Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder in Hell 2 page 11 by Mateus Santolouco

My very first page by this super talented artist. Mateus has been doing truly great work on the TMNT franchise for years but his miniseries Shredder in Hell was truly spectacular and the best work of his career to this point. I would recommend it for the art alone (the story is enjoyable but maybe too involved in TMNT lore to enjoy as a stand-alone casual reading).

I picked this up from Cadence during the end of the year sale as those pages were pricey to begin with. I'd had my eyes on a page for some time and still procrastinated to the point of discovering it sold during the sale. While I was (deservedly) bummed I discovered that my first choice actually didn't feature Shredder but another character so this second choice was probably the best one after all. Because yes, I wanted one with the title villain on it.

And what a spectacular action page !

You really get a handful of Mateus' Manga & Anime influences on this one.

The first out of border panel is a nice introduction to the page whose rhythm will rapidly increase. Plus, you get some Shredder claws action. You will note that, much like Tim Vigil's Faust, he only has two. It seems to me like all the independent creators not managing to shy away from their Wolverine influence during the 80s had to limit their characters with two claws in order to kill their daddy-Wolvie that is. But I digress.

On the second panel , you think « ok, he's killed his old master » one of the many clichés permeating Asian geek culture.

Then the third panel is the big surprise as he is not dead! Shredder's face is priceless as this is a warrior not easily shocked. All the speed lines really enhance the intensity of his realization.

This panel begins what I perceive as a huge homage to Akira (for the gruesome body transformation). You will note that the old master's teeth are already begin to morph into fangs on this one as compared with his regular set of teeth in the previous one. A nice touch.

The fourth panel is obviously the money shot with the horribly mutated monster holding Shredder in his deadline embrace. The tilted position of Shredder truly enhances the fact that he is destabilized by his foe's change of appearance and mass.

The firth panel is actually my favorite. The radiating eyes are fantastic and the angle and mutated meat around his head really go back to Akira (when Kaneda is inside a growing and crushing Tetsuo).

Then we get to witness Shredder's newfound powers (inside this dream-like realm?) in a spectacular way. By choosing a faraway angle, Mateus could use tons of great inky speed lines that make for a dynamic explosion.

In the last panel, we refer back to a slower rhythm paralleling the first one in a tangential way in terms of composition.

A busy 7 panels page whose clever construction makes for a very fluid storytelling and easy read on the eye. The use of panel inserts/shapes and the gutters is no stranger to it.

The many media used on the page make for a fabulous piece of art to witness in person.

What an artist !