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{{Short description|Former US comic book company}}
{{Short description|American comic book company, 1983–2021}}
{{distinguish|Mirage Enterprises}}
{{distinguish|Mirage Enterprises}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox company
{{Infobox company
| name = Mirage Studios
| name = Mirage Studios
| logo = Mirage.svg
| type =
| industry = [[Comics]]
| industry = [[Comics]]
| fate = Dormancy (as of 2021)
| fate = Dormancy, Dissolved
| founded = {{Start date and age|1983|9|30}} in [[Dover, New Hampshire]]
| founded = 1983, in [[Dover, New Hampshire]]
| defunct = September 9, 2021, 2 years ago
| founder = [[Kevin Eastman]]<br />[[Peter Laird]]
| founder = [[Kevin Eastman]]<br />[[Peter Laird]]
| products = ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage Studios)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]''
| products = ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage Studios)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]''
Line 17: Line 16:
| divisions = Mirage Licensing, Inc.<br />Mirage Publishing, Inc.<br />Mirage Management, Inc.
| divisions = Mirage Licensing, Inc.<br />Mirage Publishing, Inc.<br />Mirage Management, Inc.
}}
}}
'''Mirage Studios''' was an American [[comic book]] company founded in 1983 by [[Kevin Eastman]] and [[Peter Laird]] in [[Dover, New Hampshire]]. The company was best known for the ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage Studios)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' (''TMNT'') comic book series and the subsequent [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|franchise]] it has spawned.<ref name="nyti_DYNA">{{Cite web| title = DYNAMIC DUO: Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird; Turning Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Into a Monster| author = Douglas C. McGill| work = [[The New York Times]]| date = December 25, 1988| access-date = March 12, 2015| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/25/business/dynamic-duo-kevin-eastman-peter-laird-turning-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-into.html}}</ref><ref name="nyti_Imag">{{Cite web| title = Image Comics Is Having a Creative Renaissance| last = Gustines | first = George Gene| work = [[The New York Times]]| date = July 14, 2012| access-date = March 12, 2015| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/business/media/image-comics-is-having-a-creative-renaissance.html?_r=0}}</ref><ref name="arti_Tv&V">{{Cite web| title = Tv & Video| work = Los Angeles Times| date = June 25, 1990| access-date = March 12, 2015| url = http://articles.latimes.com/1990-06-25/entertainment/ca-550_1_teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles}}</ref>
'''Mirage Studios''' was an American [[comic book]] company founded in 1983 by [[Kevin Eastman]] and [[Peter Laird]] in [[Dover, New Hampshire]]. The company was best known for the ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage Studios)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' (''TMNT'') comic book series and the subsequent [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|franchise]] it has spawned.<ref name="nyti_DYNA">{{Cite web| title = DYNAMIC DUO: Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird; Turning Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Into a Monster| author = Douglas C. McGill| work = [[The New York Times]]| date = December 25, 1988| access-date = March 12, 2015| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/25/business/dynamic-duo-kevin-eastman-peter-laird-turning-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-into.html}}</ref><ref name="nyti_Imag">{{Cite web| title = Image Comics Is Having a Creative Renaissance| last = Gustines | first = George Gene| work = [[The New York Times]]| date = July 14, 2012| access-date = March 12, 2015| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/business/media/image-comics-is-having-a-creative-renaissance.html?_r=0}}</ref><ref name="arti_Tv&V">{{Cite web| title = Tv & Video| work = Los Angeles Times| date = June 25, 1990| access-date = March 12, 2015| url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-06-25-ca-550-story.html}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
[[File:TMNT manhole Cover.jpg|thumb|left|Faux manhole at the site of the original studio in Dover]]
Mirage Studios was started back in 1983, in Dover, New Hampshire. The company was named "Mirage" because there was no actual company. Less than a year before TMNT #1 was published in May 1984, Eastman and Laird began experimenting with numerous series. Mirage then moved to [[Sharon, Connecticut]], and stayed there for two years before ending up in Northampton.
Mirage Studios was started in 1983, in Dover, New Hampshire. The company was named "Mirage" because there was no actual company. Less than a year before ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' #1 was published in May 1984, Eastman and Laird began experimenting with numerous series. Mirage then moved to [[Sharon, Connecticut]], and stayed there for two years before ending up in [[Northampton, Massachusetts]].


With the success of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Eastman and Laird hired a core group of artists to help with the increasing workload. The first addition to the studio roster was Eastman's high school friend [[Steve Lavigne]], brought on in 1984 as a [[letterer]].<ref name="ew.c_30ye">{{Cite web| title = 30 years later, the first 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' comics still pop| author = Jason Heller| work = Entertainment Weekly's| date = August 7, 2014| access-date = March 12, 2015| url = http://www.ew.com/article/2014/08/07/tmnt-comic-books}}</ref><ref name="thew_Thef">{{Cite web| title = The fascinating origin story of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles| author = Andrew Farago| work = The Week| access-date = March 12, 2015| url = http://theweek.com/captured/446321/fascinating-origin-story-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles}}</ref>
With the success of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Eastman and Laird hired a core group of artists to help with the increasing workload. The first addition to the studio roster was Eastman's high school friend [[Steve Lavigne]], brought on in 1984 as a [[letterer]].<ref name="ew.c_30ye">{{Cite web| title = 30 years later, the first 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' comics still pop| author = Jason Heller| work = Entertainment Weekly's| date = August 7, 2014| access-date = March 12, 2015| url = http://www.ew.com/article/2014/08/07/tmnt-comic-books}}</ref><ref name="thew_Thef">{{Cite web| title = The fascinating origin story of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles| author = Andrew Farago| work = The Week| date = June 10, 2014| access-date = March 12, 2015| url = http://theweek.com/captured/446321/fascinating-origin-story-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles}}</ref>


In 1985, Eastman and Laird hired artist [[Ryan Brown (comics)|Ryan Brown]] to assist them as an [[inker]] for the Turtles. Brown would be the first in a long line of artists, other than Eastman and Laird, that would work on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. In the following year, two new members were added, penciler [[Jim Lawson (comic book writer)|Jim Lawson]] from [[Connecticut]] and New Jersey's [[Michael Dooney]] who would paint a number of covers. With the addition of these four core artists along with Peter and Kevin, Mirage's Ninja Turtles output would expand over the next couple of years to include numerous Mirage spin-off titles, as well as a companion comic book entitled ''[[Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]''. In 1989, Kevin Eastman invited freelance illustrator A.C. Farley to do cover paintings for the TMNT collected books. Peter Laird also invited Farley to do issue #29 of the TMNT comic. Farley was eventually invited to be part of the studio and crafted many paintings and comic artwork for the TMNT until his departure from the studio to resume his freelance business in 2004.<ref name="ew.c_30ye"/>
In 1985, Eastman and Laird hired artist [[Ryan Brown (comics)|Ryan Brown]] to assist them as an [[inker]] for the Turtles. Brown would be the first in a long line of artists, other than Eastman and Laird, that would work on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. In the following year, two new members were added, penciler [[Jim Lawson (comic book writer)|Jim Lawson]] from [[Connecticut]] and New Jersey's [[Michael Dooney]] who would paint a number of covers. With the addition of these four core artists along with Peter and Kevin, Mirage's Ninja Turtles output would expand over the next couple of years to include numerous Mirage spin-off titles, as well as a companion comic book entitled ''[[Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]''. In 1989, Kevin Eastman invited freelance illustrator A.C. Farley to do cover paintings for the TMNT collected books. Peter Laird also invited Farley to do issue #29 of the TMNT comic. Farley was eventually invited to be part of the studio and crafted many paintings and comic artwork for the TMNT until his departure from the studio to resume his freelance business in 2004.<ref name="ew.c_30ye"/>
Line 32: Line 32:
Eastman and Laird along with Brown, Dooney, Lavigne, Lawson and Farley toured extensively over the years, making personal appearances and attending many comic book conventions in [[Detroit]], [[Chicago]], [[Hawaii]], [[San Diego]], [[Ohio]], [[Boston]], and [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire]] among many others. As the TMNT went mainstream, later additions to the studio would include [[Eric Talbot]] from Eastman's and Lavigne's old high school, writer [[Stephen Murphy (comics)|Stephen Murphy]], and Brown's friend, Dan Berger, who was brought in from Ohio to ink the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventure'' title from [[Archie Comics]]. In 1988, Mirage participated in the [[wikt:draft|drafting]] of the [[Creator's Bill of Rights]] for comic book creators.
Eastman and Laird along with Brown, Dooney, Lavigne, Lawson and Farley toured extensively over the years, making personal appearances and attending many comic book conventions in [[Detroit]], [[Chicago]], [[Hawaii]], [[San Diego]], [[Ohio]], [[Boston]], and [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire]] among many others. As the TMNT went mainstream, later additions to the studio would include [[Eric Talbot]] from Eastman's and Lavigne's old high school, writer [[Stephen Murphy (comics)|Stephen Murphy]], and Brown's friend, Dan Berger, who was brought in from Ohio to ink the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventure'' title from [[Archie Comics]]. In 1988, Mirage participated in the [[wikt:draft|drafting]] of the [[Creator's Bill of Rights]] for comic book creators.


On October 21, 2009, it was announced that [[Viacom (2005–2019)|Viacom]] had purchased most of Mirage's rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles property. Mirage retained the rights to publish 18 issues a year, though the future involvement of Mirage with the Turtles, and the future of Mirage itself, was unclear at the time of the announcement.<ref name="them_Viac">{{Cite web| title = Viacom Acquires Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles| author = Rodney| work = The Movie Blog| date = October 21, 2009| access-date = March 12, 2015| url = http://themovieblog.com/2009/viacom-acquires-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles/}}</ref> Mirage went dormant on December 31, 2009.
On October 21, 2009, it was announced that [[Viacom (2005–2019)|Viacom]] had purchased most of Mirage's rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles property. Mirage retained the rights to publish 18 issues a year, though the future involvement of Mirage with the Turtles, and the future of Mirage itself, was unclear at the time of the announcement.<ref name="them_Viac">{{Cite web| title = Viacom Acquires Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles| author = Rodney| work = The Movie Blog| date = October 21, 2009| access-date = March 12, 2015| url = http://themovieblog.com/2009/viacom-acquires-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles/}}</ref> Mirage went dormant on December 31, 2009. Already completed projects released into 2010, with the rest being canceled. The final project released by the studio was TMNT volume 4, issue 32, released in May 2014.


Since August 2011, [[IDW Publishing|IDW]] has held publishing rights to TMNT comics under license from Viacom.
Since August 2011, [[IDW Publishing|IDW]] has held publishing rights to TMNT comics under license from Viacom.


On September 9, 2021, an announcement was published on the Mirage Group official website that the four Mirage corporations (Mirage Studios, Inc., Mirage Licensing, Inc., Mirage Publishing, Inc., Mirage Management, Inc.) were officially going into indefinite dormancy and, as of September 19, 2021, they will have stopped conducting all merchandise sales. The website will no longer be updated but will remain active as an archival resource related to the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' comics published by Mirage between the years 1984 and 2010.<ref name="endofanera">{{Cite web| title = The Mirage Group Website| author = Mirage Studios | date = September 9, 2021| url = https://www.miragelicensing.com/}}</ref>
On September 9, 2021, the company's website announced that its divisions had been completely dissolved, and all e-commerce sales would wind up on September 19, 2021. The website has remained active in archive form to document the comics published before IDW took over its rights, and is no longer actively updated.<ref name="endofanera">{{Cite web| title = The Mirage Group Website| author = Mirage Studios | date = September 9, 2021| url = https://www.miragelicensing.com/}}</ref>

==Staff==
Here is the list of writers and artists who were part of Mirage Studios. List in alphabetical order:
*Dan Berger
*Jake Black
*[[Ryan Brown (comics)|Ryan Brown]]
*[[Michael Dooney]]
*[[Kevin Eastman]]
*A.C. Farley
*Tristan Huw Jones
*Mary Kelleher
*[[Peter Laird]]
*Steve Lavigne
*[[Jim Lawson (comic book writer)|Jim Lawson]]
*Ross May
*[[Stephen Murphy (comics)|Stephen Murphy]]
*[[Stan Sakai]]
*Eric Talbot


==Titles==
==Titles==
Line 64: Line 82:
*''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage Studios)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' and related titles by [[Kevin Eastman]] and [[Peter Laird]]
*''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage Studios)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' and related titles by [[Kevin Eastman]] and [[Peter Laird]]
*''[[Usagi Yojimbo]] (volume 2)'' and related titles by [[Stan Sakai]]
*''[[Usagi Yojimbo]] (volume 2)'' and related titles by [[Stan Sakai]]
*''[[Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa]]'' by Ryan Brown
*''Xenotech'' by [[Michael Dooney]]
*''Xenotech'' by [[Michael Dooney]]


Latest revision as of 03:21, 17 October 2024

Not to be confused with Mirage Enterprises.

Mirage Studios
IndustryComics
Founded1983, in Dover, New Hampshire
FounderKevin Eastman
Peter Laird
DefunctSeptember 9, 2021, 2 years ago
FateDormancy, Dissolved
HeadquartersDover, New Hampshire (1983–1984)
Sharon, Connecticut (1984–1986)
Northampton, Massachusetts,
United States
ProductsTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
DivisionsMirage Licensing, Inc.
Mirage Publishing, Inc.
Mirage Management, Inc.

Mirage Studios was an American comic book company founded in 1983 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in Dover, New Hampshire. The company was best known for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) comic book series and the subsequent franchise it has spawned.[1][2][3]

History

[edit]
Faux manhole at the site of the original studio in Dover

Mirage Studios was started in 1983, in Dover, New Hampshire. The company was named "Mirage" because there was no actual company. Less than a year before Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 was published in May 1984, Eastman and Laird began experimenting with numerous series. Mirage then moved to Sharon, Connecticut, and stayed there for two years before ending up in Northampton, Massachusetts.

With the success of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Eastman and Laird hired a core group of artists to help with the increasing workload. The first addition to the studio roster was Eastman's high school friend Steve Lavigne, brought on in 1984 as a letterer.[4][5]

In 1985, Eastman and Laird hired artist Ryan Brown to assist them as an inker for the Turtles. Brown would be the first in a long line of artists, other than Eastman and Laird, that would work on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. In the following year, two new members were added, penciler Jim Lawson from Connecticut and New Jersey's Michael Dooney who would paint a number of covers. With the addition of these four core artists along with Peter and Kevin, Mirage's Ninja Turtles output would expand over the next couple of years to include numerous Mirage spin-off titles, as well as a companion comic book entitled Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In 1989, Kevin Eastman invited freelance illustrator A.C. Farley to do cover paintings for the TMNT collected books. Peter Laird also invited Farley to do issue #29 of the TMNT comic. Farley was eventually invited to be part of the studio and crafted many paintings and comic artwork for the TMNT until his departure from the studio to resume his freelance business in 2004.[4]

In 1991, Mirage secured an interlocutory injunction against Counter-Feat Clothing for similar designs of drawings.[6]

The Mirage artists operated out of a renovated factory space in Florence, Massachusetts. This is where the bulk of the creative output was done, such as the Playmates Toys toy designs and the Archie TMNT comic series, until Tundra Publishing took over the building.[7]

Eastman and Laird along with Brown, Dooney, Lavigne, Lawson and Farley toured extensively over the years, making personal appearances and attending many comic book conventions in Detroit, Chicago, Hawaii, San Diego, Ohio, Boston, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire among many others. As the TMNT went mainstream, later additions to the studio would include Eric Talbot from Eastman's and Lavigne's old high school, writer Stephen Murphy, and Brown's friend, Dan Berger, who was brought in from Ohio to ink the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventure title from Archie Comics. In 1988, Mirage participated in the drafting of the Creator's Bill of Rights for comic book creators.

On October 21, 2009, it was announced that Viacom had purchased most of Mirage's rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles property. Mirage retained the rights to publish 18 issues a year, though the future involvement of Mirage with the Turtles, and the future of Mirage itself, was unclear at the time of the announcement.[8] Mirage went dormant on December 31, 2009. Already completed projects released into 2010, with the rest being canceled. The final project released by the studio was TMNT volume 4, issue 32, released in May 2014.

Since August 2011, IDW has held publishing rights to TMNT comics under license from Viacom.

On September 9, 2021, the company's website announced that its divisions had been completely dissolved, and all e-commerce sales would wind up on September 19, 2021. The website has remained active in archive form to document the comics published before IDW took over its rights, and is no longer actively updated.[9]

Staff

[edit]

Here is the list of writers and artists who were part of Mirage Studios. List in alphabetical order:

Titles

[edit]

Mirage produced many titles, although most did not remain in publication for more than a few issues. Comics published include:

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Douglas C. McGill (December 25, 1988). "DYNAMIC DUO: Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird; Turning Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Into a Monster". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  2. ^ Gustines, George Gene (July 14, 2012). "Image Comics Is Having a Creative Renaissance". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  3. ^ "Tv & Video". Los Angeles Times. June 25, 1990. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Jason Heller (August 7, 2014). "30 years later, the first 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' comics still pop". Entertainment Weekly's. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  5. ^ Andrew Farago (June 10, 2014). "The fascinating origin story of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". The Week. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  6. ^ Catherine Colston; Kirsty Middleton (2005). Modern Intellectual Property Law. Psychology Press. pp. 637–. ISBN 978-1-85941-816-1.
  7. ^ Gary Groth (January 3, 2012). "The Kevin Eastman Interview Part 2". TCJ. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  8. ^ Rodney (October 21, 2009). "Viacom Acquires Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". The Movie Blog. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  9. ^ Mirage Studios (September 9, 2021). "The Mirage Group Website".
[edit]
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