Kevin Brooks Eastman was born on the 30th May 1962, in Portland, Maine, USA, and is a comic book artist and writer most famous for being the co-creator of the worldwide popular children’s heroes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Besides this, Kevin is an ex-owner as well as the current publisher and editor of Heavy Metal, Sci-Fi comic’s magazine.
Have you ever wondered how much wealth this hero-creating artist has accumulated so far? How rich Kevin Eastman is? According to sources, it is estimated that the total amount of Kevin Eastman’s net worth, as of early 2017, exceeds the sum of $20 million, acquired through his artistic career in the comic books industry which has been active since the early 1980s.
Kevin Eastman Net Worth $20 million
Kevin’s interest in drawing and art dates back to his early age, when he was coloring children’s books, doodling and passionately reading comics. After matriculating from Westbrook High School in Maine, he relocated to Northampton, Massachusetts with the quest to sell and publish some of his illustrations. While searching for a local newspaper to publish his sketches, he met Peter Laird and soon after they formed a partnership called Mirage Studios. In 1982, Kevin sketched a new character named Ninja Turtle, and after showing it to his partner Peter, the duo created final drawings of four Ninja Turtle characters. Self-published in 1984, the first issue of “Eastman and Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” became an instant sensation, selling the entire first print of 3,000 copies overnight. This success provided the basis for Kevin Eastman’s, today quire impressive, net worth and also opened the door toward a professional comic books career.
The second issue of 15,000 copies followed the success of the first, making a sensation among the audience, and Kevin and Peter were invited to the Atlanta Fantasy Fair in 1984 where they further promoted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Under the careful guidance of Kevin Eastman and his partner, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise evolved, besides a series of comic books, into various toy collections as well as a TV series and movie adaptations. It is certain that these achievements have helped Kevin Eastman to dramatically increase the amount of his wealth.
TMNT have aired as TV series three times so far, between 1988 and 1996, again from 2003 to 2006, and more recently in 2012-2013. In the meantime, several movies as well as video games have been released with huge commercial success. In 2008, Peter Laird bought the franchise’s rights from Kevin, and sold them to Nickelodeon in 2009 which further enriched the digital world of the popular turtle’s heroes. Doubtlessly, these accomplishments just boosted Kevin Eastman’s net worth.
Kevin has served as the writer on all movies about turtles including the most recent one in 2016 named “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows”, in which he even had a cameo appearance as a doctor. Kevin’s creativity and initial unique idea is the main reason why the turtles franchise is still popular and active nowadays, over 30 years later, and not only providing fun for several generations, but also serving as the main source of Kevin Eastman’s wealth.
Apart from drawing, in 1990 Kevin Eastman founded a comic book publishing company – Tundra Publishing – which has released several notable comics series and graphic novels, including “From Hell”, “Taboo”, “Madman Adventures”, “Doghead” and the children’s comic book series “Tantalizing Stories”. Between 1992 and 2014, Kevin besides still being the publisher and an editor, was the owner of sci-fi and fantasy magazine Heavy Metal.
When it comes to his personal life, Kevin Eastman was married to model and B-movie actress Julie Strain before divorce in 2007. He married Courtney Eastman in 2013, with whom he has a son. With his family, he currently resides in San Diego, California.
