Hey there folks! Crooker here again, with another turtle-tastic issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle Nexus! This is issue #4 of the big franchise crossover event, with scripting by Caleb Goellner, art by Omar Fancia, and a massive list of story contributors like Tom Waltz, Paul Allor, Sophie Campbell, the aforementioned Caleb Goellner, and Erik Burnham. Still a lotta cooks in this kitchen, but I suppose they do bake a wonderful pizza pie. Alright turtles, it’s ninja time.
IDW
I loooooooooooooved loved loved loved loved loved LOVED this issue. Loved it. How many more of those can I get away with? Loved it. There, that’s plenty.
So, while I was critical of last issue for feeling like its narrative hook was strangely out of place for the kind of story this is, this issue absolutely made up for it and more by giving us the real meat and potatoes… not the fight with Donnie and Metalhead, oh no! The real goodies happen after… the first major crossover between all major Turtle properties since… well, forever! Turtles Forever, to be exact. It warmed my heart, truly, to see the 2003 series Leonardo again, to hear him speak like himself, act like himself. As a child of the 2003 show, a show that means so much to me, it genuinely moves me to see my boyhood hero the same as he always was: wise, learned, always willing to lend a hand and take charge of a bad situation. That’s MY Leonardo. That’s MY leader in blue.
Courtesy IDW
That bit of self-indulgence out of the way, the interactions between the various turtle team members is really where this stuff does get genuinely good, that’s what these types of crossovers are for, and it’s so purely comic book in the best way. SO comic book in fact, we get a editor’s note pointing us to Mirage’s TMNT Vol. 4! As a diehard Mirage fanboy, my heart sang… and also nitpicked, because the event referenced in question never happened in that issue, or any. So I suppose we’re meant to take it as an off-panel meeting between Peter Laird’s two pet favorite Leos, which… hey, it’s the thought that counts, so I’ll take it. With how deep cut that was, I’m really excited to see that final masked figure reveal… I know who it is. I know you guys know I know. We both know that I know you know, and that means you know I adore you crazy, insane creative geniuses. Go on, make my month. Go on!
I really enjoyed the way Francia was able to do a fairly good job emulating all the various Turtles art styles and keeping them feeling mostly on model, more or less. I think 2003 Leo was maybe a bit off in some shots, but pretty much perfect otherwise, and the fight with Metalhead at the start was wonderfully choreographed, a very fun read indeed. Of course the main intrigue was seeing these guys interact, so I’m glad so much effort was put into getting that part particularly right.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle Nexus #4 delivers and it delivers hard, hot and fresh to your door in 30 minutes or less (or your money back!). Pizza time, all the time. What a fantastic issue that had me jumping out of my seat. It had me sitting back and bittersweetly reminiscing on the day that Peter Laird might return to Mirage Volume 4. It hit me right where it hurts: my heart. Sometimes a bit of fan service is okay, don’t you think? Especially fan service this fun, and written this well. It’s books like this that always remind me… why I LOVE bein’ a turtle.
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