TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #5 COMIC BOOK COVER ORIGINAL FINAL COLOR ART BY CO-CREATOR KEVIN EASTMAN.
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Winning Bid:
$28,053.67
(Includes 18% Buyer's Premium)
Bidding Ended:
Wednesday, June 30, 2021 9:00:00 PM (20 Minute Clock Begins At Wednesday, June 30, 2021 9:00:00 PM)
Item Description
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were created in 1984 by comic writer/artist team Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman and the characters' adventures were initially published in comic books by Mirage Studios. These stories saw the Turtles battling petty criminals, evil overlords, mutated creatures and alien invaders. From their comic book origins, the Turtles franchise has developed into one of the most popular and successful pop culture properties of all time, spawning cartoons, films and copious amounts of action figures and other merchandise. The initial Mirage comics had limited print runs, which lead to the early issues of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles becoming some of the most coveted and collectible comic books of the 1980s. Original art from these comics is highly sought after, and the indisputable scarcity of this art can make opportunities to obtain it an exciting time for both TMNT fans and comic art fans alike.
Offered here is a 10-5/8x14.25" thin sheet of artpaper featuring mixed media original final color art for the wraparound cover of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5, published by Mirage Studios in Oct. 1985. Art is by TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman and was used for the first printing cover (a different wraparound cover showcasing Raphael was used for the second printing). Eastman's recollection of this art's history is as follows - "I wasn't sure of the best way to color this piece - the 'first' full color cover - I did in fact copy it, and color the photocopy - which WAS used to scan for the printing of the 'First' full color TMNT cover ever printed - as well as the first issue that was printed in traditional 'Comic Size.' This in effect, actually is an original - the original - a full color painting (even on top of a photocopy - it is a fully original painting) and this one was specifically used for that cover. It wasn't done after the fact - it was the original scanned and used for that issue's cover." The photocopy Eastman utilized to paint this original art over was taken from his original black and white inked art, which is currently held in a private collection.
Vibrant full color original art depicts an action-packed scene, featuring all four Turtles (along with the Professor Honeycutt/Fugitoid) battling it out on the planet Peblak in a scene reminiscent of the famous Star Wars cantina, crowded w/alien creatures and armed troops that return the Turtles' fire. Of note, Raphael and Michelangelo fire away with pistols and rifles while the Leonardo and Donatello wield their more traditional ninja weapons. A robotic character that bears a more than passing resemblance to Star War's IG-88 is caught in the crossfire and lower right corner features the back of another robotic character that looks very similar to the 2-1B medical droid. Another cameo appearance in the busy scene is Dave Sim's Cerebus the Aardvark, who sits in a back booth. This issue followed events that transpired in Fugitoid #1, which saw the Turtles team-up w/Fugitoid (and has been retroactively titled Teaming Up With Fugitoid). Artpaper has 3/8" black inked border extending to very edge of paper and features some of the soldiers' laser blasts crossing border as if firing off the page. Eastman has signed at lower right in white ink, adding "85" date. Artpaper has some minor rippling and edge wear to margins, but this is not distracting and art still displays Exc. w/bold colors and amazing detail. An amazing and colorful piece of art by one of the co-creators of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, sure to become a focal point of any TMNT collection!
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