The Good
Seeing as this limited series' creative team has plenty of experience with these franchises (Tom Waltz has been writing TMNT since issue 1; Erik Burnham has done a ton of Ghostbusters writing and some TMNT writing; Dan Schoening and Luis Antonio Delgado worked on dozens upon dozens of Ghostbusters pages), it really shouldn't surprise you that this limited series has yet another chapter that nails the voices of the characters, immerses you in an appropriate atmosphere, and has pages that are every bit as delightful and as energetic as the characters are. Once again, the dialogue -- even when it's just there for blatant exposition -- feels friendly and fun, they're conversations you want to be a part of. The pacing here feels just right, too. There's just enough downtime between all of the chaos and, even when it's clear a scene exists just to show us what the team is planning, there's never really a dull moment.
As for the art, well, I run the risk of sounding like a broken record when it comes to talking about Schoening and Delgado's pages. Schoening's style is cartoonish and overflowing with attention to detail. When you look at his work, you can't help but feel like it's lighthearted and just so full of energy.There's a few panels where the background is replaced with bold colors (and understandably so in some action sequences), but that's massively countered by how much effort is put into making the rest of the environments feel alive. It's never just a wall or a desk or a bland environment; they're often full of little things to help make the place feel real and pull you into it. None of the layouts or angles really left an impression, but the character work, excellent coloring, and awesome handling of locations and effects sure did.
There's a moment when this limited series feels like something you'd see in some totally out-there fan fiction and honestly, it's all kinds of awesome. I'm referring to a development with Casey Jones -- something I won't spoil for you -- but it just goes to show how much silly and exciting fun they can have with this crossover. Between mutated turtles who are experts in martial arts and guys who zap ghosts with streams, nothing seems too far-fetched or ridiculous and they're really taking advantage of that. Hell, one scene is there just to set up a line pointing how the situation is literally an idiom brought to life.
The Bad
Erik Burnham, Tom Waltz, Dan Schoening and Luis Antonio Delgado could create an entire chapter dedicated to these two teams eating pizza and chatting about how different their worlds and personalities are. And you know what? Odds are it would be a very entertaining issue. Now, it's understandable the story needs an antagonist -- someone who'll generate some high stakes and action -- but Chi-You's role feels like the story's weak point. The conversations between the heroes is awesome and the action's good fun, but Chi-You's place in this story feels very standard. He has potential to really expand the mythos over in the Ninja Turtles' dimension (I can't help but feel like those immortal characters will reemerge as we race towards issue #50, but I'm getting off-track), but here, he's feeling more and more like the kind of villain who will shake his fist and exclaim, "I'll get you next time, Ninja Busters!" as he loses for the gazillionth time and explains why next time will be different. Okay, maybe he wouldn't say "ninja busters," but you get the point, right?
The Verdict
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES/GHOSTBUSTERS #3 is a good dose of spectacle and banter. Sure, the material with Chi-You doesn't feel all that original or compelling and the plot isn't producing any jaw-droppers or noticeable twists, but the story brings about some exciting scenarios, lovable dynamics, and, of course, some incredibly good looking action sequences. It's looking like this limited series technically won't be mandatory reading to further appreciate either series (TMNT has already moved past this event and, sadly, the Ghostbusters no longer have a series), but that really shouldn't stop you from embracing something that's pretty much pure fun and has pages that are just oozing liveliness. I've alway