Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

In the late 1980s, Mirage Studios expanded the world of its indie hit with Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a seven-issue companion series running from 1987 to 1989. Helmed by core creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird alongside frequent collaborators Ryan Brown and Jim Lawson, these stories spotlighted the four brothers—Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael—in adventures that deepened their character-driven, gritty tone. While the main series pushed the Turtles' epic saga forward, Tales offered a vital space for shorter, self-contained narratives that fleshed out the heroes in a darker, more personal light. It remains a key piece of the original Mirage era, showcasing the raw, independent spirit that defined the Turtles before they exploded into pop culture.