2 out of 5

So IDW’s annual(?) crossover event.  It’s a workable enough core story stemming out of The X-Files: the Lone Gunmen get (an) e-mail(s) ‘from the future’ about a virus outbreak, with oddities mentioned in the e-mail(s) tying into – gasp – other IDW titles.  Yes, I paid attention.  The LG’s decide to check out the other IDW titles via these crossover one-shots in order to find out if they can gather info for a cure before the virus happens.  Again: workable.  However, what I don’t like about this formula is that its passive for the other titles.  If the other books follow suit to the Turtles one, things must be re-explained to that book’s characters, which means things only get half-ass explained since we have to do some setup for non-readers of that title as well.  Win-win.  Which brings us to the whole concept of crossovers, which I never really get.  It’s not that they don’t sometimes produce worthwhile story arcs or issues (though generally this is when its handled on a smaller scale, not the “WILL CHANGE THE LANDSCAPE FOREVER” scope that Marvel and DC normally use), it’s just that I’ve never been turned on to another book by the practice.  Maybe I’ll get the crossover ish if it actually affects an ongoing storyline (rare) or, in the Turtles case, when I’m an idiot collector guy, but otherwise I generally know to write it off.  So assuming that I’m a sample of the general public, the only other boost I can see is the monetary “collect ’em all” concept…  And I guess that does work.  I mean, I know it does.

But seriously – I know there are people who must love these things, maybe just for the ridiculousness, or that “CHANGE” that I’m making fun of… but…  I don’t get it.

Anyhow.

X-Files / TMNT does nothing to change my opinion.

Mike Walsh’s art is pretty cool.  The crossovers give off the stench of being rushed, and so it goes with some of his pages, where the shadows just don’t separate from the defining lines too well and the backgrounds are super bland, and the several dark scenes in the book unfortunately suffer between Walsh and / or inker Adam Gorham not knowing how to more smoothly keep focus when a character is surrounded by darkness, instead opting for that “let’s just not put any pencils in this area” look that… generally sticks out, but then again I wonder if its a timing thing, ’cause the first couple pages – woods at night, the sewers – look pretty great, the humans handled with the sorta’ Americanized ligne clare of Brian Hurtt, the Turts getting this awesome, lanky look that fits well with the IDW teenager-izing of the boys which is – agreeing with this post – cool.  I’d enjoy seeing Walsh on the ongoing series.  Any of my criticisms – some of the actions scenes feeling a bit herky-jerky, for example – could all stem from a tight deadline, so it’d be nice to see what he could do on a (perhaps) more predictable schedule.  Best part of the book.

Otherwise, Ed Brisson’s scripting is like trying to stay above water.  I appreciate, at the very least, attempts to maintain individual personalities for all the Gunmen and Turtles (the few lines from the TMNT we get to read…) but there are several examples of assumptive dialoguing – the Gunmen are hunting vampires, the Turtles just suddenly start referring to the bad guys as vampires (green eyes generally not being a cue for vampirism) – and some shout-outs to X-Files show lore that I’d have no idea what the hell it was if this review hadn’t mentioned it.  And it’s allll prelude to the “crossover” plot point, which is wrapped up in like half a panel.

The writing itself isn’t horrible, it just feels like Brisson had poor quality meat to work with.  So that exception plus the art: two stars.  Womp womp, crossovers.