Read our review of ThunderCats #1 from Dynamite, written by Declan Shalvey with art by Drew Moss, as the ThunderCats are on the loose.
We reviewed the book on the Stack podcast. But in the interest of highlighting more about the title, here’s a summary of the conversation with our thoughts. And if you prefer the longer audio version, that’s below as well!
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ThunderCats #1 Review:
The ThunderCats are back in a brand new, blockbuster comic that finds the ‘Cats heading to Earth 3 for the first time. But how does this new book hold up against the not-so-stellar reputation of the animated series?
Though host Pete LePage admitted the animated series was not so great, despite loving it as a kid, he did like this book — and the changes. In particular he thought the plot point of aging up Lion-O was interesting, though felt the issue “shortchanged” Panthro a bit.
Justin Tyler also loved the cartoon back in the day, but recognized that it didn’t hold up. However, he did think “there are things that are dope about ThunderCats, and they are translated very well to the book by the team here.” Tyler called out Moss’ artistic take on the Sword of Omens, and a scary Mumm-Ra as two aspects that worked in particular.
Speaking generally, Alex Zalben shouted out Declan Shalvey. “He’s really delineated himself as a writer separate from an artist and he’s doing a really good job here,” Zalben said. “Per what we’re talking about., ThunderCats is insane nonsense. The fact that he made this a coherent comic book over the course of the issue is a triumph in and of itself. Drew Moss’s art is very good for what you want here.”
While Zalben didn’t think this quite hits the heights of the similarly nostalgia-fueled Energon Universe at Image Comics, Tyler added, “Declan is slow playing it in a way where we’re going to really get there, to it being something dope. And I’m excited by that… I’m making fun of it, but ThunderCats is cool. This book is in a lot of people’s hands and I think it’s a good book to be in people’s hands.”
ThunderCats #1 Official Synopsis:
Fleeing through space to escape their dying home world, the ThunderCats were attacked en route by their mortal enemies, the Mutants of Plun-Darr. After diverting their damaged flagship to a planet called Third Earth, the surviving ThunderCats now strive to rebuild their society in harmony with the new world’s natives. But the Mutants, determined to possess the ThunderCats’ mystical gem, the Eye of Thundera, have tracked them down — and they’ve also forged an alliance with Mumm-Ra, the devil-priest of Third Earth!
Now the ThunderCats, led by an inexperienced Lion-O, must band together as never before to protect their legacy from this combined enemy. But will they be able to withstand the onslaught of Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living, once he sets his eyes upon them? The triple-threat talents (writers, artists, and ThunderCats superfans) of DECLAN SHALVEY and DREW MOSS join forces to bring this exciting new entry in the ThunderCats canon to life! This premier issue features 24 story pages as well as a host of the finest cover artists the galaxy has ever seen, including SHALVEY, DAVID NAKAYAMA, LUCIO PARRILLO, JAE LEE & JUNE CHUNG, and IVAN TAO!
