By RILEY GOLDEN//Entertainment Editor
Batman has just gotten word that an army of ninjas in black and their unknown, “inhuman,” adversaries, in the form of red, blue, orange, and purple flashes, had something to do with a generator being stolen.
In “Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 1,” Master Splinter, his turtle-sons, and their adversaries have landed in Gotham City and it’s up to the Worlds’ Greatest Detective to find out who they are and what they’re doing in his city.
After more than one fight between Master Splinter, the ‘Turtles’ and Batman, they discover that they all fight for the good of mankind and they’re able to discuss what the mutated animals are doing in Gotham, who the Foot Clan and are, and what must be done to get the turtles and the rat back to their universe.
The scene where Splinter tells Batman about their world is pretty cool. It’s like you’re watching a scene in a movie the way it’s written and drawn; it’s one of the most well executed moments in the graphic novel.
I’m a huge Batman fan but I’ve never really read much Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles although I used to watch the movies all the time growing up. The writers nailed every single character and that is my favorite part of this graphic novel.
Batman is stern and cautious but understanding.
Master Splinter speaks wisdom every time he talks and he’s often shutting his teenage turtles down when they are attempting to have fun.
Raphael wears the red bandana, carries dual sai and is almost ridiculously hot tempered at points and he even goes far enough to require Batman to tell Raph’ information that he doesn’t just hand out to anybody.
Donatello wears the purple bandana, he wields a bo staff and he’s a genius. Throughout the comic he speaks in technobabble and one of the other turtles has to tell him to talk at a lower intellectual level.
Leonardo wears the blue bandana and carries two katana. Leo is the most disciplined, spiritual, and in tune with Master Splinter’s teachings. After the Turtles first encounter with Batman, Leo comes to the conclusion that Batman was fighting like a detective.
Michelangelo wears the orange bandana, and he wields dual nun-chucks. Mikey is often portrayed as the youngest of the brothers and is by far the most carefree one. Mikey is probably responsible for some of my favorite moments from the graphic novel. At one point he draws a vin diagram in the shape of a bat and divides different things about Batman into it; it makes for a good laugh.
Some of the coolest moments from the comic are the fight scenes. They satisfy a couple fantasy fight scenes that some of us didn’t even know we had. Towards the beginning of the comic, Batman sets a trap for the Foot Clan and tears through an entire room of them. This leads to Batman’s first encounter with Shredder, in which Shredder warns Batman to stay out of his way and disappears. It’s an awesome scene and it’s obvious to the reader that this is leading up to a crazy fight scene between Batman and Shredder, and it most certainly does.
My least favorite part of this comic is the art style, but it grows on you as you read it, and it still isn’t terrible.
There’s much more to this story but so much of the mystery and reveals are what make this such a good read and well written story. But, if you’re a fan of either Batman or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this graphic novel is a must read. I give “Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 1” a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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