How did a little black & white indie comic become a franchise bigger than the Avengers?

Photo of Peter Laird © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons

*TMNT Reading Guide*

Original Mirage Run
The classic collaboration. Vol 1 and 2 contain the legendary 15 issue run. Vol 3 has the solo material as well as the Return to New York trilogy, and Vols 4 and 5 is the epic City at War arc.

TMNT: The Ultimate Collection Vol 1: https://amzn.to/3ByzhTh
TMNT: The Ultimate Collection Vol 2: https://amzn.to/3MwKaeJ
TMNT: The Ultimate Collection Vol 3: https://amzn.to/42LztKX
TMNT: The Ultimate Collection Vol 4: https://amzn.to/42KMkgy
TMNT: The Ultimate Collection Vol 5: https://amzn.to/3MAq43n

The Last Ronin
Just read it!!!
https://amzn.to/3pRdFPB

IDW TMNT
Eastman is back, with a team of excellent collaborators. The chronology of the issues themselves is confusing, but thankfully the collected editions put it in the right order with big numbers on the spine. A great place to start, especially if you’re not interested in older comics.

Vol 1 https://amzn.to/3OpepWx
Vol 2 https://amzn.to/3MhoLVF
Vol 3 https://amzn.to/3pU2gyj
Vol 4 https://amzn.to/41Mrw6U
Vol 5 https://amzn.to/457n5qi

TMNT Volume 2 in Color by Jim Lawson
More in the Laird vein, with some superhero vibes, worth checking out if you enjoyed City at War or plan to continue onto the Laird solo run (which is considered Volume 4).
https://amzn.to/3WkfmRS
https://amzn.to/3Ijbw5w
https://amzn.to/3MAqU01

Image Run aka. Volume 3 (with a new ending from 2018 from the original creators)
https://amzn.to/3pU19i7
https://amzn.to/3IgHv6o

Mirage Volume 4 by Peter Laird
This run is odd and fantastic, and resists the temptation to be told in easy, trade-paperback-friendly chunks. Sadly it’s not collected, which I assume is a licensing issue, but perhaps with enough interest IDW will put something out.

Archie TMNT
The first volume of this series is just adaptations of the cartoon, but starting in volume 2 the Mirage crew takes over and does some wild stuff within the cartoon world, definitely recommended, especially if you have nostalgia for the original series. I’ll list the first few here:

Vol 2 (start here): https://amzn.to/45bXrkk
Vol 3: https://amzn.to/3Wfbqlg
Vol 4: https://amzn.to/3pSofpk
Vol 5: https://amzn.to/3OeTCEU

Also, most of these are available with a comixology unlimited subscription, if you don’t mind not owning them physically.

(As an amazon associate i earn from qualifying purchases)

Finally, there’s tons of stuff I’ve missed, so please comment down below with comics that you think should be added. There’s so much!

Further Viewing

The Toys That Made Us Season 3 Episode 1
This focuses more extensively on the toy business, but has lots of great interviews as well as the full reunion of the guys.

Turtle Power
This documentary goes way in depth on the toys and cartoon, and features a ton of great interviews, check it out especially if you have nostalgia for the original era of Turtles

Cartoonist Kayfabe
If you are a true comic nerd you have to check out this series of interviews with Eastman & Laird about all the details of creating the original comics    • EASTMAN and LAIRD Join Cartoonist Kay...  

Notes

-There are a few numbers that change with each retelling of this story so I had to make some choices. I believe the loan from Quentin Eastman was actually $1,200, but I’ve also heard $1,000 from many sources. The initial print run has been said to be 3,000 and 3,200 issues, I believe that they may have ordered 3,000 and received 3,200. The sales numbers of subsequent issues and printings tend to move around a bit, but I believe the numbers I included are directionally correct.
-Matttt, is it really the successful comic of all time? The only comic that I think comes close is Amazing Fantasy 15, but even that would require a number of further issues to fully develop the world of Spider-Man, whereas TMNT #1 alone is the basis for so much of the subsequent media that I stand by that claim (until someone corrects me).

Sources

-I consider childhood lasting until the age of 35, so don’t tell me the Turtles didn’t impact your childhood.
-I relied extensively on the endnotes and annotations from both Eastman and Laird in the Ultimate Collections Listed Above, as well as Laird’s blog and the letter pages from the individual issues of Volume 4.
-Of course this story has been told many times, but the interviews in both The Toys that Made Us and Turtle Power were invaluable
https://www.tcj.com/the-kevin-eastman...
https://www.inverse.com/entertainment...
https://fan.kevineastmanstudios.com/c...
https://theweek.com/captured/446321/f...

Finally, shout out to my buddy Kevin, who told me to read Laird’s TMNT in 2002, but who I didn’t listen to because it looked really dorky. Sorry, Kevin.