The first and most iconic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles villain, Oroku Saki aka Shredder, is making his terrifying return this summer and he wants one thing: revenge.
IDW Publishing has announced TMNT: Shredder, a thrilling new comic book series from celebrated writer Dan Watters (Batman: Dark Patterns) and rising star artist Michele Bandini (Spider-Man: City at War), featuring primary covers and a fearsome new character design by fan-favorite TMNT artist Mateus Santolouco.
Prepare for the rags-to-revenge story of the ultimate ronin. Returned forever changed by a maddening ordeal beyond imagining, betrayed by all around him, and no longer with the Foot Clan, Shredder will quest deep into New York’s criminal underworld as a former protege has formed their own rival clan with sinister plans for the city. In his deadly mission for vengeance, enemies both old and new will brutally discover what defiance will bring them at the end of the Shredder’s blades.
“The bad guys always have the best stories, and Shredder is no exception,” said Watters. “This story is Shredder on a quest of revenge – rejecting the gods and allegiances he’s made over his long and storied history, reminding New York exactly why it feared him so much – and why it should do so again. This is the kind of character I love to write. Driven, ruthless, and crawling his way back to the top with a new purpose. This is going to be a hell of a ride.”
“I’m from the ‘80s, so I grew up with TMNT and I always wished to have the chance to work on one of their books since I was little kid. Yup, I wanted to be a comic book artist since I was five years old, and my favourite characters have always been the fun-loving Michelangelo and the ruthless ninja master, Shredder,” remarked Bandini. The artist added, “A revenge story with one of the coolest characters ever created? I can’t wait to see Shredder get back what he deserves: the crown of the deadliest villain New York has ever seen!”
“TMNT: Shredder was the new title I was most eager to develop when I took the TMNT job,” stated Senior Editor Andy Khouri. “Shredder is unquestionably one of the coolest, most fearsome and iconic villains in the history of American comics, and the time is right to take him back to those sinister roots. Dan Watters was the only writer I approached about the project. His bibliography – which includes characters like Batman and Lucifer, as well as his own innovative indie comics – reads like a training manual for how to write about Shredder, a character as steeped in mysticism as he is in blades and blood.” Khouri continued, “Dan’s story is at once a back-to-basics approach that welcomes the new readers of Jason Aaron’s historic TMNT run while building on the indelible backstory of IDW’s version of this classic character.”
“Working with Dan on this dark and mysterious new tale is Michele Bandini, a rising star in our industry,” commented Khouri. “Michele’s stunning cover artwork is just a taste of the passion and creativity he’s bringing to the project. Synthesizing comic book traditions from America, Europe and Asia, TMNT: Shredder will stand next to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as one of the most gorgeous books on sale this year.”
TMNT: Shredder #1 is on sale Wednesday, August 13 with a pre-order deadline of Monday, July 7. In addition to Santolouco’s striking cover, the debut issue will also feature jaw-dropping variants by series artist Bandini, Kael Ngu, Dike Ruan, Stjepan Šejić, a black & white version of Ngu’s cover, a foil version of Santolouco’s cover, and a sketch variant.
Visit a comic shop near you to pre-order this must-read TMNT comic and other comics from the line. To find a comic shop, check out comicshoplocator.com.
