In the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics, what type of comic were the stories primarily printed as?

The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics were primarily printed as black-and-white comics.

Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s first Mirage Studios issues used stark black-and-white artwork. This presentation suited the independent comic-book market and helped the creators keep production costs manageable. It also contributed to the darker, more serious visual tone of the earliest stories.

The turtles’ appearance and personalities in those comics differ from the brightly colored versions made famous by television. In the original comic, all four turtles initially wore red masks, a detail that helped distinguish the source material from later adaptations. Color editions and reprints were published later, but the foundational Mirage run is strongly associated with black-and-white pages.