This issue really works to bring in the promise of character interaction between the two title groups with a lot of pages devoted to just dialog between characters. And it is great with everyone getting at least a little moment to shine and play off of someone from the other group. The dialog is spot on with everyone sounding right in character. Dan Schoening handles the main art chores solo this time and does a great job putting in some real nice comedic touches especially with the facial expressions and some really creepy visuals thrown in as well. I’m really like his take on the Turtles as well; he gives them a kind of bulk and weight to them that a lot of artists don’t yet you still believe that they can jump around and move like a ninja.
We also see the kind of adversary Chi-You is as he plots and schemes his next move sacrificing his current minions for better fighters and has a purpose for holding onto Casey. It’s a nice change of pace to see the Ghostbusters face an enemy like that, while they’ve had their share of powerful and intelligent ghosts few if any have been villainous schemers like this. We also see while he’s tactically smart he is not that intelligent about this world yet is still completely arrogant about his abilities. This will all un-doubtable lead to his downfall, but it’s good character building for a new villain.
A lot of time is spent on Donatello and his debates with Egon and Ray over the existence of ghost. While this seems to drag on a bit it is playing well with Donatello’s character as he’s been portrayed in the IDW series as being very skeptical of anything spiritual. It’s also a fun play on expectations that the two smartest members of each team would automatically get along.
If there’s any real criticism it would be the pacing seems off. There are moments that feel like they should be longer but are rushed through while other moments feel like a lot of time is needlessly given to it. I’m not sure if the problem is from the writing or the art or just me as a fan expecting too much but it does leave you finishing the issue wanting more.
Also the action is still pretty light in this issue as the two sides spend the issue building up for the battle ahead of them. You’d expect there to be a classic marvel team-up style fight in the beginning with the two teams misunderstanding each other and fighting it out before realizing they’re all good guys. But that possible conflict is relegated about one panel before the two sides quickly talk things out. While skipping that trope gives more time for friendlier interaction and shows that both groups are intelligent and capable of adapting to strange new situation it does feel like a minor missed opportunity.
But those are minor complaints. The fun of the cross over comes in seeing these two groups hanging out together and this issue delivers that in spades. It is a solid second chapter building up a simple fun cross over.
I’ve fallen behind on writing comic reviews but I definitely wanted to get out a review of this series to help promote it.
This first issue is very much set up but it is well done set up, bringing anyone who may have only been reading the Ninja Turtle series or Ghostbusters or neither and are picking this up, up to speed easily so they can get into the story.
Since this miniseries is being headed up by the writing art team of Erik Burnham and Dan Schoening the team behind the IDW’s Ghostbusters series this book fits perfectly into where that series left off and makes me miss that title all the more. They keep capturing the characters and voice of that world perfectly. Hopefully this will not be the end of their work with Ghostbusters but if it is at least we have what is shaping up to be a real fun spectacle event to end it on.
The use of two other art styles for the prolog is a nice touch to as it adds to the idea that this is two worlds crossing over with each other especially when these art teams have worked on IDW’s Ninja Turtle comics before. The Turtles do get the lion share of the story as the villain and the set up for their trip to another dimension tie into the ongoing story of their series. But the tie into their series works well and since theirs is still going where this may be the end of the Ghostbusters’ it does make sense. And once the turtles are in the world of the Ghostbusters Burnham handles writing them well and they fit in really nicely with Schoening’s art style.
While this first issue is well done it still comes off as almost nothing but set up for the cross over. With our two teams only meeting on the very last page it feels less like a first chapter and more one major prolog. But with all the major exposition out of the way the next three issues promise to have a lot of action and the fun character interaction fans are itching for. Hopefully the following issues and this mini-series as a whole will live up to that promise.
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