Earlier this season, Casey Jones joined the cast of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon on Nickelodeon. Up until now, he’s mostly been cramping Donatello’s style, flirting with April and being generally charming but he had not officially met the turtles or joined the team. But in the episode I watched today (it aired Feb 2 but Hulu Plus just got it!) we finally get to meet the Casey Jones we know and love:

I have been a Ninja Turtles fan since I was a kid, like when they FIRST came out in the late 1980s. I had a couple of the comics, but I was more of a Saturday Morning Cartoon watcher at that age than a comic book fan. Somewhere in my parents’ basement there is a box full of action figures of all my favorite characters and little pizzas that I cut out from each box (so they would have something to eat on break). Casey Jones is in that mix.

I guess he has always been a popular character since he was featured in the cartoon AND in the first movie (though maybe they felt they needed a human love interest for April? How species-ist!). I remember drawing a picture of Casey after seeing the movie and putting a little speech bubble next to him that had the direct quote from the movie “That was a crime, you purse grabbing pukes!” It seemed harmless to me, but for some reason my Mom was really upset! She did not want me **writing** or saying such things. I knew better than to SAY them, of course, I was merely documenting the film so I had to write the exact line! LOL. I was pretty traumatized, as you can tell, and I was careful not to **write** anything like that on my drawings from then on.

ANYWAY – When Casey finally appeared earlier this season, I was smitten. I love that they have knocked out his two front teeth. I love how his hoodie and jeans are always covered in some kind of grime – either spray paint residue or just straight up dirt. And he is just the right amount of cocky and sweet for April to be a little bit attracted to him. He’s definitely dangerous and I like that his relationship with Raphael is already off to a hilarious start, the two of them more alike than I ever realized.

I also loved that Casey painted his face UNDER the mask! Actually a brilliant move, even the turtles were surprised.

And I was highly amused that, when April introduced Casey to the four turtles by name his first question was “So the turtles are all Italian?” ❤

Oh and the animators were VERY careful to make sure EVERYONE saw the "East Man" on Casey's hockey stick, a shout out to the creator of the Ninja Turtles.

Seriously, you may think this is just a kids show since it airs on Sunday mornings on Nickelodeon, but it really captures the spirit of the turtles, and while kids will enjoy it, it’s smart enough for adult fans to watch. Lots of action, humor, and, especially in this episode, I felt the fight sequences were really well choreographed! If you’ve ever been a Ninja Turtles fan, check it out.