TheTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesare one of the biggest comic book properties of all time, but they probably wouldn’t exist if it weren’t forDaredevil. Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman’s little black-and-white indie comic took the world by storm, growing from a small-press book to a global franchise that is still going strong to this day, so it’s wild to think that the title started as a loving homage to Marvel’s vigilante, Daredevil.
When Eastman and Laird’sTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#1 launched in 1984, the most exciting artist working in comics was Frank Miller. The celebrated writer/artist’s work on Marvel Comics’Daredevilrevolutionized the industry and comic creators in the early part of the decade.
Eastman and Laird were both die-hard comic book fans, as evidenced by the first issue ofTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesbeing dedicated to Jack Kirby and Miller. The twocreators’ admiration of the all-time greats led them tobring the same gritty, martial arts-infused sensibility to the Turtles, who became their signature creation.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Marvel’s Daredevil Really Do Share the Same Origin
Eastman and Laird Pay Homage to the Comics that Influenced Them
The Daredevil connection starts at the very beginning of the TMNT franchise’s life span, asTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#1reveals that the two properties are tied together through the characters' respective origins. That first issue showed the origins of the Turtles: how they were mutated from a canister of radioactive mutagen. But before the canister found its way to the four Turtle brothers, itstruck the eyes of a young boy who saved a blind manfrom being run down while crossing the street. Comic book fans will recognize the scene well, as this was also how Matt Murdock gained his powers in Marvel’s continuity.
Created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett, Daredevil first appeared in 1964’sDaredevil#1.
Being struck in the eyes with radioactive chemicals blinded the young Murdock, but it also enhanced his other senses, in addition togiving him a new radar sensethatallowed him to fight crime as Marvel’s Man Without Fear, Daredevil. Tying the origins of the Turtles into Daredevil acted as a nice homage to Miller’s take on the character on the part of Eastman and Laird, but the influence doesn’t end with their shared origins. The first issue also details how the Ninja Turtles were trained by their master Splinter, a rat who was mutated by the same mutagen that transformed the four brothers.
Splinter’s name is yet another homage to Miller on the part of Eastman and Laird, as Miller’s run on Daredevil revealed that the young Matt Murdock was trained bya ninja master named Stick. Much like Murdock, Stick was also blind, but he had no special abilities – he became a martial arts master entirely from hard training. Stick led a collective of martial arts experts known as the Chaste, and he was also responsible for training Matt Murdock’s lost love, Elektra Natchios.Splinter being an obvious play on the name Stickis another example of the influence that Miller’sDaredevilrun had on Eastman and Laird.
TMNT’s Greatest Villains Wouldn’t Exist Without Daredevil
The Foot Clan Were Created as an Homage to Marvel’s the Hand
Miller’s time onDaredevilintroduced a whole new element to the Man Without Fear’s world, including further enmeshingDaredevil in the world of martial arts masters and secret ninja clans. One of the key enemy factions facing Matt Murduck during Miller’s tenure wasthe Hand, a supernatural ninja clanwho serve a powerful demon known as “the Beast.” The Hand quickly became a thorn in Daredevil’s side. Eastman and Laird’s heroes were going to need someone to fight, and given that they were called the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” it only made sense that the TMNT would have their own villainous ninja clan, just like Daredevil.
Instead of the Hand, however, theninjas that the TMNT still slice up on a regular basis are instead known as the Foot.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#1 tells the story of the criminal empire known as the Foot clan and the bitter rivalry that existed between the Oroku Saki and Splinter’s master, Hamato Yoshi. Yoshi fled Japan after killing Saki’s brother in a duel, leading Saki to join up with the Foot ninja clan, an international criminal organization. Saki rose through the ranks to lead the Foot, becoming thefeared warrior Shredderwho has faced the Turtles in countless stories across comics, TV, and movies.
Even after the original creators carved out their own piece of comic book history, the TMNT franchise is still finding ways to pay homage to what came before…
The homages to comics-past helped Eastman and Laird define the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in their very first appearance, but what started out as aloving homage to the comic books they loved quickly grew into one of the biggest franchises of all time.Even after the original creators carved out their own piece of comic book history, the TMNT franchise is still finding ways to pay homage to what came before, such as Karai donning an outfit inspired by Elektra inTMNT: The Last Roninor April O’Neil being refashioned into a reporter in theTurtlescartoon as a homage to DC Comics' Lois Lane.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Started by Honoring History - And Now They’re Part of It
Eastman and Laird Now Have Their Own Legacy
TMNT’s own influence on comic books was felt almost immediately, as the smash success ofTeenage MutantNinja Turtles#1 led to what is known as the “black-and-white boom” in the comic book industry. A wave of creators and small-press publishers were keen to capture the success thatTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtleshad achieved with independent, black-and-white publications, and the market was flooded with quick cash-grabs such as theAdolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamstersand theNaïve Interdimensional Commando Koalas, among others.
More importantly, Eastman and Laird showed just what was possible by creating an independent comic where they called all the shots. Given TMNT’s widespread popularity around the world and beyond comics, the Turtles’ origins, Splinter, and the Foot ninja clan are now iconic pieces of the franchise that are recognized the world over. It’s wild to think that all these characters and concepts started out as homages to Miller’s work on Marvel’sDaredeviltitle, but it’s an example of how legacy works in comic books.
Stripped, Revived, Purified: Why Daredevil: Born Again Decided to Break Matt Murdock
Frank Miller’s Daredevil run remains a defining work in the comic industry. Miller takes everything away from Matt Murdock, leaving a husk of a man.
Miller was inspired by the likes of Will Eisner and Neal Adams; he then went on to influence Eastman and Laird; and now the originalTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesseries and its many offshoots have influenced generations of creators, including the currentTurtlescreative team of Jason Aaron and Juan Ferreyra. TheTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlescertainly owe a debt toDaredevil,but that debt has been paid a hundred times over in the number of creators inspired to create their own characters.
The currentTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlestitle is available now from IDW Publishing.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) is a multi-media franchise that began with Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s comics in the 1980s. Throughout the years, their comic books expanded to movies, TV shows, video games, and toys. Most notably, the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ran for nearly a decade and has become a nostalgic staple of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Several other movies have featured the four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael), including the trilogy of live-action films in the ‘90s and the more recent movies Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.
