Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder in Hell #1
Publisher: IDW
Story: Mateus Santolouco
Pencils: Mateus Santolouco
Colors: Marcelo Costa & Mateus Santolouco
Letters: Shawn Lee
Cover: Mateus Santolouco
Several years ago, a rivalry that spanned generations had finally come to an end with the final battle between Hamato Yoshi and Oroku Saki. Fast forward to now and the fates aren’t done with the former master of the Foot Clan as Mateus Santolouco takes us on a supernatural journey to find out what Hell has in store for Shredder!
If you didn’t read the arc that led to Shredder’s demise, Santolouco brings you up to speed with a gorgeous double page flashback. From here, Saki’s journey truly begins and more about the long rumored Dragon god is brought to the forefront during a confrontation between Shredder and the first leader of the Foot, Takeshi Tatsuo. It’s over pretty fast however it’s an important moment that Santolouco lays out fairly well. With plenty of exposition throughout the issue the highlight is the relationship between Splinter and Shredder. He’s the only one here who is attempting to get his friend to see the truth for no other reason than he actually cares. It’s emotional beats like these that are hit perfectly and add so much depth to the Splinter/Shredder conflict that goes beyond your basic good vs evil conflict. By the time the issue wraps you’re on the edge of your seat and impatiently waiting for the next issue.
Santolouco’s artwork has always been a high point in visual storytelling and you will have a hard time not just staring at his panels over and over again. The opening flashback sequence told in panels that are Kitsune’s brushstrokes is just a brilliant way to start things off. It not only gives weight to the scene but also Kitsune herself as a character. The various creature designs are done well and as usual Santolouco pulls off some stunning martial art sequences. His characters are also quite expressive to the point where I was thinking in some panels he didn’t even need dialogue because he was moving things along quite well visually. Also if you’ve wanted to know what Hell versions of the Ninja Turtles look like then you’ll be quite happy with the last page. Marcelo Costa assists with colors here and the two of them end up making Shredder in Hell visually stunning.
Shredder in Hell feels like it’s leading to something huge in the mythos and whether you’re a longtime TMNT fan or newer, this is a story that should be at the top of your read pile.
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