Editing Peter Laird (section)

==''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''==
{{Main|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage Studios)}}

In May 1984, Laird and [[Kevin Eastman]] self-published the first [[black & white]] issue of ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', at an initial print run of 3000 copies for the forty-page oversized comic. It was largely funded by a loan from Eastman's uncle, Quentin (the experience of which had a profound impact on Laird, and led indirectly to his later work with the [[Xeric Foundation]]), and published by the duo's [[Mirage Studios]], a name chosen because "there wasn’t an actual studio, only kitchen tables and couches with lap boards."<ref name="Rebels"/><ref name="Mysterymen">[http://www.flamingcarrot.com/MM/presskit.pdf Bob Burden's ''Mysterymen'' Presskit: Kevin Eastman] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528231813/http://www.flamingcarrot.com/MM/presskit.pdf |date=2008-05-28 }}. Accessed April 22, 2008</ref> That first issue received a number of subsequent printings over the next few years, as the Turtles phenomenon began to take off.<ref>[http://www.comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=27751 ComicBookDb: ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' #1]. Accessed April 22, 2008</ref>

Laird's newspaper experience led to the duo creating "a four-page press kit",<ref>Pages from the Press Kit can be seen [http://www.heavymetal.com/page.cfm?id=263# here] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512175935/http://heavymetal.com/page.cfm?id=263 |date=2006-05-12 }} on Eastman's ''Heavy Metal'' website.</ref> that, according to ''[[Flaming Carrot]]'' creator [[Bob Burden]]'s own ''[[Mystery Men]]'' [[Press kit|press-kit]], included "a story outline and artwork that they sent to 180 TV and radio stations," as well as both the [[Associated Press]] and [[United Press International]]. This led to widespread press coverage of both the TMNT property and Mirage Studios itself, creating "a demand for the interestingly-titled comic that caught everyone by surprise."<ref name="Mysterymen"/> With the solicitation of their second issue, Eastman and Laird's ''Turtles'' comic began a meteoric rise to success, bringing in advance orders of 15,000 copies. This, Eastman has been quoted as saying, "basically ended up with us clearing a profit of two thousand dollars apiece. Which allowed us to write and draw stories full-time: it was enough to pay the rent, pay the bills, and buy enough macaroni and cheese and pencils to live on."<ref name="Rebels"/>

The ''Turtles'' phenomenon saw the duo invited to their first<!--Note: The first issues of ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' debuted at the Portsmouth Mini-Con in New Hampshire, May 1984. Presumably Eastman meant the first ''invited'' convention? Or was he mistaken about them being at the Atlanta Fantasy Fair?--> [[comics convention]] at the tenth annual [[Atlanta Fantasy Fair]] in 1984, where they mingled with the likes of [[Larry Niven]], [[Forrest J Ackerman]] and [[Fred Hembeck]] (among others).<ref name="Rebels"/><ref>[http://davehellmerrill.blogspot.com/2007/01/atlanta-fantasy-fair.html David Merrill "The Atlanta Fantasy Fair"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519100614/http://davehellmerrill.blogspot.com/2007/01/atlanta-fantasy-fair.html |date=2015-05-19 }}. Accessed April 22, 2008</ref> With their (November 1985) fifth issue, ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' downsized to the more common American comics format and size, and the previous four issues were also reprinted in this size and format with new color covers. Also in 1985, [[Solson Publications]] released ''How To Draw Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.'' Solson would follow this up with the six issue ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Authorized Martial Arts Training Manual'' as well as one issue of ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Teach Karate'' volume in 1987.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

===Unexpected success===
[[File:NH Marker for TMNT.jpg|thumb|[[New Hampshire historical markers|New Hampshire Historical Marker]] for the “Creation of the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''” in [[Dover, New Hampshire]]]]
That the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' became such a success (and in such a short space of time) came as a surprise to both Eastman and Laird. Laird has stated on several occasions that:<ref name="Rebels"/>
<blockquote>…start[ing] the Turtles…was a goof; it was not anything we envisioned directing our lives in any way, shape, or form. It was like, ‘Hey, this looks like fun! Let's [[self-publish]] it! Let's see what happens!’...Suddenly, and just completely out of the blue, this Turtles phenomenon emerged. And really – from day one – just took over. It was a rapidly accelerating process which culminated in essentially taking over our lives. Completely.<ref name="Rebels"/> </blockquote>

This led to increased pressures on the two creators (and the team which they formed to help them), including a prolonged period (about a year) of [[writer's block|artist's block]] in Laird. The "incredible growth and complexity of the business" that sprang up around their instantly-successful Turtles properties led to Laird's "suddenly discover[ing] to my horror that I no longer enjoyed drawing. It was a real shock, because if I ever had anything that I could rely on... it was that I loved to draw."<ref name="Rebels"/>

Laird and Eastman's creations went on to become a popular cultural phenomenon, forcing both of them to take regular sabbaticals from the comic to deal with the day to day pressures of running what had become a multimedia franchise. Eastman sold his share of the franchise, with the exception of a small continuing income participation, to Laird and the Mirage Group on June 1, 2000.<ref name="Laird">[http://www.ugo.com/channels/filmTv/features/tmnt/ Daniel Robert Epstein interview with Peter Laird, c2002/2003] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905154515/http://www.ugo.com/channels/filmTv/features/tmnt |date=2008-09-05 }}. Accessed April 22, 2008</ref> On March 1, 2008, Laird and Mirage bought out Eastman's remaining rights and interest and the two went their separate ways. Concerning Eastman's departure, Laird stated his belief that Eastman "was just tired of it."<ref name="Laird"/> On October 19, 2009, Laird sold the franchise to [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]], the parent company of [[Nickelodeon]], but still retains the rights to create and publish up to eighteen black-and-white comics based on the franchise per year.