If TMNT never left the pages of comics, do you think you'd ever discover it?

[CyberCubed]

Let's pretend there were never any cartoons, toys, or movies.

Just the Mirage comics, and let's say the comics played out the same way they did, with Vol. 1-4, and Tales. No Archie series of course.

If TMNT was a comic book only franchise, do you think you would have ever discovered it? I know for a fact I wouldn't have, and probably wouldn't know about Usagi Yojimbo comics either.

EDIT: The last option on the poll should have also had, "And I would have started reading it seriously," which differentiates it from the middle option.

[Cowabunga Carl]

I know I wouldn't have. My first exposure to the Turtles was when me and my family where at Cosco and I found a Raph with a video. It was the very first few eps. So not only was it my exposure to the Turtles but also my first action figure.

[Venom]

After doing some quick thinking, I'm almost positive I would have ran across the Turtles at some point in my life. I found out the Turtles were a comic from my much older brother the same time the series premiered. He had seen some of the early issues, including #1, but never gave them much notice. I discovered the Mirage books somewhat by accident while going with him to the comic shop when I was little, plus I really dig alternate takes on the mainstream heroes so I'm sure something offbeat as TMNT would have caught my eye.

Usagi is held with high regard throughout the industry so I may have even found him first and the Turtles via Usagi, or maybe even Savage Dragon.

Some things you're just drawn to. For me, it's the quirky-looking comic sitting in the back bin with an interesting cover that beckons to be opened.

[Powder]

I doubt I would've. My first exposure was through an action figure... which of course was the work of playmates in prep for the tv show. Later in life I got into comic books (Marvel stuff mainly) so there is a slim chance I would've seen them but even so, I couldn't say whether or not I would've picked it up. I am however only into anthro stuff so maybe I would've. Anything colorful, with mutants/animals does catch my attention...

[Candy Kappa]

the comic never came to Norway.
So I would probably never know about TMNT until my first experience with the internet and a random turtle search, since turtles are one of my favorites animals.

[Luzmagica]

Most probably not...I started with First movie and OT....
I would probably never know about TMNT until internet too...(looking for new comics, I collect Marvel -mutant comics too....) ...a mutant turtle will catch my attention for sure!!!!

[gobo]

I possibly would have found out about it, but I wouldn't have become a fan. Mirage was never my favorite flavor and all comics I get into are the further/alternate adventures of characters I know from tv or movies. It's always been like that.

[triplexxx]

I'd say probably not since I was never a comics guy.

[Mighty Bebop]

I would have discovered it much later in life, and I wouldn't have enjoyed it nearly as much as I enjoyed the toys, cartoons, movies, Archie comics, etc. as a kid.

[Ulisses31]

I have to take in consideration that I´m in Portugal, so...
If it is not on TV, the comic is not published here.

But when I grew up and learned English I found the original comics of many characters... Marvel, DC, Image, Top Cow etc... and I probably would found TMNT, if I found "Lone wolf and cub" and "Nexus" why not TMNT?

But it would never get me the same way. I only go after the toys from my childhood... if there were no toys because there were no TV show... (here we only get toys after the TV show) I would never become fan... comic and TV were always only research material for my playings... only when I became a teen I started to give more attention to comics.

But let me ask... would TMNT get so big if there were no TV show?

[Candy Kappa]

If I had found out about the turtles later, I think I'd still be a TMNT fan even if they where not a part of my childhood. I love Turtles (I got 3 red eared sliders) I'm a huge X-men/mutant fan and I love Ninja.

[plastroncafe]

Maybe? But highly unlikely. The comic is what got me into other comics. It's my gateway comic. And the Original Toon is what got me to Turtles.

[Teddy]

I definitely never would have. Never been into comics at all, until recently when I was introduced to the TMNT Archies. The origional cartoon got me hooked.

[Gyt Kaliba]

As much as I'd like to say I would have, the chances I would have are low. I've never been all that big on comics (US ones anyway), so I probably wouldn't have.

[BentonGrey]

Almost certainly not, unfortunately. I never saw hide nor hair of the original comics until I was much older, and I tracked them down because of the show. We only had a little spinner rack at the grocery store, and besides, I was much more interested in "kiddie" comics when the TMNT books first came out.

[Scandia]

I put the one in the middle. Why? Back in the early 90s, I began collecting the Captain Planet comic books (I was the world's CP fan). So if I went to the comic book shop monthly, it is likely I would have seen the TMNT comic on the shelves.

Would I have picked it up, especially given how gritty Mirage is? Extremely unlikely.

Now the Archie TMNT Adventures would have been MUCH likelier to have been picked up, even without a TMNT TV series. Cuter, more colorful, and had the environmental message so popular in the early 90s. But Mirage? Nope.

[discordiatookie]

Hmm, that's a tough one. I am a comic fiend, so I would likely have seen it on the shelf - but wether I would've picked it up or not i'm not sure. I got into the comics after I discovered the four colour First books a few years back, and I only picked them up due to nostalgia for the toys and cartoon. So I voted for the middle one.

[NiNi]

I probably wouldn't have discovered it when I was a kid anyway. Mostly because I wasn't as into comics back then. Heck, I likely probably wouldn't have noticed it till my first year in college I would guess.

But for all I know I probably wouldn't have found it if it were just a comic considering how very little comic book stores there were around here even as a child. Not to mention because of possibly never discovering the comic - I'd be a completely different person now that I think about it. ...I wouldn't be as nerdy I guess.

The 80's toon pretty much was what got me hooked to begin with. Then when I heard of the comics - that's pretty much when I tried finding them. I couldn't find much of the originals, but the Archie ones at the time sufficed at the time.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

No. live in Sweden, where the Mirage comics are very rare. As a kid I knew TMNT started in the USA as a comic book in 1984, but of course I thought Archie was first.

[sdp]

This is an interesting question,

Counting the geek I became I would have eventually even if just fairly recently had learned about the turtles since I would have had some comic book geek recommend it to me. I'm unsure how much I would have liked it, probably some but not to the extent I love the turtles now.

I also think had that happened we might have seen a movie around this time that is dark and just the way Andrew NDB wants the new movie to be (which it wont)