Batman and the Turtles face a crisis in Batman/TMNT III No. 1
By Alex Widen
This Crossover’s Just Getting Started!
Batman and the Turtles may manage to kick a few henchmen and prevent civilians from dying, but they fail to stop the Laughing Man and his Smile Clan. Another commonality between Batman and the Turtles are a fondness for “ninja vanish gas” and subterranean headquarters. This allows readers to see a Batcave which is a merger between Batman and the Turtles’ worlds. For instance, the giant coin is a “5 Japanese yen,” not a penny. For another, the robot dinosaur is a triceratops (an homage to the Triceratons) instead of a T-Rex.
Image by DC Comics & IDW Publishing
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The Ninja Turtles, as official members of “the Bat-Family,” are relaxed despite technically failing to apprehend the villains. Fresh pizzas are coming down the chute and they’re united as one. Only Batman seems troubled, both by his dreams and now the magical crystal. It turns out that in this world, Splinter is serving the role of Alfred Pennyworth. Apparently after the Waynes were killed in “crime alley,” Splinter happened upon a young Bruce and raised and trained him alongside the Turtles, so all were brothers. Yoshi also assumed the guise of a servant to “comfort” Bruce, which seems a bit awkward now that he’s an adult. Maybe tuxedos felt better than robes?
Image by DC Comics & IDW Publishing
But suddenly, the Batcave (or Turtle-Lair) gets an intruder! It is the person that Krang was worried about, who has crossed the dimensional plane and risks a multi-verse crisis! And not only is it someone familiar, but he is drawn by someone familiar. It’s a Mirage Studios version of Raphael, drawn by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator and current IDW ongoing series co-plotter Kevin Eastman! Raphael has always been Eastman’s favorite of the foursome, and allowing him to partly co-draw the series only adds to the crossover pedigree that this series offers.
Image by DC Comics & IDW Publishing