The penultimate issue of Turtles of Grayskull #3 does what all good crossovers should do: it explores how characters from one franchise would react to another. In this case, it’s been a little limited due to time traveler Renet having to keep He-Man away from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles due to a time loop, but now things have changed. He-Man has landed in modern-day Manhattan, while the Turtles are in Eternia. As for Renet, she lands in an unexpected time period: when Hamato Yoshi, Splinter’s former owner, and Oroku Saki – the once and future Shredder – are still members of the Foot Clan!
This shakeup lets Tim Seeley play around with different character dynamics, and the results are gold. He-Man ends up butting heads with Casey Jones, while the Turtles meet with Man-at-Arms and Teela. Most of the fun of Seeley’s script is seeing how these interactions play out. Despite being “the most powerful man in the universe,” He-Man gets soundly defeated by Splinter. The Turtles find that they can fit in with Eternia’s citizens without hiding in the shadows.
Each time period has a distinct feel thanks to Freddie E. Williams II’s artwork and Andrew Dalhouse’s color work. Manhattan’s sewers appear cold and foreboding, but upon further glance, you can tell which tunnels belong to the Turtles – graffiti is etched on the walls, there’s a collection of lit candles, and the ever-trusty Turtle van. Conversely, Eternia looks like a collision between cutting-edge technology and a high fantasy realm.
Credit: IDW
But Williams and Dalhouse’s best work comes with the fight scenes. Again, the mashup leads He-Man to throw down with Shredder while the Turtles face off against Skeletor’s latest mutants. This once again gives Williams free rein to design new takes on classic TMNT/MOTU characters, and his best has to be fusing together Bebop and Rocksteady into a singular being. Dalhouse also makes sure you know who’s evil thanks to utilizing copious amounts of green and purple.
Turtles of Grayskull #3 also reveals the mastermind behind the time loop, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, it’s a new character who has ties to both the TMNT and the world of Masters of the Universe. On the other hand, the dual threat of Shredder and Skeletor seems like it could have fueled the entire crossover. In any case, the stage is set for the final showdown.
Turtles of Grayskull #3 excels when it leans into the possibilities of two different worlds merging, especially when it comes to character interactions. Now there’s only one issue left, meaning that the creative team will have to deliver a hell of a finale if this is going to stand alongside crossovers like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Naruto or the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series.
Turtles of Grayskull #3 is available wherever comics are sold.
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