- "These guys are young, but no rookies. They've been around. Toughened by the streets. They've fought and beat everything on two legs in this area......except us."
- ―Leonardo
| "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | |
| Title: | "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" |
| Volume: | 1 |
| Number: | Book I |
| Cover price: | $9.99 |
| Cover date: | November, 1986 |
| Publisher: | First Comics |
| Credits | |
| Writers: | Kevin Eastman; Peter Laird |
| Pencilers: | Kevin Eastman; Peter Laird |
| Inkers: | Kevin Eastman; Peter Laird |
| Cover artists: | Kevin Eastman |
| Colorists: | Kevin Eastman; Janice Cohen; Ken Feduniewicz |
| Letterers: | Steve Lavigne |
| Editors: | Laurel Fitch |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | — |
| Next: | Book II |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Book I is a comic book trade paperback that reprints the first three issues of the original independent comic title Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Mirage Studios. The reprint volume was published by First Comics and includes a cover art design by franchise co-creator Kevin Eastman. Interior coloring was provided by Janice Cohen, Kevin Eastman and Ken Feduniewicz. The volume was edited by Laurel Fitch and released to retailers with a November, 1986 cover date. This volume shipped with a cover price of $9.99 (US).
Issues[]
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 - May, 1984
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 - October, 1984
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 - March, 1985
Book One[]
Four thirteen-year-old mutant turtles, trained in the art of Ninjitsu fight up against fifteen members of the Purple Dragons gang in New York City, and soundly defeat them. They fade into the shadows, and return to their home in the sewers beneath the city. These turtles, Leonardo, Donatallo, Raphael, and Michelangelo report to their sensei, Master Splinter, of their victory. Splinter sits them down and tells them the tale of how they came to be.
- Twenty years ago, Splinter was a normal rat, and the pet of a ninja warrior named Hamato Yoshi. Hamato Yoshi was a revered member of a clan known as The Foot. He lived in a cage in Yoshi's home in Japan. The rat would watch his master training, and learn to imitate his moves. Hamato Yoshi was in love with a young woman named Tang Shen, but Shen was also the subject of another's affection: Yoshi's fellow ninja, Oroku Nagi. It came to pass that Oroku's obsession for Tang Shen turned violent and he attacked her, demanding that she would love only him. Hamato Yoshi came home and flew into a rage, beating Oroku Nagi to death with his fists. Yoshi and Tang Shen decided to leave Japan, and fled to New York City, New York where they opened up a martial arts school.
- Nagi's younger brother, Oroku Saki, swore vengeance against Hamato Yoshi and trained intensively. As luck would have it, his masters sent him to America to head up the New York branch of the Foot Clan. Donning a helmet and a suit of armor, he became known as the Shredder. The Foot created a cartel of drug dealing, weapons smuggling and assassinations, but it was revenge that Saki craved most. He broke into Yoshi's home one night, and slew him and Tang Shen. During the struggle, Splinter's cage fell and broke open, allowing the rat to escape.
- Splinter ran into the streets, but as he moved, he witnessed a person shoving an old blind man out of the way of an oncoming truck. A canister fell off the back of the truck and began bouncing towards the sidewalk. It knocked into a young boy carrying four pet baby turtles, and he dropped them, whereupon they fell into a sewer drain. The canister cracked open, and a strange ooze dripped onto them. The rat was likewise covered in the ooze, and it caused both he and the four infant turtles to mutate. By the next morning, they had all increased in size and intellect.
- As the turtles grew, Splinter began training them in the ways of ninjitsu, just as he had learned from Master Yoshi. Using an old book he had found in a sewer drain, he named the turtles after four famous Renaissance artists: Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo.
As his story concludes, Splinter reveals that his students are now ready for their most important mission - to avenge the death of Splinter's master by killing the Shredder. Raphael is sent out to deliver a challenge to the Shredder. After tracking him to his complex, he takes down several of the Shredder's goons, then throws a sai through a window with a written challenge upon it.
The following night, the Ninja Turtles arrive on a rooftop at the prearranged meeting place. Shredder appears along with members of the Foot Clan. He sends his soldiers against the turtles who easily defeat them. When only Shredder remains, they each take a turn at him. Raphael leaps first, followed by Leonardo. The Shredder batters them down, but Leonardo's blade has cut deep into his armor. Still, the turtles also bear the marks of Shredder's claws. Changing their strategy, they begin attacking him as a group from a distance, using shuriken to keep him off-balance. They close in on him and Donatello shatters his helmet with his bo staff. As the Shredder reels about, Leonardo impales him with his katana. Shredder is defeated and Leonardo offers up his katana so that he may choose an honorable death. Shredder has no intention of dying without taking the turtles with him however, and has a thermite grenade on his person. Before he can detonate it, Donatello hurls his bo staff at him. The weapon strikes Shredder, knocking him off the roof of the building to his doom.
Satisfied that they have avenged their sensei's master. They descend from the rooftop and return home. One of them intones, "We are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles... we strike hard and fade away... into the night!"
Appearances[]
Featured characters
Supporting characters
Villains
- Shredder, Oroku Saki
Minor characters
- Chester Manley
- Cristo
- Hamato Yoshi
- McAdam
- Oroku Nagi
- Tang Shen
Organizations
- Foot Clan
- Purple Dragons
Races
Locations
Items
Powers
Book Two[]
Appearances[]
Featured characters
Supporting characters
- April O'Neil
- Baxter Stockman
- Splinter
Villains
- Baxter Stockman
Minor characters
- Hynes
Organizations
Races
Locations
Items
Powers
Book Three[]
Appearances[]
Featured characters
Supporting characters
Villains
- Nick
- Ralphie
- Rico
- Slim
Minor characters
Businesses
- Techno Cosmic Research Institute
Races
Locations
Items
Powers
Notes & Trivia[]
- Total page count: 124 pages.
- This volume went to five printings.
- Issues from this volume are also reprinted in the Shell Shock trade paperback by Mirage Publishing. They are also reprinted in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Collected Book, Volume 1 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Collected Book, Volume 6.
- April O'Neil was first introduced in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2.
- Baxter Stockman was first introduced in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2.
- Hamato Yoshi, Oroku Nagi and Tang Shen all appear in flashback only from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1.
- At the time of publication, it was originally believed that Shredder died at the end of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1. However, he would return time and time again to plague the turtles. Seemingly, he would also often die... time and time again.
- The central plot line from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 closely mirrors the plot from the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feature film.
Recommended Reading[]
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Vol. 1
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Vol. 2
- Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles