Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 [Fourth Printing]

History

The story reprinted here was first published in May 1984, financed by a tax refund and a loan from Eastman's uncle, and originally printed in an oversized magazine format on cheap newsprint in a run of roughly 3,275 copies. Eastman and Laird had conceived the concept as a tongue-in-cheek parody of the superhero books popular at the time — most directly Frank Miller's Daredevil, from which they lifted structural echoes (Splinter as a riff on Stick, the Foot Clan as a mirror of the Hand) — as well as the X-Men and the Teen Titans. The first three printings all used the same oversized format and essentially the same cover art, differing mainly in interior identifiers; the fourth printing, dated September 1985, broke from that pattern entirely by shifting to standard comic-book dimensions, introducing the full-color wraparound cover, and reportedly including five pages of original concept artwork for the Turtles, Splinter, and the Shredder not present in the earlier printings.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First appearances (in the story reprinted here): Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo as a team; Splinter (the mutated rat sensei); Oroku Saki / the Shredder (the primary antagonist); Hamato Yoshi (in backstory); the Foot Clan. The Shredder is both introduced and killed within this single issue.
• Story and art are by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, both writing and drawing every page; Eastman drew the original cover.
• The original story was conceived as a parody of multiple early-1980s Marvel and DC titles simultaneously — Daredevil (Splinter/Stick, Foot/Hand), the X-Men (the 'mutant' element), and the Teen Titans (the 'teenage' element).
• The fourth printing, published in 1985, was the first printing to shift from the oversized magazine format of the first three printings to standard comic-book dimensions (approximately 10.25" × 6.25").
• The fourth printing features a new full-color wraparound cover — the first time the issue's cover art appeared in color — and the front cover reads 'Reprinting the First Issue of' above the title. Unlike the second and third printings, the fourth printing does not include printing information in the indicia.
• Approximately 60,000 copies of the fourth printing were produced, a dramatic contrast to the roughly 3,275 copies of the first printing, reflecting the explosion of the series' popularity in just over a year.
• The fourth printing reportedly includes five pages of original concept artwork for the Turtles, Splinter, and Shredder not found in earlier printings — bonus material that made it more than a simple reprint.
• The success of the original issue and its subsequent printings helped trigger the mid-1980s black-and-white indie comics boom, with numerous animal-based parody titles following in its wake — though virtually none of those imitators matched its staying power.

Cast · 14 characters

Full credits

Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers