‘ThunderCats’ #1 Goes To The Press AGAIN For Third Printing
by Erik Amaya
You can’t keep a good ThunderCat down.
Dynamite announced Tuesday that ThunderCats #1 will be going back to the presses for a third printing — a true rarity for the company. Having sold over 180,000 copies in initial orders last month, the second run was meant to offer fans the opportunity to own a copy in the event they missed it before. As an added incentive, it featured a unique take on Rob Liefeld‘s cover which transitions from pencils, to ink and final color. It sold out, so the publisher decided to on another run with a cover from David Nakayama featuring Lion-O, as seen below:
Virgin and foil variants will also be offered. Orders for the third printing will be due by March 18th, along with the third issue.
The series, one of the first in the company’s partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, is a fresh take on the classic animated series from writer Declan Shalvey and artist Drew Moss. Fleeing the destruction of their homeworld, Thundera, the ‘Cats find refuge (and danger) on Third Earth. There, young Lion-O — now aged into the body of a grown man thanks to a malfunctioning cryo-sleep chamber — must quickly learn to be the team’s leader as he is the only one who can wield the Sword of Omens and harness the powerful Eye of Thundera within its hilt. No easy task for someone with 20+ years of maturity, let alone someone who went into deep sleep as a pre-teen.
When Shalvey talked to our own Anton Kromoff, he said, “the tone could be described as a slightly darker, more grounded take on the characters.” Although not grimdark, it will confront the trauma from escaping Thundera and the difficulties in establishing a new home with, of course, “a lot of kicking and punching to come along with it.” Add to that the ThunderCat’s old enemies, the Mutants of Plun-Darr, and Third Earth’s own ancient evil, Mumm-Ra, and you get a book promising to deliver on the animated series’ creepier moments.
Dynamite also expects the first printing of ThunderCats #2 to sell out soon. The issue will introduce a new Thunderian character, Calica, who may or may become a ‘Cat herself and/or a love interest for Lion-O. The second issue hits shelves this week, alongside the second printing of ThunderCats #1. The third printing of the first issue will be available alongside ThunderCats #3 on April 10th.
