Ken Mitchroney Animation and live action director Ken Mitchroney started his career in independent comics in the early 1980s with his book “Space Ark.” While promoting his books at little conventions in the Southeast, he met up with Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, who also had started printing their own book, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”
That started a friendship between these indie comics pioneers. When the TMNT books took off, Peter and Kevin asked Ken and his wife, Beth, who were just finishing up adapting “MythConceptions” for Apple Comics, if they would start adapting the TMNT animated series for Archie Comics. From there, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures books took off, expanding into the spinoff, “Mighty Mutanimals” comics. Ken also worked on all manner of projects at Eastman and Laird’s Mirage Studios. When he moved on to animation, Ken still had time to draw “Ren and Stimpy” comics for Marvel Comics in between projects.
When not doing the Archie books, Ken has worked on animated features and television from “Toy Story 2” and “Monsters, Inc.” to “The Lego Movie” and much more.
Ken is credited for designing Evil Emperor Zurg and provided his voice in the Astro Blasters ride at Disneyland. On the side, Ken also has drawn mascots for Major League and other baseball teams. When not at the drawing table, Ken is helping restore Ward Kimball’s steam locomotives at the Southern California Railway Museum in Perris, California.
