Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Creation & Design

Created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird as a parody of popular comic book tropes.

Early Years

The Turtles gained popularity through their comic series, leading to animated series, toys, and films.

Character Development

The Turtles have evolved from simple comic book characters to cultural icons, representing themes of brotherhood, loyalty, and justice.

Cultural Reception

The TMNT franchise has received critical acclaim and commercial success across various media.

Character Details

Real Name:
Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael
Aliases:
TMNT, Turtles
Species:
Mutant Turtle
Gender:
Male
Affiliations:
The Foot Clan, April O'Neil, Splinter, Casey Jones
Abilities:
Martial Arts, Ninjutsu, Stealth, Agility
Equipment:
Ninja Weapons, Shells, Turtle Van
Weight:
150lbs each
Height:
5' 0"
Eye Color:
green
Hair Color:
none
Low
$0
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$0
High
$12.5K
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40-page printer's proof of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (1984)
A printer's proof is a sample that is printed to examine the correctness of the issue before printing the entire run
This one-of-a-kind, historical proof was found in a small print shop in Biddeford, Maine a few years after the publication of issue #1, after the Turtles had already exploded in popularity
The men who found it traded it to Downeast Comics which operated between the years of 1986 - 1994, in Brunswick, Maine
The owner paid for the proof with store stock and held onto it before auctioning it on Comic Link in 2020 for $12,472 with 77 bids
Fantagraphics Mar 1984

Comics Journal #89

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$15
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$50
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$150
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Early printed image of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Leonardo only, in an advertisement for the premiere issue of TMNT (1984)
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$1.2K
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$3K
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$15K
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1st team appearance and origin of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo
1st appearance of Splinter, the Turtles' mentor
1st appearance and death of the Shredder
First printing: 3,000 copies
3rd Print
Low
$85
Mid
$220
High
$850
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Third printing
The third printing is nearly identical to the first and second printings except for a splash of blood on the second T in Turtles
Print run: 36,000
Mirage Jun 1985

Fugitoid #1

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$5
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$50
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Premiere issue, story continues in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5
Early appearance of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Fantagraphics Jul 1985

New Age #1

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$10
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$30
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$100
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First full color image of all Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on back cover advertisement
Metropolis Jan 1986

Turtlemania Special #1

Silver Foil Limited: 300
Low
$80
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$200
High
$800
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Ashcan-sized that measures 5.5 in. x 8.5 in.
Silver edition
Signed and numbered by Eastman and Laird on back cover
Includes unpublished artwork created at the time of the initial 1984 issue plus a centerfold with the Turtles, Cerebus the Aardvark and Flaming Carrot by Bob Burdon
KZ Comics Jul 1986

Colt #2

Limited: 3,000
Low
$3
Mid
$9
High
$30
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Leonardo pin-up
The pin-up, by Peter Laird was only included in the first printing of this issue which was
First Sep 1986

Grimjack #26

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$1
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$5
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Early full color story featuring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Guest appearance by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles who visit Munden's bar
Turtles story written and illustrated by Eastman and Laird
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$12
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2nd appearance of the Shredder, briefly, later revealed to be a mystic worm with the ability to create a clone of a human
One shot, early Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles spin off
Story continued in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #10
GraphXPress Feb 1987

Equine the Uncivilized #3

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$3
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$9
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$35
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2nd cameo appearance of Red Shetland
Cameo appearance of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, one panel with two turtles
Cameo appearance of a Smurf, chained and emaciated in a dungeon
Fantagraphics Oct 1987

Anything Goes #5

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$15
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Five-page Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles story titled 'The Road Trip'
Four-page, reprinted Robert Crumb story
Various other stories by well-known creators
This six-issue series was published to raise money in defense of a lawsuit levied against The Comic Journal and writer Harlan Ellison by writer Michael Fleisher, the long-time writer of Jonah Hex
Ellison was sued by Fleisher for $2 million dollars on account of libelous statements that made accusations of mental instability
2nd Print
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$6
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$15
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$65
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Second printing, wraparound cover art by Kevin Eastman
First work on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by long-time artist Eric Talbot in a story titled 'Ghouls Night Out' which was published as an original back-up story for the second printing
'Ghouls Night Out' is a reference to a Misfits song
Etched on tombstones are the names of the members of the band [Glenn] Danzig, Jerry Only, Doyle [Wolfgang von Frankenstein] and Robo
Interior 'special announcement' first reveals the licensing agreement secured by Mirage Studios for an animated series and action figure line
A black and white preview of the action figures is the first indication of characters BeBop and Rocksteady and first mention of Krang
8-page black and white comic book included in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fan Club Membership Kit
Obtained by mail after sending in an order form that was included with TMNT Playmates action figures plus a $15.00 fee
Included in the TMNT branded kit was the comic book (shown in image), a sticker, a numbered membership card, an orange and white bandana, a 12-month membership to the Chaos Chronicle newsletter and a letter from the president of the marketing company that produced the kit
One-shot of two Christmas-inspired stories with additional themed content including a double page pin-up
Retelling of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol featuring Raphael being visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future - in the future, Raphael is a one-eyed savage living alone in a swamp
Mirage Mar 1993

Usagi Yojimbo #1

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Mirage begins publishing Usagi Yojimbo (Vol.2), previously published by Fantagraphics (Vol. 1)
Guest appearances by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
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$2
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$8
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$25
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Death of Gabe Jones, the wife of Casey who dies during childbirth in this issue
First mention of Casey's daughter, Shadow (not biological) who he and April will later adopt
City At War: Part 9 of a 13-issue story arc
Image Mar 1996

Bodycount #1

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$2
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$8
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$25
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Four-issue limited series featuring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
A darker, more violent take on the characters in a story that is said to be inspired by Heavy Metal magazine and John Woo films
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$1
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$15
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1st comic book appearance of 'Venus,' a female ninja turtle created for television, revealed in comics to be the shape-shifting alien named Lurch
According to Gary Frank, the writer on this issue, he was to adhere to a strict rule that there is to be no female ninja turtles, as instructed by creator Peter Laird
Mirage Dec 2001 Vol 4

TMNT: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1

Limited: 1,000
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$3
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$9
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$30
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Premiere issue of the fourth and final Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series published by Mirage
The series was interrupted multiple times by outside media deals that required the attention of the creative team
Beginning with issue #4, the estimated print run is below 10k
Beginning with issue #17, the estimated print run is below 5k
Issues #29 - #31 are
Copies ordered by retailers of the first issue: 12,361
Image Jun 2008

Bodycount

Hardcover Limited: 500
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$20
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$115
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$250
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112-page hardcover collection of the 1996 four-issue limited series
San Diego Comic Con 2018 exclusive
Mirage May 2009 Vol 4

TMNT: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #30

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$55
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$180
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$300
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Originally available in digital format only but later printed in a limited run of what is said to be 1,000 copies
250 of the 1,000 copies have an original sketch on the inside back cover
IDW Aug 2011 Vol 5

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1

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$5
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$18
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$60
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Premiere issue of the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ongoing series at IDW
Connecting cover that assembles all four turtles with the additional three variants
1st appearance of Old Hob, a one-eyed mutant cat and the first major enemy of the turtles in IDW continuity

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