Faculty First Year Seminars 191EW4 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

1984 will mark the 40th anniversary of the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book. Created by UMass alumni and originally distributed at a comic book convention, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has become one of the most enduring and prolific comic creations of the 20th and 21st century. What started as a pastiche of several popular comics in the early 1980s has now been made into several film series, video games, television shows as well as a successful line of popular toys. Each decade seemingly brings about a new depiction of the Turtles and their rogues? gallery. This course will introduce students to the history of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles through primary and secondary readings and research. We will explore the original comics to understand their content and the context from which they were created, as well as trace the developments and changes to the story across the years and across the adaptations. Throughout, we will look at texts from Hillary Chute, Scott McCloud, and other comics scholars so as to deepen our understanding of the form. In addition to reading the comics and studying secondary literature, we will look at the video games, films, television shows, and consumer products to further understand the cultural influence of the Turtles. With the various products in mind, we will also approach the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as an interesting intersection of capital and art. Because the rights to the franchise have been sold a few times, we will question and discuss the role of capital in making art.

NSOT - Fresh/Soph