The Heroes in a Half-Shell have crossed over into some wild universes in the past when it comes to the green siblings’ comic book history. Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello, and Michaelangelo have met the Dark Knight, the Masters of the Universe, the Power Rangers, the Ghostbusters, and even the kids of Stranger Things. Now however, one of their wildest and most anticipated crossovers of all time is right around the corner in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto, and we had the opportunity to check out the first issue early thanks to IDW Entertainment. If nothing else, the meeting of the four turtle siblings and Konoha’s finest is not what you might expect.
Our first issue of this epic crossover begins with April O’Neil already traveling with the original Team 7, aka Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi. In this new universe, April has visited with the current Hokage of the time, Lady Tsunade, to beg for help in returning to a very different New York City. As many comic book crossovers go, things go awry for this escort mission as Team 7 and their guest come into contact with the Foot Clan. This brand of the Foot is defeated soundly thanks to the arrival of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, living up to the superhero trope of fighting their potential allies thanks to a misunderstanding. While things wrap in a similar fashion to many comic crossovers, the final stinger is one that many won’t see coming.
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To start, when it comes to comic book crossovers such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto, the question arises of how the beloved characters will meet. Rather than seeing the Heroes in a Half-Shell or Team 7 tripping the multiverse, the IDW mini-series presents the TMNT as being a part of the “Naruto-verse” from the jump. New York City is now “Big Apple Village” and the new designs for the turtles reflect a different landscape they now inhabit. While their origins might now be different, writer Caleb Goellner has an exceptionally good handle on all the characters involved.
One of the most interesting aspects of this crossover, and any comic book crossover that sees two universes smashed together, is how characters respond to these new interactions in some of the quieter moments. Highlights include Naruto and Sasuke reflecting on Baxter Stockman’s plans in relation to their own statuses and the dynamics between all the characters involved. Goellner plays well with the battles that he lays out before readers as we are able to see interesting interactions between the likes of Leonardo and Sasuke, Sakura and Raphael, and Donatello and Michaelangelo tag-teaming Naruto and his clones. It works well in terms of presenting the concept.
What doesn’t work nearly as well is how the premiere issue simply dives head-first into this new universe, which might come as confusing to many. To reiterate, this is a brand new world that sees the TMNT being a part of Naruto’s universe, rather than seeing the two original universes clash. For better or for worse, these are entirely new Turtles though this doesn’t have much of an effect on their overall personalities. The first issue could have benefitted a tad from taking things a little slower to start but these are ultimately minor qualms in a comic that delivers on what is ultimately promised.
There’s certainly fun to be had with the idea of “Big Apple Village” and how these new Heroes in a Half-Shell interact with their established universe. As mentioned earlier, one of the things I loved the most was the final panel stinger, promising that the pasts of all the characters involved might be far different from what many readers might have expected. Naruto has always been a series that works well at following the story of past generations and it’s looking as though this comic book crossover aims to follow this trend.
On the art front, Hendry Prasetya is a gift for this series, capturing a worthy blend of comic book art and the anime essentials that make the future Seventh Hokage and his allies pop. The direction of the panels, lush environments, and perhaps most importantly, the fast and furious battle scenes capture the spirits of all the characters involved. It’s a hard line to walk in terms of capturing the eclectic style of Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto, and while Prasetya doesn’t walk that same line, he pays homage to all the characters involved by capturing an anime aesthetic here.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto #1 is a ton of ninja fun, introducing interesting concepts and a brand new universe that many didn’t see coming. While there are a few hiccups in this premiere issue, they aren’t enough to water down the overall experience and there’s something to enjoy here for both fans of the Heroes in a Half-Shell and the Hidden Leaf Village’s Team 7 alike. This is a must-buy for fans of either franchise and I’m looking forward to what surprises the crossover has waiting in the wings.
Rating 4 Out Of 5
Published by IDW Publishing and Viz Media
On Wednesday, November 13th, 2024
Written by Caleb Goellner
Art by Hendry Prasetya
Colors by Raul Angulo
Letters by Ed Dukeshire
Cover by Jorge Jimenez
