The Turtles' surf to success is as unlikely as they are likable.
As a lark in 1984, writer Kevin Eastman and artist Peter Laird published an indie parody in cheap b/w of Miller's "Daredevil" and the teen X-team, the New Mutants. The turtles were picked up by a toy figure company, who redefined them with a tie-in cartoon series just to promote the toys. The animated series (1987-1996) exploded into a massive hit, merch bonanza, and generational touchstone. While the X-Men were bigger than The Beatles in the comics market, they were still unknown in a mainstream market where now a low-rent parody of them was an ominpresent juggernaut in every home. Then the success of Batman (1989) unleashed this live-action film, which retained the darker emphasis of the comics that the animated had smoothed out.
