The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been making the crossover rounds in the comic book world in recent years. Michaelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, and Leonardo have met, and teamed up with, Batman, the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, the kids from Stranger Things, the Savage Dragon, The Ghostbusters, and more. On the Eternia side of the equation, Prince Adam and his fellow Masters of the Universe fought against the twisted DC Heroes of the Injustice Universe and the Thundercats. Now, the heroes in a half-shell and the Eternians are coming face-to-face in a Dark Horse comic book crossover.
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To start, let’s break down the plot of this four-issue mini-series. The Turtles have found themselves smack dab in Eternia’s problems, as readers pick up the premiere issue to find that the merry mutants have taken on Prince Adam’s role and are having fun in fighting against Skeletor and his minions. Shredder and Krang have struck a bargain with the skull-faced wizard and all-out war is brewing for the power of Castle Greyskull. Once a brainwashed He-Man enters the fray, things go from bad to worse as time-travel shenanigans set the stage for a crossover that is looking to be quite different from what readers have seen in the past.
Teenage Masters of the Universe Ninja Turtles
Tim Seeley is the writer here, having past experience when it comes to forging a comic book path for Prince Adam and the Masters of the Universe. Luckily, he also has a strong handling of the turtle brothers as Raph, Leo, Donny, and Mikey have some truly hilarious moments in the panels. Seely uses the parameters of this crossover to not only give us some solid character moments for TMNT but also amass a giant army of heroes and villains alike to tease what is to come.
Unfortunately, the story structure that Seeley employs here leaves a lot to be desired, which is really unfortunate. On one hand, it’s an interesting idea to tease how the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles find themselves in Eternia but it is done in such a way that a lot of the fun is simply lost in exposition. In comparison to the previous Batman/TMNT crossover, readers had the opportunity to walk through how the Heroes in a Half-Shell met with the Dark Knight. Readers could follow panel-by-panel as Gotham and New York City’s “finest” entered each others’ worlds and that’s missing here in some respects.
Again, it’s a tough pill to swallow because the characterization and the general sense of fun in these two universes colliding is infectious. Ultimately, Turtles of Greyskull suffers from how its story is presented and you can see where the creative team was going, but it stumbles in its execution.
He-Man and The Turtles of The Universe
Where Turtles of Greyskull doesn’t suffer is in the art department. Freddie Williams II seems tailor-made to handle both universes, having previously been responsible for the Dark Knight meeting with the turtle teens. From character emotions to large scale battles, Williams has a lot on his plate but is still able to effortlessly deliver on all aspects of the crossover. Props also need to be given to colorist Andrew Dalhouse who is able to hammer home the feeling of a Saturday Morning Cartoon hitting the comic book world.
Masters of The Universe/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles of Greyskull is a fun romp that plays to the strengths of both franchises but stumbles in terms of its execution and a feeling that readers have missed on some of the major beats of the crossover itself. While Renet Tilley’s role makes for more surprises in the future, as well as hinting at some big surprises waiting in the wings, you get the feeling that this crossover had for the makings of greatness but was ultimately held back. Still, if you’re a die-hard fan of either of these franchises, this is one to keep an eye on.
