The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, originally created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in the early 1980s, began as a gritty, black-and-white comic series that parodied the darker tone of contemporary superhero comics. In their original comic form, the Turtles are four genetically mutated turtles—Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael—raised and trained in ninjutsu by their mutated rat sensei, Splinter. Living in the sewers of New York City, they operate from the shadows, battling criminal organizations like the Foot Clan and facing off against various mutants, aliens, and supernatural threats.
Unlike the lighthearted tone of later TV adaptations, the comic versions of the Turtles are much darker and more violent, often grappling with moral ambiguity, loss, and internal conflict. Each turtle has a distinct personality: Leonardo is the disciplined leader, Donatello is the tech-savvy intellectual, Raphael is the hot-headed rebel, and Michelangelo is the free-spirited jokester, though in the original comics, their personalities were more similar and developed more distinct traits over time.
Their world is filled with danger and a sense of constant struggle, often blurring the line between heroism and vigilantism. The art style and storytelling evolved over the years, but the core themes of brotherhood, identity, and resilience remained central to their narrative.