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Some TMNT stuff really isn't for little kids. |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters is a 4-issue crossover comic book that was published by IDW Publishing. The story showcases a meeting between the Ninja Turtles and the Ghostbusters.
In the IDW continuity, this story is preceded by "New Mutant Order" and followed by "Attack on Technodrome".
Credits[]
- Story & Script: Tom Waltz & Erik Burnham
- Art: Charles Paul Wilson III (Issue #1 pgs. 1-5), Cory Smith (Issue #1 pgs. 6-9), Dan Schoening
- Colors: Luis Antonio Delgado, Ronda Pattison (Issue #1 pgs. 6-9)
- Letters: Neil Uyetake
- Editing: Bobby Curnow
Press release[]
The Ninja Turtles Team Up With The Ghostbusters To Save The Unknown Universe! The Crossover 30 Years In The Making Comes To IDW.
San Diego, CA (July 15, 2014) – Two teams of legendary heroes will join forces this fall to save New York City and the world from the paranormal and the monstrous when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cross paths with the Ghostbusters! With both franchises celebrating their 30th anniversaries this year (2014), it’s never been better time to team up Proton Packs with Ninjutsu!
Transported to a different universe by a faulty invention, the TMNT find themselves in a New York City much like their own, but with one major exception: a rampant ghost problem! If that weren’t enough, the Turtles and their reluctant new hosts, the Ghostbusters, soon find that the Turtles didn’t come alone…
The crossover is written by two talented creators who couldn’t be better acquainted with these unique franchises — Tom Waltz and Erik Burnham. In addition to writing the ongoing Turtles series at IDW, Waltz has also served as editor for the ongoing Ghostbusters series, written by Burnham who, in turn, co-wrote the critically acclaimed series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Secret History of The Foot Clan.
“A couple of years ago, Tom Waltz and I chatted like the fans we are about how insanely fun this crossover would be if we ever got the chance to write it,” said series co-writer Erik Burnham. “As I sit here today, my excitement level is at eleven.”
Crossover synopsis[]
It was the Best of Times, it was the Worst of Times... that's right, this is a tale of two cities, but the twist is: they're both New York, separated by a dimensional wall.
On one side of the dimensional gulf is the New York inhabited by the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, a city full of ninjas, mutants, science, and sorcery that spans the centuries.
On the other, the New York of the GHOSTBUSTERS, where science tracks the supernatural and removal of unwanted phantoms and poltergeists is a blue-collar job rife with city contracts and bureaucracy.
But,the pizza's pretty good in both universes though.
Part One[]
Part One Regular Cover by Dan Schoening
Released October 22nd, 2014
Thousands of years ago, powerful immortal beings ruled the Earth until they mysteriously vanished. For a while they inspired myths and legends, but after a time they faded from memory and were believed to have never existed at all. In Japan during the Muromachi period, one of these immortals, Kitsune, summons the Iron Demon/Tetsuo Oni from a portal but is interrupted by her brother Chi-You, who seeks to ensure that she is not breaking the terms of their agreement. Seeing Tetsuo Oni emerge from the portal, Chi-You is enraged, as their agreement stated that they were only to use mortals as pawns in their game, not demons. Chi-You charges towards Kitsune but she is too fast, and she throws him into the portal. Kitsune apologizes to Tetsuo Oni and asks if they should finish their business before her brother returns, but Tetsuo Oni informs her that their are safeguards on the portal which would effectively trap Chi-You, keeping him stuck between worlds. In exchange for clearing a specified areas of land, Tetsuo Oni provides Kitsune with a vial of green ooze.
Hundreds of years later, in New York City, April, Casey, and the Turtles are meeting at Harold's laboratory to see the interdimensional transporter that Don, Harold, and April built based off the schematics Don got from the Fugitoid (see "Utrom Empire" for details). Don and Harold agree to demonstrate how it works to the others and successfully teleport an apple to the other side of the room. Don tells them that he wanted them there to do a more in-depth test and transport the lot of them to their hideout at the church. As Harold sets the coordinates and the group prepares to leave, a fly buzzes around the control panel and Harold swats it just as it lands on the switch that controls the spatial dimension. Instead of materializing in their hideout where Master Splinter tends to his zen garden the Turtles, April, and Casey are sent to another dimension.
In an alternate New York City, the Ghostbusters are busting some ghosts in an office building. Ray Stantz and Winston Zeddemore hit the ghost with their proton beams while Egon Spengler collects data and Peter Venkman traps the ghost. As they head back to their headquarters, Ray hypothesizes about the ghost they just caught, a Class-Five, which typically indicates either a Class-Seven or an interdimensional breach is imminent. Pete tells Ray to calm down, because the early warning system he and Egon built to warn them of such events hadn't gone off. Just then Janine Melnitz calls them on the radio to tell them that Kylie Griffith had seen that the warning system had detected something on the East Side. Winston tells her they'll check on it and they head out.
The Turtles and company are in their church, but its different. No longer abandoned, they appear during the middle of a wedding ceremony. April tells Don his calculations must have been off but he confirms on his GPS that they're exactly where he meant to send them. Before they can think too much about it, a ghost materializes and begins to terrorize the guests. The ghost, Chi-You, relishes his freedom and vows to now get his revenge on his sister Kitsune, before realizing that he cannot sense her presence, nor any of his brethren. Casey says they should high-tail it out of there before things get messy, but Leo says he recognizes the features of the church so they're in the right place but the wrong dimension, and they're honor-bound to help the people who they inadvertently put in harm's way. Leo asks Mikey if he can understand what Chi-You is saying (as he is speaking Chinese) but Mikey says he can't understand. Raph, bored with all the talking, leaps into action and lunges for Chi-You but passes right through him. Chi-You eyes the Turtles and thinks they're demons, so he attacks them with his newly increased powers. The Turtles attempt to distract Chi-You while the wedding-goers flee but Chi-You gets fed up and unleashes some of his ghostly power, possessing several of the wedding-goers and Casey as well. Chi-You, now speaking English through Casey, tells the Turtles and crew that he now knows all about them, and that they would try to subdue him. Chi-You sets his new thralls to attack April and the Turtles, so the Turtles ready themselves to restrain them without causing harm. Before they can begin, the Ghostbusters burst through a wall, as all the doors to the church were magically sealed. Pete comments on what he guesses are "Kung Fu Martians" and says sometimes he hates his job.
Part Two[]
Part Two Regular Cover by Dan Schoening
Released November 19th, 2014
The Ghostbusters open fire on Chi-You with their proton packs. Chi-You, enraged, asks his thralls who these mortals are and they tell him they're the Ghostbusters. Realizing they could potentially trap him, Chi-You and his thralls retreat. Egon remarks that its strange that Chi-You left behind his "anthropomorphic turtle constructs" behind and shoot at them as well. As his teammates postulate on the nature of the Turtles, Winston decides they're not a threat and approaches them to make contact. April seizes the opportunity to tear into Peter, asking him why on Earth they were shooting at them and let Chi-You get away. Hearing the name Chi-You, Ray recognizes it as the name of an ancient Chinese war god. Egon examines them and realizes that April and the Turtles are all emitting a low-level phase variance at the cellular level, indicating that they're out of sync with the Ghostbusters' dimension, which explains the dimensional breach that Kylie warned them about. Don is excited at the prospect of examining the Ghostbusters' equipment but Raph tells them they need to hurry up and find Casey. Don tells him to think things through and that the Ghostbusters are likely their best bet for tracking him down. Ray tells him they'd be happy to help, as well as learn more about the Turtles. Ray asks if they're aliens, but Don tells him they're just mutants who encountered an unknown variable while testing an inter-spatial teleportation unit. Don shows the teleporter schematics to Ray and Egon, who are quite impressed. Realizing they still haven't formally introduced themselves, April and Peter handle introductions for the group. Since the whole group won't fit in Ecto-1, the Ghostbusters give April and the Turtles the address of their headquarters and meet them there.
Nearby, Chi-You decides that since he cannot sense any of his family, their contract to only influence the world indirectly is "null and void." Chi-You outlines his plan to impose order on the world, then have the Turtles build another teleporter so that he can conquer other dimension. Realizing the people he possessed at the wedding are unsuitable for building an army, he frees them of his bond and lets them flee. Casey, however, he keeps enthralled, even as Casey attempts to break free from Chi-You's power. Chi-You tells Casey he will lead him to more suitable individuals with which to build his army.
At the Ghostbusters' headquarters, Don geeks out at the sight of all their equipment while Mikey antagonizes Slimer. While examining some of the Ghostbusters' devices, Don asks them about their line of work, saying that the existence of autonomous spirits is preposterous. Egon and Ray tell him that they do indeed exist, and ignoring evidence to the contrary is illogical. While they debate, Raph and Peter bond over their disdain for the eggheads. Ray asks Don what he thinks he saw if it wasn't a ghost; Don says it could have been some kind of parasitic entity, possibly extraterrestrial. Egon says that aliens don't exist but Don tells him he and his brothers have met some; Egon retaliates that he and his coworkers have met ghosts. Watching the others, Leo asks Winston if he's the leader, judging by his calm and reasonable demeanor, and the two bond over their shared roles on their respective teams. In the kitchen, Janine comforts April, who is understandably shaken by the experience. Kylie barges in with an immense stack of books containing possible leads on Chi-You. April asks why they can't do research on the internet, and Kylie and Ray explain that with occult information, trouble can be caused by providing too much access. Ray takes Don down to the basement to show him the containment unit, on the way saying he understands Don's skepticism. Ray asks him if the circumstances that lead to their being there are any less fantastic than the existence of an afterlife or ghosts. Ray explains that all life is merely energy, and after dying our energy merely travels elsewhere.
In Midtown, a New York Ranger and a Montreal Canadian beat each other up during a hockey game. Suddenly the two players think they're hallucinating, but in fact Chi-You is attacking the hockey rink. A man attempts to call 911 to report the incident but Chi-You stops him. Chi-You begins transforming the hockey players into hideous monsters, the beginnings of his army. Casey asks Chi-You why he doesn't transform him; Chi-You tells him he's going to use Casey as an incentive to get the Turtles to give him the technology to travel to other dimensions.
At the Ghosbusters' headquarters, Ray is showing Don the containment unit that they put their ghosts in. Ray says that based on Don's teleporter schematics, he thinks they can build a replacement for the Turtles to use to get home. Janine alerts the two teams to a call from the police department, alerting them to a ghost attack at the ice hockey playoffs. The Turtles and the Ghostbusters correctly guess that its Chi-You and Casey and prepare to head out. Egon suggests that the Turtles time would be better spent at the Ghostbusters' firehouse building the replacement teleporter, but Leo says not all of his brothers are mechanically inclined but they do want to help their friend. Egon clarifies, stating that based on the readings he got off the Turtles, they only have 72 hours to teleport back to their own dimension before their window of opportunity will close. Don tells Ray that it took them weeks to build their first teleporter, but they still can't sit idly by while their friend is in trouble. Ray goes to his locker and gets Don a spare proton pack before they head out.
Part Three[]
Part Three Regular Cover by Dan Schoening
Released December 24th, 2014
The Turtles and the Ghostbusters are on their way to the hockey rink in their custom RV, siren blaring. Inside, Mikey eagerly exclaims his desire for one. As they get nearer, Ray says he's getting hot readings from inside. Don rushes in with the spare proton pack and sees Chi-You turning a hockey player into a monster. Chi-You orders his thralls to attack and Don fires the proton pack but his aim is off. Raph chides Don but Pete tells him not to sweat it. He explains that the proton packs work more like firehouses than guns, and to plant his feet and go easy on the trigger. Leo starts fighting the thralls while Ray informs Don to be sure he doesn't cross the streams. As Mikey and the other Turtles fight the thralls, he realizes that Chi-You is moving slower than during their last encounter, likely because transforming the hockey players took a lot out of him. Chi-You taunts the Ghostbusters, saying their proton packs are ineffective, when Winston sneaks up behind him and springs a trap. Chi-You is pulled towards it, but not all the way into the trap, to the Ghosbusters' confusion. Don and Ray realize that Chi-You is connected to the earthly realm by his thralls. Casey, still under Chi-You's power, tries to fight off Winston, but he manages to explain to them that they'll have to break Chi-You's connection to his thralls. Casey manages to subdue Winston and deactivate the trap, and Chi-You and his thralls make their escape. As he leaves, Chi-You tells them they will regret their next meeting.
Back at Ghostbusters' HQ, Raph is furious that Chi-You escaped with Casey again. Egon says that until they have a way to sever Chi-You's tie to his thralls, hunting him down again is pointless. Kylie brings up some bird-like ghosts they defeated recently and wonders if they could beat Chi-You and his thralls in the same way. Egon says it's unlikely, but Don hypothesizes that they could convert the Ghostbusters' proton packs to work like a pulse rather than a stream, breaking the connection. Don, Ray, and Egon begin sketching schematics. Egon reminds them all that they still have to keep in mind the Turtles' shrinking window of opportunity to get him. Egon suggests the other Turtles try to get some rest while he, Ray, and Don work on a prototype.
Some hours later, in Chinatown, Chi-You interrogates Casey. Chi-You asks how it is possible that Casey is so adept at fighting his control. Casey says he's just a natural-born fighter. Chi-You realizes that Casey is trying to anger him on purpose, because when Chi-You is angry he acts illogically. Chi-You swallows Casey whole.
At the Ghostbusters' firehouse, Janine receives a call from Chinatown which seems to be relevant to their dealings with Chi-You. Luckily, Egon has successfully modified some of the hand-mounted proton packs so that if they can manage to touch one of Chi-You's thralls in the chest it'll sever the connection. Leo says Don and Ray should stay at the firehouse with Egon to work on the transporter while he, Mike, and Raph head out to deal with Chi-You and his thralls and get Casey back.
In Chinatown, Chi-You is tearing up the street. Winston and Pete hit him with their proton beams but he is unfazed and yanks them around. Leo, Mike, and Raph ready themselves to deal with the thralls but Raph is concerned because he doesn't see Casey. Raph loses his temper and charges at Chi-You, but Chi-You knocks him aside. Mikey manages to hit one of the thralls in the chest, turning him back into a human. Realizing his weakness, Chi-You orders his thralls to retreat. Chi-You retches, and Casey emerges, covered in black ooze and decked out in armor and wielding a scythe. Chi-You orders him to kill Leo, Mike, and Raph, as they do not have the power necessary to help him travel to other worlds. Raph fights with Casey, urging him to fight Chi-You's influence. Chi-You watches them fight, having forgotten Peter and Winston, and Peter comes up with an idea. Peter gets Chi-You's attention and hits him with a proton blast from a missile launcher, dissipating him for the time being, giving Raph the chance to hit Casey in the chest with the hand-mounted proton pack, breaking Chi-You's hold on him.
Later, back at the firehouse, Egon finishes doing a check-up on Casey. Egon says that everything appears normal, but Casey may be susceptible to mood swings in the future. Casey apologizes to Raph for kicking his butt, but Raph tells him he's crazy if he thinks he kicked his butt. Raph and April go to find the others eating pineapple Sriracha pizza while Mikey tells Don, Ray, and Egon, about their latest encounter with Chi-You and his thralls. Raph says that the next time they see the thralls, they'll finish the job of freeing them. Winston tells him the Turtles don't have to worry about the thralls anymore, that now they've got Casey back they can focus on getting home. Leo says they won't leave until the job is done, since they're the reason Chi-You was let loose in the Ghosbusters' dimension. Don theorizes that it'd be easier to use an EMP-type device to interrupt Chi-You's connection to his thralls, rather than tagging them each individually. Egon asks April to work on building the EMP device with Ray while he and Don work on the teleporter.
Back in Chinatown, Chi-You finally re-materializes. Chi-You decides that he can no longer ignore the Turtles or the Ghostbusters while he attempts to build an army, he and his thralls must go to war.
Part Four[]
Released January 21st, 2015
Several hours have passed since Peter used the proton missile to temporarily subdue Chi-You. The Turtles and the Ghostbusters are in the midst of preparing themselves to face Chi-You again, for what they hope will be their final encounter. Egon and Donatello are making progress towards completing a new working teleporter while April, Ray, and Kylie engineer an EMP-type blast to sever Chi-You’s hold over his thralls. Meanwhile, Winston, Peter, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael pass the time waiting. Winston admires the balance on Leo’s katana while Mikey tries on one of the Ghostbuster uniforms when suddenly the Ghostbusters’ proximity alarm goes off, indicating there’s a nearby paranormal threat. Mikey looks outside and sees that Chi-You’s thralls are swarming the building. Downstairs, the thralls have already broken down the garage door and entered the building. While the others rush to complete the EMP blast, Leo, Raph, and Mikey take on the thralls using the modified proton packs. Peter and Janine assist the Turtles by corralling the thralls using their standard proton packs.
Back upstairs, Ray puts the finishing touches on the EMP device, but before he, April, and Kylie can activate it the power goes out and Chi-You materializes, incapacitating the three of them. However while Chi-You is busy monologuing them, Casey steps in and activates the EMP, freeing all the thralls from Chi-You’s control, returning them to their normal human forms. In the basement, Donnie and Egon wonder what’s going on upstairs while they hurry to complete the teleporter, as the Turtles’ window to get back to their own dimension is shrinking fast. Unfortunately, due to Chi-You’s influence the Ghostbusters’ containment grid is destabilized and Egon has to rush to correct it before an explosion occurs.
Chi-You vents his frustration at the Turtles, Ghostbusters, and their friends for trying to stop him, and gets angry when he realizes the power flowing to him through his thralls has been cut off. Chi-You begins throwing Casey and the others around, until Peter and Winston appear in the doorway and restrain him with their proton packs. However, as there is so little room to maneuver while still keeping a hold of Chi-You, neither can move to throw out the trap and capture him. Leo uses his ninja skills to throw the trap directly under Chi-You and activates it, and Chi-You begins to be pulled inside. However even in his weakened state Chi-You is immensely powerful and he tugs on Winston’s proton stream, causing him to be in danger of getting sucked into the trap as well. Peter tells Leo to shut off the trap before it’s too late. Meanwhile, Egon hurriedly calculates how to stabilize the extreme drain on the containment unit’s power grid caused by the teleporter powering on. Egon begins to guide Donnie through the process of rerouting power to control the situation and prevent a catastrophe.
Upstairs in the dark, Mikey asks Peter if Chi-You has been captured. Chi-You himself answers, through Winston’s body which he is possessing. Ray tries to hit Winston/Chi-You with some mood slime, the substance the Ghostbusters keep on hand to counter the side-effects of possession by malevolent entities. Chi-You, regaining strength, transforms Winston into a bull-headed monstrosity, changing his proton pack into a suitable weapon for himself. Mikey tries to take on Chi-You but Chi-You easily knocks him aside. April and Kylie tend to Ray, who was knocked unconscious by Chi-You. Mikey asks Peter if they have anymore mood slime to use on Chi-You and Peter tells him that there’s a tank stashed in the back of their car.
Leo and Raph tag-team Chi-You but despite their best efforts they make no headway. Leo and Raph are almost down for the count when Mikey returns and blasts Chi-You with mood slime, allowing Winston to begin to break free. Raph lunges forward for the finishing blow but Chi-You laughs at the feeble attempt. Leo, coming from behind, points out that it was merely a ninja distraction technique and tags Chi-You/Winston with the modified proton pack, separating the two. Peter, seeing the opening, throws out the trap and captures Chi-You. Everyone momentarily rejoices at their joint victory before they remember the limited amount of time they have to get the Turtles back home. Luckily, Egon and Donnie have finished the teleporter and a short while later it sits ready to send the Turtles to their own dimension. Winston thanks Leo by giving him a good luck charm and a Marine salute. Leo says it was an honor and bows.
Egon, ever the practical one, reminds everyone of the ticking clock. The Turtles, April, and Casey depart, saying goodbye to the Ghostbusters. Back in their hideout in their own dimension, Master Splinter is surprised by the sudden appearance of his sons and their friends. In their own dimension, the Ghostbusters decide what to do with the trap containing Chi-You. Peter asks who wants to do the honors and transfer Chi-You into the containment unit but Winston instead tells Egon to set the teleporter coordinates for “the edge of the universe or somethin’” and tosses it through.
Near Proxima Centauri, a star 4.2 light years away from the Earth of the Turtles’ dimension, the trap pops back into existence having come through the teleporter. Inside, Chi-You once again senses the presence of his family, the Pantheon, and bides his time.
Transcript[]
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters issue 1/Transcript
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters issue 2/Transcript
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters issue 3/Transcript
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters issue 4/Transcript
Gallery[]
