The ThunderCats comic book saga raises the stakes — and the swords — this May with the start of the fabulous fourth story arc of the flagship series, from Dynamite Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products.
Tireless talents Declan Shalvey (Mystique, The Terminator) and Drew Moss (Gargoyles: Dark Ages) pull out all the stops starting in ThunderCats #16 with a series of Third Earth-shattering revelations and a major level up for the titular feline warriors. In the preceding storyline, the ‘Cats were met with both significant discovery and tragic loss.
“The first year of bringing ThunderCats back to comics, to old fans and new, has been a thrilling experience,” said writer Declan Shalvey. “It’s been a privilege for myself and Drew Moss to establish a new mythos for these characters in comics, and seeing it build out into new and exciting connected series like SilverHawks and ThunderCats Lost. Now the playing field for our series is bigger and bolder, our characters face greater challenges requiring a new innovation: The Knights of Thundera.”
Their traditional leader of Lion-O is missing in action, motivating Cheetara to step up and take the mantle. The mysterious new character to this series (first appearing in #2) Calica has returned. Tygra has crafted a new metal alloy christened Thundore and outfitted the team with armored suits, which Panthro now requires in order to walk following his injuries at the hands of Mumm-Ra. And when another unexpected character crashes the party in Bengali, last seen in companion series ThunderCats Lost, tensions flare.
In spite of all these curveballs and uncertainties, the ThunderCats begin a new era on their newfound home of Third Earth, establishing the Knights of Thundera, to be a more proactive security force hunting down and crippling their enemies. Each new knight is equipped with a fearsome new sword, all matched to their characterization and existing fighting styles and designed by Drew Moss, alongside their new armors.
With their offensive and defensive capabilities upgraded, that won’t stop forces from continuing to clash and lay siege to them. The question remains, will this new incarnation of the team be able to deal with what comes next?
This next story arc and perfect opportunity to jump right into the franchise is complemented by a set of stunning covers from Shalvey and Moss, as well as Lucio Parrillo, Jae Lee, and Manix Abrera.
