The adventure was wrapped up in the last issue, but there’s another era of Batman: The Animated Series that needed to be milked before this crossover miniseries could end.

Batman/TMNT Adventures #6

(W) Matthew K. Manning (A) Jon Sommariva (C) Leonardo Ito

The sixth and final installment of Batman/TMNT Adventures is a curious entry. The story seemed to be wrapped up in a nice little bow at the end of issue #5, so the decision to stretch the miniseries out to six issues appeared needless. However, Matthew K. Manning’s script gives this issue a sense of relevancy. This issue is one that can be read as a standalone story or as a part of a greater whole thanks to Manning successfully bringing in elements from the rest of the miniseries. However, because the story serves as an epilogue while also giving readers one final adventure, the pacing of Manning’s script is uneven throughout.

Perhaps the biggest reason for this issue’s existence is to provide Jon Sommariva an excuse to draw the Batman Family in the style of The New Batman Adventures. And I must say, he does a fine job translating Bruce Timm’s designs to the page. If there is a reason to pick up this book it is the artwork, as Sommariva and colorist Leonardo Ito. Their work in this issue might be the strongest of the entire miniseries. Sommariva does struggle initially depicting the face of Gotham’s most eligible bachelor, but once the cowl is on the artwork is as solid as ever.

While Sommariva once again gives these beloved characters a dynamic and fluid sense of motion on the page, it is Ito’s colors that truly brings them to life. Seeing the four Turtles take on the Kraang alongside Batman, Robin, Batgirl, and Nightwing gives Ito the opportunity to use the full spectrum of his color palette, an opportunity which he grabs. Bright splashes of greens, reds, and blues pop against the dark streets of Gotham, as do the vibrant pinks of the Kraang.

Batman/TMNT Adventures #6 is a fine, second conclusion to this crossover event. While not as strong from start to finish as the James Tynion IV and Freddie E. Williams story, the creative team of Manning, Sommariva, and Ito that they too can deliver a satisfying crossover of these two iconic groups of characters. Hopefully, this is not the last we see of the Turtles meeting characters from other publishers.