First appearing in the debut issue of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Shredder has remained one of the most iconic comic book villains for over 30 years. As a longtime fan favorite character, he returns in a new solo series from writer Dan Watters and illustrator Michele Bandini, featuring a fantastic new character design by Mateus Santolouco.

As a dark new power rises from the shadows of New York, so does a much darker power return to the city’s streets… for revenge. One of the most terrifying villains in the history of comics is back — and more deadly than ever!

Returned forever changed by a maddening ordeal beyond imagining, the Shredder is a man out of time, betrayed by all around him, without the Foot Clan, and quite possibly insane. When one of his former Foot prodigies forms their own rival clan with infernal designs on New York, a recovering Shredder must quest deep into the criminal underworld, where enemies both old and new will discover what defiance will bring them at the end of the Shredder’s blades.

TMNT: Shredder isn’t the villain’s first solo series, that distinction belongs to Mateus Santolouco’s TMNT: Shredder in Hell from 2019, but it does mark Oroku Saki’s first appearance in IDW Publishing’s latest Turtles relaunch. Shredder remains one of the coolest, badass, and most formidable characters in comics, and seeing him reintroduced into the universe was simply amazing.

This new Shredder series serves as both an introduction to Oroku Saki for those new fans reading Jason Aaron‘s TMNT run as well as building on the historic backstory of the character dating back to his debut in Mirage’s 1984 comic. This new series follows Oroku Saki on a revenge-fueled journey back to power with new meaning. Giving Shredder his own spotlight in a solo series allows Watters and Bandini to fully explore the character’s story, letting it breathe before he inevitably crosses paths with the Turtles once again.

Bandini’s artwork strikes a great balance between modern big-two polish and the gritty artwork we have expected from the TMNT universe for over three decades. Every page and each panel is filled with action, emotion, and the extreme weight of revenge. Santolouco’s new character design jumps off the page and the creative team smartly gives Oroku Saki the space to make his own choices in his look which is a fantastic way to debut his updated look. Seriously, one of my favorite parts of the premiere issue.

Dan Watters and Michele Bandini bring the legendary badass TMNT villain back in TMNT: Shredder #1, and it hits hard. With an outstanding new character design by Mateus Santolouco that both new and old fans of the character will enjoy, Oroku Saki is back for revenge and I’m all in.

TMNT: Shredder #1 hits local comic shops on August 27, 2025 from IDW Publishing.