Fans who grew up with the original ThunderCats cartoon have a new reason to shout the battle cry. Dynamite Entertainment is launching ThunderCats '85, an ongoing comic series that brings back the heroes exactly as they looked in the 1985 animated show.
Writer and artist George Kambadais is behind the new book, and the first issue skips the warm-up entirely by pitting the whole team against Mumm-Ra. Issue #1 lands in comic shops on January 6, 2027.
The Cartoon That Started It All
Before getting into the comic, it is worth remembering why the 1985 version still has such a hold on fans. The original ThunderCats series was produced by Rankin/Bass, the studio also known for its holiday specials, and it quickly became one of the biggest animated hits of the decade.
The show followed the last survivors of the planet Thundera as they crash-landed on Third Earth. Young Lion-O became their leader, wielding the Sword of Omens and its Eye of Thundera, while Tygra, Panthro, Cheetara, the twins WilyKit and WilyKat and the ever-loyal Snarf filled out the team. Standing against them was Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living, the undead sorcerer who could transform into a far more powerful form from inside his black pyramid.
The theme song, the animation style and the iconic transformation sequences turned the show into a staple of '80s after-school TV. The franchise has been revisited several times since, including a 2011 animated reboot and the more comedic ThunderCats Roar in 2020, but the original version remains the one most fans picture when they hear the name.
How ThunderCats '85 Recreates The Classic Look
That original version is exactly what Dynamite is chasing. The publisher's solicitation promises that Kambadais "takes you back to the start, in a stunningly realized vision of the classic THUNDERCATS from 1985! Every panel on every page is absolutely packed with non-stop action!"
The cover art released so far leans into that cartoon energy. One of the reveals is a bright team shot with the full 1985 lineup posing together, and Snarf has a front-row spot. The covers are drawn by Kambadais, Drew Moss, Craig Rousseau and Federico Mele.
Kambadais has a strong track record with animation-inspired comics. He has worked on Dynamite's Gargoyles books alongside the show's creator Greg Weisman, drew the publisher's SilverHawks series, and has contributed to Dynamite's Lilo and Stitch titles. His clean, expressive style feels like a natural match for a book that wants to look like a lost episode of the cartoon.
He is also writing the series himself, so the story, the pacing and the art all come from the same person.
Mumm-Ra Takes Center Stage In Issue #1
Dynamite's pitch for the first issue is about as simple as it gets. After opening with "Thunder...Thunder...THUNDERCATS...HOOOOOOOOO!!", the solicitation calls the book "the ultimate, absolute, pulse-pumping, heart-pounding, adrenaline-jangling comic OF ALL TIME!!" and wraps up with "It's MUMM-RA VS. THE THUNDERCATS!!"
Putting the main villain front and center right away fits the structure of the original show, where Mumm-Ra was the constant threat hanging over almost every episode. It also gives Kambadais the chance to draw the character's famous transformation and the full team in action from the very first issue.
The issue runs 32 pages with cardstock covers and is priced at $4.99. Dynamite has not shown any interior pages yet.
Where It Fits In Dynamite's ThunderCats Comics
ThunderCats '85 will run alongside Dynamite's main ThunderCats ongoing from writer Greg Pak and artist David Cousens. That series is a bigger reimagining of the property, bringing the SilverHawks onto Third Earth and giving Lion-O a wilder, more feral edge.
The '85 book is a separate take that keeps the cartoon designs and the cartoon tone. Dynamite is also publishing a Cheetara solo series from Saladin Ahmed and Andrea Ancari, so fans of the franchise will soon have several very different versions of the team to choose from.
With a live-action ThunderCats film still in development and a growing lineup of comics, the franchise is in a busier spot than it has been in years. For longtime fans of the animated series, though, a book designed to look and feel like the 1985 show is likely to be the one they reach for first.
ThunderCats '85 #1 arrives on January 6, 2027.
Which version of the ThunderCats is your favorite, the original 1985 cartoon or one of the later reboots like the 2011 series and ThunderCats Roar?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.