Batman/TMNT Adventures # 3

 By Mark Rodriguez

The inmates of Arkham Asylum have escaped to the world of the Ninja Turtles via portals created by the Kraang. While Joker and Harley meet the Shredder, the Turtles and April run into Batman, Robin and Batgirl. As the heroes realize they're on the same side, they find out that Poison Ivy has taken control of Snakeweed. 

The issue opens with the Turtles and Batman's crew fighting against a giant-sized Snakeweed. Elsewhere Joker tells Shredder that he wants a partnership, but the Foot Clan leader isn't having it. Shredder's other men, Tiger Claw, Rahzar, Fish Face and Baxter arrive and Joker thinks this wasn't a good idea. He tells Shredder he can let them go and he won't set off the explosive chickens he has hanging all over their heads. He offers to shake, which Shredder doesn't go for, so he sprays him with his flower. The liquid is a form of laughing gas and Shredder falls over laughing. Joker asks Baxter where he can get his own mutants. 

Back to the battle, Leo tells Batman to go for Snakeweed's heart. his weak spot. Just then Snakeweed's normally exposed heart grows a protective covering over it. Donnie tries to find out if Batgirl is single and April snaps him out of it. Donnie mentioned Snakeweed is acting with more precision than usual and Batman says it's because he's not in control. Batman sends Robin to stop Poison Ivy and Raph follows.

Raph pokes fun that they have Batman and Batgirl but the kid is stuck with a non-scary name like Robin. Robin says Raphael isn't exactly a scary name either. Poison Ivy says she goes through all the trouble to find this new world and Batman sends his errand boys after her. She sends her vines after them. 

Batman throws and explosive batarang at Snakeweed's protected heart but the explosion isn't strong enough to crack the shell. Ivy's vines tie up Robin and Raphael and Robin comments he's accidentally killed a lot of plants in his dorm by overwatering them. Robin manages to toss a batarang that cuts Raph free and he runs and tackles Poison Ivy into the nearby lake. 

Snakeweed soon topples over by himself and the heroes wonder what happened. Robin returns with Raph holding the now unconscious Poison Ivy. Don says once they throw her into the portal, it should be about ten minutes before it closes. Raph tosses Ivy in and barely has enough time to pull his hands back before the portal closes. Don corrects himself and says he meant ten seconds. 

The Turtles take Batman and his crew to their lair. Leo tells Batman that the portals come from aliens called the Kraang, and even though they thought they defeated them, it seems they have returned. Mikey annoys Robin, Donnie tries to compliment Batgirl. Master Splinter walks into the room and Batgirl asks if everyone else sees the giant rat man walking around the room. Donnie says he's their father and Batgirl says 'sure, why not'. 

Splinter turns on the TV and sees news regarding riots involving aliens in the East village. Donnie detects another portal in China Town. The heroes will have to split up. Batman will take Leo and Raph to the village, the rest can go to China Town.

On the way to China Town, Mikey annoys Batgirl with his mixtape, which is a 'Wingnut Rap' similar to Vanilla Ice's Ninja Rap. By the time they get there, Batgirl is now singing along to the rap. Robin sees some shadows and both he and Batgirl toss some batarangs to stop a Foot Ninja that now has a creepy Joker grin painted across his face.

Batman's team arrive at East Village where people are running around in a panic. Batman puts on a gasmask and tells Leo and Raph to stick to the rooftops. He says to tell him when they see the man dressed like a scarecrow. Leo and Raph are hit by the fear toxin and Raph sees Leo as a giant bug and Leo sees Raph as a zombie version of himself, blaming him for his death. As the Turtles panic, a man tells them to come with him where they'll be safe. The man is Jonathan Crane, the Scarecrow.

My Opinions-

The art is somewhat better in this one, though Robin still looks like a cross between Dick and Tim. It's just so weird and distracting cause this artists nails characters like Clayface, Poison Ivy, Splinter and Crane just fine, but the Turtles, Batgirl and Robin just look terrible.

I'm guessing here the story is headed into Joker's big plan or whatever, and everything else is a warm up as we come across all the other bat-rogues, but man, we only got two issues left and the Kraang themselves haven't even showed up yet. 

It feels a bit weird seeing Donnie fawn all over Batgirl, I guess redheads humans are his deal. It's a bit odd cause I thought Donnie only had eyes for April, but he likes them all. The shippers can point out that April always seems to butt in whenever Donnie talks to Batgirl, and it's done in a way it can be interpreted as either April trying to keep Donnie focused or signs that she's jealous. However, she didn't seem all too concerned with Donnie talking to Batgirl back at the lair.

Mikey is just too annoying. I know he's the funny one, but so far he seems more like the annoying one, and I never like seeing Mikey as 'that guy you just don't want around'. Like there isn't much humor with him bugging Robin and Batgirl, he's just obnoxious. Though the Wingnut Rap bit was saved by Batgirl actually enjoying the song by the end. 

I still don't like Joker somehow having so much power over Shredder and his people. I mean yeah yeah he's the Joker, but Tiger Claw and Rahzar can just tear him to shreds. And then he hits Shredder with his laughing gas, basically taking down one of the most dangerous versions of the Shredder down like a punk. Like this isn't 80's Toon Shredder. I hope he gets some sort of payback later. This was just... embarrassing.

C'mon guys, you really gonna do Shredder like that and make him go down like a punk? And look at the henchmen, like at least draw them looking surprised, or like they're about to kill Joker or something.

It was good to see Splinter still in this. Y'know, while this story doesn't really have time to deal with modern tech, I just realized Batman and his crew come from a 90's cartoon and they're interacting with kinda/sorta modern day characters. I mean even by cartoon standards, this is a Batman before he met Superman and the rest of the Justice Leauge. Like Robin actually had an adventure with the 2012 Ninja Turtles before he became Nightwing. Kinda odd when you think about it that way.

 We'll have to see how this plays out. Whatever Crane has in store for Leo and Raph can't take too long. We only have two issues left to see how whatever Joker's plan will play out as well as for the Kraang to finally appear and reveal what the deal was with all the portals.