Comic Review: TMNT/Ghostbusters II #4

The high-stakes, high-adventure, dimension-hopping tale featuring the Ninja Turtles and Ghostbusters continues with Part 4. With the teams separated for so long, it’s about time for a reunion…

Comic Review: TMNT/Ghostbusters II #4

(W) Erik Burnham & Tom Waltz, (A) Tadd Galusha, Dan Schoening, Pablo Tunica, Mark Torres, & Charles Paul Wilson III, (C) Luis Antonio Delgado

If you’ve been keeping up with this miniseries to this point, you have a pretty good idea what to expect from this review. If you’re jumping on at this point… why? It’s a limited series, and you’re almost at the end! Go pick up some back issues (and maybe read my earlier reviews). Anyways, the Turtles and their respective Ghostbuster sidekick are still dispersed across multiple dimensions (or dare I say… a multiverse?), with Donnie and Egon continuing to work tirelessly to construct a deus ex machina that will beat the bad guys. After 20-plus pages, the result is another competently constructed issue by Erik Burnham, Tom Waltz, and their expansive art team.

Describing an issue as “competently constructed” may not inspire much confidence in an era where flashy buzzwords dominate reviews, but it is applicable here. This series has suffered a bit from padding out the issues to make it fit its 5-issue structure. This was painfully clear in issue #3, and it continues here. What makes the issue (and this series as a whole) overcome this structural problem is how enjoyable the characters are. There is an undeniable chemistry between the two sets of heroes, who manage to battle, talk, and out-smart their way through several precarious scenarios.

Once again, a plethora of artists have been tasked with bringing this issue to life. In addition to those we have seen throughout the series, Charles Paul Wilson III joins the ensemble, adding a grittier aesthetic to a series that has been fairly light in tone. His art style is a welcome one, as it provides the issue – and by extension the series – with a much needed sense of gravitas, giving the story’s stakes some weight. Once again, the transition between the differing styles aided by the unifying x-factor known as colorist Luis Antonio Delgado, who continues to be this series’ unsung hero.

TMNT/Ghostbusters II #4 continues the fun, jovial nature the miniseries has provided thus far. However, it also adds a layer of gravity that has been previously absent, and for that alone this series is worth keeping up with. Just as it becomes predictable, it manages to provide a genuine surprise.