Comic Review: Batman Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6

Remember when your mom use to tell you that too much of a good thing for you is bad?

Well, she was a damn liar. 6 issues of a Batman/Ninja Turtles cross-over and all I’m craving is more, more, more!

Okay, let me not get carried away. Issue 6 marked the end of this crossover event, and I should be completely stone-face and not have shown my hand so early, but if you haven’t been following this series, you’ve been missing out! If you need more convincing, well let’s get to the review!

The Turtles have one last, desperate shot at going home. But will they take it, knowing what nefarious plans Shredder has for Gotham City? It’s full-on ninja warfare as our heroes go up against the combined forces of the Foot Clan and the League of Assassins.

1. Lean Green Fighting Machines – I’ve said since the first issue that the star of this series has been the art. Williams has done an absolute bang-up of a job with the style. I mean the fact that he is able to so effortlessly blend the Ninja Turtles into Batman’s world with neither seemingly out of place is spectacular. But the real shining star is the fun he got to dabble in when redesign Batman’s rogues gallery as various different animals. Some inspired choices for their respective creatures matched by an equally talented eye for nailing their looks.
2. Heroes in a Batcave – Getting to play in an expanded sandbox is one of the best thing about any crossover event. Watching new dynamics be created, evolved and cemented is intriguing. Some of the characters have developed a great rapport with Batman with Master Splinter and Raphael being the break-outs. But even beyond the scope of the heroes, I loved seeing Shredder and Ra’s interact. It’s nice to see villains accept that both of them would double-cross the other, but pooling their resources gives them a lot more power and reach than either could hope to achieve on their own. It was refreshing to see thinking villains… think!
3. A League of Their Own – Bonding is one thing, but we all came for the action! And well we’ve had some good ones and some nice teases in the previous 5 issues, but to quote Paul Heyman “This ladies and gentlemen is the main event!” And boy does it deliver. I won’t spoil all of the encounter, but there is plenty of fan-service on display. And I thought the best thing about all the different pairings is that the heroes triumphant (come on, not a spoiler) but no one comes off looking bad. Like no one gets “nerfed” in the fights to allow the heroes to steamroll the competition. Instead, we get some truly deadly threats and it’s fun to see what bags of tricks the heroes need to dip into to finally overcome the odds.
4. All in the Family – Ninja Turtles has always been about family. It’s a team of brothers and their father-figure mentor. Batman in many ways is about family as well. And well great sight to see these two families become one. By this point, the dynamic becomes old hat but I always enjoy seeing writers make Batman more human and relatable. It may not always be in the most conventional way, but the end was a nice kick in the gut with just a hint of humor to not end on a downer.
5. Beginning, Middle and End -The story begun. It picked up. Then it ended. I mentioned that because all too often in comics, we get stories that “End” but they keep going because these characters are timeless. I’m always happy when a story can be neatly done and self-contained. And while the issue ends with possible promises of future team-ups, there’s no guarantee that will happen nor is it used as cliffhanger. Just a simple “?” is enough to get the imagination working overtime.
6. The Future – I guess not a review point, but I’m curious if any mutagen still exists in Batman world, and what that could mean for the future. On that same note, does this story have a place in continuity? I mean Batman exists in so many different storylines its not always easy to pinpoint when stories take place, but this seemed to be in-line with his most recent adventures, but would think something you bring up to Dick or something!
7.  And That’s a Wrap – If I had to give the issue a negative, it wraps up a bit too neatly. When the chips are down… well they aren’t. And everything is good. Necessarily evil, but still kind of just there.

Review 7 (Out of 7) – Being a compact story did this series wonder. It was strong from beginning to end. Offering all levels of fan-service and did justice to every character present. Totally worth a read! Who knows maybe one day they’ll turn it into a DTV and I’ll be in love all over again.