Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Battle Nexus 1 review

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Battle Nexus 1 kicks off what looks to be a fun TMNT-style multiverse brawl. Battle Nexus 1 starts off with the four brothers battling their longtime problem sparring partners — Bebop and Rocksteady — when they're transported to the Battle Nexus. This tournament brings fighters from various realms and realities to battle against the best of the best in the name of respectful competition. Battle Nexus 1 has several credited plotters, but Tom Waltz handled the script. The turtles aren't thrilled about being dragged to a battle they didn't ask to be a part of even in the name of friendly competition. At least the brothers see some familiar faces although they're not as excited to see their time traveling nemesis, Servanti Romeo, has taken over control of the tournament from the Dimensional Council. Servanti wants to take care of the turtles for humiliating him and now he's got the ideal format to extract his revenge. Waltz spends most of Battle Nexus 1 establishing the turtles as a formidable fighting unit, which could get tested as the tournament plays out. This issue doesn't feature any tournament action, but Waltz sets everything up in a manner to quickly advance the fights going forward. MORE: Artists Esau and Isaac Escorza ( The Last Ronin ) do a solid job creating a cohesive style for Battle Nexus 1. With the tonal shifts of various TMNT characters, a base aesthetic was essential. The Ecorza brothers have no trouble establishing the visuals and clean layouts for the action sequences. Colorist Luis Antonio Delgado doesn't use splashy vibrant colors, but they still pack enough intensity that they don't look muted. Given some of the characters appearing in Battle Nexus 1, a baseline color palette is also necessary providing Delgado an opportunity to mix up the color approach. Letterer Tom Napolitano lays out the dialogue cleanly with a fun, diverse mix of sound effects fonts. While Battle Nexus 1 sets up an intriguing in-TMNT continuity event, the timing of this reality-spanning event does open up the possibility of a logical and tantalizing crossover with DC's DC KO saga. Even if there aren't any non-TMNT cameos, Battle Nexus 1 proves this should be a very entertaining event. Rating: 9 out of 10 Photo Credit: IDW After checking out Battle Nexus 1, revisit The Last Ronin hardcover box set now on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.