This article mainly draws from the TMNT Comics, which is a bit of a departure from our film-centered coverage, but we hope you’ll find the discussion is a worthwhile one, and relevant to most iterations of the Turtles on a basic level, including the films.
Inasmuch as art imitates life, fiction seeks to challenge readers through stories which reflect real life situations, emotions, and reactions. Despite its offbeat humor and story, the drama of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as told in the original seminal comic books (and largely intact in the first film, and to some extent present in other adaptations), imparts many thoughts on the dynamics of adoptive families, personal conflict and tension, teenage angst, and multicultural ethnicity.
In May of 1984, Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman released the first historic black and white issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. “Turtlemania” would come to have a large impact, inciting a revolution of black and white underground comic books, and a whirlwind of kid-friendly animated shows and related licensed products. To the general public, the original comic has been overshadowed by the much more prominent presence of the TV and film adaptations, starting with the Fred Wolf animated cartoon which first aired in 1987. Unlike the goofy kid-friendly TV show, the comic is — beneath the martial arts action and science fiction roots — a character-driven, long format narrative about interpersonal relationships.
Summarily, the story revolves around four turtles, Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael, who attained human-like physiology and intelligence after an encounter with radioactive substances. Likewise, their father figure — a Japanese-born rat named Splinter, was affected by the ooze and mutated into an anthropomorphic creature. This sort of parent-child relationship is not unheard of in the animal kingdom; there are plenty of real life instances of mammals adopting other species, and rats are known to be highly intelligent creatures.
The family, who lives in a sewer lair to keep their existence secret, eventually befriends two humans, April O’Neil and Casey Jones. Crises arise and necessitate shared living arrangements, causing the group group to develop permanent, familial bonds of love and mutual trust. For April and Casey, the adoptive family eventually results in alienation and personal sacrifice as they are drawn closer to their strange friends, and further away from their normal lives. This involves particularly poignant struggles for April, who forfeits her promising career as a computer programmer to spend time with her new “family”.
Both April and Casey open their own homes to their surrogate family, and accept the personal danger of identifying themselves with the Turtles, who have many enemies. At one point, April’s apartment and antique store are burned down when the Foot Clan targets the Turtles who are hiding there (TMNT #10). In later issues, she admits her struggle to maintain a “real life” and how she has become distant from her biological family as a result.
This concept of an extended family, a hodge-podge of species and ethnicities, is one of the most important factors of the series. While the various individuals are not biologically related (except perhaps for the turtles, whose ultimate origin is unknown), circumstances build strong familial bonds. For Splinter, this means imparting his wisdom and care to the others, especially his turtle sons. Splinter acts not only as a father, but in the traditional Japanese role of a sensei (teacher), imparting both physical training and lessons of honor and self-control. Splinter seeks balance as he rears his sons, demonstrating compassion, discipline, and unfailing love. He teaches them that they must remain in the shadows, and that they are different than the people who inhabit the surface, yet never to be ashamed of who they are.
For the Turtles, the challenges of family result from isolation from the outside world. Their formative years are spent in a Morlock-like subterranean existence, literally living in the shadows and making their home in the refuse of the world above. Life is difficult with only a few friends. Raphael and Michaelangelo, especially, are lonely souls who seek outside relationships. The isolation also means that money is always short, as none of them can work. Financial struggles are a constant battle. When April and Casey enter the picture, they become both the bread-winners and outside contacts, providing the group with food, heavy metal tapes, comic books, and other necessities.
It’s also worth noting that the Turtles share a common cultural experience with millions of Americans, which has remained largely unexplored in analysis. Namely, they are the children of a Japanese immigrant, and grow up in an Asian-American household: surrounded by a western culture that celebrates individuality, yet also taught the Japanese ideals of their father which value teamwork, group consciousness, and a common identity. Each brother responds differently to this: Leonardo most closely follows and represents their Japanese heritage, modeling himself after Master Splinter. The others sometimes regret Leo’s aggressive leadership. Raphael is the most extreme in this regard, often arguing with him and storming off on his own to vent his frustrations. On the opposite side of the spectrum from Leo is Michaelangelo, who loves and identifies with the surrounding culture, and whose “party dude” personality comes into the sharpest contrast with Splinter’s stoicism.
Tensions do arise in the family, and at times the union is temporarily broken as crises occur. At one point, April longs for her normal life again (#49). After returning to it, she realizes that it no longer holds any meaning to her, and that her heart lies with her adopted family, no matter how weird they are. She also realizes after a failed attempt to get back in the dating game that the kind of sophisticated men she thought she liked routinely disappoint her. After years of brushing off Casey’s advances, she lets herself admit that she truly loves him. He’s rough-edged and immature, but also genuine and good-hearted — exactly what she really needs (They eventually get married). Such conflicts are always resolved, and the core family is never permanently compromised.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles remains a relevant example of how fiction can depict real life social issues. Themes of non-traditional family ties, cultural acceptance, and personal conflict are meaningful in context of real-life situations, and give the series its unique importance. Readers can empathize with — and care about — the characters, understanding their emotions and struggles.
With the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film imminent, the question is whether the filmmakers understand the tremendous power of what they have their hands on, and just what makes the Turtles tick.
We’ll soon find out.
A/V Out.