Batman and the Turtles face a crisis in Batman/TMNT III No. 1
By Alex Widen
Call Him…The Shredder Who Laughs!
At least one factor is constant — Commissioner James Gordon feeling overwhelmed. Not only is he combating vicious criminals, but the corruption of his own force. When the Smile Clan offers his squad a chance to join up, most of them agree! Yet even worse than that is the sight of the biggest villains of both the Turtles and Batman being merged into one. The Laughing Man — who is the Joker and the Shredder merged into one — makes his dastardly presence felt! His prize is a standard MacGuffin — a glowing crystal from another universe! Has this caused the crisis?
Image by DC Comics & IDW Publishing
While Batman normally is fine with deploying a small army of “sidekicks,” this time he calls them a family, without any hesitation. And one by one, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles assemble! Much like with the rest of the cast, their designs also represent a merger between themselves and Batman’s cast. Raphael’s costume is inspired by Red Hood, while Michelangelo’s wearing the new Robin’s guise, as Leonardo’s rocking Nightwing’s design. Donatello’s look seems inspired by Batgirl (or Spoiler), if only because all rock out in purple.
Image by DC Comics & IDW Publishing
One by one, they take down the various members of the Smile Gang, from Harley to Croc to Clayface and Deadshot (who still feels a bit random). Unfortunately, a villain with all the mania of the Joker and all of the martial arts skills of the Shredder proves to be a match for Batman. This time, however, Batman has the disadvantage of distraction. He’s been haunted by dreams of other people from other worlds, and it becomes real when he manages to touch the magic crystal for a moment!
Image by DC Comics & IDW Publishing