In 1987, Eastman and Laird licensed Turtles to Playmates Toys. 1987–1989: Toys, animation and video games Sales of further issues continued to climb. This attracted the interest of comic distributors, and all 3,000 copies were sold in a few weeks.
Using money from a tax refund and a loan from Eastman's uncle, they printed copies of first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and advertised it in Comics Buyer's Guide Magazine. In March 1984, Eastman and Laird founded a comic book company, Mirage Studios, in their home. They developed a backstory referencing further elements of Daredevil: whereas Daredevil gains his superpowers through exposure to radioactive material, the turtles mutate into humanoid heroes the Turtles' sensei, Splinter, is a play on Daredevil's sensei, Stick. Laird said the names "felt just quirky enough to fit the concept". ĭeveloping the concept into a comic book, Eastman and Laird considered giving the turtles Japanese names, but instead named them Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo after the Italian Renaissance artists. The concept parodied several elements popular in superhero comics of the time: the mutants of Uncanny X-Men, the teenagers of New Teen Titans and the ninjas of Daredevil, combined with the comic tradition of funny animals such as Howard the Duck. That November, Eastman drew a masked turtle standing on its hind legs armed with nunchucks. In 1983, Laird invited Eastman to move in with him in Dover, New Hampshire. Main article: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage Studios)Ĭomic book authors Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird met in Massachusetts and began working on illustrations together.
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