I don't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday, but I still remember being a wee lad in one of New York's only comic stores - they were both new and sparse back then, and the village was actually a kind of artsy dive - sigh - anyway, I remember seeing the grainy, black and white cover of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 1, No. 1, sticking out amidst the increasingly colorful, fancy fare such as the new Marvel Graphic Novels (yes, I'm old as shit, OK??).

Anyway, it was love at first sight and god bless 'em the Turtles just won't stay down. Not all of their incarnations have been the greatest thing ever but those lovable Turtles, perhaps because of their origins as parodies of comic stereotypes - just never jumped the shark, no matter how many awful movies, Vanilla Ice songs, Corey Feldman starring roles - OK, they jumped the shark a whole bunch of times, but never permanently. There was no movie so bad that they couldn't return in a spectacular animated series a few months later, all past sins forgiven.

And the heroes in a half shell are returning to the small screen yet again, as Nickelodeon, the current rights owners, are planning a CGi animated series in 2012, just in time for the end of the world. There's been a lot of argument on the 'Net (Duh really? Comics fans arguing online? Say it ain't so!), but I'm cautiously optimistic. What little there is to see in the above image, and in the teaser video over at Entertainment Weekly looks like it has potential.

Even better is the statement from producer Ciro O'Neili that Don, Mike, Leo and Raphael be more distinguishable than simply different weapons and mask colors, specifically that they will be explored as unique characters, with - his words - "more individual attributes".

Sounds good to me. What are your thoughts, Turtle fans?