It’s safe to say that the new creative team of writer Gene Luen Yang and artist Freddie E. Williams II is off to a flying start with the first issue of IDW Publishing’s flagship series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, after the explosive reveal that the mysterious new enemy Maggot is Master Splinter, the recently revived rodent teacher from Heroes in a Half Shell. As it turns out, the creators have more surprises in store for the IDW TMNT series.
Readers may remember that in an interview at the end of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #13, Yang hinted that “characters from Season 4 of the 2012 TMNT comic” would appear in the IDW TMNT universe. With today’s release of TMNT #14, fans discovered the true identity of the character teased by Yang. Read on for spoilers!
A strange black cat chases the Turtles throughout this issue. Towards the end of the story, in the aftermath of a fierce battle, Cat approaches Karai, Shredder’s descendant and current leader of the Foot Clan, and reveals herself to be none other than the kunoichi and witch known as the Shinigami!
First appearing in the season 4 episode “City at War” and voiced by Gwendoline Yeo, Reaper is an ally of Karai from Japan who travels to New York City to help a longtime friend reclaim the Foot Clan from the Shredder. As longtime readers of IDW’s TMNT comics know, the Foot clan is no stranger to dabbling in magic and sorcery, with the shape-shifting sorcerer fox playing a key role in the formation of the ancient ninja clan. It’s worth speculating that the IDW version of the Grim Reaper may be related to the fox in some way.
The Beat is proud to exclusively reveal the Grim Reaper character design art by Soo Lee. Fans will note that the manga version of Shinigami retains the anime version of Shinigami’s iconic witch’s hat, trademark crescent blade and kusarigama weapons. For comparison, check out Ciro Nieli’s animated character design sheet for the Grim Reaper and below.
Incorporating the Grim Reaper into this story was a no-brainer for the creative team, as writer Gene Luen Yang explained:
“For those who don’t know, Reaper is a fan-favorite villain in the 2012 TMNT comic series. She’s powerful, scheming, and a true shapeshifter, but Freddy and I want readers to get a glimpse of her humanity before the story ends. She’s a cool, creepy ninja and witch, perfect for a story about the land of the underworld, the land of the dead!”
Character designer Soo Lee talked about how he adapted the character to the IDW TMNT universe:
“When I was given the opportunity to design a character for TMNT, I was honestly very excited because it’s not every day you get the chance to put your thumbprint in the world of the legendary Turtles. Reaper is a character who has appeared once before, so I wasn’t creating an entirely new character, but I feel like it gave me the great honor of completely revamping this cool villain. Who could say no when you describe her as a hypnotic cat witch?!”
She added:
I wanted to create a vibrant character that people old and new could look at and think, “Oh, that’s cool.” So I did my best to make her pop and visually memorable. I hope people show her some love!”
IDW Group Editor Jake Thomas teased what’s to come.
“The Grim Reaper is making a big appearance in the IDW Universe, as any ninja witch with a penchant for the dramatic should be! Fans of the 2012 TMNT comics will be excited to see some interesting new wrinkles in the Grim Reaper and his relationship with Karai (and a cool new design by Sue Lee!) And readers who aren’t familiar with her will discover a new favorite character. She’s coming for the Turtles (and fans) are totally unprepared!”
To that end, The Beat is also pleased to reveal the cover of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #17, which shows fans can look forward to an encounter between the Foot Clan’s new recruits and Clan Hamato. Check it out below.
Cover A: Freddie E. Williams III Cover D: Sue Lee Cover RI (1:75): Sweeney Boo
Something like this:
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