Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Godzilla #2 is written by Tim Seeley and published by IDW Publishing. Artwork is by Fero Pe, colours by Luis Antonio Delgado and letters by Brian Kolek. Main cover art (left) is by Fero Pe.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Godzilla #2 is available from today, in comic book stores and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.
Synopsis
King Ghidorah has come to New York City! It’s up to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, led by Master Splinter, to stop the three-headed kaiju. Meanwhile, only Mechagodzilla defends Tokyo against Godzilla, Rodan, and Anguirus! The Turtles will need to act fast if they’re going to save New York and get to Japan! And with all his enemies occupied, the Shredder moves undetected toward unlimited kaiju power…
Review
As enjoyable as the first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Godzilla was, there is no denying that it was establishing the playing field for this crossover to take place. It definitely delivered on TMNT goodness, but lacked the kaiju battles we were promised. Thankfully, now that the set-up is out of the way, issue 2 should dive headfirst into the very thing we’ve come to see.
The action hits right from the word go as King Ghidorah wreaks havoc in the skies of New York City. This is where Fero Pe and Luis Antonio really come into their own with the artwork. Pe finds a strong balance between a detailed and cartoony art style that is beautifully reinforced by Antonio’s bright colouring work. The panels of King Ghidorah destroying the city and chomping military helicopters in its jaws are visceral, bursting from the page with their vibrancy.
With this issue, Seeley perfectly amps up the stakes by showing Shredder’s hold on the other monsters devastating Yokota as they come face to face with Mechagodzilla, whilst the turtles work with Splinter to figure out why King Ghidorah is on its path of destruction. These two storylines do a great job of raising the growing tension of the situation at large while giving the story a visually creative avenue to explore the relevant backstory and exposition that is needed.
All of these interweaving elements come to a head as King Ghidorah takes off, causing the turtles to be thrown off its back. Previous moments from earlier in the comic circle backround in a satisfying manner and make for a very suspenseful sequence.
Though these first two issues have showcased monsters we’ve come to expect from the Godzilla universe, such as the titular creature himself, King Ghidorah and Rodan, Seeley flexes his kaiju knowledge as we are shown images of fan favourite monsters Hedorah, Biollante and Destroyah, all of which are Shredder and Krang’s next targets. The possibilities for the next issue, if these kaijus are to be involved in any capacity, are genuinely exciting, as it could lead to some truly spectacular battles.
Issue 2 improves upon the faults of its debut but still could use a little bit of ironing around the edges. Though the stakes, action, and artwork are all at their peak, the series continues to veer away from showing the turtles fighting these giant creatures. Yes, they do encounter and go inside the mind of King Ghidorah, but this leaves a lot of the actual fighting and heroics to Casey and Gecko. This is all well and good, but I hope in future issues that the turtles finally get to brawl with the monsters as well as connect with them on a telepathic plane, as we see here.
Verdict
If you thought the first issue spent too long setting things up, then issue 2 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Godzilla will certainly win you over. Seeley and Co. hit the ground running with a cartoonishly action-packed instalment that will undoubtedly please fans of both franchises.
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