The following contains spoilers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto #1, on sale now from IDW Publishing
When it comes time to do a crossover between two properties, there are always different ways to go about implementing the “crossover” approach. One of the most common things in recent years has been the use of the multiverse to perform traversal, as the multiverse has become a major element in popular culture. However, in the new crossover miniseries bringing the worlds of Naruto And Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesCaleb Goellner takes a smart approach and merges worlds very well to bring the Turtles into the world of Naruto and make them feel like they always belonged there!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto #1 is by writer Caleb Goellner, artist Hendry Prasetya, colorist Raúl Angulo, and letterer Ed Dukeshire, and not only does it have a clever idea for bringing the worlds together, but the artwork also beautifully situates the two groups of characters in a world that feels like it works for both without either group feeling out of place, a really difficult thing to achieve given the very different art styles used by the two original series.
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What is the configuration of the series?
The issue opens with Kakashi Hatake, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Hanao escorting reporter April O'Neil from the Hidden Leaf Village to her own village, which is, of course, the “Big Apple Village”, one way very intelligent. to bring New York into the world of hidden villages. I talked to writer Caleb Goellner about this approach a while ago, and he noted that “Naruto basically comes from a world of talking animals and mad scientists, so it’s fun to introduce the TMNT into the mix with an instant inherent organicness.”
One of the things that's so important with projects like this is that you really have to give fans of the original works something to let them know that you GET the characters, and Goellner does a good job of doing just that, by adding small character elements. to show that he really KNOWS Naruto and his friends. At the same time, though, it makes sure the story feels fresh and open, because one of the other major aspects of crossovers like this is that if you're ONLY a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan, you have to be able to choose. history and always UNDERSTAND it, you know? And you can definitely get it, because the setup of the issue is a very simple, but strong idea: Team 7 escorts April to her village, and the Foot Clan is there to pick her up, and after a member of the Foot Clan attacks them JUST before a group of masked fighters appear, each naturally assuming the worst about the other group (each assuming they were with the Foot Clan member), hence the iconic ” misunderstanding leading to combat” which has been a classic trope in comics for over 60 years now!
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How were turtles integrated into the Naruto-verse?
As Goellner noted, the Turtles' background fits very well into the Naruto world when you break it down well, and Goellner does that here, revealing their origin with a Naruto twist here.
This, of course, brings us to the fight scene between the two groups, as the Turtles arrive after a mutated animal member of the Foot Clan attacks Team 7, so the Turtles, arriving just now, believe that Naruto and his friends are a danger. until April, not knowing that they were NOT friends with the Foot Clan member, and Naruto and his friends obviously thinking that these mutated animal types that attack them out of nowhere wearing strange masks right after that a DIFFERENT mutated animal wearing a mask has just attacked them are ALSO a danger to April, and that's how the fight begins! In one night, April instantly plans to take advantage of the battle to get some good footage of the fight.
Prasetya and Raúl Angulo do a good job with the Naruto characters, but they really excel with the introduction of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as the design elements integrating them into the Naruto-verse are exceptional and the fight scenes are practically out of the box. batch. page. People aren't asking for too much with these crossover fights in these events, they just want a few cool moments for each character (on both sides) and some interesting mixes between characters to show that, yes, you, the writer, understand . the interesting comparisons between the different characters. Goellner does this and more in these fight scenes, and everyone comes away with a “moment” or two. The idea is always to keep every fandom happy, and I think he definitely did that here.
Goellner breaks out a major twist though when we learn that Kakashi Hatake actually KNEW Splinter before he was a mutated rat. This adds a whole new element of closeness to the relationship that will be a lot of fun to explore in future issues. And, of course, there's still that pesky Foot Clan to deal with! This was a fun and enjoyable first issue for this major crossover event with excellent artwork that makes the two characters' mixed universe work very well from a visual standpoint, while also working from a narrative point of view.
Goellner noted, “When you give the TMNT and Naruto characters something cool to do together, everything else falls into place,” and I think he underestimates how difficult it is to GIVE them something cool to do together, so I think it should I'm very proud of how well this crossover has gone so far.
Source: IDW
