ThunderCats #1

History

The series was announced at New York Comic Con in October 2023 as the lead title in Dynamite's newly signed licensing deal with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products — a partnership that also included plans for The Flintstones, The Powerpuff Girls, Space Ghost, and Jonny Quest. Writer Declan Shalvey, best known to comics readers for his celebrated artwork on Moon Knight and his writing on Alien and Old Dog, was tapped alongside artist Drew Moss (Gargoyles: Dark Ages) and letterer Jeff Eckleberry to helm the series; both Shalvey and Moss publicly described themselves as childhood fans of the property, with Moss noting the offer prompted the 'eight-year-old inside of him to do a backflip.' David Nakayama's Cover A image was selected by Diamond Comic Distributors to headline their November 2023 catalog for February releases, and the roster of variant cover artists — including Lucio Parrillo, Jae Lee & June Chung, Ivan Tao, and Rob Liefeld on the second print — underscored the commercial ambition behind the launch.

Trivia · 10 facts

• Published February 7, 2024 by Dynamite Entertainment; written by Declan Shalvey, drawn by Drew Moss, lettered by Jeff Eckleberry.
• Story titled 'Arrival' — takes a year-one approach, depicting the ThunderCats' earliest days on Third Earth, including Lion-O's first use of the Sword of Omens and the previously unexplored story of his stasis pod malfunction that aged his body to adulthood while his mind remained young.
• First issue in a Dynamite/Warner Bros. Discovery licensing partnership that made ThunderCats the flagship title of a new WBD-licensed comics line at Dynamite.
• Exceeds 100,000 advance orders before Final Order Cutoff; total orders surpass 180,000 copies, prompting both a second and a third printing — the latter described by Dynamite as a true rarity for the publisher.
• Second printing featured a Rob Liefeld cover progressing from pencils through ink to final color; third printing featured a new David Nakayama cover with Lion-O.
• Key story beat: Slithe's attack shatters the blade of the Sword of Omens, and Mumm-Ra senses the Eye of Thundera's energy while receiving counsel from the spirit of Jaga — establishing the series' central conflicts.
• Carries 12 or more cover variants on initial release (Cover A through Cover L plus convention exclusives), including foil, virgin, action figure, blank authentix, and retailer-incentive editions.
• The series ran 10 issues in its first arc before expanding; issues #1–5 were collected as ThunderCats Vol. 1: Omens in hardcover and trade paperback editions, with a Direct Market exclusive single-printing variant also produced.
• Directly spawned the ThunderCats: Cheetara spin-off (announced April 2024, creative team Soo Lee and Domenico Carbone) and the ThunderCats: Apex one-shot (written by Ed Brisson), leading to a broader 'ThunderVerse' at Dynamite.
• Represents the first new ThunderCats ongoing comic since WildStorm/DC's five-miniseries run concluded in 2004, and only the third publisher to hold the ongoing comics license after Marvel/Star Comics (1985–1988) and WildStorm (2002–2004).

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