Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-28655620-20161117184919/@comment-995426-20170805180333

Well, the problem is, whereas "Leonardo", "Donatello", etc. were names of artists, "Venus de Milo" was the name of specific naked statue of a goddess of love, beauty and sex, and naming a character that will evoke that mental image as a first impression. It aims too directly at the fantasies of horny fanboys, discouraging them from regarding her first and foremost as someone who could actually be a complex, dignified character. Might as well name her "Fujiko" or "Molotov @#$%tease" for all the good it does. The fact that the 90s Venus de Milo was fought over by two male main characters made it even worse.

Furthermore, the use of Venus de Milo goes into the type of TMNT I really dislike&mdash;the kind that assumes it is primarily a story by hetero guys, for hetero guys, about hetero guys, with girls functioning more as props or objects than as actual characters. And though it's not a requirement, some of my favorite TMNT stories also happen to have good portrayals of women (whether as allies or antagonists), including The Alien Agenda, Blind Sight, City at War (Mirage), Darkness Weaves, Karai's Vendetta, , Swan Song and True Stories. Dark Shadows and White Horses also have good portrayals of women, though I thought their stories were so-so.

What does "Artemisia" evoke? The goddess Artemis. A huntress. A capable warrior with a bow and arrow. She's neither an object nor sexless, but a balanced portrayal of a teenage girl who can also handle herself in a crisis.