New Comics - 11/26/15

NOVEMBER 20, 2015
TRUE
-BELIEVER
WWW.TRUE-BELIEVER.NET
VOL. 3, NO. 17
A ‘Supernatural’ Family
.NET
Greetings, True Believers! It is
I, your magnanimous leader, back
once again to lay some knowledge
on you from beyond the computer
screen.
This
coming
week
is
Thanksgiving and that means
Black Friday sales are right
around the corner. Here’s some
suggestions on the best gifts for
the True Believers in your life.
Star Wars Battlefront: The
best Star Wars game ever made is
back and better than ever before.
With a new play scheme and more
customizable extras, this will
provide hours of enjoyment on
any platform. For the super fans,
the PS4 special edition comes
with the game and has Darth
Vader on the actual console. I’m
an XBOX fanboy and even I think
this is really awesome.
Halo 5: Guardians: The next
volume in the Halo saga brings
in a new Spartan, Locke, to track
down the Chief. It’s only available
on Xbox One and it’s worth it to
buy the console for this game.
Signed and Vintage Comics: A
great gift for the comics nerd in
your life, many comic shops have
been stocking up on their vintage
key issues for the coming holiday
season. I would reccommend
Infinity Gauntlet 1, Infinity
War 1, Strange Tales 126 (first
appearance of Dormammu),
Batman 181 (first appearance of
Poison Ivy) or Marvel Premiere
47 (first Scott Lang/Ant Man). All
of these are relative to upcoming
movies and rumors about casting,
but any key issue will do for the
collector.
Apple Watch: The expensive
but awesome Apple Watch will
make anyone feel like Tony Stark.
It connects to the iPhone, so
unless your special nerd has one
it may be useless. But for those
who are of the Apple persuasion,
this is a status symbol the way
the first iPhone was in 2007. It is
expensive, but really a great gift.
The One Ring: Always good for
the one you love. Giving a ring
can come with a lot of baggage
and meaning, but if you give The
One Ring To Rule Them All, the
ring bearer will have to keep it
secret, keep it safe. The meaning
of this ring is just an awesome
gift, unless you want it to be more.
Nerd themed winter clothing:
From Pikachu beanies and
TARDIS scarves to Winter
Soldier parkas and Cyclops ski
goggles, winter clothes are always
needed because apparently in the
summer winter coats migrate
south. I can never find the one
from last year and always end
up buying new ones. Save a loved
one a trip to the mall and get an
awesome Captain Cold coat for
the holidays.
Whichever one you choose, be
they listed here or from your own
mind, enjoy you holiday shopping
and stay safe. “South Park” got
it right in their Game of Thrones
episodes about Black Friday.
Winter is coming, and watch
out for the White Walker–esque
shoppers.
Until next time, True Believers,
Fight On!
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WEEKLY
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Theatre Scene
in LA
» PAGE 2
Photos by Charly SHELTON
Jared Padalecki (left) and Jensen Ackles talk with fans at the “Supernatural” convention.
By Mary O’KEEFE
“F
an”
has
had
some
negative
connotations over
the years, from obsessive to
lonely and, of course, “living in
your parents’ basement.” But
there is another side of “fan”
or “fandom” which those on the
outside rarely credit – it is the
feeling of belonging, of being
part of a huge family.
If there is one definition
that can define last weekend’s
“Supernatural” Convention in
Pasadena it would be “family.”
“You feel a closeness with the
people in the [Supernatural]
fandom,” said Kristin, a fan
at the convention. “It doesn’t
matter if I have had a [bad]
day…”
“It is the best therapy for
a [bad] day,” added Kathryn,
another fan.
“Supernatural” is a series
on the CW television network
that is now airing season 11.
The premise – Sam and Dean
Winchester are brothers who
are “carrying on the family
tradition” of hunting – hunting
demons, ghosts, witches and, in
some cases, angels or basically
anything that goes bump in the
night or in the daylight. Kind of
the Biblical and mythological
side of the “X-Files.”
Sam and Dean travel the
country putting themselves in
danger as they battle the big
evil, whatever that might be for
that season. But always at the
foundation is they will do what
1 Print
is-“Supernatural,” they were
like old friends. There did not
seem to be any fear, the type you
see in some press events with
other stars; it was just two old
friends giving updates to family
and friends. The questions were
less about their show than about
their children and what they
were doing for the holidays.
There were also moving
moments, like when a fan
thanked the stars for their
support through an incredibly
tough, emotional time. And
another fan who was in the
military
returning
from
deployment.
“You guys helped me get
through it,” she said.
“I have such respect for how
they treat their fans,” Kathryn
said. “I work in Hollywood. I
deal with talent every day and
have rarely seen talent give
back like this.”
Back in the day when the
mother of conventions, “Star
Trek,” was about the only
fandom in town, there was not
the Internet or Netflix. Fans
found out about the convention
and what was going on with
their favorite show through
newsletters, movie magazines
and actually talking to other
fans. With social media, those
discovering the show after it
started airing can catch up in
a couple of days, or weeks, and
melt in with all the longtime
fans.
see SUPERNATURAL
on next page
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NEW Variant 11-25-15
» PAGE 3
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they need to do to protect family.
And the stars, Jared Padalecki
and Jensen Ackles who play
Sam and Dean respectively,
travel the country to hit as many
fan conventions as possible.
“This is definitely my longest
running obsession,” Kristin
said. “I started watching it when
I was just shy of 13.”
She began watching because
Padalecki
had
previously
portrayed Dean on “Gilmore
Girls,” a very different type
of
television
show
from
“Supernatural.”
She started watching with
her father, and when he stopped
watching she continued.
“But this is my first con
[convention]. I don’t know why I
haven’t been to one before,” she
said.
This may be up for debate
but the modern fan convention’s
template is that of the “Star
Trek” convention. Series creator
Gene Roddenberry knew from
the beginning of the series that
fans were an important part of
the industry. He reached out to
them through conventions in the
1970s and that reach continues
today.
The stars of “Supernatural”
know the power of the fan as
well. Since season one they have
been out there with their fans,
which might explain the almost
eerie comfort they have with
those most ardent fans.
As they took the stage on
Sunday for the Gold Patron
audience, a group that spent
$699 for the weekend of all-that-
st
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Final Issue
NOVEMBER 20, 2015
SUPERNATURAL from Cover
Kathryn binge-watched the
series on Netflix and is as much
of a fan as Kristin who has
watched it from the beginning.
They both share the experience
of watching “Supernatural”
with other fans through texting
or fan chats.
Conventions are not cheap.
The Golden Patrons $699
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ticket included not just the
smaller theater venue but also
autographs, a Karaoke night, a
concert and reserved seats to all
venues. The tickets ranged from
a high of $699 to $50 for a one
day, one venue event.
So it is expensive – but can
you really put a price on family?
Fans, some dressed as the show’s characters, wait to receive their tickets.
PAGE 2
Theatre Scene in LA
By Steve ZALL and Sid FISH
Thanksgiving
with
its
family celebrations is fast
approaching, but not so fast
that you can’t get out to see
some of these great shows
around town this month, such
as:
Opening
“The Game’s Afoot or Holmes
for the Holidays” It’s Christmas
Eve 1936, and William Gillette
– the first actor to portray
the iconic Sherlock Holmes
on stage and in silent film –
recovers from a gunshot wound
inflicted during a performance.
Donning his Sherlock alter
ego, Gillette attempts to learn
the identity of his would-be
assassin and invites his cast
and a vituperative theatre
critic to his home for the
holidays. But during the
festivities, the theatre critic is
murdered, and the murderer
must be found out before he or
she strikes again. Written by
Ken Ludwig and directed by
Gene Franklin Smith, it runs
Nov. 6 through Dec. 13 at the
Theatre Palisades’ Pierson
Playhouse in Pacific Palisades.
For tickets, call (310) 454-1970
or visit www.theatrepalisades.
org.
“Prairie-Oke”
Largely
known for his viral video
spoofs of Chloe Sevigny,
Drew Droege was awarded
the Outfest Film Festival’s
Special Programming Award
for Emerging Talent and was
featured in OUT Magazine’s
Out 100. In 2012, Droege was
cited by LA Weekly as one of
Los Angeles’ Top 10 Comedy
Acts to Watch. He regularly
appears on stage, TV, and
film, and in the wildly popular
web series, “Hollywood Acting
Studio” and “Not Looking.”
Written and directed by Dane
Whitlock, it runs Nov. 6 through
Nov. 22 at the Cavern Club in
Silverlake. For tickets, visit
www.prairie-okethemusical.
brownpapertickets.com.
“The Shoplifters” When the
60-something Alma is caught
by a gung-ho security guardin-training stuffing a 16-oz.
rib eye steak under her skirt
at the supermarket where he
has just been hired, she and
her younger and decidedly
more traumatized accomplice
Phyllis are herded into the
backroom of the store, only to
have the novice guard quickly
be placed more on the defensive
than the offensive. Alma, who
admits she is “at the top of
her game” in the petty theft
business, immediately begins
to blast the young rookie for
his impertinence rather than
exhibiting
any
contrition,
reminding him that even
Prometheus stole fire from the
gods, and after all is said and
done, that didn’t turn out to
be such a bad thing. There’s
nothing in Dom’s training
manual that helps him deal
with the situation as the
chapter on what to do when
meat falls out of a customer’s
underwear seems to have
been omitted. Luckily, Dom
is confident he can rely on
the expertise of his colleague
Otto, the older security guard
who’s been showing him the
ropes. Unfortunately, that
lesson might still be hard to
come by, as Otto not only has
been watching Alma steal
from the market on a regular
basis without ever stopping
her, his professional duties are
compromised because he has
developed a massive crush on
her right through the monitor of
the store’s surveillance system.
Written by Morris Panych and
directed by Maria Gobetti, it
runs Nov. 6 through Dec.13
at the Big Victory Theatre
in Burbank. For tickets, call
(818) 841-5421 or visit www.
thevictorytheatrecenter.org.
“Timeshare” Tom is a writer
whose career has hit a slump.
To save his home and his
marriage, he takes a job as a
timeshare salesman. He’s not
exactly thrilled: He’s selling
a product, after all, that
people don’t actually need, to
contracts some of his customers
can’t comfortably afford. He’s
not great at this at first. He’s
distracted by backstabbing coworkers and the office hottie,
who is determined to seduce
him. He needs this job to work,
so he applies himself, telling
himself over and over again, “I
am a professional salesman, I
am a professional salesman.”
One day in the firm’s showroom,
a disgruntled customer pulls
out a gun and starts shooting.
It will take all of Tom’s charm
and newfound professional
selling skills to defuse the
situation and get himself,
his co-workers, and the other
customers through this alive.
Who will survive? Written and
directed by Steve B. Green, it
runs Nov. 6 through Dec.13 at
the Eclectic Company Theatre
in Valley Village. For tickets,
call (818) 508-3003 or visit
www.eclecticcompanytheatre.
org.
“A Year with Frog and
Toad” Onstage, the Caldecott
and Newbery award-winning
stories come to life in wonderful
ways – complete with foottapping music. Frog, Toad and
their friends plant a garden, fly
kites, swim in the pond and skip
rope with a large and terrible
frog. Or sometimes they just
like to settle down in a warm
house by the swamp and sip a
bowl of soup. This song-filled
year in the life of these two
charming woodland characters
has captivated children, adults
and critics alike. Written by
Willie Reale with music by
Robert Reale and directed by
Nick DeGruccio, it runs Nov. 6
through Nov. 22 at the South
Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa.
For tickets, call (714) 708-5555
or visit www.scr.org.
“’57 Chevy” Cris’ dad comes
from Mexico to the U.S.A.
legally – as a skilled mechanic
who can repair any car,
especially German cars like
Volkswagens. He saves his
money and pays cash for an
immaculate ’57 Chevrolet: a
thing of beauty, a work of art,
a masterpiece of engineering.
More than that, it is a
symbol: A symbol of American
excellence, a symbol of the hope
for a better future, enhanced
by a boundless optimism. On
a vacation from his job, Dad
drives to Mexico and collects
the rest of the Franco family.
Cris spends most of his early
childhood in South Central,
then a happy wonderland of
cultural diversity (from his very
young perspective). His father,
achieving upward mobility,
packs up the clan and moves
to the “Same Fernando Valley,”
where everything and everyone
is the same, except for the fact
that Cris is the only Mexican
boy in his new neighborhood.
He’s in for a culture shock. “’57
Chevy” takes the audience for a
ride as Cris grows up with his
sisters, his friends, his cousins,
his mom, but most especially
with his dad, who teaches his
son that “life is work and work
is life.” It’s a large and loving
family, and “’57 Chevy” is filled
with fun, warmth, wit and
humor, ensuring a feel-good
experience for the audience.
Written by Cris Franco and
directed by Valerie Dunlap, it
runs Nov. 7 through Dec. 6 at
the Los Angeles Theatre Center
in Los Angeles. For tickets, call
(866) 811-4111 or visit www.
thelatc.org.
“Just Imagine” transports
you to another place and time,
putting you “one on one” with
the musical legend who shook
the world. Experience Lennon’s
timeless musical genius as Tim
Piper takes you through John’s
life from tumultuous childhood
to worldwide pop music
superstar to groundbreaking
social icon that influenced
generations.
Written by Tim Piper with
music by Greg Piper and
directed by Steve Altman, it
runs Nov. 7 through Nov. 8 at
the El Portal Theatre in North
Hollywood. For tickets, call
(866) 811-4111 or visit www.
elportaltheatre.com.
“The Painted Rocks at
Revolver Creek” Aging farm
laborer Nukain has spent his
life transforming the rocks at
Revolver Creek into a vibrant
garden of painted flowers.
Now the presence of the final
unpainted rock, as well as his
young companion Bokkie, has
forced Nukain to confront his
legacy as an artist and a black
man in 1980s South Africa.
Written by Athol Fugard
and directed by Simon Levy,
it runs Nov. 7 through Dec.
14 at the Fountain Theatre in
Los Angeles. For tickets, call
(323) 663-1525 or visit www.
FountainTheatre.com.
“Reunion,
a
Musical
Comedy” For some of us, high
school was the best time of our
lives. But for many of us, it’s
hard to return there. For Elliot,
a neurotic but very successful
novelist, the searing memory
of his night at the school dance
when he lacked the courage to
see THEATRE
on next page
NOVEMBER 20, 2015
THEATRE from previous page
tell that special girl exactly how
he felt about her, still haunts
him. Now, years later, a twist
of fate has sent Elliot to his
high school reunion for a second
chance.
Written by Marc Ellis,
Michael Lange, David M.
Matthews, with music by Marc
Ellis, and directed by Kay Cole,
it runs Nov. 7 through Dec. 13 at
the NoHo Arts Center in North
Hollywood. For tickets, call
(323) 960-7773 or visit www.
Plays411.com/REUNION.
“Shrek
the
Musical”
Based on the Oscar-winning
DreamWorks Animation film,
“Shrek the Musical” is a Tony
Award-winning
fairy
tale
adventure that brings all the
beloved characters you know
from the film to life on stage.
In a faraway kingdom turned
upside down, things get ugly
when an unseemly ogre – not a
handsome prince – shows up to
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rescue a feisty princess. Throw
in a donkey that won’t shut up,
a villain with a short temper,
a cookie with an attitude and
over a dozen other fairy tale
misfits, and you’ve got the kind
of mess that calls for a real hero.
Luckily, there’s one on hand …
and his name is Shrek.
Written by David LindsayAbaire with music by Jeanine
Tesori, lyrics by David LindsayAbaire, and directed by Anne
Gesling, it runs Nov. 7 through
Dec. 12 at the Morgan-Wixson
Theatre in Santa Monica. For
tickets, call (310) 828-7519 or
visit www.morgan-wixson.org.
“Women w/o Walls” Pamela,
a spoiled and sheltered woman
from the Upper East Side,
steps onto her first New York
subway train and is confronted
by a nurse who quickly makes it
clear that all is not as it seems.
They are joined by the homeless,
deteriorating Inez, and a music-
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obsessed punk Tank. Gradually
through the course of an
increasingly fast journey from
the underworld of NYC to the
underworld of myth and legend,
the true realization of what this
journey entails dawns on them.
Each must find a way to fulfill
her destiny before the train
reaches its destination.
Written by Robin Rice Lichtig,
it runs Nov. 7 through Dec.12
at the Lounge Theatre in Los
Angeles. For tickets, visit www.
plays411.net/womenwowalls.
“Something’s Afoot” This
musical
murder
mystery
spoofs detective stories, most
particularly Agatha Christie’s,
“And Then There Were None”
(a.k.a. “Ten Little Indians”).
The play involves a group
of standard British mystery
characters
(the
Cockney
servants, the brash retired
military man, the imperious
dowager, the snoopy spinster,
the ne’er-do-well nephew, the
ingénue couple) who are invited
to the lake estate of Lord Dudley
Rancour. When the wealthy
lord is found dead, it’s a comical
race against the clock and some
outrageous booby traps to find
out whodunit.
Written by James McDonald,
David
Vos
and
Robert
Gerlach, with music by James
McDonald, David Vos, and
Robert Gerlach, with additional
music by Ed Linderman, and
directed by Catherine Rahm, it
runs Nov. 13 through Dec. 19
at the Westchester Playhouse
in Los Angeles. For tickets, call
(310) 645-5156 or visit www.
kentwoodplayers.org.
“Winter Dance Party” This is
the official live and authentic
re-creation of the final tour of
Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens
and the Big Bopper and the
only show endorsed by the
Holly, Valens and Richardson
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PAGE 3
estates. Each live concert
performance includes over two
hours of unbridled, high voltage
entertainment featuring all
the hit songs of the ’50s era:
“That’ll Be the Day,” “Peggy
Sue,” “Oh, Boy,” “Rave on,” “La
Bamba,” “Chantilly Lace,” and
many, many more. Starring
John Mueller as Buddy Holly,
Linwood Sasser as the Big
Bopper, and Ray Anthony as
Ritchie Valens.
Written by John Mueller,
it runs Nov. 13 through Nov.
15 at the El Portal Mainstage
Theatre in North Hollywood.
For tickets, call (818) 508-4200
or visit www.elportaltheatre.
com.
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NOVEMBER 20, 2015
The Shredder (Oroku Saki) is a
fictional character and primary antagonist of the Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles comics and all related media.
[1] At one point or another in every incarnation of the TMNT stories, he has
been the archenemy of Splinter and
the Turtles. He is also known as the
leader of the New York City branch of
the Foot Clan.
Shredder’s physical appearance
remains fairly consistent in most
incarnations of the character. Saki
is a muscular Japanese man, most
frequently seen in the “Shredder”
persona, wearing a suit of armor
vaguely based on that of a
samurai, sometimes with
a cape. The armor consists
of blade-covered metal
plaques on his shoulders,
forearms, hands (sometimes just his left hand,
because he is left-handed),
and shins; he wears a purple, gray, blue, or red robe
that variously appears to be simple
fabric or a form of chain mail. He also
tends to wear a metal helmet with a
trident-shaped ornament on top, and
a metal mask that covers his face,
leaving only his eyes visible. In later
incarnations he sometimes wears a
metal silver (Utrom Shredder), black
(Cyber Shredder/Demon Shredder),
red (Tengu) or blue (/2003/2007 action
figure/Tengu) suit of armor. In the
TMNT 2003 episodes Shredder (AKA
Oroku Saki) Was an Utrom (Red) and
was a universal wanted criminal that
built a machine that was a replicate
of the human body and put on almost
indestructible armor with the Kabuto
helmet and an orphaned daughter,
Karai.
Kevin Eastman got the idea for
Shredder’s armor from large trapezoidal cheese graters which he envisioned on a villainous character’s
(originally named “The Grater” or
“Grate Man”) arms. He then said,
“Could you imagine a character with
weapons on his arms like this?” While
Peter Laird suggested the name The
Shredder.[2] Although Shredder is often depicted as the main antagonist
in the Ninja Turtles franchise, it was
never the creators’ intention to be the
case in his original inception in the
Mirage Comics:
In truth, though many TMNT
fans who became fans via the first animated series see Shredder as a REALLY important part of an ongoing,
long-running battle with the Turtles,
I don’t think Kevin or I ever did. Yes,
he was an important part of their
history, and they probably would not
have come into existence without his
involvement in their world (or more
accurately Splinter’s world)... but
that’s about it. Other than bringing
Shredder back for “Return to New
York” (and the few issues preceding
that set that arc up), I never missed
him in any of the other TMNT books
I worked on.
Comics
Mirage and Image
In the original comic books from
Mirage Comics, Oroku Saki is the
younger brother of Oroku Nagi who
had been killed by a fellow ninja Hamato Yoshi (the owner of Splinter,
the Turtles’ mentor) in a feud over
a woman named Tang Shen resulting in Yoshi fleeing with Shen to the
United States.
WWW.TRUE-BELIEVER.NET
Angry at the death of his older
brother, Saki joined the Foot Clan
and trained to be a ninja. He quickly
became one of their deadliest warriors and rose up the ranks and was
chosen to lead the Foot’s American
branch. Operating in New York under
the name of The Shredder, Saki used
the opportunity to avenge his brother
by killing Yoshi and Shen. Under
Saki’s leadership, the Foot participated in variety of criminal activities,
including drug smuggling, arms running, and assassination.
Fifteen years later Saki was chal-
lenged by the Ninja Turtles, which
were the result of an accident exposing four ordinary turtles to radioactive waste. They were trained
by Yoshi’s pet rat Splinter, who had
also been mutated by the same substance, to avenge his former master.
After a lengthy rooftop battle where
Saki seemed to be winning, Leonardo
managed to plunge his sword through
Saki’s torso. Defeated, he was offered
the opportunity to commit seppuku
(ritual suicide), but Shredder refused
and detonated a thermite grenade, in
an attempt to take them with him to
his death. However, in the last second
Donatello used his bo to knock Shredder off the building to his death.
The Shredder returned on Christmas Eve seemingly resurrected with
an army of Foot Ninjas severely beating Leonardo and burning down the
apartment of the turtles’ ally April
O’Neil forcing them to go into hiding
outside the city. A year on in the story
“Return To New York” the turtles returned to settle the score with their
enemies. Leonardo faced off against
the Shredder alone, in which Saki revealed he was brought back to life by
a technique using worms feeding on
his body and recreating his cells to reform his body. In the battle, Leonardo
decapitates Saki, finally killing him,
and the four turtles burn his body at
the Hudson River.
Tales of the TMNT
In the second volume of the anthology series Tales of the Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles story “Worms
of Madness” it is shown that a few
weeks after the events of their final
battle the Shredder had yet another
resurrection of sorts when a Foot
mystic reactivated the worms; however, the mystic did not resurrect Saki
himself but the worm colony which
had gained sentience and retained
Saki’s memories and believing itself
to be Saki. The worms then went out
to find a new body and chose that of
a shark. After the Foot Kidnapped
Splinter, the turtles managed to engage the “Shredder-Shark” in battle
and defeating it by severing its connection to the mystic and the creature
realizing that it was not the real Saki.
The “Shredder-Shark” returned once
more kidnapping Casey’s adopted
daughter Shadow to lure the Turtles
into a trap. With the Turtles away, it
was up to Casey and Splinter to defeat it and rescue Shadow, finally kill-
PAGE 4
ing the creature.
Throughout a considerable part of
the Image comic series, Raphael tries
to impersonate Shredder by wearing
his armor. Following this, he is accepted as the leader of the Foot Clan.
In later issues of the series, a mysterious Lady Shredder appears to challenge Raphael. Although the book
was canceled before her identity could
be revealed, writer Gary Carlson confirmed after the fact that she was
meant to be Karai.[citation needed]
In Volume Four series, Leonardo
encounters Oroku Yoshi, a Battle
Nexus contestant wearing armor almost identical to that
of the second animated series’
Shredder. His connection to
Oroku Saki and the Foot is not
known, since the bi-monthly
comic was ultimately cancelled
in 2010.
Archie Comics
The Archie Comics’ series use the
same background as the 1987 cartoon, as the first issues are identical.
Later in the Archie comics, Shredder
travels to the future and works with
Armaggon and Verminator X to offset
the skill and experience of the future
versions of the Turtles.
This version of the character was
more in line with the early episodes’
depiction of the character as a cunning adversary and in many issues
nearly proves to be a lethal enemy,
coming close to defeating the turtles
on a number of occasions, and even
aids Armaggon and Verminator X in
the defeat and capture of two of the
turtles in the future. His final fate
within the Archie comics series remains unknown, though a three-part
mini-series put out by Archie comics
after the end of their regular comic
series seems to indicate he remains a
consistent foe to the turtles for many
years, briefly restoring Splinter to the
form of Hamato Yoshi and also undoing Michaelangelo’s mutation, though
both later revert to mutant status by
the end of the story, while Shredder
was left in a vegetative state in the
aftermath of his final battle with the
Turtles.
IDW Publishing
In feudal Japan, Oroku Saki was
a high-ranking member of the Foot
Clan along with Hamato Yoshi. While
Yoshi focused on his family, Saki
surpassed him and was promoted to
Jonin (leader) of the Foot.[6] After an
argument on his style of leadership,
Saki sent ninja to murder Yoshi’s
wife, Tang Shen, and later Yoshi and
his four sons.
With the help of Kitsune, Saki
steals regenerative ooze from an
Utrom known as “The Iron Demon”
(later revealed to be Krang himself[7])
which is used to preserve his body until he is awakened by his descendant
Oroku Karai several centuries later
in modern-day New York.[8] During
his time in stasis, his spirit conquered
the realm of the Afterlife, where he
learned he was destined to rule the
earth world and eventually return to
the Afterlife as a lost soul. Knowing
the future, he vows to change it by
conquering the realm of the Afterlife
upon his return.[9]
Shredder first appears in Microseries #1 and in full costume on the
Real Name: Oroku Saki
Current Alias: Shredder, Ch’rell, Shred Head, Super Shredder, Utrom Shredder, Cyber Shredder, Shredhead, Metal
Mouth, Bucket Head, Tin Teeth, Bucket Breath, Metal
Head, Tengu Shredder, Master Shredder, Takeshi Tatsuo
Affiliation: The Foot Clan
Status
Alignment: Bad
Identity: Secret Identity
Race: Human
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: Evil Master
Martial Artist
Characteristics
Gender: Male
Height: 6’ 8”
Eyes: Black
Hair: Black
Origin
Universe: New Earth
Place of Birth: Japan
Creators: Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird
First Appearance:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1
(May 1984)
http://www.comicvine.com/shredder/4005-42406/
final page of issue #9. Dan Duncan
first designed Shredder with input
from Mateus Santolouco and Kevin
Eastman; originally wanting to depict
a “beefy...monster” he decided to simplify the design and slimmed down
the character based on the original
Mirage design.[10]
Seeking control in his forthcoming battle for power, Shredder offers Splinter a place in his army but
Splinter refuses, revealing himself to
be a reincarnated Hamato Yoshi.[11]
Saki then reveals his own identity
and attacks Splinter, almost killing
him when the Turtles arrive to rescue their father.[12] Impressed by
Leonardo, he orders his capture[13]
and conducts a plan involving kidnapping and stabbing Casey Jones.[14]
Shredder then has Kitsune brainwash Leonardo to become his new
Chunin (second-in-command)[15] and
uses him for a show of strength to the
criminal underworld. After the Turtles rescue Leonardo, Shredder calls a
meeting with Krang and proposes an
alliance in exchange for Utrom technologies, which Krang rejects. A short
battle results in retreat on both sides
and the revelation that Shredder had
stolen some Utrom resources from
Krang’s compound to begin creating a
mutant army.[7]
In Issue #50, Shredder faced Splinter and the turtles in a final battle
which he lost and briefly admitted his
faults and also making Karai the new
head of the Foot Clan. He was then
killed by Splinter by having his sword
slashed into the back of his head. Killing him instantly.