rich_TMNT

On 1/19/2022 at 4:17 PM, sorrenmj said:

I feel much more reassured now, thank you @Turtle! Perhaps issue 32 was printed differently since it was for a 30th anniversary event, rather than for the market in the way issues 29 and 30 were?

One likely reason for the sizing difference of #32 is that it was actually printed a year before #31 was printed.  Peter released issue #31 digitally only at first.  Then, for FCBD 2014 he made printed copies of #32 - and then later released it digitally.  Fans wanted a printed copy of #31 to go with #32 so he made printed copies of #31 for FCBD 2015.

Below are some links with information about issues #31 & #32 directly from Peter Laird's blog.  Also, within issue #32, Peter mentions wanting to print copies of #31 eventually (obviously meaning that #31 hadn't yet been printed when #32 was printed).  For sure some odd history for these last two books.

• May 09, 2014
• May 11, 2014
• April 28, 2015
• May 22, 2015

On 11/10/2021 at 4:30 AM, Ryan. said:

There's an Evil Ernie one coming out this month as well if I recall correctly. 

@Turtle @Ryan. I have a feeling the TMNT #1 homage covers from Dynamite (by Ken Haeser) are going to sneak up on a lot of people and will be very hard to find at a decent price after release.  I say this because it doesn't seem very well-known that there are currently a total of 16 unique TMNT #1 homage covers spanning eight Dynamite titles (and I suppose even more could be coming).  For every FOC Bonus cover by Ken Haeser, there's also a 1:11 incentive B&W variant by Ken Haeser (and not many people know about the incentives).  Here's a listing of the upcoming TMNT #1 homage covers from Dynamite as of today:

November 10 Release

1. Nyx #1 Cover O FOC Bonus
2. Nyx #1 Cover S FOC 1:11 Incentive
3. Vampirella #25 Cover ZC FOC Bonus
4. Vampirella #25 Cover ZI FOC 1:11 Incentive

November 17 Release

1. Army of Darkness 1979 #3 Cover L FOC Bonus
2. Army of Darkness 1979 #3 Cover N FOC 1:11 Incentive
3. Purgatori #2 Cover J FOC Bonus
4. Purgatori #2 Cover N FOC 1:11 Incentive

November 24 Release

1. Barbarella #5 Cover M FOC Bonus
2. Barbarella #5 Cover P FOC 1:11 Incentive
3. Invincible Red Sonja #6 Cover N FOC Bonus
4. Invincible Red Sonja #6 Cover R FOC 1:11 Incentive

December 01 Release

1. Jennifer Blood #3 Cover L FOC Bonus
2. Jennifer Blood #3 Cover O FOC 1:11 Incentive
3. Evil Ernie #1 Cover J FOC Bonus
4. Evil Ernie #1 Cover N FOC 1:11 Incentive

On 10/18/2021 at 12:25 PM, spracknetch23 said:

Finally got around to taking a photo of my complete set of Dark Horse TMNT Miniatures in all packaging variations. There are only 13 unique sets (14 if you include the original set, which had a different Leonardo sculpt), but a total of 24 packaging variations. Individually, they aren't very hard to track down. But finding them all took a few years.

 

Super cool to see them all this way.  I still need just a few of these to complete the full set but it's nice to know that some of them don't have "Dark Horse" package variations.

On 10/6/2021 at 5:22 AM, comiconxion said:

When I “discovered” these counterfeits in the 90’s, I also noticed two variations - some that were numbered to 150 and some to 500. So, I wonder if the counterfeiters had so much success selling the first 150 that they ran off another batch to 500?  Looks like a lot of them came out of the PA area.  

I can't recall ever seeing the copies numbered out of 150 - I've only ever seen the ones numbered out of 500.  A couple things I find really interesting (because these counterfeits are really puzzling):

1) most copies I find of the "XXX of 500" yellow counterfeits are in the 200's.  For instance, @SpideyFein has 211 of 500.  I have two sets of yellow counterfeits - one with matching numbers for #1 and #2 (220 of 500) and one with unmatched numbers (#1 - 213 of 500 / #2 - 206 of 500).  It makes me wonder if there really aren't that many yellow counterfeits out there as it might seem and that the counterfeiter just made something like 25 sets and then chose to number the sets they made in the 200's.  I'm still waiting for the day when I see another set of yellow counterfeits out there with the same numbering as is on my sets that I own.  That will for sure add to the mystery - but it would point to there being at least duplicated sets or multiple counterfeiters.   

2) I think the reason for some copies to be numbered out of 150 and others numbered out of 500 would be the information that was available about them at the time of being made in the 80's.  There wasn't a ton of information back then and I seem to recall that we all originally thought there were 500 sets and then that was later refined down to 150 sets (by either Kevin or Peter).  If that's the case, the copies numbered out of 150 would be the newer counterfeits.  

3) There is a slight color variation in the yellow tone on my two sets of yellow counterfeits.  Which is odd since their numbering isn't really that far apart.  They should be the same color if made by the same person and the same time.  Could be one set was exposed to UV light more than another set.  Or, one set was made well after the other with different paper stock. I believe I've heard others talk about their yellow counterfeit set being mismatched - where #1 is really rich yellow and the #2 is muted yellow but both numbers are the same.  I can't find the information on this at the moment but if I find more I'll update here.

On 10/6/2021 at 6:10 AM, SpideyFein said:

Yes, I'm number 211 of 500  I'm curious on these though- were these created after TMNT 1 dropped, got hot and sold out? That would be the only logical explanation. I know there were some counterfeits of TMNT 1, but not like this.   

Many years ago, I found a set of the weird blue counterfeits that were mentioned somewhere back in the day in (I think) the Overstreet price guide.  They are pretty beat up and the alignment of the covers and interior artwork is really wonky but it's the only set I've ever seen of them.  They aren't signed or numbered and the quality of the page images isn't all that great (or, less great than the yellow ones). The pages are also much different than the yellow ones - more of a glossy feel to them than the yellow ones.  Of course, the guy I bought them off of was adamant they were authentic because he said he got them from someone that claimed to know Kevin and Peter.  I already knew when buying them they weren't legit and I paid way too much for them at the time because the buyer wouldn't budge from his belief of authenticity - even in light of me showing him my authentic B&W copies.  But I've always wondered which came first - blue or yellow.  Maybe the yellow counterfeits came after the blue ones - and somehow the blue ones were the first test run by the counterfeiter and they didn't like how they turned out or something and switched to yellow paper. 

The thing I find most interesting about all these counterfeits (yellow or blue) is that somewhere along the line they had to come from an original set, right?  How else would they have been made?  No internet existed to find images of the pages.  Would love to know which set of authentic Gobbledygooks was used to make all these counterfeits. 

Super weird history to Gobbledygook #1 & #2.

On 10/5/2021 at 6:30 PM, SpideyFein said:

I would agree with you on this, and hope you’re right. I am surely going to look into it and keep you posted. I’d like to see an SS! Thanks! 

Definitely keep us updated.  I'd be curious to know what happens. 

On 10/5/2021 at 12:00 PM, SpideyFein said:

Hey Rich. Yes sir, but my question is do you think CGC will grade these Gobbledy counterfeits? Maybe if Kevin says they are fake, and it's of course noted that they are. Maybe Kevin will sign these as well. If they grade other counterfeits, maybe at this time they will grade these. What do you think?

Now that CGC has graded the authentic copies and knows what they look like, I think CGC would probably grade any other edition as counterfeits regardless of who sends them in.  I think for sure CGC would grade them as counterfeits if Kevin sent them in with signature (and maybe even get a CGC SS label ?? - not sure on that part).

On 10/5/2021 at 10:35 AM, Bronty said:

 

The gobbledygooks on the other hand, yes, I think they need provenance/authentication from a creator.

Yes, this is accurate.  CGC is now grading the authentic Gobbledygooks if they are first sent to Kevin Eastman for authentication and then Kevin sends them to CGC.

On 9/4/2021 at 10:43 AM, sorrenmj said:

Epic. I hope the cover negatives are found. It could be the negatives were stored somewhere else if they were used to print the covers for all other later editions using the same #1 cover?

The cover negatives are long gone I'm afraid.  There's solid documented proof that the covers and interiors were printed by completely different printers and then later joined together at The Journal Tribune.  Since two printers were involved in the production of the book, both would have needed to save their production artifacts for TMNT #1 - but only one did.  I wrote an entire article about the missing cover negatives because it's actually quite interesting. 

Honestly, the fact that the interior page negatives were retained is, in itself, quite remarkable (and only was done by an employee who thought they might somehow be valuable later).  Printing negatives are typically tossed after a time - or, at minimum, removed from their flats and stored in a file cabinet.  Having all 40 page negatives still arranged in the flats in the exact orientation used to burn the printing plates is pretty much a miracle.  

On 9/4/2021 at 9:32 AM, sorrenmj said:

That would be amazing. I seriously hope this comes to pass. Will you reprint the comic to 3,000 copies using similar materials? Perhaps the comic could come bundled with the published article? Anyway very excited to hear your proposal, I can't wait to see what comes of it! 

If I'm able to get a reprint done from the negatives, the goal would be to reproduce it as closely as possible to TMNT #1 1st printing (but I'd need to commission the covers - front back and interiors - since I don't have the negatives of those).  So, 3,275 copies (to replicate the 1st printing print run) would be part of it - along with probably the book containing the articles about the negatives.  

Definitely something I won't give up on.  

On 9/4/2021 at 5:07 AM, sorrenmj said:

The series about The TMNT #1 Production Negatives should be published! Makes for a very unique study. Thanks for this @rich_TMNT

Thanks, I appreciate that.  I do hope to someday publish the articles in some type of book / comic book form.  My ultimate goal is to do a reprint of TMNT #1 directly from these negatives - lots of hurdles to that obviously but it would be amazing!

On 9/2/2021 at 4:10 PM, Subby1938 said:

Third print is almost identical to both 1 & 2 prints  and comparing Cgc blue to actual print run they are undervalued and much lower in census  . It’s 100% same book and nobody should try and spill milk on that fact . It’s BS I love mine and it’s same magazine size . I’ve owned first print as well def know the differences between them 

The third printing of TMNT #1 is actually the most different when compared to the first and second printings.  It's definitely similar at a glance but there is a slight size differential (although all three printings do vary slightly in width).  However, the interior is where the major differences occur between the third and first/second printings.  There's far too much to list here but if you're interested, take a bit of time to read my series about The TMNT #1 Production Negatives (specifically from Part 10 on).  Those will provide you lots of info. about the first three printings of TMNT #1.  Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

18 hours ago, Professor Chaos said:

 

Pretty rare stuff. Unless I dreamed this I think I recall 2 Gold Turtlemania's being sold on e bay about 7 or 8 years ago for like 1,000 each. I'm pretty sure that did happen. 

 

Yes, two Turtlemania Gold issues (#4 and #6 - the same one up on Heritage) sold for $450 each on eBay back in 2012.  This still haunts me - hard to even think about.  The stuff of my dreams.

https://tmnt-ninjaturtles.com/breaking-news-two-turtlemania-gold-editions-sell-for-450-each/

@SpideyFein Congrats man!  It's awesome that these are now getting graded by CGC when they come with authentication from Kevin.  Those SS yellow labels really add some hefty value to these books.  

34 minutes ago, Icculus308win said:

The green ones are cool!!

 

Here’s one of my copies:

 

 

 

This is a gorgeous copy!  Not sure I've ever seen one that pristine.  

8 hours ago, cbmitch said:

Anyone know the background on independent comic book sampler #2 that they would like to share?  Here is a link to a recent sale...Wondering if there is a new TMNT story or what is behind these prices for this book.  Def a cool cover...!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Independent-Comic-Book-Sampler-2-1988-Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-BB408-/393059875623?hash=item5b8431bb27%3Ag%3APv8AAOSwoQZf257Q&nma=true&si=z%2FmBpfz5YdYhWuKYPvl9lN8tDHs%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

@cbmitch The two issues of Independent Comic Book Sampler contained bios of independent artists along with one or two pages of their artwork.  #1 contains Kevin Eastman and #2 contains both Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird.  Each of these were limited to 4,000 copies.  Here's an image of the inside back cover of #2 that provides details about these books (and a bit about Eastman & Laird).

There are very rare Limited Edition green variant covers for each of these books (limited to 50 copies each).  You can see the details about the green covers on the inside front covers of both #1 & #2 regular (black) editions.  The publishers gave 10 sets away as prizes and then the other 40 sets were distributed to contributors.   

• Independent Comic Book Samplers

@oakman29 There's no way to tell from the outside.  The error / misprint is the appearance of a black grid-pattern on 8 pages (13, 16, 17, 20, 21, 24, 25, 28) in either the gutter, page corner, or both.

9 minutes ago, TMNT said:

How about another vintage toy to start the new year? 

RAY FILLET

Another great character heavy in the bathtub play sessions. In truth, I didn't have this 1st edition version seen but as an adult I can be a bit more picky. So there were 5 versions of this bad boy. These different printing show the gradual realization that Playmates made that making this color change Toy was expensive and so ultimately they took that feature away. 

- 1st version = "Awesome Mutant Color Change" starburst, Purple Chest with Red V. This is my AFA figure below. It let the kids know on the front and back that this guy changed color. Primarily done by dunking in water, he also changed color if he got too hot or too cold. How cool is that?! 

 

Spoiler

 

Twinsies!   I love this figure.  It's one of the coolest from the original 1988-1992 line.
https://tmnt-ninjaturtles.com/figures/playmates-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-1988-1992-ray-fillet/

17 hours ago, comiconxion said:

At the beginning of this new year, I thought I'd post some books that most Turtles completists may not even know about... Gobbledygook #1 & 2 2nd printings!  Yes, there was a 2nd printing of the 1984 Gobbledygooks printed by Kevin Eastman himself from the original proofs used to create the original printings.  He made 10 sets of these and gave me one set back in 2012 when I originally purchased the proofs from him.  I unfortunately had to sell the master proofs through Heritage a few years back, but kept this set of the 2nd printings.  They may be the only set in public hands at this point.  They aren't labelled as 2nd printings, but there are some notable differences (which I won't get into here to discourage any potential counterfeiting).  

So, for you Turtles completists... here's something new that you can search for in 2021 that's as rare as the Turtlemania Golds!

So, I can definitely confirm there are 2nd printings that were made from the master prints of GG #1 & #2.  Kevin brought a set of them for me to see a couple years back and he told me they were made just prior to him selling the master prints.  However, Kevin had said that he colored the little dot in the issue number red for these master print / 2nd printing editions so that they would be set apart from the originals (which you can see in this picture I took of the ones he showed me).  Obviously, the set you have didn't get this coloring applied.  But, he did tell me that he gave you a set of them when you purchased the master prints.

4 hours ago, Sauce Dog said:

Has anyone heard anything about any possible future Eastman signings? I missed the last one (due to mail delays) and was hoping to have one of my books signed or sketched on.

Also would anyone know if Eastman does non-CGC signings through his website (Ideally would love to commission him to do a signature and sketch on one of my books in my personal collection, so having it CGC witnessed isn't a requirement for me). I emailed through his website and asked on twitter but never got a response in either case.

No, he doesn't accept submissions due to the liability of handling other people's books/valuables.  Many that would be submitted to them would be very high value.

23 hours ago, Ryan. said:

If it's signed inside it will be blue label. 

22 hours ago, BeardedBubba said:

I'm embarrassed to say I never knew that.  Thanks for the info.

This is true! Mine is signed on the inside cover by Kevin and Peter...blue label.  And I didn't know that it wouldn't be green label either before I submitted it. 

18 hours ago, LDarkseid1 said:

Could someone explain to me what this guy is selling? Is it essentially a modern reprint of the infamous gold edition version, and worth like $5-$10 lol. Or is it legitimately worth around what he's asking? https://www.ebay.com/itm/174191436059?ul_noapp=true

@LDarkseid1  I can provide all the details and background about this if you want to post this again over in the Official Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles thread.  Just so we stay on topic here in this thread with TMNT #1. 

44 minutes ago, spracknetch23 said:

Sadly I think you're right. Laird seems to have lost most of his interest. I met him way back in '93 with the other Mirage guys besides Eastman. Luckily I still have a few of the autographs from back then (Eastman added his signature to the third print in '14). Not authenticated, of course, but still glad to have them. 

Nice books!  Great to have Peter's signatures on anything anymore.  I've always liked how he (almost always) puts the year along with his signature. 

2 hours ago, SpideyFein said:

This of course makes it even cooler! Are all of the pages upside down? I think you did the right move getting it signed. I love his quick head sketches. You of course are correct regarding how tough is sigs are getting. Thanks for sharing this beauty. 
 

I have a few Laird sigs, most I’ve gotten off these boards. and one that is cgc’ed. @Turtle was kind enough to sell me a Turtlemania 1 and get his sig at a signing. I coincidentally met him at a show where I cracked it and got Eastman too. I remember answering his call prior to teaching a yoga class, with all of my students around me. That was an important call  @Ryan. sold me a nice double signed FCBD 1 which I eventually got Eastman on too. I have a couple more cool Laird pieces, but wish I would’ve gotten more when I had the chance.  
 

I’ve yet to meet Peter, and still have hope!! 

@SpideyFein The way the pages are arranged, it's actually best to think of this issue as simply having the cover attached upside down on the body pages.  Because when you open the front cover, the first page is Page 40 (the last page - presented upside down).  It's essentially a manufacturing error where the cover was attached upside down to the correctly-oriented body pages.  All 40 pages are present...just in the reverse order and every one of them upside down.  

Sadly, I'm not very optimistic that we'll ever see another public appearance of Peter. He's the last of the original four Mirage guys (Eastman, Laird, Lavigne, Lawson) that hasn't signed the TMNT #1 negatives.  I've been trying to work a private signing with Peter for over a year now and it's just not happening.  COVID hasn't helped but, even before that, I wasn't really getting any traction.  He seems to want nothing to do with Turtles anymore.  So, hold on to those books with Laird signatures.  I'm the same as you...wish I'd have picked up more Laird stuff when I had the chance.  Should have had way more stuff signed the few times I've met him personally.  But, the things he did sign are now that much more significant.