in the kitchen can ruin a meal

@Collectingisfun24 5 months ago

This was great! I never knew anything about the connection between Kirby's pencil and April.

@LauraGrrrr5370 5 months ago

BTW I'd love to see some "Character Playlists" on your channel, i.e. videos covering different incarnations of the TMNT, Splinter, April, Casey etc. grouped by character.

@simonashtear2739 5 months ago

This is just my own personal theory. Kevin Eastman has a type. He would later go on to marry the spicy late-night movie star and model, Julie Strain. If you look at some of Julie Strain's early work and early looks, then compare them to very early April, there's more than a passing similarity. The guy was just drawing what he liked, and would later marry. The name may have come from his current girlfriend at the time, but the look was all Julie.

@matthewsimmons9277 5 months ago

Didn’t know original run tmnt comics had a Jack Kirby reference.

@gevdarg 5 months ago

April definitely started looking like Jennifer Beals to me.

@Albert_Nada_Retro 5 months ago

Based on the Thumbnail maybe Rae Dawn Chong should have played her in the original movies.

@mendlests 5 months ago

For the last time Kevin only based himself on the name, Peter even clarified that it was false of appearance and Kevin never contradicted Peter about it

@TravisTaft 5 months ago

Wait, do they ever go and find what happened to the first two proto-April babies over in the Kirbyverse??

@keithbrown8236 5 months ago

Great editing, love the change in perspective on comic pages, books and panels

@quorraquar2677 5 months ago

Loved this, thank you so much!

@TPhreak 4 months ago

The Kirby Crystal was definitely Dream's gem that was stolen when he was imprisoned by the magician Roderick Burgess. He could've also been the one to place it inside of the pencil holder and it consequently could've made it's way to the Second Chance store after his death when Roderick's son began losing all of the families possessions.