Cover art by Kevin Eastman, Mirage Studios (1985). Photos courtesy of Almost Anything Opelika.
Long before the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles became a television phenomenon, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird were telling their story in the black-and-white pages of Mirage Studios’ original comic. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3, first printed in 1985, captures that early energy: urgent action, strange discoveries, and four brothers trying to save the teacher who raised them.
The trouble begins when the Turtles return to their sewer home and find Splinter missing. The Mousers have taken him, and the team turns to April O’Neil for help. Her arrival sets off a frantic van chase after the police mistake her vehicle for one used in a robbery. It is a wonderfully chaotic stretch of storytelling, with the search for Splinter pressing forward even as the Turtles struggle to get across the city.
Splinter’s journey takes the issue somewhere even stranger. After escaping the Mousers, he is brought to the TCRI laboratories, where he discovers that the seemingly human workers are aliens called the Utroms operating robotic disguises. The reveal opens a new corner of the Turtles’ world and gives readers a reason to reach for the next issue.
This first printing also offers a close look at Eastman and Laird’s original work. Both wrote and drew the 38-page story, while Eastman created the cover. The result has the distinctive feel of early Mirage: fast, inventive, and full of ideas that the franchise would keep exploring.
For a collector, a sharp copy of #3 is a satisfying piece of TMNT history. It brings together April, Splinter, the Mousers, and the Utroms at a moment when the Turtles’ world was growing with every issue.
Where to buy it
The 1985 first printing of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 pictured here is available from Almost Anything, 221 South 9th Street in downtown Opelika, which has specialized in comics and collectibles since 1992. It is listed at $149.99 as of Sept. 26. Buy it online from Almost Anything or call the store at 334-741-0808.
Almost Anything is an advertiser with the Opelika Daily News.
