Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 Review

Ninja Skills Pay The Bills

Writer: James Tynion IV

Art and Cover: Freddie Williams II,Jeremy Colwell,Tom Napolitano

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: January 13th, 2016

*Spoilers ahead, summary and score at the bottom*

In the first issue of this series, we had a nice little set up of what was going on with our favorite Heroes in a Half Shell in a mysterious world. It ended with a cliffhanger of Batman confronting the turtles which really had a nice payoff. This issue continues on and while I enjoyed the first entry most for the shock and awe of having a book with Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in it (it's so awesome, isn't it?!?), this book hits hard in the action and excitement department.  

We open with the turtles already exchanging blows with Batman and while you'd think he is too much for the Turtles,  we realize Batman is just learning their fighting techniques. While the fight itself was great, it's the dialogue between the turtles that put a smile on my face. Mikey is probably my favorite and he starts it all off with hilarious dialogue about...you guessed it, pizza!. The fight continues to go one sided towards Batman with only Leonardo being able to keep up with the Bat. Splinter comes in and interrupts the fight to create a diversion for the whole family to escape. The Turtles then hide out in an arcade after hours so they can gather themselves and figure out exactly the situation they are in. They know they have to be in a different dimension because this world is not familiar to them. The issue ends with Shredder overthrowing a major Gotham crime lord and the Turtles finding the help they needed.

This issue was a lot more fun than the first one. I did not see much story progression besides our heroes trying to figure each other out.  The problem is, we already know them so the mystery is kind of spoiled.  That's fine, however, because this book for me was all about entertainment. The Turtles were a lot more in their character and Michelangelo was funny, especially with the Bat-ven diagram (I can't fit the words in the circles either). The first half of this book was the best part.  While I love Batman, the part with Bruce and Lucius was kind of boring. The Shredder part was also felt too rushed.

The art in this book is just as good as last issue, along with some of the same gripes. The Turtles look amazing, along with their respective worlds. However, Batman still looks beefed up like early 90's Jose Canseco. It looks off which is odd as Freddie Williams II has done some really good Batman stuff in the past.  His "normal" people don't fare much better.  The part with Bruce and Lucius looked off and both felt kind of disfigured.  Side note: Bruce had the biggest baby blue eyes in this book.

Bits and Pieces:

The second issue of this miniseries is a step up from an already pretty great first issue. The entertainment value on this book is through the roof. While I would say there was not much story, it really compensates with the Turtles characterizations and their interactions with each other and the world around them. I have high hopes that this book will get better and better, but if it stays this good, I'll be just fine.  I recommend this book for anybody who loves a fun time.

9/10