Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 Review

Here it is, the latest installment of the crossover event of the year bringing together The Dark Knight and The Heroes in a Half Shell. I've already reviewed the first two issues elsewhere but those reviews were unfortunately lost and I didn't feel like re-writing them. As for the third issue, I just didn't have that much to say about it. Before we get to today's outing, let's recap the need-to-knows. Circumstances have brought the Turtles and their master, Splinter, as well as Shredder and the evil foot clan to an alternate reality, specifically, the DC Universe in the heart of Gotham City. And of course, when you come to Gotham, you'll invariably have to deal with The Batman. After a brief misunderstanding and an insultingly one sided fight, Batman and the turtles decided to join forces to stop the Shredder and get the Turtles back home, and just in time too. Since the mutagen that orignal transformed four baby turtles and a rat into the heroes we know in love doesn't exist in this reality, Splinter and the Turtles' mutated genes are slowly becoming inert, meaning that if they're not returned home soon, they'll revert back to their original states. At the end of the last issue, the Turtles and Batman fought the Foot, but in the chaos, the portal to the Turtles' dimension was destroyed and Shredder escaped with the aide of R'as Al Ghul.

We open in Arkham where a doctor is interviewing some of the members of the Foot who were captured during the battle last issue. The doc is getting nowhere with any of them, much to her own frustration. As she's ranting to herself, she passes the Joker's cell. Now the Joker may be crazy, but he's not stupid. He's figured out that something is going on beyond the usual Gotham craziness and he wants in on the fun.

Cut to Wayne manor, where we learn that it's actually been several days since the events of the previous issue and The Turtles have been actively aiding Batman in fighting crime while still searching for a way to get the the Turtles home. The TMNT have also taken up temporary residence in Wayne Manor which means it's Alfred's turn to be irritated, especially when Michaelangelo grinds down the staircase on a skateboard and crashes into him while he's carrying pizzas. Meanwhile, Batman and Leonardo are sparring while Splinter coaches both of them, which goes a long way towards making up for the one sided fight in the second issue. Donatello exposits that, with the help of the Justice League, they've managed to keep their genetic deterioration at bay, but the solution is only temporary. Anywho, enough of that, it's Pizza time. Mikey offers one a slice to Batman, which gives us the very surreal image of Batman smiling and eating a slice of pepperoni and mushroom pizza. There is just something about this image that just blows my mind but I can't quite put it into words. The only one not in the mood for Pizza seems to be Raphael, who's angry that no one seems to be taking their impending condition seriously. Raph blames Batman for their predicatment, calling him a selfish little rich kid who only fights crime for kicks. Having had just about enough of everyone, Raph storms off, vowing to find a way home on his own.

Meanwhile, Shredder and R'as Al Ghul have successfully rebuilt the previously destroyed portal, but no sooner do they have it operational than an unexpected guest comes through from the other side. That guest turns out to be none other than my favorite character from the TMNT universe, Casey Jones, the man who can fight just as well with a baseball bat, a hockey stick and some basic street smarts as the turtles can with deadly ninja weapons and years of training.

Elsewhere, Raph is walking the streets of Gotham as Batman pulls up in the Batmobile. Bats wants Raph to understand something about him and asks him to get in the car. The two end up at Crime Alley, the very place where Batman's parents got gunned down. Batman recounts his story and it's honestly one of the best scenes in the mini-series so far.

Meanwhile, the remaining Turtles have discovered Ra's and Shredder's lair, only to find a heavily wounded Casey. It seems Casey brought cannisters of the Mutagen with him in order to save his pals from their impending fate, but the bad guys stole them and left. And so our comic ends with Shredder and R'as holding the cannisters of Mutagen stading outside Arkham Asylum.

What Works: First and foremost, I'd like to talk about the scene between Batman and Raphael. While this isn't the first time we've seen Batman recount the events of his parents murder, there's something about this particular scene that resonates with me much more than any other. It shows that he's grown to trust and respect the turtles, it shows a great deal of vulnerability for the character which we rarely see, hell, he even flat out admits that his war on crime could be thought of as selfish, and it reminds us why Batman is a hero, because, under all the costumes and shadows, there simply lies a man who doesn't want to see anyone suffer the same way he did. Now, he sees another family being torn apart, and he refuses to allow it to happen. In addition, the scenes with the other Turtles hanging out in the Batcave were enjoyable, and Alfred's constant irritation was somewhat entertaining. I'm also happy to see Casey Jones get involved, because, as I mentioned, he's my favorite Turtles character.

Finally, the cliffhanger was excellent. Just the idea of an army of mutated Batman villains pretty much guarantees sales of the next issue. What Doesn't: My biggest gripe here is the inclusion of R'as Al Ghul. The reveal of R'as served as the cliffhanger for the previous issue and the foot clan joining forces with the league of assassins sounded promising. But in this issue, R'as's presence is little more than an afterthought, adding nothing to the story other than just someone for the Shredder to talk to. Hopefully he's better utilized in the remaining issues, but I feel an A-list villain like R'as Al Ghul deserves better. Speaking of R'as and Shredder, it would have been nice to actually see the fight between them and Casey, but in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't that important. Overall:

5/5 Despite a couple of things that could be improved upon here and there, this was probably the strongest issue of the mini-series thus far, and promises more good things to come.