THUNDERCATS #8, by Dynamite Comics on 9/25/24, sends Tygra on a trip down the rabbit hole when a technical accident pits him against friends from the past and new enemies from the future.
Credits:
- Writer: Declan Shalvey
- Artist: Drew Moss
- Colorist: Martina Pignedoli
- Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
- Cover Artist: David Nakayama (cover A)
- Publisher: Dynamite Comics
- Release Date: September 25, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $4.99
- Page Count: 24
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of THUNDERCATS #8:
First Impressions:
Oof! Thundercats #8 is not particularly good. We love Thundercats, and we love Tygra as the focal point for this issue, but the ideas introduced don’t work when the execution is this clunky and confusing. Dynamite has a golden opportunity by picking up the Thundercats license, but opportunities are meaningless if you don’t use them well.
Plot Analysis:
When last we left WilyKit and WilyKat in Thundercats #7, the siblings decided to sneak out of the cat’s lair to go exploring. Unfortunately, an accidental fall in a mysterious part of the jungle led them to Mumm-Ra’s pyramid. Fearing they might get in trouble for venturing out on their own, the Kats decided to keep their discovery a secret for now.
In Thundercats #8, we begin with the Cat’s Lair under full construction. Tygra concocts a brilliant plan to move the dimensional doorway that leads to the pocket dimension containing the Treasures of Thundera to a new, permanent location with a new device. Unfortunately, Tygra’s calculations are slightly off, and he accidentally falls through the moving doorway and into the Treasure Room, where many doors are now open to locations and points in history for Thundera.
Declan Shalvey starts the issue with an intriguing setup, albeit with imperfect execution by Drew Moss. The room containing the Treasures of Thundera sits in a nexus of time and space, which opens up a plethora of storytelling opportunities, but the choreography of Tygra first falling into the doorway, then landing in an unknown wasteland, and back through one door into the Treasure room is poorly choreographed and visually confusing.
Tygra hears a noise from one of the Treasure Room’s doorways, so he finds a quiet perch and turns invisible. What Tygra sees next is King Claudus and Snarf from a point in the past entering the room at the moment Claudus gives Snarf the assignment to safeguard its contents. Suddenly, a hooded stranger who followed Tygra from the desert wasteland attacks Claudus, prompting Tygra to intervene in the fight. Halfway through the battle, Claudus demands everyone hide as they see another scene of Jaga escorting Mu’tant prisoners to Third Earth. When the pilgrimage finishes, the fight continues. Ultimately, Claudus and Tygra win, sending the hooded figure wearing tattered Thundercat robes fleeing.
What a clunky collection of plot developments. Declan Shalvey force-fits Jaga’s entrance and departure in the Treasure Room for no reason other than to inform Tygra about Third Earth’s status as a Thunderian prison. It would be a shocking revelation if we hadn’t already learned that secret two issues ago. Further, it makes no sense for the mysterious attacker to stop and hide simply because Claudus says so. This entire sequence is a mess.
The issue ends with Mumm-Ra reacting badly to the presence of power, Tygra holding his tongue for no obvious benefit, and Mu’Tants on the move.
Overall, Thundercats #8 continues the trend of a series with all the potential for success getting squandered by poor execution. In retrospect, there was no need to reboot the series, so the creative team’s efforts to forge a new path are turning out to be a less-good imitation of the original.
Artwork and Presentation:
Drew Moss’s art looks less bulky and blocky than the previous issue, which is a noticeable improvement, but the scene flow, transition, and movement choreography are a chaotic mess. Whatever Shalvey wrote in the script, either Moss is struggling to make sense of it or is translating it badly.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
Readers who are picking up this title for the first time and know the Thundercats name may wonder where this series sits alongside the different iterations of the Thundercats. Fundamentally, this series is a reboot of the original cartoon that builds the world at a slower pace and sprinkles in several smaller changes that may or may not be
consequential. In other words, this is a variant reboot, but the changes aren’t big.
Final Thoughts:
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THUNDERCATS #8 is another disappointing chapter in the series. Declan Shalvey introduces cool ideas and concepts, but the execution, both in the script and the art, is confusing and clunky. Maybe the folks working on Thundercats should ask the teams on Jonny Quest and Space Ghost what they’re doing right.
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