The sad decline of Mirage

[Sharman]

12305

I find this rather depressing - written today (21 May 2019) on the Mirage website:

"ATTENTION: Peter has retired from signing items because he is rarely in the studio these days. As of today, Mirage is no longer offering a signing service, so no items purchased from this site or through eBay will be eligible for an autograph. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. Thank you very much for your support over the years, and for your understanding in this matter. Life, at best, is bittersweet."

Whilst PL is more than deserving of his (semi-)retirement, it's sad to think of what this means.

[Redrumh2o]

I am surprised they still post auctions. I wish they would have a "studio sale" at the studio!

[Toitlefan]

I am surprised they still post auctions. I wish they would have a "studio sale" at the studio!

That would be amazing...and cripple me financially.

Maybe he’s taking some time to work on another project?

[CyberCubed]

It still surprises me Dan Berger puts up ebay auctions like once a week. Like what else goes on there? Katie is their entire shipping department, so it's like two people in the studio going through old boxes of toys once a week, and selling them and that's it?

I hope he'd getting paid to do that.

[The-Shredder]

I got a vacuum-metallized Fugitoid figure with the box signed by Peter Laird in 2015. It's the only signed TMNT item I have. I was surprised that they weren't sold out by then, but then again it wasn't something that was heavily promoted. It doesn't feel right that the original team behind TMNT isn't actively involved anymore, and someday it will cease to exist, but like it was said: "Life at best is bittersweet."

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

I miss the old Ninjaturtles website. Thankfully, Mutantooze has restored much of it.

http://mutantooze.org/ninjaturtles/

[Toxin45]

Well it was nice while it lasted. I am suprised that every other fan didn't comment on this.

[MrPliggins]

I suspect Pete is done with the Turtles. Which is perfectly fine. He dedicated a good chunk of his life to them. If he wants to move on, I can respect that.

[Andrew NDB]

I suspect Pete is done with the Turtles. Which is perfectly fine. He dedicated a good chunk of his life to them. If he wants to move on, I can respect that.

I get it but I also don't get it, but yeah.

A real shame he fought for the 18 comics a year clause just to sit on it. That's his business, though.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

I get it but I also don't get it, but yeah.

A real shame he fought for the 18 comics a year clause just to sit on it. That's his business, though.

Yeah, it is odd. If he's that not into it, that burned out on Turtles, it seems odd that he'd even care to give himself a legal "in" like that.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Well, better to have it and not need it than to want it and can't have it.

True, true. Wish he'd want it a little more. :tlol:

[Sharman]

I get it but I also don't get it, but yeah.

A real shame he fought for the 18 comics a year clause just to sit on it. That's his business, though.

He evidently wished to continue Volume 4 and Volume 2 of Tales ... at the time of the sale, at least until he grew weary of it all.
It's a shame he never went through with publishing his outline for the remainder of Volume 4, which he hinted he might do.

Ah, well ...

[Toxin45]

Well I guess this is good bye mirage.

[Ninjinister]

You know just back before the sale when Pete was detailing his day-to-day life which consisted mostly of spending the day on his motorcycle or Segway and would roll into "work" like it was the least important part of his day, I was kind of bothered by it. It just seemed like he could not give even a thirteenth of a s**t about this empire he built. Then he sold it off and it was even more bothersome.

In hindsight, it was incredibly ridiculous and childish for me to feel that way. Especially since I totally get it now. After working at the same place for 12 years with no real out, I would not want to work on the same thing for that long, no matter how "awesome" it was. Burnout is real, yo. I would love to be able to make something I could sell off and retire.

[Peter Palmer]

Maybe I'm alone in this, but I really don't see this as any big change vs. what we've seen in the last 10 years.

Peter Laird hasn't done a whole lot with the TMNT in the last decade, but occasionally he'll get an itch (or get prodded by a friend) and he'll make an appearance or put out an issue. We've gotten 2 "new" issues since he sold the property and he's done several appearances throughout the years where he seems happy to sign TMNT items for fans and answer their questions.

This announcement just sounds like they are discontinuing the option of have items held at Mirage for Peter to sign. It doesn't sound to me like he's never going to sign again...just that he wants to be free from a commitment that he's not terribly passionate about anymore.

For me, this doesn't seem like part of a sad decline. Personally, I'm happy that there's still remnants of Mirage to enjoy. I'm not sure this happens very often when a large company "buys out" a smaller property. And besides, the sale opened the door for the IDW comic series and the 2012 cartoon, both of which I'd say are excellent additions to the larger TMNT world. The alternative would be Mirage sitting on the property and not doing anything with it, just letting it fade to obscurity. As declines go, that would have been infinitely sadder.

[Andrew NDB]

It's also entirely possible there is just less and less demand for him to actually sign stuff from the website, not enough to justify his taking trips out there anymore.

I mean, hell, I didn't even know that was an option until they're just now saying they're not doing it anymore.

[oldmanwinters]

It's also entirely possible there is just less and less demand for him to actually sign stuff from the website, not enough to justify his taking trips out there anymore.

I mean, hell, I didn't even know that was an option until they're just now saying they're not doing it anymore.

Ain't that always the way of things? Sometimes you never appreciate an opportunity until the door has closed.

I appreciate that I have a few Peter Laird-signed items, including one of those limited vacuum-metal painted Fugitoid figures from last decade.

[Hamato Yoshi]

At least he will do cons , John Erwin stopped signing totally 2 yrs ago and he will prolly never do a con

[Shinigami]

Yeah. I imagine them in a little apartment above Peter's garage (his motorcycles below) sorting through boxes under fluorescent light.

[pferreira]

It's also entirely possible there is just less and less demand for him to actually sign stuff from the website, not enough to justify his taking trips out there anymore.This is the first thing I thought as well. It's probably the deciding factor. Not enough stuff for him to sign so why bother taking trips to his company. :ohwell:

[Andrew NDB]

This is the first thing I thought as well. It's probably the deciding factor. Not enough stuff for him to sign so why bother taking trips to his company. :ohwell:

For sure. He drives down, shows up, knock knock knock. "Anything for me to sign?" "Nope." "Huh." "Come back next time, though!"

I could see that getting real old.

[MikeandRaph87]

It cannot be that much of a drive from Pete's home to the studio. I thought he would drop in anyway. Also, Mirage does not have much of a presence online. Weekly random items auctioned off on Ebay and it does not promote itself. It's just if diehards like us get the urge for his signature we inquire Dan. If Peter wanted to he could generate interest and attend shows and be active online even do a non-TMNT project. It's sad that Peter decided to become a recluse and not do anything at all non-TMNT or even relight a fire enough to finish three issues in a decade's time.

What does Dan Berger do these days? I know he puts up auctions and ships them out, but he has to do something independent projects or attend certain conventions.