New TMNT X Stranger Things Comic Will Team Up Raphael And Eleven, Because Comic Books

IDW and Dark Horse are teaming up to bring us a crossover only possible through the magical medium of comic books. This summer will see a miniseries that will unite the teens of Hawkins with the turtles of New York City in the form of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Stranger Things." That's right! Eleven and the gang are crossing paths with the heroes in a half-shell to tackle a new threat in the Big Apple.

The comic book crossover event of the summer is coming... @TMNT x @Stranger_Things.

Stay tuned for more details! @DarkHorseComics pic.twitter.com/97XbkzsteX

— IDW Publishing (@IDWPublishing) April 20, 2023

The news was revealed by the folks at Polygon, who also unveiled some artwork for the series. The book comes from the mind of writer Cameron Chittock ("Mapmakers and the Lost Magic") and artist Fero ("Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"). While plot details are largely being kept under wraps, the core setup goes like this: "Eleven, Max, Dustin, Mike, Will, and Lucas are looking forward to a nice summer trip out of the suburbs and into New York City... but 'a threat both bizarre and familiar' will require help from Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, and Raphael." Fero spoke a bit about the book's artwork, which will mirror the original "TMNT" comics by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird.

"There's a certain influence of Frank Miller from the 300 and Ronin era, too. I would like to balance the use of shadows with that classic touch of the halftone shadows. I have been using them a lot in the ongoing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series as a tribute to the early comics, and I think that now with this story they will fit perfectly!"

This is truly what makes comic books feel special sometimes. It would cost untold millions to make a movie or TV show with these characters. And, even if the powers that be could make an agreement, would it even work? But in the world of comics, all things are possible. IDW absolutely has fun in this arena frequently too, as they've also published "Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," "Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who," and, amazingly enough, "My Little Pony/Transformers."

I've always personally been a big fan of licensed comics as an expansion of franchises I enjoy, and IDW does great work in that department. For my money, they've done wonderful stuff with "Godzilla" and "Jurassic Park" in the past, for example. So, if you dig "Stranger Things" and/or "TMNT" and don't typically read comics, this may be a good jumping-on point. As for how Chittock plans to approach the material, the writer had this to say about it:

"It's a big cast, but the mystery at the center of the story sees the group split in two which gives us a little more room to really dig into the character dynamics. Some of those combinations I knew I wanted to explore from the beginning, like Raphael and Eleven. Others surprised me while writing, like Donatello and Max. With the Turtles hosting the Hawkins kids in New York City, the series examines how these two groups of teenagers have been shaped by where they come from, for better or worse. It's hard to imagine someone more suited for those themes than Will Byers, and his perspective comes to the forefront and has fascinating ripple effects on the other characters. Perhaps none more so than Leonardo, and their scenes together later in the series will probably end up being my favorite."

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Stranger Things" #1 hits shelves on July 12.