It’s no exaggeration to say that the new creative team of writer Gene Luen Yang and artist Freddie E. Williams II began their first issue of IDW Publishing’s flagship Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ongoing series with a bang after the explosive reveal that the mysterious new foe Ujigami is in actuality the Heroes in a Half Shells’ recently resurrected rodent sensei, Master Splinter. As it turns out, the creators have even more surprises up their sleeves for the IDW TMNT series.
Readers may recall in an interview in the back of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #13, Yang hinted that “a character from season 4 of the 2012 TMNT cartoon” would be appearing in the IDW TMNT universe. With the release of TMNT #14 today, fans discovered the identity of the character teased by Yang. Read on for spoilers!
Throughout the issue, a strange black cat follows the Turtles. Towards the end of the story, in the aftermath of a fierce battle, the cat approaches Karai, progeny of The Shredder and current leader of the Foot Clan, revealing herself to be none other than the kunoichi and witch known as Shinigami!
First appearing in the fourth season episode “City at War” and voiced by Gwendoline Yeo, Shinigami is an ally of Karai from Japan who traveled to New York City to aid her longtime friend in taking back the Foot Clan from Shredder. As longtime readers of IDW’s TMNT comics are well aware, the Foot Clan is no stranger to dabbling in magic and witchcraft, with the shapeshifting sorceress Kitsune playing a crucial role in the formation of the ancient ninja clan. It’s worth speculating that the IDW version of Shinigami may be connected to Kitsune in some way.
The Beat is proud to exclusively unveil Shinigami character design art by Soo Lee. Fans will note that the comics version of Shinigami retains the iconic witch hat and trademark crescent blades and kusarigama weapons as her animated counterpart. Check it out below as well as the Shinigami’s animated character design sheet from Ciro Nieli for comparison.
Incorporating Shinigami into this story was a no-brainer for the creative team as writer Gene Luen Yang explained:
“For those who don’t know, Shinigami is a fan favorite villain from the 2012 TMNT cartoon series. She’s powerful and conniving, a real shapeshifter, but Freddie and I hope to give readers a glimpse of her humanity before the story arc is over. She’s equal parts cool and creepy – ninja and witch – a perfect fit for a tale about Yomi-no-Kuni, the Land of the Dead!”
Character designer Soo Lee discussed how she adapted the character for the IDW TMNT universe:
“When I was given a chance to design a character for TMNT I was honestly very excited since it’s a rare opportunity for me to put my thumbprint in the legendary Turtles universe. Shinigami is a character that was shown once before so I wasn’t creating a brand new character exactly, but it does feel that way because they gave me the big honor of completely revamping this cool villain. Who can say no when they described her as a hypno cat-witch?!”
She added:
I wanted to create a vibrant character for the readers, old and new, to see her and think ‘oh that’s cool.’ So I went kind of all out on making her pop and visually memorable. I hope people show her some love!”
IDW Group Editor Jake Thomas teased what’s to come:
“Shinigami makes her entrance into the IDW universe in a big way, as any ninja witch with a penchant for the dramatic should! Fans of the 2012 TMNT cartoon will see some fun new wrinkles on Shinigami and her relationship with Karai (and a cool new design by Soo Lee!), and readers unfamiliar with her will have a new favorite character to discover. Gene and Freddie have some crazy exciting plans for her. She’s coming for the Turtles in a way they (and fans) are completely unprepared for!”
To that end, The Beat also has the pleasure of revealing covers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #17 indicating that fans can look forward to an encounter between the Foot Clan’s newest recruit and Clan Hamato. Check them out below.
