The latest crossover to hit the comic shelves is the Batman, which can be purchased here, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) comic. Issue one establishes the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been stranded in Gotham City. They have been accused of stealing technology that would allow them to return to their world. This leads Batman and the TMNT to have a standoff. Issue two continues the story as Batman and the TMNT face off against one another in the city of Gotham and the consequences that ensue.
The Good:
The comic is balanced between DC Comic elements and IDW elements. In particular with the fight scene that occurs between Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In this fight Batman is only attempting to stun the TMNT to attempt to understand why they are in Gotham. Conversely the TMNT are barely matching Batman’s many martial arts style. This scenario allows for both Batman and the TMNT to show off their strengths as characters without one hurting the other. While this is occurring Shredder and the Penguin have an interaction and Penguin is delivering a device that will allow Shredder to return back to his world. Since Shredder has no more use for the Penguin he is planning to kill him, which shows the mindset of a true villain. This shows that Shredder means business and is willing to go to any length to conquer any world he wants. This comic sets the stage as the Penguin, who is barely alive, and Shredder have officially teamed up to face the team of Batman and the TMNT.
The Bad:
The comic has a sub plot that takes away from the main plot. This is the idea that the Turtles are slowly losing their mutation gene as they are away from their own world. This adds a scientific time mutation element to the comic, which is cool, but takes away from Batman and the TMNT forming a team, as they have to deal with the gene problem first. Furthermore, with the TMNT slowly reverting back it does significantly weaken them as they are in jeopardy of losing their powers and becoming normal turtles again. Finally, the comic is a crossover fun read as a result of that factor this element of the story is not believable as the two comic companies will not let any harm come to their entities.
The Verdict:
Who doesn’t love comic crossovers and mash up stories when heroes from different worlds meet each other, because that is what Batman and the TMNT is all about. The issue itself is not a perfect issue, but it is not supposed to be, rather it is about having fun as characters that are stables in different companies meet each other and fight crime. Thus the comic is a perfect read for everybody as it has just enough seriousness to drive the story forward but maintains the attitude of a fun, entertaining comic. The verdict for this comic is if you’re a Batman fan or a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan looking for a comic to mix up what you are currently reading than this is the comic to pick up.
