Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo.
Yes, yes, these are the names of four Italian masters of Renaissance art, sure. Certainly, but more importantly, for many people in their 20s and 30s, these were the heroes of a generation.
Yes, these are the pizza-loving Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who are now, like a lot of Millennials, celebrating their 30th birthday (which, like only certain Millennials, came via genetic mutation) with a new retrospective book release in conjunction with a San Francisco-exclusive exhibition at the Cartoon Art Museum. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Visual History is written by Andrew Farago, the curator of the Cartoon Art Museum and responsible for organizing the new exhibit.
In May 1984, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, two comic book artists in New Hampshire, self-published the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic, which has since become an international phenomenon, spawning several TV shows, films, books, merchandise, and of course, more comic books.
Now, 30 years later, the retrospective collection at the Cartoon Art Museum celebrates the iconic hit franchise by featuring all the original artwork from the historic first issue from 1984. It displays other early covers and interior artwork from the series creators and their associates from Mirage Studios, storyboards and animation cells from the original 1980s TMNT television series, and material from the popular TMNT Adventures comic book originally published by Archie Comics.
The green display will be open to the public until Sept. 14, but for those wishing to get a deeper history or own a piece of ninja nostalgia, Insight Editions is releasing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Visual History June 24 for aficionados of the reptilian crime fighters.
Written by Andrew Farago, the curator of the Cartoon Art Museum and Bay Area native, the 192-page book illustrates the genesis and metamorphosis of the four masters of martial arts from humble black-and-white comic strips to a multimillion-dollar success as pop culture icons.
The coffee table book also has interviews with creators Laird and Eastman, animator Fred Wolf, and Vanilla Ice, who dropped the single "Ninja Rap" for the live-action films of the '90s. This TMNT book definitely delves much deeper into the underground history of the turtles and certainly, pardon the pun, leaves no shell unturned.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" runs through Sept. 14 at the Cartoon Art Museum, 655 Mission St., S.F. Call CAR-TOON or visit cartoonart.org.
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