Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #01

My cousin gave books 1 and 3 to me when I was 8 and I ate them up. I had far more fun with this collection of the original TMNT comics than I did with the kid-friendly, chubby-cheeked, pizza-loving bunch on TV. These Turtles have a lot more to lose than their cartoon counterparts. The art is not pretty by any stretch of the imagination. The lineart is so darn thick it could stop a bunker-buster. This said, it certainly has its own style (even though all of the human characters are ten kinds of ugly). Although the comics are color here, one can easily see its black and white roots -- the blood spatters are all black. I have always liked this touch (or lack thereof). The basic story of the Turtles' coming of age is here, and it's a load of fun -- don't expect it to be logical and you should have a good time. Many of their foes' and friends' first appearances appear between these covers -- Shredder, Dr. Stockman, Mousers, and April O'Neil. It's a relatively inexpensive way to enjoy the first Turtle comics. Highly recommended!

from the back of the book: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles caused a black-and-white explosion with its arrival in 1984. Admirers and fans have made it the largest selling black-and-white comic of the decade-- the first issue has been reprinted four times. TMNT has been largely responsible for an unprecedented growth in the comics industry and the blueprint for numerous imitators. First Comics now presents the original three issue origin in one full-color graphic novel. This deluxe collector's edition also includes two never before published stories by creators Kevin Eastman ['Night Life'] and Peter Laird ['New Comic Day!']." In addition to this, there's an introduction by sci-fi/fantasy/horror commentator Stanley Wiater, three Eastman & Laird pin-ups (including a very prototypical-looking one from 1983), bios of the artists, and a trippy full-color ad for an NES game called Phantom Fighter.

This is a collection of issues #1 to #3 of the original Ninja Turtles comic book series compiled in graphic novel format. It's illustrated in full color and it also includes two never before published stories by Eastman and Laird. It makes a great collectible and it's also a good read for fans. Altough a bit childish the artwork is beautiful. It's a great buy !!