Famous as the co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kevin Eastman is a comic book artist and writer from America. He was previously the publisher and editor of science fiction and fantasy comic magazine Heavy Metal. Other than his work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles projects, Eastman was the founder of Tundra Publishing and has created a variety of other comics including horror and Spaghetti Western-influenced Fistful of Blood.
Born and raised in Portland, Maine, Eastman was a talented artist as a child and spent hours copying children’s reading comics and books. Inspired by self-publishing creators Vaughn Bode, Richard Corben and Dave Sim and master storyteller Jack Kirby, Eastman’s early work was heavily influenced by science fiction.
In 1982 Eastman met Peter Laird whilst trying to sell some of his artwork to local fanzines in Northampton, Massachusetts. The pair hit it off immediately and formed Mirage Studios. One evening less than a year later, Eastman drew a new character in the middle of a later night drawing session and dubbed it “Ninja Turtle” as a joke to make Laird laugh. Before long the duo had created a final drawing of four characters who became “Eastman and Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”.
The first issue was self-published in May 1984 and sold out overnight, quickly becoming a fan favourite and also catching the eye of Hollywood producers and merchandising agents.
Multiple other Turtles comics, books, toys, games and other items later appeared and the characters starred in five live-action movies, with Eastman and Laird maintaining full control of their creations.
