The
Mirage Studios Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic's reputation and
sales grew over time. The early issues were not always accessible,
even for the dedicated comic-shop goer. Reprints and collections
often only print the main story, not the other parts which constitute
the book, namely creator columns and advertisements. Backup stories
may or may not be found in other collections. Wrap-around covers may
lose their rear illustrations. In this blog article I am going to
issue-by-issue, printing-by-printing, in chronological order to
discuss some interesting features of each comic's single issue
reprints. While I cannot reproduce the books, I can quote and
summarize.
I
have endeavored to identify and cover every “canon” book which
either Kevin Eastman or Peter Laird had
significant involvement, ending at TMNT #21. Both original printings
and single-issue reprintings from the the first five years of Mirage
(1984-1989) are covered here. TMNT #1 had five printings, TMNT #2 had
three and TMNT #3-TMNT#7, Raphael #1 and Michaelangelo #1 each had
second printings. Reprintings often have different covers,
editorials, ads and artwork not part of the main story.
Information
is taken from many sources. There are well-known internet sites such
as The
Mirage Group and Turtlepedia but
they can be inaccurate. Publishing dates are sometimes missing or
completely nonsensical, as I will demonstrate. Laird was a dedicated
correspondent and reprinted many of his contemporary letters on his
blog. Eastman
has reposted many early interviews, photographs and artwork on his
site. These are an invaluable source of information because
they chronicle the early years of Mirage and Eastman and Laird's
attempt to make a go of it in independent comics as
they were doing it.
Later interviews and recollections often suffer from hazy memories
and lack of access to primary source documents.
The
issues themselves have a great deal of information in them regarding
publishing dates, development of the comic and its reception. While I
cannot reproduce every page or transcribe every word, I can
paraphrase and summarize. I have physical copies of all of the books
discussed here (but not the most expensive prints of #1 and #2, the
Gobbledygook books, Turtlemania Special #1 or TMNT #5 5th printing)
and complete scans of unique material I do not have physically. In
this series I will catalog what is on every page of the book in
question.
As
will be seen, there are gaps in my coverage of TMNT when the issues
get into the teens. This is not because I necessarily dislike these
issues but because I want to focus on the issues which Eastman or
Laird had a significant contribution and which are indisputably
Mirage canon.
As
there is a vast amount of information to cover, I have decided to
split this blog entry into three parts. The first part will cover the
books published in 1984-85, the second part books from 1986-87 and
the third part books from 1988-89 (and one from 1990).
TMNT
#1 1st/2nd/3rd Printings
Cover
Date: 1984
Cover
Artist: Eastman
Cover
Price: $1.50
Publishing
Date: May 1984/June, 1984/February 1985
Story
& Artwork: Eastman & Laird
Letters:
Eastman
Number
of Copies Printed: 3,000/6,000/35,000
Number
of Interior Pages: 40
- Inside Front Cover: Dedication/Credits
- [“The Turtles' Origin is Told”] (pages 1-40)
- Inside Rear Cover: Ad for Gobbledygook #1 & #2 (1st print) / Ad for T-Shirt Iron-Ons (T1-T7, 2nd & 3rd print)
1st Printing
TMNT #1 is distinguished from all later Mirage printings by a lack of any printing information on the inside front cover and the ad for Gobbledygook #1-2.
The original press release gives dates for publication date, May 1, and premiere, May 5. The book premiered at the Portsmouth Comic Book Convention (in its organizer's own words a "mini-con"). Photos of the event show Eastman and Laird at a table with three stacks of TMNT #1 (shown in the PBBZ TMNT #1 reprint from 2005). As distribution to customers, dealers and comic book shops generally took some time, May 5 may be the first day that a member of the public could have gotten their hands on TMNT #1. This mini-con took place at the Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge in Portsmouth, New Hampshire (“on the Traffic circle”)
This is contradicted by Laird's letter to his parents of April 18 when he said he had received the books from the printer and immediately mailed out the orders they had received. Eastman posted a photo of a hand drawn out calendar for April and May. For April 1 they wrote “bring art to printer” and on April 16 they penciled in “We Got the Books!” Laird’s letter of April 18 says they got the books on Monday, which fell on the 16th that year.
They received a letter from a reader on April 27 favorably comparing their book to Ronin, Daredevil and Cerebus. A letter to his brother of April 30 further states that they had been receiving a trickle of orders from the press release they sent out. They had been interviewed several times over the past weeks. April, 1984 should be considered the actual publication date in the sense that the books were actually available to any member of the general public, even if those members had to been astute enough to have seen their ads in Comic Buyer’s Guide or another source and mailed in their order.
The number of copies of the 1st printing is 3,275, not 3,000 as was reported publicly in many contemporary sources. They had ordered 3,000 copies from the printer. The extra 275 copies were received due to a printer overrun, as stated in Laird’s letter of April 18.
When it comes to the funding of this book, the story has been told many times but with various permutations depending on who is telling it or reporting on it and when. The numbers are also inconsistent. What is consistent was that the bulk of the money came as a loan from Quentin Eastman and a significant amount came from a tax refund. Whose tax refund was used tends to vary, but contemporary sources, including Laird, state it was from Eastman. What is certain was in March of 1984 Laird was counting his pennies because his income was spotty and his wife (a school teacher) would not be working during the summer months. Eastman was making more consistent money cooking lobsters in Maine in the summer months at that time than Laird was as a freelance artist.
The $1200 amount most frequently quoted as the amount they raised to publish the book sounds plausible. Laird states on March 2 that they were waiting for Eastman’s $500 tax refund check and that the publisher would charge them $750 to print 1,000 books ($0.75 per copy) or $1,500 to print 5,000 ($0.30 per copy). Laird wanted to print 5,000 but they printed 3,000.
In a letter of March 28, Laird states that a distributor offered them 40% of the cover price of their book to distribute it. They say this would leave them a profit of $0.25 per book. As the cover price was $1.50, this would mean that it cost them $0.35 to print the book. This suggests that the printer charged them $1,050 to print the first printing of 3,000 books. However, in his letter of April 18 he says that printing and advertising cost them $0.50 a copy and that they were including a Xeroxed insert with each mail ordered copy at a cost of $0.09 a copy. This suggests that the printer charged them $1,200-$1,230 at $0.40-$0.41 per book copy.
As far as the split between Quentin’s loan and Kevin’s tax refund goes, I have seen $700/$500 and $1,000/$200. What one can expect from the IRS and what one actually gets from the agency can deflate anyone’s hopes of splurging on that personal object of desire, whatever that object may be. In
2018 Eastman disputed
an interview from 1986 that identified the $700/$500 split. In another contemporaneous interview both were grateful that Quentin did not charge interest on the loan.
TMNT #1 introduces Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, Splinter, Shredder and the Foot Clan. Hamato Yoshi, Oroku Nagi, Tang Shen and the Purple Dragons Gang will also be mentioned or reappear in other comics and incarnations. The mutagen canister is labeled as T.C.R.I. in this issue. I wonder of Eastman and Laird had decided what the abbreviation stood for when they wrote #1.
2nd Printing
A 2nd printing will say "Second Printing, June 1984" on the inside front cover.
The 2nd print is not easy to distinguish from the first without opening the book, but
it is possible. Coming across 1st printings that are not graded and slabbed is unlikely and most 2nd printings are also similarly encased, so you have to rely on the grading company's own inspection of the book to determine its authenticity.
The actual number of 2nd printings is 6,250, Laird states in a letter to his brother of July 23 that they received 250 more than they paid for and he previously boasted to his parents on July 10 that he had ordered 6,000 copies from the printer of the 2nd print.
The T-Shirt Iron-Ons Ad, which replaced the ad for Gobbeldygook #1-2, will appear in many subsequent issues. They were the first TMNT merchandise ever sold outside the comic books themselves. At $3.50 each, I doubt many people ordered a complete set, at least until the book really started to take off. Eastman and Laird made them themselves as Laird pointed out in one of his letters. It would be neat to see a T-Shirt with the pattern still on it. These Iron-Ons were in color, which means they are among the first images of the TMNT to be colorized. Their bandanas were all red even then. The illustration of Leonardo, T5, would serve as an identifying logo on the Archie Comics in the years to come.
3rd Printing
A 3rd printing will say "Third Printing, February, 1985" on the inside front cover.
The 3rd print reflected the continuing high demand for issue #1. The major interior difference between the 3rd print and the 2nd print is the printing designation and the address change from Dover, New Hampshire to Sharon, Connecticut on both the inside front and rear covers. There are minor differences throughout all three prints but the 3rd print can easily be distinguished from the first and second by the extra 3 drops of red blood on the middle "T" in the katana shown in the Turtles part of the title on the cover.
Laird talks about ordering 35,000 copies of TMNT #1 3rd printing and having pre-sold 28,000 of those copies in his February 25, 1985 letter. In his letter of March 28, 1985 he says he will be receiving those 35,000 copies between then and April 15, requiring them to box and ship them out. This would put the publication date of the 3rd print to April, 1985.
TMNT #2 1st/2nd Printings
Cover Date: 1984
Cover Artist: Laird
Cover Price: $1.50
Publishing Date: October, 1984/January, 1985
Story & Artwork: Eastman & Laird
Letters: Eastman
Number of Copies Printed: 15,000/30,000
Number of Interior Pages: 40
- Inside Front Cover: Turtle Tracks (Laird), Reader Mail & (2nd print only) Ad for Dark Horse Metal Miniatures
- [“TMNT vs. the Mousers”] (pages 1-38)
- Turtle Tracks (continued) & Ad for Raphael #1 (coming in 1985) (page 39)
- Ad for T-Shirt Iron-Ons (T1-T7)
- Inside Rear Cover: Pin-up Page (by Laird (pencils) & Brad W. Foster (inks) ‘84)
1st printing
The second issue of TMNT introduced two new features to the comic which would remain for a long time to come. The first feature is the Turtle Tracks editorial column where Eastman or Laird would write a short piece talking about what was going on with the book. Some issues would also reprint letters fans sent in. The banner design for this section will also appear in TMNT #3, Raphael #1 and TMNT #4.
Laird states that he and Eastman were not really thinking of producing a second issue because they were too worried about whether they would have made enough money to pay back the loan from Quentin Eastman, Kevin's uncle, which allowed them to print the first issue. They also state that the 2nd printing was for 6,000 copies.
I do not believe the October, 1984 date given elsewhere is accurate for the publication of TMNT #2. Laird wrote a letter to his brother on November 27 saying that he just brought the artwork for TMNT #2 to the printer the previous day. Then he goes on to say that he was able to order 15,000 copies from the printer and in a few weeks he would be busy packing and shipping the books out. A letter to his parents of December 7 states that he still does not have the books back from the printer. These letters would definitely put the publication date for TMNT #2 in December.
Six letters are reprinted. Several readers recognized Frank Miller's Ronin as an influence on TMNT #1. One of the letters was from Michael Dooney, who would become a very important contributor to TMNT in the not-to-distant future. His Gizmo comic is mentioned, which at that time had yet to be published.
After reprinting some fan letters, Laird gives a shout out to several other comic books, including Cutey Bunny, Albedo, normalman and The Hoobi Yans Artifact. The column ends by saying TMNT #3 should be out in February, 1985. Curiously, Raphael #1 is also stated to be coming in 1985 and a miniature illustration of what was its actual cover (instead of TMNT #3's) is shown.
The second feature is the pin-up page where artists usually other than Eastman and Laird would draw a picture with the Turtles in it. These would vary wildly in style over time and eventually the page would no longer have the "pin-up page" header on it. In this instance Laird indicates that he did the rough pencil sketch and Foster inked it.
Mirage changed its address from Dover, New Hampshire to Sharon, Connecticut with this issue. At this point Mirage followed Laird's place of residence, and he followed his wife's teaching job. They moved around the end of August. He was married and had more domestic stability than Eastman, eight years Laird's junior. Eastman moved to Maine for the remainder of the year, making working on TMNT #2 rather difficult. Eastman would join him in Sharon on February 1, 1985.
TMNT #2 introduces April O'Neil, Baxter Stockman and the Mousers. April is a computer programmer when she is introduced. Except for the color reprint of TMNT #32, she was consistently portrayed as Caucasian until Rise of the TMNT debuted in 2018. Conversely, Baxter is African American in this issue but would become Caucasian for the 1987 cartoon and the Archie comics based off that cartoon. Otherwise he would be consistently be shown as African American.
2nd Printing
The 2nd print of TMNT #2 is almost identical to the first but the artwork on the inside front cover has been altered. The box showing Leonardo has an oval with "Second Printing, January 1985" inside it whereas the 1st print has no oval. Additionally the box that showed the turtle with the throwing weapons in the 1st print has been replaced by an ad for the Dark Horse Metal Miniatures of the four TMNT. The price was $3.75 + $0.75 for postage and handling. This Dark Horse miniature manufacturer has nothing to do with the comic book publisher Dark Horse, which would not be created until 1986.
The January, 1985 publication date is not correct. A printing date does not equal a publication date. Laird told his parents on February 25 that he received the 30,000 copies from the printer "last week". January 1985 date reflects the date when they sent the order to the printer with the minor revision to the book for the 2nd printing. A recurring fact in Laird's letters is that the printers would take week or two to fulfill their orders. Eastman and Laird would pick up the boxes, inspect the issues, fix what errors they could and then ship them off to customers, including individual buyers, distributors, dealers and comic book stores.
Both the 1st and 2nd printings use a matte finish for the cover whereas every other book published before and since uses a glossy cover for reasons which will be discussed in TMNT #2's 3rd printing.
TMNT #3 1st Printing
Cover Date: 1984 (Artwork)
Cover Artist: Eastman
Cover Price: $1.50
Publishing Date: March, 1985
Story & Artwork: Eastman & Laird
Letters: Eastman
Number of Copies Printed: 50,000 + 500 (Convention Edition)
Number of Interior Pages: 40
- Inside Front Cover: Turtle Tracks, Reader Mail & Ad for Dark Horse Metal Miniatures (4 Turtles)
- [“The Great Chase”] (pages 1-38)
- Ad for TMNT #4 (shipping June 30) & Raphael #1 (shipping April 30)
- Ad for T-Shirt Iron-Ons (T1-T7)
- Inside Rear Cover: Pin-up Page (by Matt Howarth)
For TMNT #3 Eastman and Laird brought 500 advance copies of the book to the New York Comic Con to sell. These are distinguishable by the lighter use of the blue color on the cover page, especially around the sign for "Laird's Photo". They weren't happy about the color or with the printer, but they really wanted some books to sell. This version of TMNT #3 1st printing is also significantly more valuable. This NYCC is not the current NYCC, the current NYCC held its 1st convention in 2006.
This issue's Turtle Tracks is unsigned and the first person plural is used throughout, so the author is not identifiable by the issue alone. The plan for much of 1985 is laid out, with TMNT #4 and Raphael #1 mentioned. Fugitoid is also described and that it continues into TMNT #5.
Laird's letter of February 25, 2025 to his parents states that TMNT #3 still needed work when Eastman arrived in Sharon on February 1. Then in his letter of March 28, 1985 he says that he will receive the 50,000 copies of TMNT #3 sometime after he receives the 35,000 copies of TMNT #1 3rd printing. This might put TMNT #3's publication date to no earlier than April, 1985. There were comic book conventions advertised in Manhattan for March 16-17 and Rochester for March 23-24, it is quite possible that the 500 convention copies with the lighter blue were debuted there. Given the distances and their still-improving financial circumstances at the time, New York City could have been an easier trip from Sharon than Rochester.
However there is a letter from Eastman to a fan written in the same time frame where he states that they had 300 copies of the book printed for a New Hampshire convention. He enclosed three copies of the book to this fan.
One theme of the letters was the difficulty in finding copies of the first two issues. One writer stated he had to travel 190 miles for TMNT #2 and another writer stated he and his son got very angry at the owner when his local comic book shop told them that they would not carry TMNT #1's 2nd printing.
TMNT #3 immediately follows TMNT#2 and continues a story line that is not fully resolved until TMNT #7. Arguably the story is a six-parter from #2-#7 as the events in #2 drive set the wheels in motion for the next five issues thereafter.
TMNT #3 introduces the Utroms which would later serve as the inspiration for Krang and the Kraang. The mousers appear for a second time in this book, making them the first reoccurring enemies of the TMNT.
Raphael #1 1st Printing
Cover Date: 1985 (Artwork)
Cover Artist: Eastman
Cover Price: $1.50/$2.00
Publishing Date: April, 1985
Story & Artwork: Eastman & Laird
Letters: Eastman
Number of Copies Printed: 60,000
Number of Interior Pages: 32
- Inside Front Cover: Turtle Tracks (Eastman), Reader Mail & Ad for Dark Horse Metal Miniatures (4 Turtles)
- “Me, Myself and I” (pages 1-26)
- Ad for Fugitoid #1 (pages 27-29, shipping August)
- Ad for T-Shirt Iron-Ons (page 30, T1-T7)
- Bonus Pin-up Page (page 31)
- Ad for TMNT #4 (page 32, shipping July 1)
- Inside Rear Cover: Pin-up Page (by Chris Ecker, 1985)
Raphael #1 is the first of the Micro-Series issues, an issue dedicated to a single turtle. It is also notable as the first issue of the comic without a true wrap-around cover. Its story is the first one with an actual title to it, the main series will not acquire titles given in the issue itself for a few more issues. The "official titles" for the originally untitled stories are given in brackets in this blog.
Eastman signed this issue's Turtle Tracks and briefly relates the story how he and Laird came up with the TMNT. Eastman drew a ninja turtle one evening and Laird then drew his own version. The Bonus Pin-up page reproduces their first drawing of the TMNT as a group, Eastman as penciler and Laird as inker. They state the goal of the Micro-series is to give each turtle an issue to explore their unique personalities. He says that this issue’s style was influenced by First Comics’ Nexus by Steve Rude.
The April 1985 date was not a promise that Mirage could keep. As Laird states in his May 12, 1985 letter to his parents, the printer should be shipping Raphael in the next few weeks. Then in a letter to his friend of May 29, he says that the printer shipped off 52,000 copies last week and it should be "hitting the newsstands pretty shortly." That could have happened by the end of May or the beginning of June. Books will be appearing in readers hands more quickly from hereon out because their new printer was also handling shipping, before Eastman and Laird were responsible for doing that themselves.
Eight reader letters are reprinted, including letters from such comic book luminaries as Steve Bissette (Swam Thing) and Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo). Both will collaborate with Mirage in the future.
The “Bonus Pin-Up Page” shows the first ever drawing of the TMNT as a group, done by Eastmand & Laird in 1983.
At 26 story pages this book is a bit thinner than other books of its time. This book is also the first time when a Canadian dollar price is given. In this blog post's table entry format, the price is given as U.S./Canada. The Canadian price will fluctuate more than the U.S. price will.
Raphael #1 introduces Casey Jones, ‘nuff said.
TMNT #4 1st Printing
Cover Date: 1985 (Artwork)
Cover Artist: Laird
Cover Price: $1.50/$2.00
Publishing Date: June, 1985
Story & Artwork: Eastman & Laird
Letters: Eastman
Number of Copies Printed: 60,000
Number of Interior Pages: 40
- Inside Front Cover: Turtle Tracks & Ad for Dark Horse Metal Miniatures (4 Turtles) & Albedo
- [“Rescuing Master Splinter”] (pages 1-37)
- Ad for T-Shirt Iron-Ons (T1-T7)
- Ad for Button Sets
- Ad for Fugitoid #1 (coming in September) & TMNT #5 (coming in October) (page 40)
- Inside Rear Cover: Pin-up Page (by Jason Sklaver)
TMNT #4's cover suggests that Eastman and Laird were trying to move away from magazine-sized format but their printer did not get the message. It will also be the last new issue of TMNT to be published in a magazine size.
Again the Turtles Tracks column is unsigned with use of "we" and "us" throughout. The storyline for TMNT #4 is said in the column to continue with Fugitoid (coming out in September), TMNT #5 and conclude with TMNT #6. The ad for Fugitoid and TMNT #5 contradicts this statement, the ad states (correctly as it turned out) that the storyline continues into TMNT #7. It also says they will try to sport full-color covers.
The pin buttons are described as hand-numbered and limited to 1,000 sets of four buttons, one for each turtle in color. The cost was $5.00 plus $.75 for postage and sales tax for Connecticut residents. If the demand was great the column stated more would be made. This issue will be the only ad for the buttons, such suggests demand may not have been so great.
Albedo Anthropomorphics was a comic by Steve Gallacci and published by Thoughts and Images. It is probably most well-known for introducing Usagi Yojimbo in Albedo #2. The fan letters include singling out Eastman and the van chase from TMNT #3 for special praise and complain about other comics' "contrived neuroses" and "super wimps".
While there are no “true firsts” in this issue, this issue reintroduces both T.C.R.I. name and the Foot Clan, both of which were introduced in TMNT #1. April's hair changes in this issue, it was straight and light in TMNT #2 & 3 but it would remain dark and curly for most of the series. The hair style tended to match that of Eastman's wives of the time.
Fugitoid #1
Cover Date: 1985 (Artwork)
Cover Artist: Eastman & Laird
Cover Price: $1.50/$2.00
Publishing Date: September, 1985
Story & Artwork: Eastman & Laird
Letters: Eastman
Number of Copies Printed: 60,000
Number of Interior Pages: 40
- Inside Front Cover: The Toid Void (Eastman & Laird)
- [“The Fugitoid’s Origin”] (pages 1-37)
- Ad for Dark Horse Metal Miniatures (Sets A & B)
- Ad for T-Shirt Iron-Ons (T1-T8)
- Ad for TMNT #5 (shipping October 1)
- Inside Rear Cover: Illustration of Fugitoid (by Laird)
Fugitoid #1 is notable for several reasons. First, it is the first book from Mirage to have wide publication without the TMNT being the focus of the story. Second, the story's first four chapters are a reprint from Gobbledygook #1 (Chapters 1 & 2) and Gobbledygook #2 (Chapters 3 & 4). By this standard the Fugitoid story is the first story from Mirage to be reprinted in a different format. Third, the book is the first from Mirage with a full-color cover and the last book from Mirage published in the magazine size. It is also the largest of the magazine-sized issues. Unusually both Eastman and Laird are credited on the cover artwork, typically they alternated doing the covers at this time. Color covers required more work than monochrome covers, which would explain the need for both to contribute to the cover.
Fugitoid #1’s story presentation differs from Gobbledygook #1-2 in two ways. First, Gobbledygook #1-2 has page numbers printed outside the artwork panels, Fugitoid #1 has them printed inside the artwork panels. Second, the "End of Chapter #" banners are larger in Gobbledygook #1-2 than in Fugitoid #1.
Fugitoid #1, and not Gobbeldygook #1-2, marks the first true appearance of the Triceratons. They first appear and are identified as such in Chapter 6. The Triceraton Republic is first mentioned in Chapter 4 in Gobbledygook #2 and a creature later identified as a Triceraton is shown in Gobbledygook #1 as a standalone piece of art by Laird. Fugitoid #1 connects the name to the illustrations.
The Toid Void column, this book's version of Turtle Tracks, states that the switch from two-color covers to full-cover colors is expected to be permanent. The column is signed by both Eastman and Laird. The column recites the history of the development of the Fugitoid story, namely that Chapters 1-6 were finished, shopped around and thoroughly rejected by the time TMNT #1 was ready to publish. Chapters 1-6 are five pages each, which equals the thirty pages mentioned. Chapter 7, which had to have been added in 1985 and is seven pages, sets up TMNT #5. The column does not mention the previous publication of the first four chapters of the Fugitoid story in Gobbledygook #1 & #2.
Unlike the main TMNT line issues of the early years, which were reprinted and collected more than once, Fugitoid #1 would not be reprinted or collected in any form until TMNT: The Collected Book Vol. 1, 3rd printing, in 2009. Nor would there be a Fugitoid #2 as speculated in the Toid Void column.
The ad for the Dark Horse miniatures has expanded. Set A is the set of the four TMNT. Set B includes the Shredder, Splinter and "several mousers" (two are shown).
The selection of T-Shirt Iron Ons is expanded with the Fugitoid (T8). The TMNT logo which was T7 has changed in style. The ad will contain the same offerings for all later issues in which it appears.
TMNT #5 1st Printing
Cover Date: 1985 (Artwork)
Cover Artist: Eastman
Cover Price: $1.50/$2.00
Publishing Date: October, 1985
Story & Artwork: Eastman & Laird
Letters: Steve Lavigne
Number of Copies Printed: 60,000
Number of Interior Pages: 40
- Inside Front Cover: Turtle Tracks (Laird) & Ad for Dark Horse Metal Miniatures (Sets A & B)
- [“Teaming up with Fugitoid”] (pages 1-37)
- Ad for Palladium Books RPGs (TMNT & Other Strangeness, The Justice Machine, Heroes Unlimited)
- Ad for T-Shirt Iron-Ons (T1-T8)
- Ad for TMNT #6 (shipping January 30), Michaelangelo #1 (shipping December 1), TMNT #1 4th Printing (shipping November 1) & Fugitoid
- Inside Rear Cover: Pin-up Page (by Dooney, identified in Turtle Tracks)
TMNT #5 is the first issue of TMNT with a full-color cover and the first issue in the regular comic book size format. Turtle Tracks also announces the arrival of Mirage's first employee, Lavigne, who would take over lettering duties from Eastman starting with this issue.
Laird states that TMNT #1 4th printing will be out in November and Michaeangelo #1 on December 1. He also discusses their trip to the San Diego Comic Con which was a pretty big deal even in 1985. Among the people they met were their inspirations, Frank Miller and Jack Kirby (their idol), who complemented them on their book. There is a new banner for Turtle Tracks beginning with this issue.
Laird also discusses their production routines and division of labor. They come up with the basic plot, then Eastman does a rough thumbnail and breakdowns for the story and Laird works out the dialog. Then they enlarge the roughs and Eastman letters the book. After that they do the final penciling and inking, roughly half a page for each artist to keep the inking consistent. Finally they each contribute to the tones and pencil erasures. He ends by identifying who did the covers for each book, with Eastman handling TMNT #1, #3, #5, Raphael #1 and Michaelangelo #1 and Laird handling TMNT #2, #4, #6, Donatello #1 and Leonardo #1. This is the first explicit mention of the Micro-series book order.
TMNT #5 is notable for the first appearances of the Fugitoid, General Blanque, the Federats and the Triceratons in the regular TMNT comic. It devotes three pages to retelling the story of the Fugitoid's transformation and story from Fugitoid #1.
The ad for the Dark Horse now states that Set B includes the Shredder, Splinter and four mousers. TMNT and Other Strangeness is advertised for the first time and Turtles Tracks mentioned the RPG will be available in October. It will also have an exclusive 8-page story in it ("Don't Judge a Book"). The pin-ups page has an appearance by Dooney's Gizmo character.
TMNT #1 4th Printing
Cover Date: 1985 (Artwork)
Cover Artist: Eastman & Laird
Cover Price: $1.50/$2.00
Publishing Date: September, 1985
Story & Artwork: Eastman & Laird
Letters: Eastman
Number of Copies Printed: 60,000
Number of Interior Pages: 48
- Inside Front Cover: Turtle Tracks
- [“The Turtles' Origin is Told”] (pages 1-40)
- In the Beginning (pages 41-45)
- Ad for Michaelangelo #1 (shipping December 1), TMNT #6 (shipping January 30), Fugitoid & Dark Horse Metal Miniatures (Sets A & B)
- Ad for Palladium Books RPGs (TMNT & Other Strangeness, The Justice Machine, Heroes Unlimited)
- Ad for T-Shirt Iron-Ons (T1-T8)
- Insider Rear Cover: Pin-up Page (by Ryan Brown, identified in Turtle Tracks)
The 4th printing is the 1st printing of TMNT #1 to use different cover art. It also has its own Turtle Tracks column, making it the first reprint to differ significantly from a prior printing. Reprintings of later issues will also use different art.
This issue's Turtle Tracks column is a conversation between Eastman and Laird, who both signed it. They go over the origin of the TMNT and give the print runs of the 1st through 4th printings as 3,000, 6,000, 35,000 and 60,000 respectively. One interesting comment was that the art for "Eastman's ninja turtle" on page 41 was penciled in 1983 but according to Eastman "its too stupid-looking" so he inked it for publication with this book in 1985.
The sites say this book was published in September but as TMNT #5 states it is coming out in November and Michaelangelo #1 prints a letter from a reader who got a copy of this reprint, the November date is solid. Additionally this issue's ad says Michaelangelo is coming out "next month" and December 1st.
In the Beginning offers five pages of early sketches and art for TMNT. These sketches include Eastman's first ninja turtle drawing and Laird's first ninja turtle drawing. There is also a page of sketches for Splinter, a page for Shredder, a page for TMNT and a page showing the group in the first press release. This illustration, penciled by Eastman and inked by Laird, was reworked into the cover for TMNT #1.
Michaelangelo #1 1st Printing
Cover Date: 1985 (Artwork)
Cover Artist: Eastman
Cover Price: $1.50/$2.00
Publishing Date: December, 1985
Story & Artwork: Eastman & Laird
Letters: Lavigne
Number of Copies Printed: 60,000
Number of Interior Pages: 40
- Inside Front Cover: Turtle Tracks, News & Reader Mail
- “The Christmas Aliens” (pages 1-30)
- Ad for TMNT #6 (shipping January 30)
- Reader Mail (page 32, continued)
- Ad for T-Shirt Iron-Ons (T1-T8)
- Ad for Prime Slime Tales by Toni Basilicato & Jim Lawson (shipping April 15) & Dark Horse Metal Miniatures (Sets A-C)
- Ad for Gizmo #1 (coming February)
- “One Unconventional Robot” (by Dooney, 1985, 5 pages)
- Inside Rear Cover: Pin-up Page by Eastman and Bob McLeod
The second of the Micro-series, Michaelangelo #1, is curious because its events take place outside the main storyline when the book was published. Raphael #1 fit in neatly between TMNT #3 and TMNT #4 as a week elapsed in the storyline between those two issues. TMNT #5 and TMNT #6 have the quartet far away from Earth. Eastman addresses this issue in this issue's Turtle Tracks, he stated that he and Laird had a great idea for a christmas story and decided to break out of continuity to publish it at an appropriate time.
The Dark Horse Metal Miniatures ad now offers Set C including Fugitoid, Casey Jones and a Triceraton Commando, also mentioned in Turtles Tracks. The pin-up page has signatures for both artists who worked on it but McLeod's name is hard to read. Fortunately Turtles Tracks was still identifying pin-up page artists at this time.
After Eastman's signature on the Turtle Tracks column, there is a section on the page with several headers discussing various items of news. First is announces a collaboration between themselves and Dave Sim, his character Cerebus the Aardvark will team up with the TMNT for a story to be released around mid-July, 1986. Second is a statement identifying which issues may be backordered. All their previous comics are still available but TMNT #1 and TMNT #2 is only available as a 4th and 2nd printing, respectively.
Perhaps the most interesting item on the page is the warning that they are aware of a "slimepupp[y]" selling counterfeit copies of TMNT #1 1st printing by doctoring 3rd printings to look like 1st printings. These 1st printing forgeries were being sold for the going price of a real 1st print, which even then ranged from $35 to $150. The item identifies features the method used (bleaching out the "Third Printing, January 1985" from the inside front cover) and the features which can alert buyers as to the differences between the three printings: the red on the cover art is lighter on 3rd printings, the address on the inside front and rear covers is for Dover, New Hampshire on the 1st and 2nd prints, the 2nd printing has a "Second Printing, June 1984" designation on the inside front cover and only a 1st print has an ad for Gobbledygook #1 on the inside rear cover.
Reader letters have been notable by their absence for the past few publications, seven are printed here. Two are from England, demonstrating that the TMNT have "crossed the big pond" so to speak. Actually TMNT has crossed both of the big ponds as a letter is printed from Malaysia. The letters will not always be present in future issues.
This issue introduces Klunk, Michaelangelo's pet cat.
This issue is the first time where a TMNT book advertises upcoming Mirage's published comic books, Prime Time Tales and Gizmo, that are not TMNT-related and not authored by Eastman and Laird. It is also the first issue of a TMNT book to have a secondary/back-up story included and the first story not drawn by Eastman or Laird.
The backup story “One Unconventional Robot” features the Gizmo characters and is stated to be a taste of what the 20-page epynonymous Gizmo book will be like. This is not the first time Gizmo had his own book, a previous Gizmo #1 featuring a different story had been published by Chance Enterprises (cover month May/June, 1985).
Bonus:
Gobbledygook #1
Cover Date: 1984 (Artwork, Copyright 1984)
Cover Artist: Eastman & Laird
Cover Price: None ($1.50 from TMNT #1 1st Printing Ad)
Publishing Date: April, 1984
Stories & Artwork: Eastman & Laird (except where indicated below)
Letters: Eastman
Number of Copies Printed: 150
Number of Interior Pages: 20 (exterior and interior of covers counted as pages for Gobbledygook ad)
- Inside Front Cover: Howdy & Table of Contents (page 2)
- “Fugitoid Chapter One” (pages 3-7)
- Farout Art of Peter Laird (pages 8-15)
- “Fugitoid Chapter Two” (pages 16-20)
- “Champ” (Quentin Eastman and Kevin Eastman, pages 21-23 ends on Inside Rear Cover)
- Rear Cover: Ad for TMNT #1
Gobbledygook #2
Cover Date: None (Copyright 1984)
Cover Artist: Eastman & Laird
Cover Price: None ($1.50 from TMNT #1 1st Printing Ad)
Publishing Date: April, 1984
Stories & Artwork: Eastman & Laird (except where indicated below)
Letters: Eastman
Number of Copies Printed: 150
Number of Interior Pages: 20 (exterior and interior of covers counted as pages for the Gobbledygook ad found in TMNT #1)
- Inside Front Cover: Howdy & Table of Contents (page 2)
- “Fugitoid Chapter Three” (pages 3-7)
- “A Tale from the Wood” (Eastman, pages 8-15)
- “Fugitoid Chapter Four” (pages 16-20)
- “I’m Only a Loser” (pages 21-22)
- Inside Rear Cover: “Don’t Sleep on Main Street” (page 23)
- Rear Cover: Ad for TMNT #1
I have dated Gobbledygook #1 & #2 to April, 1984, contemporaneous with TMNT #1 and each other. Both TMNT #1's 1st printing and Gobbledygook #1 & #2 advertise each other. Both ads indicate the other is "on sale now." No other Mirage book, including TMNT #1’s 2nd printing, advertises the Gobbledygook books. I cannot find any evidence they were ever advertised for sale anywhere else. I imagine someone could have been a very early recipient of TMNT #1, saw the ad in the back and was sufficiently impressed with TMNT #1 to order one or both of the Gobbeldybook books. Assuming Eastman and Laird were reasonably prompt with delivering orders and you lived near to Dover, NH, the individual conceivably might have received his Gobbledygook books before May 1.
It should be noted that all the work in the Gobbeldygook books, other than the covers, was finished by November, 1983. There were also attempts to shop around the Fugitoid story as it then existed but it found no takers.
One might question whether the Gobbledygook books were worth the $1.50 price + $0.50 postage given the DIY printing nature of the books and the page count (24 pages each). Only about 150 copies of each Gobbledygook book were sold by Eastman and Laird, more counterfeit copies were probably produced over the years than authorized ones. (Some sites report only 50 copies of each, but they are auction and collector sites, Turtlemania Special #1 gives 150.) The text is ambiguous whether the $2.00 bought you one or both books. $2.00 might be on the edge of reasonableness for a pair self-published comics by new creators but $4.00 might be considered highway robbery given the production quality. A photograph at the May 5, 1984 Portsmouth Comic Book Convention shows a larger stack of #2s than #1s next to TMNT #1, so I am inclined to conclude that they were sold separately.
Gobbledygook was not produced by offset lithographic printing like TMNT #1 and later books. The artwork was photocopied ("xeroxed") onto legal sized paper (8.5 x 14), folded in half and stapled together down the middle. I read somewhere that they bought a long reach stapler in order to staple at (or near) the middle fold. At 24 pages they needed to staple six sheets of double-sided printed paper together, two staples per book. The issues may or may not have been exclusively distributed by mail order but that was the primary form of distribution, hence the low publication count.
Xeroxing was an expensive process. Making a copy with a Xerox machine could easily have cost someone $0.10 a page in 1984’s money, especially on a double sided legal-sized page. If it costs $0.60 to print the book then charging $1.50 to buy it is not as unreasonable as it might seem. Selling two such books for a total of $1.50 is just not very profitable.
The advertisement in TMNT #1 for these books state that they are "a dramatic twenty four page, 8½ x 7 black and white book." The cover page does not differ in paper stock from the interior pages so they are included in the count in the able of contents.
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