The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles might just be the kings of crossovers at this point after delightful team-ups with the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Batman, and Naruto, and Godzilla’s not too far behind them. It makes all the sense in the world then that these two pop culture juggernauts would eventually have their own crossover, and now that IDW Publishing has made Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Godzilla #1 a reality, it turns out they go incredibly well together, and fans of both franchises will be thoroughly entertained.
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One of the earliest standout elements of this grand collision is how well the two franchises fit together from a lore and mythology perspective, which is a credit to writer Tim Seeley. Seeley quickly establishes a premise for this collision that reaches back into the Turtles franchise lore in a way that feels like it fits into an open pocket of time rather than trying to reconstruct history. Two pages in, and you’ve got yourself the foundation on which everything else is built, and the speed of that establishment is quite impressive.
Rating: 4 out of 5
| PROS | CONS |
| Turtles Pop With Personality | After Fast Start, Slows Down Considerably |
| Godzilla Is Epic In Every Way | Backgrounds Lack Detail And Punch Compared To Characters |
| Fits Into TMNT Lore Seamlessly |
After that, we’re in the present and moving the main story forward, and it’s the artwork of Fero Pe and Luis Antonio Delgado that ties both eras together rather seamlessly. Their work on not only Godzilla but also the other quick Kaiju appearances is fantastic, and the epic scale of Godzilla truly comes through thanks to those epic two-page spreads. Likewise, the Turtles themselves impress as well, with each Turtle’s unique personality shining through while the action kicks into gear.
While we don’t actually get to see the confrontation between the Turtles and Godzilla just yet, the fight sequences that are here pop with color and motion, and the same is true of New York City when it gets its time in the spotlight. When the Turtles are front and center, you can’t help but be impressed by how their personalities and expressions leap off the page, and the same is true of other characters like Splinter and Krang. While Shredder looks absurdly cool in just about every scene, Krang looks equally demented, and that’s part of what makes their odd dynamic work.
A book centered around Kaijus and mutant Turtles doesn’t exactly need much else, but it’s wonderful to see other franchise characters make their way into the story, which should delight longtime fans of the Turtles, especially. As we move through the series, fans of Godzilla’s world will have even more to get excited for, but this issue in particular heavily favors the Turtles’ side of that equation, as they are the grounding force in all this. That’s an inherently crazy sentence to write, mind you, but when you are dealing with ancient monsters, mutant Turtles are probably the more grounded option.
Fans of both franchises will be entertained, but there are some flaws that hold the issue back from perfection. While the characters themselves are mostly well-detailed and expressive, there are a number of backgrounds that are relatively flat, with single colors and not much in the way of any details. This is mostly in scenes featuring the Turtles, as other locations feel much more detailed and populated, but it is still noticeable. There’s also a bit of slowdown in the middle of the book, and while what’s featured there is fun, it does feel like it slows down considerably compared to the quickly established introduction and the big hook over the last few pages, which tease a major battle next issue.
Still, those flaws aren’t enough to drag the issue down all that much, and fans of both franchises will find an entertaining introduction to what promises to be an absurdly fun clash between several beloved characters, and I’m eagerly looking forward to what happens next.
- Published By: IDW Publishing
- Written By: Tim Seeley
- Art By: Fero Pe
- Colored By: Luis Antonio Delgado
- Lettered and Designed By: Brian Kolek
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Godzilla #1 is in comic stores now.
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