Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Facsimile, kevin eastman, peter laird, teenage mutant ninja turtles, tmnt

SCOOP: A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 Facsimile From IDW In August

SCOOP: A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 facsimile, originally from May 1984, arriving August 2026 from IDW in its original dimensions

Published Mon, 18 May 2026 07:57:11 -0500

by Rich Johnston

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Article Summary

IDW will release a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 facsimile in August 2026, recreating the landmark 1984 debut.
This TMNT #1 facsimile restores the original oversized Mirage format, with 44 black-and-white pages priced at $6.99.
A foil cover edition joins the standard Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 facsimile for collectors and longtime fans.
Originally limited to about 3,000 copies, TMNT #1 began as a gritty indie parody and became a pop culture phenomenon.

In August 2026, IDW Entertainment will publish a facsimile edition of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, as first published by Mirage Studios in 1984. And unlike other reprintings of the issue in question, it will be at the original Mirage oversized dimensions, roughly 7⅜" x 10⅞", it's 44 pages, black-and-white, at $6.99. As well as the original, a foil version of the original cover will be available, albeit less of a facsimile. But it will dazzle and excite. And here, on Bleeding Cool, without watermark, is an exclusive look at the cover…

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird

…. which, yes, is exactly the same as the original cover. That's the point. But it did make me laugh… here is the blurb: "Experience the revolution from the very beginning! Witness the brutal origin of Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael. Trained by their master, Splinter, the four brothers emerge from the shadows to settle a blood feud with the deadly Foot Clan and their leader, the Shredder. Before the hit movies, the animated series, and the toy aisles filled with action figures, there was a gritty black-and-white indie comic that changed the industry forever. Now, we're inviting you to return to the sewers of New York City in this faithful facsimile edition of the legendary first issue by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird."

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 was originally self-published in May 1984 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's newly formed Mirage Studios, as a black-and-white independent comic that unexpectedly launched one of the biggest pop culture franchises. In an oversized magazine-style, black-and-white interiors on cheap newsprint, with a wraparound cover by Eastman. Only about 3,000 copies of the actual first printing were made, which, combined with massive later demand, makes high-grade copies extremely valuable today. It premiered at Portsmouth Mini-Con in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Eastman and Laird promoted it via ads in their other magazine, Gobbledygook and a full-page ad in Comics Buyer's Guide #545. It originally sold for around $1.50 as a one-off parody of popular comics like Frank Miller's Daredevil and Ronin, and X-Men/New Mutants/Teen Titans. They funded it with Eastman's $500 tax refund and a $700 loan from his uncle, thanked on the inside cover. It was dedicated to Jack Kirby and Frank Miller on the inside front cover, and the inside back cover had an ad for Gobbledygook, which will be reprinted in the facsimile.

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