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Mirage
Studios Vol. 1:
Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles
The
original universe of the Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles -- it all started in 1984,
when friends Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird
were watching some "bad TV"
and joking around. They began doing odd
sketches. One of which detailed a turtle
with a mask and nunchukus strapped to
his arms. From that sketch, came three
more turtles in masks wielding martial
arts weapons. Kevin called them "Ninja
Turtles" to which Peter added, "Teenage
Mutant."
The
next day, Eastman and Laird looked at
the drawings and figured that they should
come up with a story and additional characters
for the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."
This is when they began working on the
first issue.
At
the time, Eastman was a cook at a local
seafood restaurant, and Laird was a printmaker.
Neither had much money, so they pooled
their income tax return money and borrowed
some from Eastman's uncle to publish their
very own first issue of Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles from Mirage Studios.
The
series begins with the fourteen year old
Turtles scouting the dark streets of New
York and battling common criminals and
thugs. This served as "real world"
training for the mission that they would
soon be given.
Splinter,
a mutant rat and their sensei, prepared
them to fight in the ways of the ninja.
He explained to them how they were to
avenge the murder of his master Hamato
Yoshi. Never before had the Turtles heard
the tale of how their master came to New
York.
Many
years ago in Japan, Hamato Yoshi was one
of the honorable Foot Clan's finest shadow
warriors. Only one other member of the
clan competed strongly against Yoshi.
His name was Oruku Nagi. Also one of the
greatest warriors of the Foot, Nagi was
driven by his hatred of Yoshi and his
jealousy. For Nagi was in love with the
woman whose love was only for Yoshi --
Tang Shen.
One
day, Yoshi came home to find Nagi beating
Shen as she refused his propositions.
In a mad rage, Yoshi flew to her rescue
and killed Nagi in the process. By the
Ninja honor code, Yoshi was condemned
from the clan forever unless he honored
his name by commiting seppuku (suicide).
Shen persuaded Yoshi to leave the country
and make a better life in America. So
they left -- with their caged pet rat
Splinter.
All
the while in Japan, Nagi's younger brother
Oruku Saki had grown into a skilled fighter
for the Foot Clan, fueled by his deeply
seeded anger toward Yoshi and Shen. When
he became an adult, the Foot Clan transfered
Saki to the New York branch of the clan.
Seizing the opportunity to seek revenge
for his brother's death, Saki wasted no
time in accepting. Upon arrival in America,
Saki quickly built his army. He even began
dealing with the Mafia, drug trafficking,
and money laundering. He then sought out
his prey.
Yoshi
returned from work one day to find his
beloved Shen lifeless on the floor. Then
he saw her killer. Saki immediately attacked
Yoshi, and in the struggle Splinter's
cage was broken. In an instant, Yoshi
was dead, Saki was gone, and Splinter
was alone.
Splinter
was forced to live in the streets and
scavenge for his meals. One day while
foraging in an alley, he witnessed a series
of bizarre events. A blind man about to
cross a street, a speeding freight truck...
A young man pushed the blind man out of
the way, but the truck still swerved,
knocking loose a parcel from its cargo.
The jar bounced a few times, then struck
a glass bowl containing four turtles which
was being carried by a young child. The
bowl shattered, and the turtles and jar
fell far below into an open manhole.
Worried
for the young turtles, Splinter headed
down into the sewer to find them. There,
he saw them writhing in a glowing green
muck oozing from the jar. He cleaned them
off the best he could and gathered them
into an old coffee can. The next day,
they had doubled in size. Splinter named
each turtle Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael,
and Michaelangelo after his favorite Renaissance
artists.
With
the passing years, the mutation enabled
their rapid growth in physical and mental
abilities. Over a decade later, the mutation
had slowed drastically, putting the turtles
at a teenage level, and the rat at a middle-aged
level. Then, he began their ninja training.
They were to avenge Yoshi's death once
and for all.
Raphael
was sent to give the message to Saki --
who now called himself the Shredder --
that he was to engage in an honorable
battle. The turtles fought Saki's students,
and finally had to battle Shredder himself.
Together, they won and insisted that Saki
commit seppuku. But if had to die, he
would take the Turtles with him, so he
pulled out a thermite grenade. Donatello
knocked Shredder, still holding the grenade,
off the roof of the building. If the fall
hadn't killed Shredder, then surely the
grenade's blast had. The turtles were
good to their word and fought until the
death. Their mission was complete.
But
the turtles weren't headed for retirement
yet. Not long after their battle with
Shredder, a new threat came to town, one
especially dangerous for their mentor.
A gifted scientist by the name of Baxter
Stockman had created robots that could
effectively hunt and destroy all the rats
in the city. Around the same time, the
city was baffled at the amount of bank
robberies that had involved the careful
*chewing* of the vaults' walls. Baxter's
assistant April O'Neil was just as concerned
as the rest of the city. Then she learned
the truth. Baxter was actually behind
the robberies. He knew that the mousers'
work would make him rich, but he just
enjoyed robbing banks too much. When April
threatened to notify the police, Baxter
sent his mousers after her. They chased
her through the sewers. Luckily, Donatello,
Leonardo, and Raphael were scouting the
sewers. They ran into the cornered April
and rescued her. At the sight of the turtles,
April fainted, and they took her back
to the den.
When
she woke up, Splinter introduced himself
and the fourth turtle Michaelangelo, and
then he told their story. They now had
their first human friend. Together, they
defeated Baxter.
The
series involves a rather dark outlook
on life. Stories are often based on aloneness,
vengeance and bitterness... definitely
NOT the kid-friendly pizza hungry dudes
that made the TMNT popular. But it is
the original. This is what started everything.
::
Read
up on the characters of this series
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