Karai

Few characters to emerge from the early '90s TMNT universe have lingered in the imagination quite like Karai, who made her striking debut in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #52 in 1992 — a Copper/Modern Age arrival into one of indie comics' most beloved franchises. Published by Mirage across nearly a quarter-century, she carved out a presence in the same shadowy world inhabited by Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Casey Jones, keeping genuinely legendary company. Her appearances across Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and TMNT Color Classics Vol. 3 speak to a staying power that outlasted many of her contemporaries, and for collectors digging into the deeper cuts of the Mirage era, she's exactly the kind of figure who rewards a closer look.