IDW Publishing has announced that the iconic TMNT villain Shredder is set to take centre stage for his very own solo comic series launching this August with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder from writer Dan Watters (Batman: Dark Patterns) and artist Michele Bandini (Spider-Man: City at War).
“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,” added Bandini. “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.”
“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,” Khouri continued. “Working with Dan on this dark and mysterious new tale is Michele Bandini, a rising star in our industry. 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.”
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.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder #1 will go on sale on August 13th 2025.
