Review: ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/ Stranger Things’ #1 Is The Best Kind Of Weird
by Tony Thornley
What do you get when you cross two of the most beloved modern pop culture franchises? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/ Stranger Things #1, that’s what!
Cameron Chittock, Fero Pe, Sofie Dodgson, and Rus Wooton bring a bit of Hawkins, Indiana, to the Big Apple.
The spring of 1985, New York City is being overrun by vermin unlike any the city has seen before. Lucky for them, a particular group of teens just arrived from Hawkins. And alongside a certain group of mutant turtles, Eleven, Mike, Dustin and the gang will just have to find out what Baxter Stockman wants with the Upside Down.
This debut issue hits all the notes you want it to hit, and in a mostly satisfying way. It’s really only missing Joyce and Hopper. Chittock creates a plot that’s a great blend of these two properties. He also captures the kids’ personalities, and strikes a great balance with the Turtles to make them recognizable but also less broad than their modern incarnations. Wooton captures the cadence of the dialogue in his lettering, making the character voices more apparent and real.
Chittock also makes a lot of good plot decisions- for example by setting it when he did- very shortly before season 3 in 1985- it gets around the potential plot hole of the kids meeting the Turtles when they’d be a pop culture phenomenon just a few short years later. It’s absolutely believable that after everything the Hawkins kids have seen, they would barely blink at human-sized ninja turtles. It just works, and makes sure any fan of either property would enjoy the hell out of this.
Pe was a pitch perfect choice for the art here. For his figure work, he takes the 80’s indie aesthetic of the original Turtles comics, modernizes it slightly, and uses that style all through the book. His Turtles are straight out of the original Eastman and Laird comics, and the Hawkins kids are recognizable without being slavishly photoreal. I also really enjoy his layouts, which frame the characters in dynamic ways in action, but keeps the POV interesting and engaging in the quieter moments. Dodgson’s colors lean a bit towards 80’s indie comics sensibilities, and that really makes it come to life.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/ Stranger Things #1 is available now from IDW Publishing & Dark Horse Comics.
Overview
This is some of the most fun I’ve had with an intercompany crossover in ages. It captures both properties wonderfully and really nails the overall story.