Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters is the first Affectionate Parody comic of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, first started in 1986. Created by Don Chin and Christopher Parsonavich.
The story focuses around four hamsters: Clint, Chuck, Bruce and Jackie, who were sent out into space by NASA to destroy a Blob Monster threatening the world. Instead they gained powers from the mysterious substance, and their spaceship crashed into a Tibetan monastery, where they were trained in the skills of martial arts. Soon Clint finds humans are after him because he wrecked the city while trying to save it. The comic follows their wacky adventures.
There were 9 regular issues of their series, which ended in January, 1988. There was also a 4-issue mini-series Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters in 3-D. A spin-off spotlight to one of the characters, Clint: Hamster Triumphant and the one-shot Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters Massacre the Japanese Invasion (1989) completed their run. A few guest appearances in other titles were all that appeared of the characters for a while.
The reprint collection Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters — America the Beautiful appeared in 1990. The 5-issue Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters-America the Beautiful (1992) served the same purpose. A couple of one-shots followed: Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters: The Death of Bruce (1992), Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters: The Lost Treasures (1992), and Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters: Lost and Alone in New York (1993). And that seemed to be the end of the road. In 2007 it was announced there was a planned rewrite. A 4-issue miniseries was published by Dynamite Entertainment in 2008. There might yet be life in the old characters.
Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters provides examples of:
- Affectionate Parody
- Anti-Hero: Mocked. The others give Clint a "What the hell?!" after he blows up the statue of Liberty, to which he says, "Well, they'll know I meant well."
- Brainwashed and Crazy
- Cloudcuckoolander: Jackie
- Comically Missing the Point: The newscasters use this a lot.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Clint
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Jackie acts like this when he imitates the Red Baron.
- Spoofing Spoofiness: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Comic was already a parody of Daredevil, X-Men and the dark age of USA comics in general.
- Teenage Mutant Samurai Wombats
