Source Material #410 - TMNT x Stranger Things (IDW/Dark Horse, 2023)

Cowabunga meets the Upside Down in this wild crossover you didn’t know you needed! In this episode of the Source Material Comics Podcast, Jesse Starcher and Alexis Hejna dive deep into the 2023 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Stranger Things comic series—a mashup of radical ninja action and supernatural horror that somehow works way better than it has any right to.The episode kicks off with a look back at how this unlikely crossover came to life, spotlighting the creative team behind the series—writer Cameron Chittock, artist Fero Pe, and colorist Sofie Dodgson—and the seamless collaboration between IDW Publishing and Dark Horse Comics. Set in 1985, between Stranger Things Seasons 2 and 3, and rooted in the Mirage-era aesthetic of the TMNT, this book sends the kids from Hawkins on a field trip to New York City… only to find themselves caught between demo-dog/Mouser hybrids, psychic manipulation, rogue scientists, and a full-on Upside Down invasion.Jesse and Alexis take listeners through the four-issue miniseries with excitement, pointing out nostalgic nods, narrative hiccups, and some of the most metal splash pages they’ve ever seen.