Kevin Eastman
| Kevin Eastman | |
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Eastman on April 23, 2009
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| Born | Kevin Brooks Eastman May 30, 1962 Portland, Maine, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Comic book artist, writer, penciller, inker, editor, publisher, letterer, colorist |
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Notable works
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,Heavy Metal, The Melting Pot |
| Collaborators | Peter Laird, Eric Talbot, Simon Bisley |
Kevin Brooks Eastman (born May 30, 1962) is an American comic book artist and writer, best known as the co-creator alongside Peter Laird of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Eastman is also the editor and publisher of the magazine Heavy Metal.
Eastman was born in Portland, Maine. He attended Westbrook High School in Westbrook, Maine with comic book illustrator Steve Lavigne.
In 1983 he worked in a restaurant while he searched for publishers for his comics. He met a waitress who was attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst and followed her to Northampton, Massachusetts. While searching for a local underground newspaper to publish his work, he began a professional relationship with Peter Laird and the two collaborated for a short time on various comics projects.
In May 1984, Eastman and Laird self-published the first black & white issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The forty-page oversized comic had an initial print run of 3275 copies and was largely funded by a US$1000 loan from Eastman's uncle Quentin. It was published by the duo's Mirage Studios, a name chosen because, as Eastman says, "there wasn't an actual studio, only kitchen tables and couches with lap boards." By September 1985, their first issue had received three additional printings.
Laird's newspaper experience led to the two creating a four-page press kit, which included a story outline and artwork. They sent the press kit to 180 television and radio stations as well as to the Associated Press and United Press International. This led to widespread press coverage of both the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mirage Studios itself, creating a demand for the comic. With their second issue, Eastman and Laird's Turtles comic began a quick rise to success, bringing in advance orders of 15,000 copies, five times the initial print run of the first issue. This earned Eastman and Laird a profit of $2000 each and allowed them to become full-time comic book creators.
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