Hey Guys,
April 8th 2012
It has taken me forever to get back round here, and I'm a slow learner on the Devinat Art system, and have been swamped with a ton of TMNT related work... much of which I will start sharing with you HERE as it takes off.
But today, I want to show you some really cool stuff that is going up for sale at Heritage Auction House May 10th and 11th--as it is some of the rarest of rare TMNT work--and this is the first place I'm posting it--I will roll out the press machine this coming week--but for now, you can be the first folks on the block with the news.
Most people will ask "WHY?!" right away, so I'll tell you... it is simply time to let these pieces go, and time for me to get back to the drawing board--doing what I love most, comics. Getting back involved with the TMNT's via IDW almost a year ago has reminded me of two things; 1.) How much I love writing and drawing comics, and 2.) How much I love writing and drawing stories with the TMNT's.
So, with that path in front of us, my wife, kids, and I all decided to wrap-up our life here in Los Angeles, head back home to Florida--simplify--and start digging into the stacks, and stacks, and stacks of story idea's in the notebooks--and start telling stories again.
The Turtles gave me my first real job at drawing comics, now they are going to do it again--watch the auction--tell your friends--tell your local news--and let's see WHO ends up with some of the coolest TMNT history ever!
Read on, and I'll fill you in along the way!
In this frame you'll find a "copy" of the original FIRST drawing Peter and I even did of the TMNT's back in 1983. This was it, the one that started it all! I kept the real one in the vault--put the copy here along with the "real" check for a little over $1000 bucks that my Uncle Quentin lent us so we could print the first issue--an original FIRST printing of the first issue from 1984, and a cool little plaque!
Here's a cool close up of the FIRST drawing!
It is hard to read the Plaque here, but is says, "TMNT #1 The Sketch, the check, and the first issue that started it all!
In the frame you can see the check beeter--the original check is in there, along with the copy so you can see the front and the back--and my original signature, and bank stamp when it was cashed in March 23rd, 1984! This framed unit, the print, the check, and the first printing will be sold as one lot.
And here SHE IS! This is the real sketch, pulled from the vault with a few other key documents, kept in a metal box--and in my personal collection since November 1983! The original drawing will be sold by itself as one lot.
Also as part of the Auction, as I am putting a bunch of cool stuff in, here's an original "resin--first cast" that was given to Peter and I on one of our trips to Playmates Toys--while we were still developing the final toys!
I wanted to include in this collection/lot the first five years of toy catalogs, 87, 88, 89, 90, and 91--as those were the biggest and the coolest years of toys.
This first resin, has been with me in my studio for 25 years, and somewhere in the middle of that, I made this display, which has an original animation cell, and background behind it, of Leo, Don, and Raph--I wanted this resin to be Mike--as Mike was the first TMNT ever drawn--and it was drawn the same night the original group shot above was!
This next lot, is pretty cool and even more super rare--as it not only includes a coy of the FIRST PRINTING, but it also includes the FIRST PRINTING PRESS PROOF! Which actually is "The TRUE First Printing" becuase they ran off the press proof for us to approve, before running the entire 3000 copies and binding them--thus this has the rough edges, no staples, just a printed version I have kept packed away for 28 years.
It also includes interviews/press coverage from two local New Hampshire news papers dated May 1st, 1984--just a few days before the first issue made it's public appearence at a local Portsmouth Comic Show! Super fun!
This next set, I think is pretty cool as well, as it includes a 1986 first printing of the First Comics, first color collection of the TMNT's--and what I ahve included with it, is my original hand colored "blueline" plate of the first TMNT drawing! This was printed in the back of the book.
Here now, is one VERY cool set--it is my complete personal collection of all my TMNT movie files, and the case I had them stashed in for 22 years! Let me show you what is included...
A never before seen December 1988 draft of the movie in treatment form, my personal signed copy of the shooting script, and the original "Sales Press Kit" that was done prior to release of the film--that includes bios, slides, press photo's--and everything is signed.
This is my MOVIE TWO set of cool stuff, that includes a final draft of the screenplay, a stack of notes from Peter and I on the previous version, and a copy of the comic adaptation released at the same time! Everything is signed.
In this set, you'll find all my MOVIE THREE loot, including two different drafts of the film, and the original Press Kit--which is chuck full of slides and bios, and notes--everything here is signed as well.
BUT THIS part, is the cool as shit part, as it includes all the drafts and drawings that I was working on for TMNT #4 with Newline Cinema--before they halted production! Then, the rights were optioned by Motion Picture Corporation of America--and developed further, before they halted production--so none of this work from my personal collection has ever been released until now!
Besides getting three VERY different takes on what the film could have been, one part was consistant--it introduced a fifth TMNT--a male, named "KIRBY" after Jack King Kirby--the man that so inspired Peter and I personally!
In the sets of drawings, you'll find tons of different versions of me trying to find the look of the character--as well as doodles of a new bad guy named "Spyder" (in one of the versions) and a bunch of other related sketches--some of which were published in my 300 page "Artobiograghy" that I published about ten years back!
All of these drawings, and fifth TMNT discussion, came before the much debated fifth female TMNT, Venus. Funny to look back at where we were going with this then--very interesting.
Also as part of the coolness factor, I included a signed set of magazines that came out right after the first movie hit the big screen...
A classic CBG issue that covered ALL things TMNT and was released just before the first film came out...
One of the 1989 version of the monster collection, that reprinted all the original 15 issues Peter and I did--it didn't include Fugitoid, and had an awesome Craig Farley cover!
And last but not least, and signed set of my personal TMNT DVD's--and they even have a few scratches to prove it!
So that is most of it, there are a few other items going in the auction--I'll add those in a later post--and I'm going to get back up here on a regular basis now--I have SOOOOOO many things to tell you about--so many changes going on with me, and Heavy Metal--and I'm planning to get back on some of the awesome notes and discussions you all are having--and show you some of my new work--which excites me the most--whether it is new TMNT or other stuff--I want to try and get it up here first!
Okay, been working on this for a big chunk of the day, let's post it and see what happens!
All my very best, Kevin
