Chris Cooper reviews the final entry in IDW’s ‘Villains’ series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Villains Micro-Series #8 – Shredder…
“The Turtles’ greatest foe closes out the Villain Micro-series! A man of endless ambition, Oroku Saki harbors many secrets. This story delves into Shredder’s inner mind to reveal the demons he’s hidden from everyone. Will Shredder be his own undoing?”
I must admit to some trepidation upon reading this issue. The micro-series has been strong overall, but this is Shredder. He’s the big bad that everyone knows. Could it really give us something we didn’t already know? Even then would we care?
Paul Allor uses this opportunity to look at both the past and future of the Turtles’ nemesis, giving us a look at his psyche and just how far he is prepared to go. Happily worries of Saki being turned into a somehow sympathetic monster – a plague that was corrupted many an evil so and so – are unfounded.
But he isn’t without his secrets, and it’s very interesting to see how someone of his power and skill deals with knowledge that many would find debilitating. I’ve enjoyed all the interactions with Shredder so far in the IDW run, and this is no exception. His tenacity and strategic thinking are striking, sizing up opponents quickly in the heat of battle. This skill is matched only by what I see as ego. He has never been fully beaten and this has merged with his already strong sense of entitlement to make a very dangerous man.
It’s good to see Dan Duncan back on art duties after he started the series off so impressively over two years ago. The action is entertaining and easy to follow, though the strongest aspect I found was the facial expressions. There are also some wonderful looking splashes of colour that match the mood of each panel superbly. Kudos to Ian Herring.
Overall this issue is a fitting conclusion to the villains series. Giving us a view on a character we didn’t have before, whilst looking forward to the future.
Chris Cooper
Originally published December 3, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
