CGC Signature Series Creator Spotlight: Kevin Eastman

Artist: Kevin Eastman

Next Signature Series deadline: November 8, 2024, is the deadline to submit your books for the next Kevin Eastman Private Signing. Kevin will be joined at this event by creators Tom Waltz, Ben Bishop, Luis Antonio Delgado, Isaac Escorza and Esau Escorza. Learn more about the signing here!

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Creator origins: Eastman is a comic book artist, writer and creator who is widely known for co-creating Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (along with Peter Laird) in 1984 as a self-published, black-and-white, oversized comic. The series morphed into a phenomenon. Its huge success led to many Eastman co-created merchandising and multimedia deals that included games, toys, live action films and a hit television series. In addition to TMNT, Eastman has also co-created (with filmmaker and comic book writer David Avallone) the intense comic series Drawing Blood, and he is the publisher and editor of Heavy Metal magazine.

Top picks: Eastman has a lot of fan favorite comics, such as:

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (Mirage, 1984)
• Michelangelo #1 (Mirage, 1985)
• Turtlemania Special #1 (Metropolis, 1986)
• Grim Jack #26 (First, 1986)
• Anything Goes #5 (Fantagraphics, 1987)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #1 (Archie, 1988)
• Casey Jones #1 (Mirage, 1994)
• TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 (IDW, 2020)

CGC Comics Registry highlight: Need more ideas? Check out CGC Comics Registry user pubmonkey’s amazing collection of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1984) comics in their set, Py Turtles. This collection won a “Best in Set Type” award from 2013 to 2018.

Auction highlight: A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 graded CGC 9.2 Signature Series with a Kevin Eastman signature and sketch realized $55,200 in a Heritage Auctions sale in June 2023.

Did you know? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles originally began as a gritty black-and-white parody of superhero comics, specifically Frank Miller’s Daredevil and Chris Claremont’s New Mutants.

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Submit Now to CGC Signature Series

There are many more CGC Signature Series events planned with your favorite creators! Find a complete list here! Also follow CGC Signature Series on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for the latest news and updates on upcoming signings. You can also receive email updates about the latest signings by logging in to your CGC account and selecting “Signature Series” here.

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for TCGs, sports cards and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. The newest division of CGC, CGC Home Video, provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of home media, including Betamax tapes, DVDs and Blu-ray discs.