Summary
- Eastman and Laird's creation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a stroke of fate with incredible success.
- Mirage Studios was named after a mirage because it didn't exist, showcasing their "fake it until you make it" attitude.
- The Turtles' 30th anniversary brought Eastman and Laird back together after almost two decades apart.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a juggernaut franchise, having spawned an endless line of toys, comics, movies, and video games. The four reptilian brothers, under the tutelage of the rodent Master Splinter, are the creation of duo Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, two comic book nerds who found each other and created comic history.
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The story of these two creators is almost as fascinating as that of the Turtles themselves. A string of coincidences led to their union, and the phenomenal success they became put a deep wedge in their friendship. The tale of Eastman and Laird is beautiful and tragic in equal measure. Here are several surprising details about the two TMNT creators and their history.
7 An Underground Comics Magazine United Them
A Twist Of Fate Would Change Comics History Forever
Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird first met in Western Massachusetts. Eastman had moved from Maine to Amherst, MA, to be with his girlfriend at the time, and found work delivering pizzas. At the same time, Peter Laird ran an independent comics magazine called Scat.
Eastman found a copy of Scat on the bus one day. He visited the headquarters in Northampton, which gave him Laird’s mailing address. Looking back on it, Laird said that “A lot of coincidences had to happen” for things to work out the way they did and unite them and for them to create the T eenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and he wondered if things would have worked out differently otherwise.
6 They Thought That The Turtles Would Not Last Beyond One Issue
It Became Bigger Than They Could Have Ever Imagined
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fixture of American popular culture, alongside such heroes as Spider-Man and Batman. Eastman and Laird, however, never expected their series to have the success that it did.
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The first issue of the original comic book introduced not only the Turtles, but also Shredder as their nemesis. It was also the issue where he apparently met his demise. When fans asked him why they killed the Shredder in the first issue, Laird told them that they never expected it to last beyond issue number one.
5 They Named Their Studio "Mirage" Because It Did Not Exist
Faking It Until They Made It
The headquarters of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle s comics was Mirage Studios, located in the arts town of Northampton, MA. Mirages are things seen that are not actually there, like the illusion of an oasis in the desert. Eastman and Laird’s fledgling studio was named so because it really was a mirage.
Eastman and Laird based their operation out of an apartment in Dover, New Hampshire, when it was founded in 1983. They were scribbling names on a piece of paper in a pizza restaurant to figure out what to call their operation, and Mirage Studios seemed like a good fit, because they didn’t have a physical studio to speak of. In essence, when Mirage Studios first started, it did not actually exist.
4 Kevin Eastman Had A Museum
Sharing Sequential Art With The Masses
Kevin Eastman not only co-created the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but he also ran a museum dedicated to the comic book craft. In 1990, Kevin Eastman founded the Words and Pictures Museum in Northampton, Massachusetts, “dedicated solely to the preservation, interpretation, and exhibition of contemporary comic book artwork.”
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In 1999, the museum's physical location closed down, but the original website is still available for viewing. One can even visit its second and final location, recognizable by the gargoyles that line the front facade. In an interview with The Comics Journal in 2022, Kevin Eastman showed great respect for his team, who “put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into that dream.”
3 A Live-Action Series Broke Up The Band
A Breaking Point In Their Friendship
The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book was largely an underground phenomenon, but the toy licensing deal with Playmates Toys, plus the animated series, made the Turtles a household name, giving Eastman and Laird a success they never imagined.
With the new success, though, came challenges which put a strain on their friendship. While the live-action series Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation was not the only thing that came between them, it was a major breaking point. It would introduce a new character, Venus, a female fifth Ninja Turtle, which Laird was strictly against. Eastman would give up his rights to the TMNT property not long after.
2 Peter Laird Started A Nonprofit
Giving Back To The Comics Community
The popularity of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is every independent comic book creator’s dream. Peter Laird wanted to help other creators make their dreams come true, so in 1992, he founded the Xeric Foundation.
Among many notable recipients of its grants is Gene Luen Yang, who would later go on to create American-Born Chinese. In 2012, Laird announced that the Xeric Foundation would shift to only donating to charitable foundations, citing the fact that independent comic creators now have the internet as a tool to get their work in front of thousands of readers.
1 They Reunited For The Turtles' 30th Anniversary
Back Together After Nearly Two Decades Apart
Eastman and Laird’s big breakup is one of the most infamous fueds in comic book history. Their separation lasted until 2014, when they would reunite for the Turtles’ 30th anniversary at a comics signing in Rochester, New Hampshire.
The very next day, they were seen at another signing in Dover, New Hampshire. There, the filmmakers of the documentary Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were able to film them spending the day together. The pair even visited the former site of Laird’s house, where the Turtles were initially created.
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