Summary

• Multiple versions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are coming together in a multiversal crossover tribute to the franchise's history.
• The Turtles face off against their multiversal selves, combining different interpretations of the characters from various TMNT series.
• Fans can expect Easter eggs, nods to original art styles, and team-ups between different versions of the Turtles in this epic crossover adventure.

Versions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from several different iterations of the franchise are coming together in an all-new multiversal crossover reminiscent of Spider-Man’s adventures in No Way Home and the Spider-Verse films. The team from the classic 1987 Saturday morning cartoon finds themselves face to face with Ninja Turtles from the original Mirage Studios comics, the 2012 animated series, the recent IDW Publishing comics and more.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Saturday Morning Adventures #12 by Erik Burnham and Sarah Myer finds the Turtles up against Mister Ogg, an all-powerful imp from Dimension Z. After having previously put the Heroes in a Half-Shell on trial for breaking the fourth wall, he kidnaps them and forces them to run a gauntlet of challenges across the multiverse. They successfully clear the first challenge, but are transported to another location, where they find themselves standing before five Turtles from different TMNT series.

In an interview with comicbook.com, writer Erik Burnham and artist Sarah Myer discussed picking their favorite versions of the Turtles and how their upcoming adventure in issue #13 will provide a chance to let different interpretations of the characters play off each other.

The TMNT Crossover Is a Tribute to the Franchise’s History

In the interview, Burnham says that they were allowed to use any versions of the TMNT that have appeared on TV. This results in the team from the beloved 1980s Saturday morning cartoon facing off against a Dream Team plucked from the franchise’s history. In addition to versions of Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello from various animated versions, the team also includes Leonardo from the original Mirage Comics by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, as well as the female Turtle Jennika from the IDW Publishing comics.

Burnham mentions that combining the different versions of the Turtles from across franchises allows the creators to contrast how different the characters are. For example, the TMNT famously never used their weapons in the ‘80s cartoon, but that certainly hasn’t been the case in their whole 40-year history. “And though we don’t fully shy away from our Turtles using the weapons, they surely aren’t going to be using them to the extent or in the same way that the Mirage or IDW versions do,” Burnham says.

The Ninja Turtles’ Multiverse Crossover is Full of Eater Eggs for Long-Time Fans

In the same interview, Myer says that it was a fun challenge to incorporate each character’s individual art style from their original franchise. She worked diligently to make sure that all their sizes were faithful to how they originally appeared. In addition, there are plenty of Easter eggs, including visual references to the Mirage Studios comics and a nod to the Ninja Rap.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Saturday Morning Adventures #13 is the second in a three-part story. Since the Turtles are facing their multiversal selves in this issue, the rules of comic book team-ups say they’ll likely be joining forces for the story’s conclusion. Though this story doesn’t include any live-action versions of the Turtles or the ones from the recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem film, Burnham says he’s open to doing another crossover with even more Turtles down the line. But this story is already chock-full as it is, and fans will get to see all their favorite versions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in one epic crossover that rivals the Spider-Verse itself.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Saturday Morning Adventures #13 will be available May 22 from IDW Publishing.

Source: Comicbook.com