'80s nostalgia is powerful, and nothing shows that more than the success of the sci-fi streaming series Stranger Things, which taps into no shortage of pop culture from the most radical, bodacious decade.
And now starting in July, some of those '80s (and '90s) pop culture icons are going to meet up with the kids of Stranger Things directly in IDW Publishing and Dark Horse Comics' crossover limited series TMNT x Stranger Things, which brings together Eleven, Mike, Lucas, Max, Will, and Dustin from the streaming series with the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael.
Here's a gallery of covers for the first issue of TMNT x Stranger Things, including the main cover by Fero Pe as well as variant covers by Jorge Corona, Jenn Woodall, Adam Gorham, Rafael Albuquerque, and Daniel Warren Johnson:
As for the story, it all starts when the kids from Hawkins take a trip to New York City, where they run into the TMNT and of course the Upside Down.
The TMNT, also inextricably linked to '90s pop culture, debuted in the '80s and quickly became one of the most popular comic book, cartoon, toy, and movie franchises of all time, defining what was tubular, awesome, and cool for a whole generation of kids.
Stranger Things is a modern throwback to the classic sci-fi movies and stories of the '80s, referencing Dungeons & Dragons, Ghostbusters, and many, many more of the series' own influences for a sort of all-in '80s setting where anything and everything that happened in the entire decade is fair game for inclusion to help build the story's nostalgic feel.
In other words, the building blocks of the TMNT x Stranger Things crossover make perfect sense.
Check out the best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics of all time.
