Batman Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 review

Call it the end of year madness (coupled with the fact that we got the flu) and the continuing march of time, but we never reviewed Batman Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2. This comic book came out a couple of weeks ago and is one that needs to be on your reading radar for the fact that it blends together two super franchises so well into an all age comic.

Every month Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures has stories that will appeal to all age TMNT fans. That’s a great comic that has enough action, superhero street cred and reading that’ll keep kids, as well as their parents enthusiastic about it. Batman’s all age comic presence is more limited. Sometimes he’ll appear in mini-series and he used to have a younger skewing comic book, but for the most part his appearances are for the teen set.

Batman Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continues the quality with TMNT and brings in Batman, plus Robin and Batgirl. The first issue let us know that a porthole between worlds has opened up and is allowing prisoners from Arkham to escape without a trace. Now Batman is on the case and the turtles are aware that strange new creatures and people are appearing all over the place.

Enter Batman, Robin and Batgirl, who discover one of these portholes on top of a building and follow it to Central Park, where they are promptly discovered by the turtles. A man in a bat suit who comes out swinging makes an easy argument for a criminal, so Raphael and company shell up.

All age comic book fans who want lots of action with their comic books have found the mini-series that they need to read. Older fans who know the mythos of both super heroes and are used to more violence in their comic books will also enjoy the series without feeling like they’re reading a kid’s comic book.

Avoiding the kid’s comic cliché is difficult. Some comic books don’t need to worry about it because their interest range is going to be very narrow. However, a superhero comic book that is appropriate for ages 6 and up, and is still enjoyable for older readers is a tough and rare find indeed.

Batman Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 sells for $3.99 and is published by IDW and DC Comics.