Final First Edition (Documentary) | One Man’s Mission to Reprint TMNT’s First Comic

Rich Horn has spent his entire life collecting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic books and meticulously archiving them in his Littleton, Colorado basement. When he uncovers a once-in-a-lifetime piece of memorabilia, it ignites a cross-country mission: Reprint the very first edition TMNT comic in Maine using the exact same techniques and materials it was printed on in 1984. With a style that playfully references the cinematic turns of 1970s conspiracy dramas and political thrillers, Final First Edition documents Rich’s quest to make his name in the beloved history of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

A FILM SHORTAGE SELECTION
"Final First Edition" is a short documentary by Wes Sterrs

More from the director:
"Within moments of meeting Rich Horn, it was clear to us that his mission—to meticulously recreate the first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1—was more than an act of nostalgia. It was a dedicated celebration of artistry and the enduring legacy of the TMNT franchise. Rich’s project is, at its heart, an attempt to recreate a sensory experience: offering comic book lovers the chance to own a replica that looks, feels, and smells (yes, smells) indistinguishable from an original work of art. Is it forgery, or the ultimate expression of fandom?

We saw in Rich’s story an opportunity to reflect his meticulous intent. To bring this escapade to life, we embraced a hybrid of docu-fiction, drawing inspiration from the gritty tension of 70s action-thrillers like All the President’s Men and Sorcerer, paired with wall-to-wall Robert Altman-style mega-zooms. The result is a film as obsessive and layered as the man—and the cargo—that inspired it. "

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[Pixel-dan]

"People us the term 'cometionist' as if there's something to complete. ...there's always something else..."

That shook me.

This was awesome. Amazing doc! Congrats to all involved here.

[nicolasgasquoine]

A must watch for TMNT fans and collectors of all sorts!

An absolute delight

[luckyjhagra]

Needed this to be longer. Awesome Thank you.

[Bubblegob]

So much love for the TMNT makes me kind of emotional, TMNT number one is such a classic and the whole backstory of the franchise has fascinated me forever.
Also as someone who was so inspired by Eastman and Laird that I self-edit comics seeing that kind of printing technique and assembly line give me goosebumps.
That final shot was incredible.

[Nikoliukas]

What a documentary, and what a project. I'm so glad that the negatives went to Rich and he went to such great lengths to share them with fans. I am lucky enough to have one of the new reprints and they are fantastic!

[TheUnderminer]

Rich’s passion for TMNT is palpable. Really amazing work here.

[iancherry]

Met Rich at London Comic Con showing off these negatives. It was such a pleasure to meet him and learn all this amazing history that helps define the Turtles landscape in independent comics. Really enjoyed watching this!

[winstonwong]

Very coincidentantly timed video. I was watching a documentary about the printing of Hokusai's Great Wave Of Kanagawa yesterday (the day this TMNT video dropped), which stated that 8 000 copies of the print were made from the original woodblock. It started me thinking about the process of comics before computers were wildy used, and similar we should treat these 1st edition printings as we do with the original Japanese wood printings. I recalled last year when I bought the facsmile reprint of Batman: Year One and I wondered how close did they get to the original printings as surely printing process had changed with the aforementioned computers. Then I hypothesised why don't they print those issues the same way they used to. Lo and behold, this videos drops exploring the very same process.

[KingTideGaming]

I want to be loved as much as Rich loves TMNT.

[DougMcKellar-xq]

Thank you Rich! Hearing this story and then seeing this interview is so amazing. You truly are a great archivist.

[artmonkeys]

A nostalgic look into a past parallel to my own experiences in making comics, lovingly crafted with a cinematic vigor! I love this! It brought me back to the 1980s and making comics.

[danielaguilera]

This made my day. Seeing the passion of a fellow collector and his mission so that we could see a repro comic of TMNT #1 using the same materials and print process from the negatives is amazing. The process behind this is so astounding! Thank you sir! 🤘😎

[KapowComicBookShow]

Really well done, fantastic story! Congratulations to everyone involved!

Can we purchase one of these books? 🤭

[Turdlepwer]

Loved it. So happy you've done all of this; book, doc. Thanks for everything 🙏

[sycodog]

Ive watched this 10 times already, it makes me feel so good seeing this kind of passion foor comics

[TURTLESCLUB_TMNT]

Incredible stuff! I really appreciate how thoroughly documented the whole process is! You can look endlessly at three things -- water, fire, and how the comic is printed!

[billdagrasshawking]

I love this so much, my father worked in printing at Ronald’s printing back in the 80’s. every Christmas I would get boxes of misprinted and proof copy comics. Most were unfortunately destroyed in a flood but I still have 4-5 proof copies of a few books. They are priceless in my mind

[ndtimearoundtoysandcomics]

One of the coolest things ever! Thank you Rich!! 🐢🔋🙌

[Gump]

Congratulations Rich, what a journey and very glad it's been captured as a doco for prosperity! As a fellow turtles fan, thank you ❤

[madrox]

Nice! Kevin E FB post got me here.. been collecting TMNT since day 1 and in Denver.. very cool!