Advance Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Stranger Things #1

July 11, 2023

by Tony Rhea, Reporter

Ah, To be young and traveling. I know that much like me, you remember your first trip to New York. The buildings, the pizza, the eternally teenaged mutant turtles trained in the ancient art of ninjutsu. No? Just me? Huh. Well, fear not, you of little worldly experience! IDW can give you a small taste of what you missed with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Stranger Things #1!

Official Description
Eleven, Max, Dustin, Mike, Will, and Lucas are looking forward to a nonthreatening, fun-filled trip to New York City. With the gang hundreds of miles from Hawkins, they’re sure to catch a break this time! That is, until they encounter a threat both bizarre and familiar… and some allies that are just bizarre! This summer, the kids from Hawkins meet the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

Creative Team

Written by Cameron Chittock
Art by Fero Pe
Colors by Sofie Dodgson
Letters by Rus Wooton

The children of Hawkins we all love from Stranger Things visit the Big Apple on a school trip, but soon find themselves facing familiar (yet different) foes. Who should come to their aid but Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello! With some guidance from Master Splinter, our heroes head off in search of Baxter Stockman to find out what exactly is going on!

Shall we discuss the art? First, the comic does a good job in capturing the essence of the Hawkins’ kids. Seemingly set around the Season 3 timeframe for Stranger Things (El’s character design being the biggest giveaway), the characters are all adapted to the comic format very well, and their designs lean towards the more whimsical side of things as opposed to the darker nature of the show. The turtles look great, and I was really pleased that they chose to go with the 80’s designs for the turtles as well. The shared red-mask designs from the early comic books fit probably better than the more individual designs for the turtles that have evolved over the years, while also being a very nice nod to the original comic books. The comic contains some nice nods to both source materials (Mousers for the turtles, Will clutching at the back of his neck, etc.). Pe does a great job of blending the two series in a way that feels honorable and fun, while maintaining key elements from both series that fans will appreciate. Chittock does a good job of capturing the individual voices we would expect for each of the characters, and finds fun ways for both sets of characters to question the worlds that each of them comes from. Subtly pointing out the “hard-to-believe” elements of both stories from the viewpoints of the opposing characters is a really fun way of blending these two universes. The only criticism I can level against this is the logic that comes at the end of the story with the next steps our characters take. I’m hopeful that narratively it will work out well in the follow-on issues, but I find it hard to believe that the Turtles and Splinter would be so willing to put the Hawkins’ kids directly in harm’s way, or that the Hawkins’ kids would be so willing to seek out a possible NEST of demogorgons. The creative team are obviously big fans of both franchises, however, and I’m sure that it will play out not only for the best, but in a very entertaining way.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Stranger Things #1 is a fun, nostalgia-driven romp that combines two of our favorite franchises in a fantastic way that feels like settling in for a Saturday Morning Special Event cartoon. If you enjoy either franchise, you should definitely check this one out.

Rating:
ComicsOnline gives Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Stranger Things #1 – 3.5 out of 5 Demomousers (it’ll catch on)!