The King

With all the Turtles living in April's apartment, things are getting a little crazy. But, when Donatello stumbles upon a fantastic monster in the basement, things get crazier. Donatello meets up with Kirby, an artist renting April's basement apartment. Through the powers of a mysterious crystal tied to his pencil, Kirby is able to create anything he draws... including his own world, a world that he and Donatello get sucked into... where things get weirder and weirder.

Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, Splinter, The Shredder, April O'Neil, Casey Jones, Baxter Stockman, Kirby

This episodes title and the name of the artist character are references to famed comic book artist Jack Kirby. This episode is also dedicated to the late Jack Kirby.

"Life at best is bittersweet", the message on Kirby's final note to Donatello is an actual Jack Kirby quote. In the final issue (#18) of Jack Kirby's "Mister Miracle" (Originally published in 1974 and recently reprinted in trade paperback form under the title "Jack Kirby's Fourth World") it's Darkseid's last line after he fails to prevent Scott Free and Barda's wedding but does succeed in driving them to flee from Earth to New Genesis as soon as vows are exchanged. The full quote was "The ceremony had deep feeling but little joy. But then life at best is bittersweet."

Few people realize this, but Don's anti-gravity ray gun is actually based on an old sketch of him firing a Mac10 machine gun.

If you taped this show when it was originally aired, hang onto it! Apparently Peter Laird was satisfied with the ending, so he paid to have it extended.

One of the monsters that Kirby drew looks like Wingnut, a villain from the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show.

When the turtles all hide from the delivery man, he spots Mike by the chair. When he looks again, it's replaced by a stuffed purple bear. Mike used that same maneuver in the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. Danny, the son of April's boss, spots him in a mirror under a table. When he looks over, he sees a stuffed panda instead.

In this episode you see what the Turtles look like without their headbands [Raphael when he comes out the shower].

This episode is based on the comic "Donatello # 1".

The movie April was watching on the television is the same black & white monster movie Michelangelo was watching back in Notes from the Underground, Part 1.

Raphael has pupils and sings in the shower.