Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6 Review

Here it is, the final chapter of the Batman/TMNT crossover event. For those of you just joining us, here’s a recap of what’s been happening so far.

During a battle between the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their arch nemesis, The Shredder, both parties were transported to an alternate reality. That reality just so happened to be the DC Universe, and more specifically, Gotham City. And, naturally, anyone who enters Gotham City must inevitably deal with The Batman. While at first, Batman and The Turtles come to blows (in a depressingly one sided fight) they eventually join forces to deal with the threat of the Shredder. But they better hurry, as the nature of this new reality is slowly causing the mutagen in The Turtles and Master Splinter to become inert, meaning the longer they stay here, the more likely they are to revert to their original forms. To make matters even worse, Shredder has found a kindred spirit in R’as Al Ghul, the immortal leader of the League of Assassins, and together, after getting ahold of some mutagen from the Turtles’ ally, Casey Jones, they plan to turn the inmates of Arkham into a mutant army that will level Gotham to the ground. With the Turtles having a small window of opportunity to return home, Batman and Robin went to face the mutated villains alone.

That brings us to today’s issue, which opens with the dynamic duo in the clutches of Bane, now a mutant elephant. Batman slashes Bane across the face, causing his grip to loosen, but they still need to contend with the rest of the mutant army, including a hyena Harley Quinn, a mantis Poison Ivy and a polar bear Mr. Freeze.

Back at the Batcave, Alfred and the Turtles can only look on in horror as Batman and Robin are overwhelmed by the mutant army. Raph, remembering how Batman shared his backstory with him, as well as how he went out of his way to help him and his brothers as well as countless others so as not to see any families destroyed as his was, refuses to sit idly by and allow Batman to die, even if it means sacrificing his way home in the process.

Back at Arkham, Shredder and R’as appear before an incapacitated Batman, disappointed that the caped crusader was unable to put up more of a fight. Shredder even says that finishing Batman off himself is beneath him. Besides, there is another far more eager to take the job. That someone is, of course, The Joker, now mutated into a hideous cobra. But before Joker can sink his fangs into the dark knight, the Turtles come to his rescue. As The Turtles square off against R’as, Batman dons a high tech Bat-suit that’s been upgraded by Donatello to challenge the Shredder one-on-one. As the Turtles overwhelm the Demon’s Head by attacking him all at once, Batman and the Shredder trade blows. Despite the two warriors being evenly matched, Batman eventually gains the upper hand, allowing Splinter to deliver the finishing blow. Seeing that the fight has been lost, Ra’s retreats. As Batman and the Turtles catch their breaths, April and Casey arrive through a portal, explaining that they were able to reopen it from the other side once Casey returned. With only a short window of opportunity, The Turtles and Batman say their farewells, and Raph gives Batman his bandanna as a show of respect as well as a signification that Batman is now an honorary member of their family. And, with each side glad to have met the other, the Turtles finally depart.

Our comic ends with an epilogue in the Bat Cave, with Gordon assuring Bats that the Mutagen in all of the villains will eventually wear off, Damian and Batman spending some quality time together to make improvements to Donnie’s Bat-Suit, and a closing shot of Raph’s bandanna hung across Batman’s chair that implies that Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles may not have seen the last of each other.

What Works: This was exactly what I was expecting from the finale. The fight was excellent and both Batman and the Turtles got to look cool as they fought against the other’s respective foes. The mutant villains were also pretty cool and creatively designed.

I particularly like Raph in this issue, as well as this series as a whole. The fact that he was willing to sacrifice his life for Batman, someone he didn’t really like or trust when the story began, made for a nice character arc. What Doesn’t: While the mutant villains were cool, I think they could have stood to be utilized a bit more instead of having Splinter knock them all out off-panel. Also, at no point during the fight does the Turtles’ impending condition begin to take hold, which I believe to be a missed opportunity to create tension during the final conflict. Finally, Raph looks weird without his bandanna. Overall: 4.5/5

A great ending to a great series. Final Thoughts on the Series: Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a great crossover event, but it wasn’t without its flaws, the aforementioned one-sidedness of Batman and The Turtles’ first encounter being chief among them. That having been said, the stuff that did work, worked so well that any flaws that this comic may have can be easily overlooked. All the characters were well written, the story was engaging, the character moments felt natural and served to give the comic more depth than most crossover events. This is a must read for anyone who has ever been a fan of Batman or The Ninja Turtles. With the success of this and the recent Green Lantern/Star Trek crossover, I hope we can look forward to more DC/IDW collaborations in the future.