It seems that video games such as Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat have a lot to answer for right now. Between DC KO and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle Nexus, it seems that characters across the multiverse are being drawn into interdimensional fighting tournaments left, right and centre. And I’m totally here for it!

In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle Nexus #1, the current comic book incarnation of the TMNT are whisked away from their world, mid-battle with old foes Bebop and Rocksteady, and arrive at the titular Battle Nexus. There they meet the evil Savanti Romero, who’s running the multiversal tournament and bringing in all kinds of Turtles, as well as their foes and allies, from just about every different incarnation of the cast we’ve ever seen. And then they find out who their first opponent is going to be…

Despite the large amount of exposition in this first issue, it’s a lot of fun and the premise is superb. The artwork is absolutely gorgeous, and it’s great to see some familiar characters in slightly different ways, as well as the return of some unexpected cast members too.

The backup story, brief as it is, sees Mister Ogg, the diabolical little imp from Dimension Z (last seen in IDW’s excellent TMNT: Saturday Morning Adventures series), secretly putting together his own Turtles-centric fighting tournament, with a showcase of a very wide range of Raphaels (and one out of place character) for a nicely amusing bit of meta commentary.

It’s hardly the deepest or most meaningful comic, of course. But there’s a surprising amount of meat on the bones here; Battle Nexus #1 sets up its weekly series really well, with a more thoughtful approach than you may be expecting.

Continuity be damned (yeah, good luck trying to fit the events of this into the current run!), this is a real gift to long term TMNT fans, and I look forward to seeing how it develops as the weeks progress.

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