Ninja Turtles Co-Creator Kevin Eastman: How to Lose $14 Million in Indie Comics
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- Опубліковано 30 бер 2020
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Kevin Eastman co-created the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Peter Laird in 1984. They self-published the comic book and retained all the rights. This video shows how the business needs pulled Eastman away from being creative as well as how he got seriously involved with creator's rights. Eastman has run Mirage Studios, Tundra Publishing and Heavy Metal Magazine. This has given him both massive success and allowed him to blow a fortune of around $14 million on independent comics. The video also takes a close look at his artistic techniques and his inspirations from Jack Kirby to Frank Miller. - Розваги
It's mind boggling how this franchise went from dark, gritty black-and-white to "Deck the halls with pepperoni"
Good. Edgy garbage died in the 90s where it belonged
@NDHFilms You say that like it hasn't ping-ponged back and forth with a lot of the material that's come out since then, especially the tv shows.
"Same As It Never Was", anyone?
@@bryanc7094
Cringe comment.
It's a really strange journey. It's super interesting me to that it started as a parody or a jab at pulpy bubblegum comics (Daredevil) of the time, taking anthropomorphic turtles and giving them a super serious 90's edge.
Then it evolved to juxtapose ITSELF. Goofy, pizza loving non-violent turtles are beloved compared to the original murderous ones.
@@bryanc7094 1) You cant substitute "Gritty" with "Edgy". Edgy is quite literally defined as something that tries too hard to be dark and gritty.
2) Edginess did not die in the nineties. The mid 2000s were filled to the brim with edgy shlock as well.
3) U implying the OG tmnt was garbage? SMH
“And the ninjas, seen in frank miller’s [everything]”
@Dalek SupremeIntroducing the Leonardo Who Shredds.
@Dalek Supreme Enter the Turtleverse
Ninjas where everywhere in the 80's.
Between telling us Laird was more of a purist between the two, and him heading the 2003 animated adaptation, I can see why it came out the way it did.
"so, your suppose to be us, from other worlds? i don't see it..."
"what's with the multi colored headbands?"
"heh, Sellouts!"
Best "oh hi!" EVER
Jack Hinich that’s exactly what I was going to say!
I wouldn't say it's his best, but it's good.
I was going to say the same thing
Dunno man, that one where Chris is "dying" still number one for me.
Jack Hinich yeah
And I often grown whenever they're don
Well I gotta say, props; that was fantastic
Noted: never collaborate with Dave Sim on anything.
I remember being able to get in an argument with someone claiming that TMNT was a Japanese comic book series (probably because of them being released in black and white like manga), and I even asked them if they knew the names of the two men who created the Ninja Turtles, to which they told me it was "somebody Japanese", and they couldn't be more wrong. ;P
How old was this person?
@@danielg.w5733 I don't remember, but I believe he was in his twenties.
To be honest, for a time I thought hey were Italians simply because all the ninjas had Italian names😂😊
That Turtles In Time arcade machine is glorious.
*GLORIOUS*
It's the 89 arcade game. Turtles in Time has a different title screen and uses a different font for its notification to advance to the next screen.
@@daegan_ftw doesnt matter. still GLORIOUS!!! lol
Half the time of this review I was distracted by the arcade masine
@@daegan_ftw Looks like the Arcade1up cabinet. That one has both the 89 arcade and the arcade version of Turtles in Time.
That's not turtles in time dude.
These intros just keep getting better!
Eastman and Laird have always been one of the strangest contrasts in any creative industry, you have one who was okay with almost everything changed about their creation which made it so successful and the other is very resentful and hates what his creation has twisted into in different ways but regardless I think both men are in their own way dealing with the same scary thing for any creative individual, to become a footnote in the shadow of their creation, when it grows far beyond the ones who made it in the hands of others, its a massively bitter pill to swallow since you couldn't ask for a worst situation to cut your nose off to spite your face since you might not like it, but its success still contributes to your own.
Hate is a strong word to use for Peter though. I disliked alot of the early changes but realised he could keep his comics and still have franchise do other things. He headed a bunch of those multicolored headband turtle shows. Kevin on the otherhand seemed to have thought the tmnt was a stepping stone to other things, after a while he seamed tired of it and wanted to try other things but like the prodigal son he realised the grass isnt always greener and came back home.
I wasnt aware TMNT was an indie property. I can remember when I was 9 making a coloured TMNT comic with one of my friends, and bringing a new page to school every few days to work on with him. I think it's cool that two guys can create something so unique and inspiring that some kids at school were set on the same track!
CT is pretty good though I think a bit naive. He's missing a really obvious piece of the puzzle. I will hopefully offer a more complete story on how TMNT happened.
@@thomasmuandersontheneousul4184 with a comment this bold i'd like to see what you have to say that he's allegedly missed
@@thomasmuandersontheneousul41841 year later and you have not clarified what he allegedly missed. 🐔 bock bock
This episode was pure nostalgia for me. So many childhood events related to TMNT. From playing with action figures, to games and costume parties.
Costumes lol. When i was 5 i wanted to be a ninja turtle for halloween so bad, but the costumes were sold out. So my mom got some green clothes from a thrift store and made front and back turtle shell out of poster board, a bandana, got face paint and all. Then my dad (who ran a K-mart store back then) had gotten a costume shipped from another store to his and took it home to me and totally stole my mom's thunder. 30 years later, i still feel guilty about not wearing mom's costume
Silly question, but what was the story of what happened to their original home/office. It burnt down or something, but was there any story behind that?
Well it was just Peter’s house. They grew out of it as they got bigger. No fire I’m aware of.
didnt expect to see you here
There's a Netflix series called the "The Toys That Made Us" they have a an episode on TMNT that's really good
A fellow man of culture, I see.
When they announced season 3 of that series, that was the episode I was looking forward to the most.
@@Thrawns_Office It's the one episode I watch over & over.
Marvel Legends better be there, at least the Toybiz ones.
There's a documentary called "Turtle Power" that's even better.
oh hi you caught me watching comic tropes within the first minute it uploaded
Truly pioneers... today there's any number of "studios" and even "presses" that are one person putting out webcomics!
I think these guys show how far a simple concept can take you. They got so much mileage out of just a handful of comic pages. I think the TMNT phenomena demonstrates the opportunities that can arise by continually developing new ideas, recognizing what works, and owning what you create. Even if you're not super talented you may be lucky enough to create the next Harry Potter or TMNT.
But then you run into the problem of people TRYING to make a thing happen as opposed to it just happening organically. That’s why the comic market is absolutely flooded with things attempting to be a franchise and it goes nowhere.
Tmnt just had the most absolute dumb luck of being at the right place at the right time and even then it should not have worked but it did
Would love to see an episode dedicated to Heavy Metal itself.
i was thinking the same thing
Same here.
Heavy Metal is treasure trove of brilliant creators and stories.
It also the best "mature" comics magazine.
Tales from the crypt too!
Did you do any of the covers?
dude yes I had a magazine of that
poor bugger Ol Eastman. Was trying to do the right thing by artists/creators and had a big heart but sadly made just abut every mistake in business possible! xx Nice new shelves Chris! you have well out grown the pics duct taped to the wall behind you now! hahah
sup splash!
He’s like the John Romero of comics! Lol I just realized the pictures were taped like last week when somebody pointed it out lol
His heart is why he’s in this predicament!!
Right I had guess it was like 25-50 split, with at least half going to running the company or setting up a cushion. Only 20 for the company is pretty crazy even to someone who doesn't know anything about business. Like even a household couldn't run on only that much. People spend more of their paycheck on basic stuff.
@@DSan-kl2yc really FN generous of a publisher, especially from a business stand point. I gotta respect the man for trying. If He just hired a business consultant, he could've pulled it off. Then again, his uncle kind of was his business consultant. If he'd just listened, he could've pulled it off.
I'm just here to say Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) is one of the best superhero movies of all time.
Word! The costumes are amazing and the fact that they did all those fight scenes in those costumes is even more awe-inspiring! All without CGI, because back then we didn't have CGI worth shit lol!
@@Galvion1980 Word. I was just thinking at the end of the video that Mikey's nunchaku skills look pretty damn top-notch despite being done by someone in what was probably a heavy and hot rubber suit. Way better than either of the Bay Turtles.
Definitely ! Lots more love in these old movies than in the Bay version. But to each their own...
I just rewatched it after probably twenty years (im 33) and damn, it held up incredibly well in every facet of its production. It was beautiful and touching, funny, shot well, had incredible puppetry and suitmation. It was incredible.
19:15 is that Julie Strain? 😮😮😮😮
Lost my 80s tv show Leonardo toy in the park. Still feel the hurt 3 decades later.
You should’ve looked for a toysize human in a flashers coat and hat. They blend in with people the second they leave the sewer. Hopefully somebody lost a Ralph to take care of him and tell him what to do to get pizza as he needs leadership.
OMG, you discovered them before the cartoon!!!
i did too, but i was 7 when i read the original issue. this actually had a weird effect on my life. when the cartoon came out and "turtle mania" gripped my group of friends, i was the sole "the book was better" kid. this was kind of alienating... until the movie that straight up was some of the comic arcs, remixed.
Hope we get a comic tropes on Peter Laird
agreed. eastman was "good ideas, poorly handled" and makes you wonder the other side of the coin of the TMNT creators
You pretty much got the full Peter Laird story in this video.
Peter Laird's entire personality seems to be complaining about the cartoon. He hated Krang, Bebop & Rocksteady, the Shredder, Mona Lisa, every character anyone would ever write in asking when they would appear in Mirage Vol IV (The one he had sole 'custody' on) would be accompanied by a paragraph or two of him complaining about how emotionally bankrupt the idea was, or something. It was wild. It was a self published comic, he didn't even need to print letters at all-- in fact, this was post 2000 when most comics had stopped doing this because they had let internet forums take over. But he just had to post "These are the types of letters you turds are sending in, and this is why you're stupid!" or something. Actually, I'd like to see an episode on him just in case there's some other way to interpret those letters that I've missed.
He also really hated the different colored masks... like to an absurd degree. He never explained why, he just did. When they first announced the new 2003 reboot, I was genuinely worried that they'd all have red masks; or even worse the studio would have demanded they be different colors, and he chose _new_ different colors out of spite. Thankfully that didn't happen...
Kevin Eastman landed Julie Strain. I think he did pretty good for himself.
They split in 2007.
@@IrishMorgenstern I know. But he still landed her for 10 years.
I have seen his new wife. He's better off now
Julie Strain is attractive but girls like her are a dime a dozen now
@giftofgab247 he wasn't with her in the 80s he was with her in the late 90s early 2000 they only broke up less than 15 years ago
Ahh, their timing was perfect and TMNT was on FIRE back in the '80's and even though you did a great job with this episode, too me, it still slightly downplayed the impact our favorite Ninja Reptile Brothers had on the industry. This independent comic, STORMED, the industry! Stacks of ripoffs jumped onto the stands and while none of them would last, Eastman and Laird had, forever, cracked open the market that had been so dominated by Marvel & DC! I know there were lots of other great independents, (WARP Graphics, Elf Quest, my personal fave) & Dark Horse Comics, to name just two but none have dominated or had the longevity TMNT has enjoyed, especially considering how short the original series ran. Well, enough jabbering from me, great intro & episode Chris! You da man!
For anyone wondering, the intro scene is an edit from the movie "BKO: Bangkok Knockout", from 2010.
It's worth a watch for the action scenes and stunts. Don't watch it for the story.
I had liked the first film but the next two were a bit weird in focusing on the past and the protector seemed like a better sequel to ong bak. I'd have to check out Ong Bak The New Generation.
who watche ANY Tony Jaa movie for the story?
Kung fu movies have stories??? That's like saying porn movies have stories.
That’s not from ong bak bro
@@LogicbyDesign
Thanks for the heads up, though I was half right. I just should have double checked. The *German* title is "Ong Bak: The New Generation".
Yah...all English words for the German title and entirely made up by the distributors to fool customers.
I edited my comment with the original title.
I was in 9th grade when the b&w indy comics explosion hit. It was a wonderful time to be a young newbie comic collector. I was raised in VA in the middle of nowhere, so getting my grubby mitts on any indy comics back then was like striking gold.
Came here for TMNT history, and I wasn't disappointed! I first discovered them in cartoon form, and then later in the Archie series, which started by adapting the episodes and diverged into its own wonderful thing. I then read some of the original comics, and that blew me away with how gritty it was compared to the cartoon.
I said this in another video, but TMNT 2K3 is probably my favorite version of the Ninja Turtles, as it followed the comics more closely, and they took Eastman and Laird's method of "throw everything at the wall and see what sticks," and made a more cohesive story out of it.
Same here, as far as how I learned about the TMNT and opinion on the 4Kids series.
I read that the Archie comics stopped adapting cartoon episodes because it turned out that they weren't legally allowed to do so.
$60M for TMNT franchise ownership is robbery. There are scrub basketball players making that much in three years. Hell, George Lucas took nearly 10X that for Star Wars. The TNNT name is a license to print money for eternity.
TMNT is NOT the same as Star Wars.
@@schweitzer-man6227 Disney has greatly diminished the value of Star Wars since, but, yeah, Star Wars was more valuable when they bought it.
@@schweitzer-man6227 yeah, i love TMNT but it does not have the cultural cache, the ubiquity of a Star Wars. TMNT had captured a generation, but Star Wars captured multiple. And TMNT was not riding high when nickelodeon made the offer. An equivalent offer in 1993/94 might've been laughable. In the 2000's not so much
With the exception of the very late 80s and early 90s, Star Wars had always been bigger than TMNT. You also have to consider that when the acquisition was being made, there wasn't much of anything going on with the Turtles. The 2003 series was wrapping up meaning that there was no cartoon anymore. There hadn't been much in terms of video games since the PS2 era. There was no movie in active development. This also meant that there would be no new toy line based on anything. All Viacom was buying at that point were what had already existed. Any movie, cartoon or anything would have to be created from scratch. It's true they could make money off of what had already been created but that content would never produce as much money as it did when it was originally created. So $60 million for what could be considered a dormant franchise isn't that bad.
@@KasumiKenshirou Can you people go away already?
Man, what a great episode! I really love how thorough you are with these topics, and how you don't only give the information but also the context and bigger picture of what happened while also being really easy to watch.
I used to collect these comics back in the 80's before the tv show. They had a really strong New England vibe and sparked my interest in that whole world where a lot of the entertainers of the time were rooted. They were awesome.
Thank you for featuring my picture! I hope you could make it out with that camera.
Thanks for taking my mind off things for just a little while. Congratulations on the silver play button. You keep putting em up and I'll keep watching.
This was a great video. Learned more about Eastman and Laird than I had before and in a more fluid way. What a fascinating story. Yeah, I'd love to see you do Laird, too.
Appreciate all the hard effort and research you do with every video.
Glad to see you're still at it! Great vid! Keep em coming!
Such a great episode! And that new background set decoration has upped the production value in an amazing way. Keep up the spectacular work Chris. 🐭🐢🐢🐢🐢
1:42
'Oh hi! You caught me cooking the books.'
GREAT episode! The "post credits" scene made me laugh out loud literally! I'd love to see you do a James O'Barr episode and an Alex Ross episode.
Everyone's fan art was so much fun to see. Nice video!
Another great episode as always. Thanks Chris! Love the arcade 1up cab in the background
Yo mma pro, would you ever make a comictropes episode on dark horse presents or Paul Chadwick's concrete? Id love to see dark horse get more love from the comics community on utube.
PS ur channel is great
Yes ecspecially their Aliens/Predator/AVP comics
Ok but I'mma have to draw fanart of that intro, it was so good
Dude, the editting on this one is amazing. Great job keeping up the pace!
Well done, man. These episodes keep getting better and better
"We came up with April's jumpsuit!" - "Err, no, ya didn't, here's proof." - "Yeah, well.. we.. we invented the color yellow!"
I am just joking yet I've seen actual claims even more ridiculous than that...
Yeah that was an insane claim to make.
Not to sound pushy, but when’s Madman going to be an episode?
Jack of All Claws Hard agree, just started reading them and it's hard to put them down.
you have the best comic book channel by far. The passion is evident in every video you release.
Awesome episode! I'm really happy I discovered your channel six months (are about six months) ago. All your episodes are enjoyable, but you've really improved over the years and the content just gets better and better.
LMAOOO That may be one of my favorite intros of yours now, that was hella good
These intros are getting increasingly insane. That was awesome.
Congrats on the new set and thanks for all the videos! Good to see you're keeping busy during all this shiz.
I love your channel! We actually just had Kevin on our show. The Turtles will always be very special to us.
I loved this one! I’m really big on the Eastman/Laird OG TMNT books myself, and it’s great to see a video on that side of it from another fan. I also never knew Eastman had such a crazy entrepreneurial story. I hope you cover the Milestone Comics story someday!
You've covered all my favorite indie titles except GRENDEL ! Matt Wagner deserves a moment in the spotlight.
Way fun! Thanks for making this week of isolation during the Covid 19 virus a little easier. Love your work
Very timely video. I've been on a big TMNT kick recently. Keep up the good work Chris and stay safe.
I love how your title is referencing the famous comics journal interview he did x
I started with the animated series back in the early 90s when I was like 4 or 5, right near the end of the run. While I haven't been super thrilled with some of the iterations, new mutation springs to mind, I've still loved a vast majority of the stuff that's been created.
Also, I'm super jealous of the TMNT retro cabinet in the background
Thanks for another great ep Chris! Love the new set trimmings!
My favorite channel by far!!! Keep it up see you next time Chris!!!! Last weeks shooter upload was inspiring
Was wondering what to watch before bed and this got uploaded one minute ago. Perfect timing!
Im just finishing to read the classic era TMNT comic. Awesome job as usual Chris, your videos help me a lot to go through this hard times for the world, and horrible for my country, thanks a lot, greetings from Chile!!!!
The best intro I have seen on your channel!👍 so good !
Awesome video, and the intro was great. I've heard the story of tmnts creation many times before, but I never get sick of hearing it
I’m surprised that this is only really about Eastman, and not also Laird - would he be the subject of a future episode perhaps?
Wow. I'm from Brazil and the ultimate TMNT collection will be released here soon. What a coincidence.
Já peguei na pré venda
Pipoca&Nanquim né? Tbm achei coincidência...
I have met Kevin Eastman. He is funny, laid back and easy going. He was at the Baltimore ComicCon one year. Had him sign my original Ninja Turtle VHS movie. He just sat back, signed it and talked a lot. Would love to see him again.
You keep getting more and more excellent with the intros holy shit
Oh, that intro was flawless editing!
I think if he made it a 80-20 split throughout everything. That’s including toys and other merchandise not just publishing and they had a contract for lets say, the first three years but the creator still owned the rights to their creation and after can do whatever they like once the contract was up. Then I think Tundra would have lasted longer than it did.
This one was really well researched. Great vid. Thanks Chris!
Your level of production just went up to 3000. Great video. Tons of info. Aweskk OK e oh hi intro. Congrats.
Another great comic tropes episode.
The absolute BEST thing about this video is Kevin Eastman's VERY 90's cool guy outfit at 13:44. Suavemente!
Oddly enough his face looks like a Doonesbury character there
edison Oh my gosh!! You’re SO right! I can’t believe I didn’t see that. Peak 90’s!!
Nice updates to the set of your channel. The background looks nicer and your audio is sounding better all the time.
I gotta say, that was probably my favorite intro yet, and you have a lot of good ones xD
The smile when you say "the brand continued to evolve and mutate", lol. I enjoyed seeing you enjoying your wordplay, lol.
“Arguing that they came up with the IMPORTANT elements of TMNT, like... April’s jumpsuit...”
😐
Love your channel and your videos. I got to meet Eastman last year at the South Carolina Comic Con. He couldn't have been nicer. He spent 5 mins with everyone in line (which made the wait long but was worth it) and I got him to draw Raphael for me. Keep safe and keep up with the videos.
The ending. I am in tears. I was hoping someone would make that edit. Needed that after a long shift. Thanks, dude.
This is so funny. Heavy Metal Magazine is my first introduction to not only comics, but also helped removed a negative stigma of "porn" in art. Mind you I'm not claiming Heavy Metal was nothing but smut (although it was riding that razor edge), but the idea that something didn't have artistic value just because of its content was driven home thanks to Heavy Metal. In a way, it helped me form an open mind on most things outside of even art. I still have boxes full of old (and torn apart) issues of Heavy Metal from the early 90's to early 00's, and I love opening them up every once in a while.
Whenever you say something like "I discovered them in the 80's" I'm shocked! You seem so young! Are you sure you were alive back then? lol
Right?
Yes, it surprises me too, he looks way younger.
if he's in his mid-40's, that would be about right.
Best Intro - Ha. Favorite was the Christmas story collected in Vol 4 that collected the Leonardo micro issue and ended with #11. Great job man
Happy to see the growth! Still love this show, subscribed for a while now. Keep it up!
The current IDW series is fantastic. I discovered it late and haven't quite made it half way through the hardcover collections but it's one of my absolute favourite series.
I discovered that series back in 2013/2014. I can't remember the last time I was buying TPBs so quickly. It's a great series that I would LOVE to see it get adapted into an animated series.
I even got Kevin Eastman to autograph the first volume for me.
I started with number 8, still have the same one in mint condition. Absolutely worthless, but I love it dearly.
Dude that Intro was awesome. One of your top 5 best
That is the best intro ever! Another great episode, go the Turtles! Keep up the great work.
TMNT was an obsession as a kid and its very cool that its had this parallel life with its mainstream products and underground comics
I grew up to find out a relative Mark Bode helped produce early issues in the tmnt comics but he parted ways with then before they sold out 12:27 he mentions mark
It was pretty cool meeting and discovering that my cousin mark worked with them. As a kid I lived with the bode family and discovered a basement full of a bunch of vaugh bode works. Found a bunch of t-shirts with naked big breasted futuristic babes on treaded motorcycles lol
Please do a video on mark bode he is criminally underrated artist.
Great episode! I thought I knew most of the early story of TMNT. But you managed to show me more. Thanks!
I may have just subscribed recently but I have to say I love that this channel is doing great. Kudos!
You know what this episode reminds me of the toys that made us it reminds me of that because it goes into the history and facts of comic books while the toys that made us does the same thing but for toys so chris whatever your doing to make this show good keep doing it by the way I recon this is a very good UA-cam channel and that I respect all those who work on this
With a networth of $20 mill, I'm certain Eastman isn't missing the $14 mill he wasted in the 90's, lol!
But with the availability of profits in the markets like stocks and housing, and with the increase in inflation and living cost, that $14 million during that time may have amounted to $40 million today.
Terr Cain Yeah, but that had to hurt at the time. Plus, there was no way to know if he would recover. Most who lose that much money never get it back.
@@truefanforum3273 agreed. at least eastman is stable.
Ian R. Nava Huber I don't know much about either Eastman or Laird so I can't speak on that.
@@FoxUnitNell Yes, because there's a difference between never having to work again rich, and so filthy rich you don't know what to do with yourself. Sarcasm really seems to be lacking in people's comprehension. *Rolls Eyes*
Ngl I was about to close the video at the end after the actual review, but the sudden super wholesome mood of the outro speech drew me back in. Congratz on the silver button and stay safe, TropesMan
Had to stop at 0:30 to say that this was the best intro to date! Slightly edging out the taking out the trash for Chuck Austin's X-Men
You should talk about Evan Dorkins comics more specifically Eltingville
Shoutout to the indies! Loving the new look.
Great, great, great! Terrific episode, Chris. Chordially, MU from Kingston WA.
I've watched every single episode, every single intro, this was my favorite intro by far great work!