Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Comics) | Review

What happens when you throw ninjas into Gotham City and watch Batman try to figure out why talking reptiles are fighting crime alongside him? Most crossovers would collapse under the absurdity but James Tynion IV (Batman: Fear State, Batman: Ghost Stories) takes this seemingly impossible premise and makes it work.

Published jointly by DC Comics and IDW from December 2015 to June 2016, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a six-issue limited series that launched what would become a successful trilogy of Batman-TMNT collaborations spanning multiple years.

The genius lies in recognizing what both properties actually share beneath their surface differences. Batman and the Turtles are fundamentally about family units fighting crime using martial arts training, advanced technology and unwavering moral codes.

Both operate from hidden bases, both have complicated relationships with father figures and both face enemies who mirror their disciplined approaches to conflict. When you strip away the gothic architecture and sewer settings, you're left with two teams of highly trained fighters who solve problems by punching them really hard.

The story kicks off when General Krang manipulates events to send both Shredder's Foot Clan and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles into Gotham City through dimensional portals, setting up an elaborate trap that backfires spectacularly against his original intentions.

Krang's plan is elegantly simple: let his two greatest enemies destroy each other in an unfamiliar environment while he consolidates power back home. What he doesn't account for is Batman's superior detective skills and the Turtles' remarkable adaptability to new situations, plus their natural ability to form strategic alliances.

Batman initially encounters Foot Clan ninjas during what he assumes are standard Gotham criminal activities but their advanced techniques and unfamiliar fighting styles signal something much bigger and more dangerous than typical street crime operations.

Meanwhile, Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael find themselves stranded in a city that's somehow more dangerous than their usual New York stomping grounds. The dimensional displacement means both sides are operating without their usual support systems, creating vulnerability for characters who rarely face uncertainty.

The dimensional barrier prevents the Turtles from simply going home, forcing an uneasy alliance with Batman who needs their expertise to understand enemies that don't fit his usual criminal profiles or established patterns of Gotham City crime.

Shredder, meanwhile, adapts quickly to Gotham's criminal underworld, using his strategic mind and the Foot Clan's discipline to carve out territory while searching for a way back to his own dimension, establishing temporary but dangerous control over several key criminal operations.

What makes this crossover work is how each side's strengths compensate for the other's blind spots. Batman's detective work and technological resources provide the strategic framework, while the Turtles bring specialized combat techniques and a team dynamic that Gotham's criminals simply aren't prepared to handle.

The contrast becomes even more apparent when both groups face enemies who understand their individual weaknesses but haven't adapted to their combined strengths, creating tactical advantages that neither side could achieve alone in their respective home dimensions.

The Foot Clan represents a threat requiring both Batman's analytical approach and the Turtles' combat experience to counter. The story builds toward a confrontation that's both personal and tactical, as Shredder attempts to use Gotham's criminal infrastructure to establish control while heroes race to prevent dimensional catastrophe.

The stakes feel earned rather than manufactured, growing naturally from each character's core motivations rather than arbitrary plot demands. Tynion establishes this as the foundation for future crossovers by ending with relationships between the universes intact.

The dimensional portal technology becomes a recurring element and the mutual respect developed between Batman and the Turtles creates a believable basis for future team-ups without forcing unnecessary ongoing connections or contrived plot developments.

Artwork by Freddie Williams II (Godzilla Vs. America: Kansas City, Injustice Vs. Masters of the Universe) successfully merges two distinct visual styles without compromising either property's core identity. His Batman feels appropriately brooding and tactical while his Turtles maintain their expressive, action-oriented energy throughout.

The character designs are smart, especially in how Williams handles scale differences between Batman's realistic proportions and the Turtles' cartoon-inspired physiques. Everyone feels like they belong in the same panels without losing distinctive visual identities.

Tynion's writing respects both franchises' voices while finding common ground. Batman's monologues don't feel out of place sharing space with Michelangelo's pizza jokes and discussions between Batman and Leonardo feel like conversations between equals. The dialogue maintains each character's personality.

The pacing balances action sequences with character development, giving readers time to process the dimensional displacement concept without bogging down in exposition, while each issue advances plot and relationships, creating momentum that builds naturally toward climax.

Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles succeeds because it treats both franchises as legitimate action properties rather than novelty acts. The dimensional portal concept provides just enough science fiction framework to justify the crossover without overwhelming the street-level crime fighting that makes both properties work.

It's a comic that understands why fans love these characters and gives them meaningful interactions without sacrificing what makes them unique, respecting both franchises while creating something genuinely entertaining and worthwhile.

At six issues, it's exactly the right length to develop the concept without overstaying its welcome. The story feels complete while setting up future possibilities, striking the perfect balance between standalone adventure and series foundation. For fans of either property, it's essential reading that enhances both franchises.

This crossover launched a successful trilogy, with "Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II" following in 2017 and "Crisis in a Half Shell" concluding the saga in 2019. It also inspired the 2019 animated film, proving good crossover concepts sustain multiple interpretations.

Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2015–2016) is collected in trade paperback and deluxe hardcover editions, bringing together all six issues of the crossover. You can grab digital versions through ComiXology and DC Universe Infinite for instant reading.