Originally posted by: Mike O

How do theys share their origin with Daredevil? And where does one procure trade paperbacks of Eastman and Lairds original works? I would very, very much like to read them.

I'm not sure if the collections are still in print. Sorry.

Part of the fun of the whole TMNT series was that it was entirely based on being a parody of Daredevil, most specifically the great original Frank Miller run. Matt Murdoch (per the older origin- I don't know if its changed) was blinded as a child by an accident in which a tube of toxic thing-a-ma-bob stuff fell off a vehicle and struck him in the eyes. In TMNT the canister rolled into a storm drain and fell to the sewers and broke. The substance was then what mutated a rat and four discarded pet turtles into the characters we know. The first issue of TMNT shows the kid getting hit in the eyes.

Daredevil and Elektra were trained by Master Shaft. The rat in TMNT of course becomes Master Splinter... get it? The ninja bad-guys in Daredevil are 'The Hand'... in TMNT- 'The Foot'.

You can read the entire first issue of the original series here:

http://www.ninjaturtles.com/comics/mirage/one/pg01.htm