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Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 Review!

Jondee here at Gotham,

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Oh sure, Batman v Superman is a match-up, which has been done countless times in the comics, but we want to see Batman v Ninja Turtles! The team up of DC Comics and IDW sports a cover by interior artist, Freddie Williams II, which combines the sketchy art of Eastman-Laird’s turtles with Batman. This is a six issue mini-series, the first has the title, “Knights in a Half Shell.” James Tynion IV is the writer, who worked on Batman Eternal, Talon, and other DC titles. Williams II is also known for his DC work especially the 2008 Robin title. The comic opens with a splash page of ninjas invading a laboratory. Scientists cower and the strangeness of the situation is in the narration by the lead scientist who explains the lab’s security entered, but the power went out with the appearance of inhuman creatures with different colored masks. This is shown in comic strip style panels and ends with the scientist telling Batman. She explains that the lab had a generator that was taken by the ninjas.

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A pizza delivery boy drops off pizza, Pina’s Pizza (a national chain) to a corner alleyway that had a note to leave the pizza with the pizza money. This shifts to the Batcave where Alfred is checking on Bruce Wayne who knows it is the work of ninjas. Bruce pulls the security on Wayne R&D to lure the ninjas in and goes to his Batmobile. A new design with a bat face front, red cockpit window, and spines off its back. The Batmobile is traced by Killer Croc, the Batman villain who looks closest to a Ninja Turtle foe, and he has along henchmen from the Penguin’s gang. They follow the Batmobile which they plan to salvage and end up in the lair of the ninja turtles. Killer Croc smashes the Death Laser Pony Racers game with Michelangelo worried in a compartment above them. At the Wayne R&D lab, the Foot ninjas slash at the scientists who are really holograms. Batman faces off with the ninjas. The turtles drop in on the gang and take them out. Michelangelo tells the gang that they are “Spooky aliens.” The turtles have their weapons ready to face Killer Croc in a splash page.

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Batman is interrogating the last Foot ninja, but he is killed by shuriken. Batman encounters the Shredder who of course threatens him. Shredder throws a smoking ball that vaporizes the Foot ninjas and Batman is left murmuring, “Turtles…” Killer Croc is defeated, but Michelangelo is still angry he has to replace Pony Racers. Splinter, their rat mentor, congratulates them. The turtles head to the surface and see the Batmobile. They look up and see Batman on a rooftop. Michelangelo tells Donatello about the Batmobile, “I think she’s taken.” Batman murmurs, “Turtles…” An excellent start, but I hope to see Bebop and Rocksteady show up and Man-Bat and maybe Clayface with Batman’s villains. The artwork and story is part Eastman-Laird, but also the pizza loving of the animated turtles. Four Batarangs out of Five! Turtle Power!