Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters
Encyclopedia
Sam Kieth
Sam Kieth is a New York Times best-selling American comic book writer and illustrator, best known as the creator of The Maxx and Zero Girl.-Comics career:...
, initially published by Eclipse Comics
Eclipse Comics
Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market...
and later on by Parody Press and then Dynamite Entertainment
Dynamite Entertainment
Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book company that primarily publishes licensed franchises of adaptations of other media. These include adaptations of film properties such as Army of Darkness, Terminator and RoboCop, literary properties such as Zorro, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Alice in...
, was the first unofficial spoof
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists...
. It is "parody of a parody" as the TMNT started as a parody of popular eighties comics, such as Ronin
Ronin (comic book series)
Ronin is a comic book limited series published between 1983 and 1984, by DC Comics. The series was written and drawn by Frank Miller with artwork painted by Lynn Varley. It takes place in a dystopic near-future New York in which a ronin is reincarnated...
.
Fictional biography
In 1977, NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
launched a probe containing four hamster
Hamster
Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. The subfamily contains about 25 species, classified in six or seven genera....
s to destroy a mysterious mass of radioactive, gelatinous substance that was hovering above the atmosphere. Exposure to the substance mutated the hamsters into anthropomorphic creatures, whose vessel later crashed down near a Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
. There, they were adopted by the monks and trained in the martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
. The four of them are named after actors from action
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
and kung fu movies
Martial arts film
Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...
: Clint (Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
), Chuck (Norris
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
), Bruce (Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
), and Jackie (Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
).
Overview
The series ran for nine issues from 1986 through 1989. There were a number of spin-offsSpin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
: Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters in 3-D (illustrated by Ty Templeton
Ty Templeton
Ty Templeton is a popular Canadian comic book artist and writer who has drawn a number of popular mainstream titles, TV-associated titles and his own series.-Biography:Templeton was born on May 9, 1962...
) ran for four issues in 1986 (also available in non-3D editions); Clint: Hamster Triumphant was a two issue series focusing on one of the hamsters; and Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters Massacre the Japanese Invasion was a one shot
One shot (comic)
A one-shot is a comic book that is a pilot or a stand-alone story created as a single issue, rather than the more typical series format.-United States:...
in 1989. The Hamsters also appeared in Total Eclipse
Total Eclipse (comic)
Total Eclipse was a comic book mini-series in five parts published by Eclipse Comics in 1988. The title was a cross-company crossover in the style of Crisis on Infinite Earths, and intended to bring all of Eclipse's characters together, no matter how obscure or bizarre.The title consisted of a main...
and Naive Inter-Dimensional Commando Koalas. Don Chin went on to write and edit several other parody-themed works using the same style of humor.
On March 30, 2007, it was announced that Dynamite Entertainment
Dynamite Entertainment
Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book company that primarily publishes licensed franchises of adaptations of other media. These include adaptations of film properties such as Army of Darkness, Terminator and RoboCop, literary properties such as Zorro, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Alice in...
has the rights to reprint the comics, write new comics, and produce collectables based on the property. It will be written by Keith Champagne
Keith Champagne
Keith Champagne is an American comic artist, who has also moved into writing, and is known for his work at DC Comics.-Biography:Keith graduated from Montville High School, Oakdale Connecticut in 1988. He is a 1994 graduate of The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic art...
with art by Tom Nguyen, and the first four-part miniseries began publication in January, 2008.