Despite their recent victory, there is little for the Turtles to celebrate. It’s been months since the events of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #100. Manhattan has been cordoned off from the outside world renamed Mutant Town by its inhabitants. The Turtles has gone their separate ways with Leonardolooking inward, Michelangelopulling back from the world, Raphaelhitting the rooftops on a nightly basis, and Donatello (who narrates the issue) contemplating what might be next for the characters.
The long-running “City at War” storyline comes to a close with the over-sized Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #100which opens with Kitsune‘s attempt to bring forth the Dragon into the headless body of the Shredder. There’s plenty of action here in an issue that features a giant dragon, small and large battles, the reunion of brothers, and a large number of appearances from various TMNT characters (including Alopex, who makes her stand against Kitsune) before ending on a surprising note with a sacrifice and a return.
I’ll freely admit that my interest in the comic waned in recent years, but issue #100 does offer a payoff for those who have stuck around for the full run (and just enough hints for the rest of us to make out the broad strokes of what’s happening here).
Adapted from the comic book mini-series, Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brings the Teenage Mutant Turtles to Gotham City on the trail of the Shredder (Andrew Kishino) and the Foot Clan who are on a crime spree which Batman (Troy Baker) has just become aware. The movie offers the obligatory misunderstanding pitting Batman versus the Turtles for a time before realizing they are both on the same side and need to team-up to stop Shredder and his new business partner Ra’s al Ghul (Cas Anvar) who plans to use the Ooze to destroy Gotham.
While the animation isn’t quite up to snuff with some of DC’s better animated movies, I do appreciate the story sticking with Batman’s classic design and the look of both the Shredder and Ra’s al Ghul work pretty well (even if I can’t say the same for some of Batman’s other villains who are brought into the plot when Ra’s mutates Arkham Asylum as a distraction for Batman and Turtles). Some of the mutations work better than others (such as the joke made at Poison Ivy‘s expense).
Based on the comic cross-over, the new animated movie Batman Vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles features the Bat-Family teaming up with the Turtles to battle Shredder and the League of Assassins. Now available for digital download (but for some reason not on DC’s own digital platform), the straight-to-video movie will be available on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K on June 4th.
Taking a break from recent events, and stretching out new abilities, Leonardo travels to the Astral Plane where he encounters an unusual guide and an unexpected adversary. Tied to recent events, but very much a standalone story, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe #25 is an interesting issue that takes place almost entirely in the mental/spiritual realm.
“Dan” who appears both as a statue and a living guide for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, is an odd character who gives the first-half of the issue a somewhat goofy feel. The arrival of Kitsune, however, turns things serious quickly. The art of Nelson Daniel is able to capture both tones quite well.
Despite their recent victory, there is little for the Turtles to celebrate. It’s been months since the events of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #100. Manhattan has been cordoned off from the outside world renamed Mutant Town by its inhabitants. The Turtles has gone their separate ways with Leonardo looking inward, Michelangelo pulling back from the world, Raphael hitting the rooftops on a nightly basis, and Donatello (who narrates the issue) contemplating what might be next for the characters.
