Posted in: Comics, Review | Tagged: Batman, Batman Adventures and TMNT, idw, Joe Sommariva, Matthew K Manning, teenage mutant ninja turtles

Less Happy Batman: Batman TMNT Directors Cut #1

Published Wed, 22 Feb 2017 22:00:01 -0600

by Baltimore Lauren

Comments

So I've been enjoying this series since I picked it up for Bleeding Cool, and while I'm glad to see a "directors cut" of a comic, I was hoping for the next installment in the series. Not really a big deal I suppose, as this catches me up with what I've missed. It also helps that the series is presented as it was originally being produced. It's cool to see how the story was made, even though some parts of it are rather rough since this was not the final piece.

The creators notes at the end are the read treat. Joe Sommariva is a fantastic artist, and seeing how he used the turtles to pay homage to classic Batman imagery is frankly bad ass. On page two of the comic you see a splash page of Mikey holding up a bad up in the sewer. The scene is reminiscent of the opening to 1989's Batman, one of the greatest super hero movies of all time (fight me).

Matthew K. Manning's afterword piece is also a joy to read. He is a life long TMNT and Batman fan, and it's clear that being given the chance to write this story has been a treat for him. His enthusiasm and respect for the characters is obvious in every issue. Everyone is as they should be, even the side characters. His story about how his TMNT toys were stolen in NYC was a little heartbreaking, but it thankfully didn't diminish his love for the franchise.

If you're already reading this series and are on the fence about picking this issue up, I strongly urge you too. Obviously it is the first issue over again, but the production notes should be the reason to pick this one up.

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