Stephen Murphy (comics)

Stephen Murphy
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Writer, Editor, Letterer
Pseudonym(s)	Dean Clarrain
Notable works	The Puma Blues Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Tales of the TMNT
Collaborators	Michael Zulli Ryan Brown Mike Hawthorne Chris Allan
http://containstracesof.blogspot.com/

Stephen Murphy is an American comic book writer and editor known for his work on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. With Michael Zulli, he was co-creator of the critically acclaimed 1980s independent comic The Puma Blues.

Murphy graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a BA in Communication Studies.

Murphy wrote The Puma Blues, which ran from 1986–1989, first published by Aardvark One International and later by Mirage Studios.

In 1988, Murphy was an initial signatory of the Creator's Bill of Rights.

Murphy's relationship with Mirage (operated by TMNT creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird) led to him coming on as a staff member at the studio, where he eventually became Managing Editor and Creative Director.

Alongside fellow Mirage staffer Ryan Brown, the two men revamped the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures title for Archie Comics, beginning in 1989 with issue #5. In their hands the comic immediately diverged from the cartoon series into unique new story arcs, often incorporating social, environmentalist, and animal rights themes. It also introduced several new characters of various races and backgrounds, including humans, mutants, aliens, and other anthropomorphic creatures. The stories were often seen as "deeper" and more "serious" than the cartoon. During that period, Murphy co-created the characters Jagwar, Nova Posse, Snake-Eyes, and Sarnath; he united several of the series' recurring characters as a separate team, the Mighty Mutanimals. Murphy wrote the majority of his work on TMNT Adventures under the name "Dean Clarrain."

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