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Review: Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Alex K Cossa

Batman. Raphael. Leonardo. Donatello. Michelangelo. As a child, they met frequently on my bedroom floor as one action figure pummeled another or saved a plastic life, so needless to say that this cross over is something I have been unconsciously waiting for more than twenty years, before I even realised that the two properties came from comics.

Before I knew what comics were.

I tell you this so that you’ll get an understanding of just how excited I am to read this because as of this writing, I haven’t opened the comic, no that’ll come later; a mere paragraph break for you, but several hours for me.

Several hours later, and after a full day at the daily grind, I finished the first of six issues in the Batman/TMNT crossover miniseries, and the question that needs to be answered now is whether the first issue was worth the wait; is it worth spending your hard-earned cash

Well in a turtle shell, I’ll be picking up the second issue but the first didn’t exactly knock my socks off, but if I’m being completely honest issue #1 was exactly what I expected (and hoped for) from the first issue of the crossover; it was a fun, not too serious introduction for the two properties.

Admittedly I don’t read many Ninja Turtles comics, but I still felt that writer James Tynion IV captured their individual personalities brilliantly within the opening salvo that set up the remaining five issues really well. Freddie E Williams II art style captures the turtles brilliantly, but the first image of his Dark Knight felt a little off for me, a minor complaint because by the next page or two I’d quickly forgotten my concerns as I settled in to the art. Whilst the colouring style my not be for everybody, I felt that Jeremy Colwell delivered an almost hand coloured comic, because of the less than smooth edges of the colours throughout the issue, giving a more organic feel which was something that I really enjoyed, Indeed, it felt almost as if it was an homage to the black and white beginnings of the turtles and the caped crusader’s more brightly coloured world – whether that’s the case or whether I’m reading too much into the art style, I’m not sure.

I really wanted to love this comic, and for the most part I do. Honestly, my only real issue was with the first time we saw Batman; the writing was fantastic throughout, the dialogue between the four brothers felt spot on to me, and other than the previously mentioned panel, then art was brilliant.

With the ending of issue #1, I can’t wait to get my hands on the second issue, because the first issue had something that too many comics don’t these day: fun.

A month is just too long to wait.

Story: James Tynion IV Art: Freddie E Williams II Colours: Jeremy Colwell
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Also posted on Ramblings Of A Comics Fan

Review: Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Brett

DC Comics and IDW Publishing 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.

When I first heard about this series I immediately thought back to some of the crazy crossovers I remember reading during my teenage years in the 90s. The idea of the Turtles and Batman teaming up seems so silly, but at the same time definitely appeals to that kid in me.

The comic is very much in the style of those crazy classic team-ups that seemed to dominate comics for a while, and it works really well. That’s to do with writer James Tynion IV who really seems to know what he’s doing, which is not to take the crossover too seriously and have fun. While we don’t totally know how the Turtles are in Batman’s world, it still somehow works. Partially is because of that fun

The first issue is a lot of lead up, but we have the Turtles taking on Killer Croc and Batman dealing with the Foot Clan. There’s just something that’s fun, which is the key word here.

The art by Freddie Williams II is good and covers things nicely. What really stood out to me is the coloring by Jeremy Colwell which I’m not the biggest fan of, but hearkens back to early TMNT comics where the shading involved lots of use of white and dark lines outlining the characters. You’ll like it or you’ll hate it probably. I wasn’t the biggest fan, but it’s not enough to really take me out of the comic.

DC Comics and IDW are taking this miniseries seriously with top creative team that are showing that while the concept might seem silly, this isn’t a cash grab. Can’t wait to see where this goes next, as I was seriously amazed at how well it worked.

Story: James T Tynion IV Art: Freddie E Williams II
Story: 8 Art: 7.7 Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Graphic Policy Team

Wednesdays are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in!

We’re bringing back something we haven’t done for a while, what the team thinks. Our contributors are choosing up to five books each week and why they’re choosing the books.

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this Wednesday.

Alex

Top Pick: Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (DC Comics/IDW Publishing) – If this comic doesn’t excite you in some way, then I don’t really think anything I say here will change that. But this is a comic I’ve been waiting a decade for.

Ninjak #10 (Valiant) – A new story arc sees the technologically advanced ninja cross into the supernatural. I’m looking forward to seeing Ninjak as a fish out of water, so to speak.

We Stand On Guard #6 (Image Comics) – I’m sure there’ll be an epic conclusion here, and with all the rich connotations that have been sown throughout the series I don’t know how comfortable it’ll be to read. Which is exactly why I want to.

Brett

Top Pick: Monstress #2 (Image Comics) – The first issue blew me away with a deeply layered comic that mixed genres, concepts, and packaged it all with beautiful art. The first issue was oversized and I still craved more, it was that good. One of the best debuts of the year, I expect the second issue to be just as good.

Detective Comics #47, Gotham Academy #13, Grayson #15, Red Hood/Arsenal #7 (DC Comics) – All Robin War tie-ins. The lead in comic kicking off the event was solid, and this is event is one that I’m really looking forward to.

The Massive: Ninth Wave #1 (Dark Horse) – The original series tackled the concept of survival in a post ecological disaster world. I could debate that ending for along time, but the rest of the series was good. This prequel takes us back before the collapse and features the familiar crew of the Ninth Wave. This is environmental activism in comics.

Tomboy #2 (Action Lab: Danger Zone) – The first issue of this series was one of the other best debuts of the year. It completely caught me off guard, and holy crap was it good. I can’t wait to read the second issue, it’s one of the first comics I plan to read this week to see what happens next and where this series goes.

The Walking Dead #149 (Image Comics) – After the ending of the last issue how could this not make it on the list? We’re one away from the big 150, and I expect something huge for that issue, so need to see the build up too.

Elana

Constantine the Hellblazer #7 (DC Comics) – Constantine reunites with Swamp Thing: the herbacious hero in who’s book he first appeared! This is my favorite DC series now. Creative, funny, dark and damaged.

Gotham Academy #13 (DC Comics) – Brand new story arc for my favorite teenage characters in my favorite fictional school. It looks like they’ll be forced to take sides in a currently political debate over teenage vigilanteism going on in Gotham. Can’t wait to hear these kids hash out a serious issue. Enjoy Karl Kerschl’s beautiful art on this book while he’s still there!

Monstress #2 (Image Comics) – Easily the most imaginative new fantasy series in ages. Breathtaking art. Complex fantasy world-building that feels entirely fresh. The series touches on real world evils like war crimes, slavery and eugenics. And there are no bearded white dudes that you can’t tell apart. Actually, I think there’s no white people in this at all! Marjorie Liu was our podcast guest: listen to our interview with her to learn more.

No Mercy #5 (Image Comics) – College bound kids on a “charity” trip to pad their resumes now find their lives in peril. This series is both extremely suspenseful and thus far, extremely realistic in ways that make it even more disturbing. The cast of teens are so damn familiar because you’ve met them all in real life. Yet no reader could have a clue about what’s going to happen next. Check out our podcast with writer Alex Di Campi to hear more.

Snow Blind #1 (BOOM! Studios) – Alaskan teen trying to get to the bottom of his messed-up family’s mysterious past. Quirky art, heavy on the symbolism. Promising start for a new series.

Javier

Limbo #2 (Image Comics) – This is my pick of the week. Yes, yet another supernatural detective story. This one is set in Dedande (Dead End?) City. A sort of Magnum PI based Mexican purgatory I’m guessing, but Dan Watters hasn’t revealed much yet. This urban fantasy has a voodoo queen with a fetish for 80s mixtapes, and Wijngaard’s art is captivating.

Ninjak # 10 (Valiant) – I’m a big fan of Valiant books; they put out quality work. This is a good jumping point for new Ninjak fans. Operation: Deadside, a four issue arc written by Matt Kindt, starts this week. Plus Shadowman makes an appearance.

Saints #3 (Image Comics) – Saintly super-powered teenagers on a road trip. I’ll admit I’m into the religious themed good versus evil themed books (i.e. Tithe is another favorite). Mackey’s snappy dialogue and Lewis’s sacrilegious art has me hooked; but I can see how this is going to be one of those books you either love or hate.

Snow Blind # 1 (BOOM! Studios) – This new four issue series from Boom!Studios, written by Ollie Masters (The Kitchen) and drawn by Tyler Jenkins (Peter Panzerfaust) promises to be a witness protection noir story set in the snow-covered landscape of Alaska. If this is consistent with Ollie’s work on The Kitchen we are in for a cold-blooded treat.

Ultimates #2 (Marvel) – Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Ms. America Chavez, Spectrum, and Blue Marvel are back this week to tackle the Galactacus problem. This issue can make or break the series. Issue #1 I thought was spectacular, and I’m rooting for them to do more of the same this month.

Paul

Top Pick: Scarlet Witch #1 (Marvel) – Wanda has her own title. That is all :)

Secret Wars #8 (Marvel) – This series is trudging along to the finale….I just want to see how it all ends already! But I am looking forward to the Thing laying a king size smack down.

Ultimates #2 (Marvel) – How do you solve a problem like Galactus? Apparently the Ultimates have the answer…but does Galactus even want to hear it? This is going to be interesting.