Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Godzilla #3 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 Casper Wijngaard.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Godzilla #3 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
Long ago, the Foot Clan was established to protect Japan — and the world at large — from the ongoing kaiju threat. As the years passed, this original goal was forgotten, and Shredder corrupted the Foot with his own sinister motives.
Now… Godzilla and its fellow kaiju have returned… and four teenage turtles are the world’s only hope.
Review
Seamlessly sewing together the lore from two pop culture goliaths, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Godzilla #3 continues to simultaneously stay true to both franchises, while also offering a fresh twist on the history of the foot clan, that mainlines our favourite four green guys into direct contact with the king of Monsters.
It sounds silly to speak of something being “believable” in worlds with talking turtles and massive monsters, but all too often crossover events are ruined by clunky moments that consistently effect my ability to suspend disbelief. Seeley’s story effortlessly combines the rock ’em sock ’em action that the Turtles are known for, with the grand scale kaiju chaos of Godzilla.
Linking the Turtles and Godzilla via their shared history in Japan was an inspired creative choice and gives a fortified, firm foundation for the story to work from, that doesn’t break the illusion of either universe and will enhance many a head canon from here on out.
Blending the two franchises believably is no mean feat, historically, I am not an enjoyer of crossover comics and I maintain a healthy skepticism of them- I often find they feel forced and insincere.
Cynical, cluttered, corporate collaborations, dreamt up in boardrooms with very little concern about the lack of simpatico, between two, often conflicting stories- struggling to find synergy in tone, art style, audience and most importantly, story-
BUT, I’m pleased to say that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Godzilla is the exception to this, the book moves with a chameleon like affect, amalgamating a number of classic connotations of some of the best books from both IP’s, while also serving something unique in this creative collaboration that is sewn together with high quality visuals and slick storytelling, always underpinned by a clear understanding of both franchises and executed in a very clean and concise manner.
Luis Antonio Delgardo’s gritty colouring is juxtaposed by the Turtles quintessential Saturday morning cartoon style action, and feels very true to what I consider classic Turtles comic fun.
Impressively, Ferd Pe’s artwork illustrates the grand scale of Godzilla without sacrificing detail and while we’re treated to fast paced and dynamic action, it never feels like a substitute for character, as the book clearly maintains each Turtle’s individual personality in amongst the monster madness and has compelling story serving sub-plots that will inevitably inform the way this run ends.
#3 sits as the mid-point in this five issue limited series and the stakes are suitably high.
The Turtles engage in battle with Godzilla, Shredder and Kang accelerate their plan by gigantacising Bebop and Rocksteady and April O’Neil’s visions take her closer to a Mothra sized solution to their kaiju conundrum.
There are strong dynamics to the story-telling in this issue, with very deliberate cuts away from the action with Godzilla and the Turtles that offer us insight on both supporting characters and the world within which they inhabit.
Some may feel jarred by #3’s propensity to jump from high octane action with our heroes in a half shell, to seemingly quieter and calmer moments, following April O’Neil on her vision quest, or Kang and Shredder’s plotting aboard the technodrome, but we’re being tee’d up for the conclusion of this limited series, it’s calm before the storm, with everything at the end of this issue being left dangling carefully in place for what promises to be an all-action-popcorn fuelled but purposeful and clear conclusion to this cool crossover event.
A special mention to the dialogue, which due to the nature of the book, may well be overlooked by many.
There’s some fantastic lines between the Turtles especially, including Raphael giving Godzilla the nickname ‘Gorgonzola’ and a number or pithy exchanges between the rad reptiles, that are synonymous with the best Turtles media.
Verdict
Collectively, the team behind Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Godzilla, strategically blend the street-level scenes the turtles are known for and the kind of behemoth battles we expect from Godzilla, in a cohesive shared reality that is intricately sewn together by story and visuals with proficiency and pace.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Godzilla #3 is not revolutionary, but it is very good. It solidly takes from two of my favourite franchises and creates something equally true to both.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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