Like any good time travel story, Turtles of Grayskull #4 brings things full circle, and in the process it finally reveals its villain: Ninjor, a relatively obscure villain from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. But in a twist, it’s revealed that Ninjor has his own connections to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe…and that he’s responsible for the time loop that He-Man, the Turtles, and their respective allies are trapped in. Now while time traveler Renet fights to fix time itself, the Guardian of Grayskull and the Heroes in a Half-Shell must deal with their new enemy.
Tim Seeley throws everything and the kitchen sink into Turtles of Grayskull #4, resulting in a lot of moments that will please Masters of the Universe fans, TMNT fans, and especially fans of both. Moments like He-Man getting affected by the mutagen that Skeletor and Shredder created together, or the Sorceress of Grayskull reaching out to April O’Neil, are the stuff of fanboy dreams; thanks to the groundwork Seeley laid in previous issues, they also make sense.
But the one moment that is the nexus of “crossover dreams” and “emotionally compelling storytelling” has to be when Splinter taps into the power of Grayskull to help the Turtles against a mutated He-Man. It’s the action that a father would take to help his sons, but more importantly it lets Spinter deliver one of his life lessons, and it fits into the themes that underline MOTU and TMNT. True power doesn’t come from a magic sword, radioactive ooze or the ability to control time; it’s in overcoming the darker parts of your nature. Seeley took a similar approach to his amazing (and severely underrated) Image series Local Man, and it’s great that he can apply the same lessons to classic properties such as these.
Turtles of Grayskull #4 is probably when Freddie E. Williams II and Andrew Dalhouse shine the most. Williams II brings his creative flair to designing some more TMNT/MOTU mashups, which work far better than expected. He-Man’s “mutant” form is a standout, as he grows to a massive size while sporting dark purple skin and green hair, essentially becoming a mindless brute.
It only escalates from there – April uses magic, Krang has an Eternian-styled robot suit and there’s a battle against a giant dragon. All of it will keep the reader glued to the page thanks to Dalhouse’s bright, vibrant color work. The most prominent color is blue, thanks to Renet’s hopping through the time stream, here depicted as a glowing blue field of images from the past, present, and future—and her matching uniform.
Renet’s travels result in a final set of pages that tease another potential crossover, and I hope we get it soon. I honestly felt there was so much more to tackle in Turtles of Grayskull, or at the very least material for another issue, but what we got is pretty damn amazing. Turtles of Grayskull #4 closes the door on one of the most fun crossovers I’ve ever read, but leaves another slightly cracked open – and I hope the same creative team pushes it open in the future.
