Kevin Eastman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kevin Eastman |
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Eastman in 2023
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| Born | Kevin Brooks Eastman May 30, 1962 Portland, Maine, U.S. |
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Notable works
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Heavy Metal, The Melting Pot |
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Notable collaborations
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Peter Laird, Eric Talbot, Simon Bisley |
| Awards | Inkpot Award (1989) |
| Spouse(s) |
Julie Strain
(m. 1995; div. 2006)Courtney Carr
(m. 2013) |
| Children | 2 |
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Kevin Brooks Eastman (born May 30, 1962) is an American comic book writer and artist. He is famous for co-creating the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Peter Laird. Eastman also used to be the editor and publisher of Heavy Metal magazine.
Contents
Early Life and Career
Kevin Eastman was born in Portland, Maine. He went to Westbrook High School. There he met another comic book artist, Steve Lavigne. Kevin loved comic books growing up. His hero was Jack Kirby, and his favorite comic was Kamandi.
In 1983, Kevin worked in a restaurant. He was also looking for publishers for his comics. He met Peter Laird and they started working together. They created different comic projects.
In May 1984, Eastman and Laird published their first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic. It was in black and white. They printed 3,275 copies. Kevin's uncle Quentin loaned them money for it. They called their company Mirage Studios. Kevin said they chose this name because they didn't have a real studio. They just worked at kitchen tables. By September 1985, their first comic had been printed three more times.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Eastman and Laird made a press kit for their comic. They sent it to TV and radio stations. They also sent it to news agencies. This led to lots of news stories about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. People wanted to read the comic.
Their second Turtles comic quickly became a big hit. They got orders for 15,000 copies. This was five times more than the first issue. Eastman and Laird each made $2,000 profit. This allowed them to become full-time comic creators.
The Turtles became very popular. Eastman and Laird went to their first comics convention in 1984. It was called the Atlanta Fantasy Fair. They met famous people there.
Their fifth Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic came out in November 1985. It was smaller, like most American comics. The first four issues were also reprinted in this new size. They had new colored covers. In 1985, a company called Solson Publications released a book. It was called How to Draw Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Licensing and Popularity
The Turtles comic led to the characters appearing in many other ways. Eastman and Laird started to sell products with the Turtles on them. Dark Horse Miniatures made small lead figures. Palladium Books made a role-playing game about the Turtles. First Comics reprinted the first eleven issues as color trade paperback books.
The role-playing game helped the Turtles get noticed by a licensing agent. His name was Mark Freedman. After that, the Turtles became even more famous. Their characters appeared on T-shirts, Halloween masks, and mugs.
A five-part cartoon mini-series about the Turtles started in December 1987. It was very successful. This led to a full TV series. The show ran for 9 years and had 193 episodes.
Movies and TV Shows
Many other Turtles comics, toys, and games have been made. Eastman and Laird often helped create them. There have been five live-action movies:
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)
Four more TV series were also created:
- Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation (1997)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012)
- Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2018)
There were also two animated movies:
- TMNT (2007)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)
Eastman wrote an episode of the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show. He also helped write a short film called "Pizza Friday." He had small acting roles in some movies. He also did a voice-over in Mutant Mayhem.
Eastman and Laird's Partnership
Over time, Eastman and Laird had different ideas for their work. They didn't spend much time together after 1993. Eastman moved to California, and Laird stayed in Massachusetts.
In 2000, Laird bought Eastman's share of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Eastman wanted to work on other projects. The deal was finished in 2008.
In 2011, Eastman started working on TMNT again. He wrote and drew for the IDW comic series. He also advised on the 2014 movie. Eastman had a small role in the movie as a doctor. He also voiced the character Ice Cream Kitty in the 2012 CGI series.
In 2019, a comic called The Last Ronin was teased. It suggested that Eastman and Laird might work together again. This project was confirmed in 2020 and released later that year.
Tundra Publishing
Eastman and Laird knew it was hard for creators to keep control of their work. Eastman wanted to help other artists with this problem. He used his own knowledge and connections.
In 1990, Eastman started Tundra Publishing. He wanted to publish his own projects and help other creators. He joined with other comic artists to create the Creator's Bill of Rights. This was a way to help creators own their work. Tundra helped publish comics like From Hell and The Crow.
Eastman thought his experience with Turtles would help him as a publisher. But he soon realized Tundra was very different. Tundra worked on new projects that needed a lot of effort. It grew too fast and needed a lot of time and money.
Tundra later joined with Kitchen Sink Press. Tundra closed after only three years. Eastman lost a lot of money. But he still felt good about the work Tundra did. He said Tundra helped many artists. It was one of the first companies to let creators own their work.
Heavy Metal Magazine
Kevin Eastman was a big fan of Heavy Metal magazine. It was a science fiction and fantasy magazine. He liked that it showed European art. He also liked that it was for older readers.
Eastman found out Heavy Metal was for sale. He thought it fit with his goal to bring more adult comics to readers. So, he decided to buy it. He bought the magazine in January 1992.
Eastman wanted to bring new comics creators to the magazine. He also tried to bring European comics to America. He sold the magazine in January 2014. Eastman continued to be the publisher until 2020.
Other Creative Work
Besides his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles work, Eastman created Fistful of Blood. This was a graphic novel that mixed Western and horror stories. It had art by Simon Bisley.
Eastman has also acted in a few movies. These include Guns of El Chupacabra (1997) and The Rock n' Roll Cops (2003). He had a role in the 2004 film Tales from the Crapper. He also had a small part in the first TMNT movie as a garbage collector. He wrote one episode of the kids' TV show Corn & Peg.
He was interviewed in the documentary films Independents and Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
In the early 2000s, Eastman drew artwork for a drum kit. It was for System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan. Dolmayan loves collecting comic books. Eastman drew the Ninja Turtles on one drum. Other artists drew characters on other drums.
Art Collection
Eastman bought his first original comic art in 1984. He bought pages from a Howard the Duck comic. Collecting art became a big hobby for him. He also wanted comic art to be seen as "Art." This led him to start the Words & Pictures Museum. It was a physical museum that was open from 1992 to 1999.
Personal Life
Family
Kevin Eastman has a son. He was married to model and actress Julie Strain from 1995 to 2006.
Eastman married actress and producer Courtney Carr on October 5, 2013. They live in San Diego with his son. They also have pet dachshunds.
Beliefs
Eastman grew up in a Christian family. He sees himself as both "Christian" and "spiritual." He likes that Christianity teaches universal love. He believes many other religions share this message.
Images for kids
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Kevin Eastman's signature
