[Powder]

I'd say that it did, unquestionably, however it doesn't get the credit it deserves for that.

Their initial burst of popularity sparked a trend of wisecracking antho animal teams, the "black & white comics boom", & its creators Kevin & Pete spearheaded a huge creators rights movement that led to the creation of indie publishers like Image. They definitely made their mark. But again, most of the brand visibility came from the kids show, which is what the world at large thinks is the sum of TMNT, so they're largely unaware of what the books were like or how influential they were. I once read an anecdote in which someone got main art duties on an (adult) TMNT comic in the 90's (might have been Frank Fosco), & in response to this one of their contemporaries said "I'm so sorry", assuming he was stuck doing goofy children's books for a living.