Review by Comix
Nineties nostalgia is a huge right now. Hell, you can’t even walk down the street without some kid rocking a Power Rangers hoody while scooting around the Hammer dance and humming the theme song from the Rugrats, the whole time bouncing on moon shoes (or something , I don’t know). The point is, everything from clothes to toys to movies is being affected by this tidal wave of “childhood memories,” with IDW taking the lead in the field of comic books. They own the comic rights to almost any nineties movie/TV tie-in comic book you can think of and, surprisingly, they’re doing a good job of adapting the work. One of the biggest hits for the company so far has been their adaptation of the X-Files which has received a solid reception from fans and critics alike. In fact, it’s been so successful that the X-Files crew has recently found themselves in a universe-encompassing story arc; reaching out to other titles in the IDW phonebook with the first cross-over being the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Yeah, let that sink in for a second.
Delving right into the issue, the X-Files/TMNT crossover begins from the last issue of X-Files where the X Conspiracy storyline starts. Don’t worry about reading those two as there is a brief synopsis in the beginning of this issue, but essentially the agents and their three man cheer squad, The Lone Gunmen, get an encrypted email that states there will be a virus released in a few days that will kill everyone on Earth. Convinced of its alien origins, Mulder sends The Lone Gunmen to hunt down these “man-phibians” that have been spotted in the sewers of NYC, thinking they were connected. Unfortunately for them, the turtles have decided to hide out in Northampton (for an unrelated reason, I think it’s explained in a TMNT comic), and the three trudge to beautiful upstate New York to find them. Needless to say, shenanigans ensue, pizza is eaten, and vampires? Why not.
Despite how far-fetched the plot sounds, it’s a really good comic. IDW has had a solid reputation for coming out with such fantastic and well written work that honestly, I’m not surprised that it’s that good. None of the characters were sold short in the face of so many big names appearing and the plot sounded absolutely reasonable. Why shouldn’t The Lone Gunmen meet a bunch of walking, talking turtles while trying to save the world from an alien virus? Why not have the turtles fight a bunch of vampires in a pizza joint? (I’m not sure what’s up with that, actually.) Why not have The Lone Gunmen meet The Transformers in the next issue? That’s right! It’s not going to end here, no sir. Planned appearances in the series are The Transformers, The Crow, and Ghostbusters. Does it sound silly? Yes, god yes. Am I going to read? Hell yeah, because it’s fun! Like I said, they don’t slack on the writing or art quality just because it’s so damn silly. IDW really believes in what they’re doing and you can really feel that passion when you read these comics.
Of course, I don’t feel like I can go on without addressing the elephant in the room: this is the biggest goddamn marketing ploy I’ve ever seen. This is childhood nostalgia run through primetime television and poured down a hyper kid’s throat with way too much allowance. I’ll give it to IDW that they know their audience and what’s going to sell, but for fuck sakes, show some restraint. Let’s line it up: X-Files, TMNT, The Crow, Ghostbusters, and Transformers. That right there is literally the nerd time-line from child to adult and the company is tapping into every possible toy/TV market they can with this… SLUT of a comic! There, I said it, you’re a slut IDW, but I’d be a fool if I said I didn’t love you. It’s like eating too much ice-cream; I hate how fat they’ll make me, but its sooo good. How can something so bad taste so good?
Now that that’s off my chest, let’s delve into the nitty-gritty. The writer, Paul Crilley, is a new hand at the comic game. His usual dark-fantasy-novel MO didn’t hold him back from writing a solid, modern script for this issue. He is also responsible for the over-arching X-Files story that these crossovers are based off. The writing is smooth and natural and the characters act and appear like they did in their shows. On top of that, the art, by John Stanisci, helped keep the issue grounded with subtle artwork that gave the comic an air of seriousness. It wasn’t over-the-top and cartoony like you would expect from a TMNT appearance, but instead plays with the X-Files angle by making everything more subdued. It’s a good combination of talent that really pushes this series off the ground.
So, you know what, read it. Just read it. X-Files/TMNT is fun, it’s serious, and just a little bit silly all at once.