Heroes In A Half Shell, Naruto Power!
Well, well, well, what do we have here, a healthy helping of nostalgia, you say? Sure, I'll bite, considering a team-up between our favorite heroes in a half-shell and arguably one of the greatest characters in anime history positions itself as such a delicious proposition.
A TMNT and Naruto mash-up doesn't seem to be the strangest collaboration out there, all things considered, given that all involved are ninjas and Naruto and the gang are more than used to talking to....well, talking animals. It's safe to say that we're essentially off to the races with this one, timelines and accuracies be damned.
However, a single issue isn't always enough to decide whether or not we're in for a good masterclass in Shinobi storytelling or if we're essentially being delivered a cow pat neatly presented in a brown paper bag lit on fire. I tend to awkwardly approach the latter, but the crisp, sharp, and clean artwork has certainly been a defining feature of IDW comics and one that has always pulled me in. However, when April O'Neil claimed that she was from the Big Apple Village (New York, for those of you who weren't sure), I almost calmly placed this comic in the bad pile before walking over to the window to shout out obscenities like that guy in the King's Speech. Alright, people, I'll let that slide, but you're walking on thin ice here.
April journeys with the famed number 7 team led by Kakashi sensei of the Village of the Leaf for reasons that have slipped my mind, only for the turtles to spring into action to save their old friend from what they take to be a dangerous situation. Instead of quelling the flames of a potential fight, Ol' April demonstrates the wonderful virtues of the modern day and decides to simply let everyone fight for footage.
A Hope For Shippuden Level Action
As impressive as both sides are in this little scuffle, Kakashi recognizes the old rat master, leading to a temporary repose in the melee to bring the first issue to a close. While not obviously remarkable, all things considered, you would ideally like to get to five issues before really getting to the crux of the matter. My hope for this particular series is that it would venture more into the mature, dark themes characteristic of the Naruto Shippuden series rather than the earlier arcs covering their childhoods.
Yet, the fact that what I'm asking may come across as utter gobbledee gook for the average reader highlights another slight problem with this series, and that's that it is ideally targeted at those intimately familiar with these characters and their respective stories. While the Turtles and Naruto have positioned themselves as fond, respected guests in the households of us '80s and '90s kids, they are relative strangers to the newer generations, spooking the younger populace with promises of candy and familiarity with parents at work.
The comic did, and no doubt will attempt to provide origins to get readers up to speed with everything, but this series makes a poor starting point for the newly initiated and thus should be tabled until readers/viewers have been thoroughly wowed by both original comics/television series and can sing the TMNT theme song from start to finish.
Do I think that we'll get Akatsuki-level-type fights in the series to come? I tend to once more lean towards the pessimistic side of things, but I remain curious about how the writers will align the stories of the respective and respected paths of each into an innovative whole. For now, I need something to set my coffee down on as I move on to the next one. Happy reading, peeps.