SpiderBaby Archives: Lockjaw (Pre-Tokka Designs for a Low-Budget Monster Movie) – Lockjaw the Loggerhead (( 1990 )) [[ Art by & EXTRA Special thank you to S.R. Bissette ]]

–>> ..Steve Bissette is not only a legend, he’s just damn awesome !!

“Here’s a blast from my checkered past. Meet Lockjaw the Loggerhead!

This was drawn in May 1990 for a proposed low-budget monster movie — to be shot in Ohio, if memory serves, and my connection was via my friend Ryan Brown (of TMNT, Bog and Cowboys of Moo Mesa fame). It was, to my knowledge, never made, and nothing ever came of this. I’d forgotten completely about it until I turned up these drawings unpacking the archives this weekend!

I even sketched some ideas for how Lockjaw might be realized as a full-sized monster suit with animatronic puppet heads for closeups.

Lockjaw was drawn just one month after I had submitted a similar concept (at the time rejected, or so I thought) for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toy concept, Terrorpin the Terrible…

Clearly, I was intent upon somebody, somewhere recognizing the overlooked monster potential in ‘casting’ a snapping turtle hybrid in some sort of villainous role!

For more on Terrorpin and his history, see this May 2009 Myrant post (scroll down past the CCS graduation portion of this post).

Of course, all these snapping-turtle monster dreams finally manifest at Mirage Studios as Tokka – and here’s his latest incarnation in the new animated TMNT movie.

After all this, I eventually ‘cast’ a prehistoric turtle in a key role in S.R. Bissette’s Tyrant® (see Tyrant #4). These obsessions always find an expression in a story at some point.  ” – S.R. Bissette

Like i’ve said ..  “Tokka is the Kevin Bacon of  TMNT”. It’s all connected to the Snapper, baby !!

Clearly .. as of this posting and revelation , you can see the love for classic Kaiju and Giant Monsters ( especially TURTLE-ey ones ) and that influence on so much of Bissette’s, Ryan Brown’s , Steve Murphy’s   and Mirage’s work !! !!

~t

Lockjaw the Loggerhead artwork ©1990, 2009 Stephen R. Bissette. Terror-Pin/Tokka © and TM 1990, 1991, 2009 Mirage Studios, Inc., per revised legal agreement with Mirage Studios, Inc.; Snappy Warhol (unless otherwise licensed) ©1990 Stephen Murphy.

** Sourced from S.R. Bissette’s posting regarding ‘Lockjaw’.