The director’s cut of the Batman/TMNT first issue comes out this week, and I kind of loved the Dark Knight III version, so let’s give this one a whirl. Is it good?
Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 Director’s Cut (DC Comics)
Nearly what the cover looks like just no color on the turtles.
So what’s it about? Read the official DC summary:
The first chapter of the story that brought together the Dark Knight and those Heroes in a Half-Shell is back in this new Director’s Cut edition co-published with IDW.
Why does this book matter?
The extremely fun series we not only reviewed every issue of, but also the TPB version, is back with a full script and two breakdowns of the first issue. If you love art or writing you’d be wise to check this out.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
First off, if you don’t love Freddie E Williams II you’ll need to really really love comic book scripts, because you get a double dose of Williams’ art. First you get a pre colored version of the first issue with inks (though the Ninja Turtles do open the issue with their masks in color which looks super cool) and then a pencilled only version. The most striking thing about how they’ve broken down the art is how many damn lines Williams II had to draw. You can’t look at these pages and think, “Oh yeah this was half assed,” and you really come away with a better appreciation for the work Williams II has done.
The remaining pages are devoted to the script which – like the Dark Knight III director’s cut – are strikingly basic. You get to peer into the inner workings of the script and see basically three layers of the process with this book and it’s neat to see how the script gives way to the imagery.
It can’t be perfect can it?
The script does seem to be printed in a much larger font than necessary. Maybe it’s a way to pad out the book a bit, but if true, would be unfortunate though not a dealbreaker.
Is It Good?
This is a slightly different director’s cut edition as it shows not just the script and a stage of the drawing, but two stages of the artistic process. If you liked the art in this series, you’ll love this issue.
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