Krang threatens the multiverse in Batman/TMNT III No. 2
By Alex Widen
Holy Silver Age, Batman!
It makes a degree of sense. If the “original” Ninja Turtles are from 1984, that also predates DC Comics’ Crisis On Infinite Earths by a year. That means this Batman is still clad in his bright grey and blues with very little black. His chest emblem is yellow, as are the capsules on his belt. Even with the fate of a multiverse dependent on his escape, this Batman has time to namedrop Harry Houdini and even…smile! It’s this image which causes the heroes in the Batcave to see the truth in the intruder’s words.
Image by DC Comics & IDW Publishing
Unfortunately, escaping their bonds is only one step in the puzzle. The next is somehow thwarting the wrath of Krang! The five quickly form a fighting team, but even they are quickly overwhelmed by Krang’s legion of robots. Through a series of tosses and misadventures, a critical gadget falls into Raphael’s hands, and he’s been tasked with beaming down to Krang’s new gestalt universe. He and his “original” brothers may have skills and tenacity, but they’ve never beaten Krang before.
Image by DC Comics & IDW Publishing
It seems like Krang didn’t plan to combine the worlds of the Turtles and Batman just out of a sense of artistic license. In combing them, Krang has diluted their elements in the hopes of keeping them too weak and unfocused to successfully fight him. It isn’t just the “ninja Batman” who senses truth in the intruder’s words — Leonardo senses it too. The only problem is that “retro Raphael” isn’t an idea guy, and the threat of Anti-Krang is something no one has seen. The issue ends with the evil brain reaching out to the Laughing Man — this world’s combination of the Joker and Shredder!
Image by DC Comics & IDW Publishing