The ThunderCats are heading back to where it all started. Dynamite Entertainment has announced ThunderCats '85, a brand new ongoing comic series that returns Lion-O and his team to the look and feel of the classic 1985 animated series.
The book is written and drawn by George Kambadais, and the first issue throws the whole team straight into a fight with their oldest enemy. ThunderCats '85 #1 arrives in comic shops on January 6, 2027.
What Dynamite Has Revealed About ThunderCats '85
Dynamite is going all in on the hype in its official solicitation for the series. The publisher opens with the famous rallying cry, "Thunder...Thunder...THUNDERCATS...HOOOOOOOOO!!", before promising readers "the ultimate, absolute, pulse-pumping, heart-pounding, adrenaline-jangling comic OF ALL TIME!!"
According to Dynamite, 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 solicitation then sums up the first issue in six words: "It's MUMM-RA VS. THE THUNDERCATS!!"
The first issue runs 32 pages with cardstock covers and carries a $4.99 cover price. Covers are provided by Kambadais, Drew Moss, Craig Rousseau and Federico Mele, with three of the cover images already released alongside the announcement. One of the reveals is a bright team shot that puts the full 1985 lineup front and center, Snarf included.
Dynamite has not yet released any interior pages, so fans will have to wait a little longer to see how Kambadais handles the action inside the book.
Who Is George Kambadais?
Kambadais is no stranger to Dynamite or to beloved animated properties. He has been the artist on the publisher's Gargoyles comics, working alongside series creator Greg Weisman, and he also drew Dynamite's SilverHawks series, which sits inside the same wider ThunderCats universe the publisher has been building. He has also contributed to Dynamite's Lilo and Stitch line.
His style leans bright, clean and energetic, which makes him a natural pick for a book that wants to capture the look of a Saturday morning cartoon. On ThunderCats '85, he is handling both the writing and the art, giving the series a single creative voice from the script to the final page.
Dynamite's Growing ThunderCats Line
ThunderCats '85 will be the second ongoing ThunderCats title on shelves at the same time. Writer Greg Pak and artist David Cousens are already running Dynamite's main ThunderCats relaunch, which brought the Cats and the SilverHawks together on Third Earth and reshaped Lion-O into a much more feral version of the hero.
The new book stands on its own, separate from that continuity, and it is aimed squarely at fans who want the original characters as they appeared in the cartoon, with the classic designs, the classic villain and the classic tone.
Dynamite has also expanded the franchise with a solo series for Cheetara, written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Andrea Ancari. With the main relaunch, the Cheetara book, SilverHawks and now ThunderCats '85, the publisher has quickly turned the property into one of its bigger licensed lines.
A Return To The Original Cartoon
The original ThunderCats animated series debuted in 1985 from Rankin/Bass and became one of the defining cartoons of the decade. It followed a group of feline humanoids who fled their dying home world of Thundera and crash-landed on Third Earth, where young Lion-O took up the Sword of Omens and the Eye of Thundera to lead the team.
Tygra, Panthro, Cheetara, WilyKit, WilyKat and Snarf rounded out the heroes, while the undead sorcerer Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living served as the main villain from his pyramid base. The show's toy line, theme song and transformation sequences made it a fixture for kids growing up in the '80s, and the franchise has since been revived with a 2011 animated reboot and the 2020 series ThunderCats Roar.
Fans have also spent years waiting on a big screen version. A live-action ThunderCats movie has been in development with filmmaker Adam Wingard attached to direct, and he has spoken openly about wanting to stay true to the spirit of the original cartoon.
Dynamite's decision to title the series after the year the cartoon premiered makes the goal clear. It is designed as a love letter to the version of the ThunderCats that many fans grew up with, and a first issue built around a full Mumm-Ra showdown suggests the series will waste no time getting to the action.
ThunderCats '85 #1 goes on sale on January 6, 2027, and can be pre-ordered through local comic shops.
Are you more excited for the classic take in ThunderCats '85, or for the bolder new direction of Dynamite's main ThunderCats relaunch?
Sound off with your thoughts in the comments below.