Chris Cooper reviews Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1…
“DC Comics and IDW team up for the crossover you never saw coming as two of the greatest entertainment icons meet for the first time! In Gotham City, a series of deadly raids leads Batman to believe he’s up against a group of highly trained ninjas known as the Foot Clan! Somehow, they’ve crossed over to another dimension and are determined to take advantage of the situation while looking to get back home. But they haven’t come alone: Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo are hot on their trail. Get ready for excitement as heroes and villains from both worlds clash and team up in an epic battle that threatens the very fabric of reality!”
Growing up there are some franchises that strike a chord. Being born in the 80’s meant I was exposed to many greats. I still adore many of them now.
So imagine my amazement when two of the very best franchises, which already release monthly comics I avidly follow, announced a team up! I was beside myself.
Batman and the Ninja Turtles in the same comic? Wow!
I soon realised however that this story couldn’t really live up to any ideas that I’d have. The expectation that ‘awesome thing + awesome thing = best thing since sliced bread’ is unrealistic.
Good thing, as having read this first issue, I wasn’t blown away. Bear with me on that one though.
Some caretaking first; this story isn’t meant to fit in either set of character’s current canon. So if you’re up to date with either title don’t expect to see any of it here, and don’t expect it to have any bearing on them going forward.
Credit to writer James Tynion IV (who has worked with Snyder and Capullo on the main Batman series) for making the Turtles sound like themselves. His Batman is…well he’s Batman, all stoic and no-nonsense. Even in a few panels he gets across the correct character for each turtle well, managing to be quite amusing along with it too.
With six issues I’m assuming the story could have some room to breathe, but this #1 does seem more concerned with getting readers on board and giving them some whizz bang. I asked you to bear with me earlier because I’m already getting the feeling that this could be a better read as a trade paperback. Being able to read through in one go might counteract the pacing issue I found here.
The art is very nice indeed. The Turtles are captured particularly well, with a strong hint of Mateus Santolouco about them. Everyone has their own interpretation of characters, and this Batman is a bit on the large side for me. Good design, but extremely bulky; a bit of the Simon Bilsey about him. Everyone here seems pretty muscular though, so it’s probably for the best that he’s one of the bigger.
We don’t know how the Turtles are in Gotham, but the way the issue is put together, and especially the characters used, does a good job of making them feel part of the same world as Batman. Thank goodness it doesn’t feel a need to introduce them. I think next month the series will get into its stride and we’ll get a better idea of its overall quality.
Chris Cooper is a Flickering Myth Staff Writer, and owner of the film review site Super Duper Stuff. Follow him on Twitter @SDCCooper or visit the site’s Facebook page.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszFLSgML6ddazw180SXMvMz5&v=3AMx7tPsXgQ
Originally published December 9, 2015. Updated November 7, 2019.
