logotmnt.jpgFrom illuminatedlatern.com:

“In 1984, really at the height of the American ninja craze, independent comic book writers and artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird came up with an idea for a spoof of the new type of dark, gritty comics that had been the latest trend — comics such as Daredevil, in which the blind avenger was fighting off a ninja clan called “The Hand,” and facing Elektra, a ninja assassin. They wrote and self published their comic book, called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, about exactly what the title says, and that’s pretty much when all hell broke loose. It became a runaway success, prompting four re-printings of the first issue by the time the second one came out. I still remember the excitement surrounding the comic at that time.

Stores couldn’t keep it in stock. I managed to pick up the second printing of the first issue and the first printing of the second issue, then watched in amazement as the value of both of them shot through the roof. I held on to them, thinking that, as time went on, they would be more and more valuable. The comics were dark, bloody, but a little funny, as well. If nothing else, they were unique. Or at least, they were unique at first. But almost immediately, other independent comics jumped on the bandwagon, and had some success riding their coattails. Comics like Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hampsters and Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandoes.

But there was only so far such a parody could go, and by the eighth issue, I was pretty bored with the whole thing. The knock-offs faded away, and it seemed that TMNT would do the same. My comic books, once valued in the mid-fifties to one hundred dollars each, could now barely command ten. But where the original concept fizzled, the overall idea, about four ninja turtles, blossomed. With just a little re-tooling, a lighter tone, some more fun added to the stories, the Turtles went on to kids cartoon fame. The licensing dollars started pouring in for creators Eastman and Laird, for action figures, bedspreads, hats, T-shirts, costumes, books, and everything else under the sun.

Archie comics started publishing a series of TMNT comic books, based on the new look of the cartoon series. By the time Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie was released, the creators were millionaires several times over. The rest of Eastman and Laird’s comic book history plays like penance done for their sin of success, forming their own comic company and promoting and printing only the highest quality alternative and independent writers and artists.”

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