Join us for our latest Nirvana Comics double feature event as we return to the sewers with legendary comics writer Paul Jenkins in attendance to tell us all about the early days of Mirage Comics and about his experiences on the set of TMNT 1 & 2. He has LOTS of crazy behind the scenes stories to tell us, so this is one event you don’t want to miss out on!

Released in 1990 as Turtlemania hit its peak, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES is a milestone in the rise of comics-sourced film franchises: while 1989’s slick blockbuster BATMAN aimed for the broadest possible audience, the independently-produced TMNT favors Eastman & Laird’s violent, gritty comix milieu over its broader cartoon counterpart. The gambit paid off then (the film reigned for nine years as the most successful indie production in box office history) and it pays off now as a self-respecting, highly rewatchable adventure for fans both old and new.

The film’s success inevitably led to a sequel in 1991’s SECRET OF THE OOZE, which uses its doubled budget to lean into the more fantastical tone of the toy line, TV show and popular Archie Comics series. The result is less dignified, sure, but arguably even more fun to watch, especially when the Jim Henson Creature Shop gets to expand on the first film’s animatronic wonders. (Also it’s 1991, so Vanilla Ice is there.)

“One finds in them the same unabashed enjoyment of color and movement, of spectacular athletics and outrageous stunts, that animates the Hong Kong action cinema as a whole and makes it so superbly entertaining.” – Chicago Reader

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