Oh, the power of comics. Thirty years ago, this was unimaginable – the goofy cartoon with the best cheese-to-fun ratio, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and the cartoon with the slickest animation and coolest characters, The ThunderCats, were the top of the top in terms of after-school entertainment. Two fun shows with the two most-iconic swords; two shows with decidedly different vibes; shows that could coexist in a TV-watching lineup but never in the same story or space, save for the imagination or perhaps the toy box.
Now, long after those original fans stopped swilling Capri Suns and perhaps grown some chest hairs, DC Comics is bringing this dream team-up to life. Set to launch in October, He-Man/ThunderCats is a six-part limited series written by Mattel Head Writer and Masters of the Universe Lead Creative Rob David and Supervising Producer Lloyd Goldfine. Freddie E. Williams II is set to bring their vision to life in the art department.
The announcement teases the story as follows:
“In his eternal desire to destroy the mighty ThunderCats, the evil Mumm-Ra quests for a weapon that can rival the legendary Sword of Omens: He-Man’s Sword of Power! But his dimension-spanning scheme launches a cataclysmic crisis that will, for the first time ever, unite Lion-O, Cheetara, Tygra, Panthro, WilyKit and WilyKat with He-Man, Battlecat, Teela, Man-At-Arms and the rest of the Masters of the Universe.”
Will Lion-O free Battlecat from his indentured service status as He-Man’s mount? Will Skeletor show Mumm-Ra that skeletons are way cooler than mummies? Will Merman end up as some ThunderCat’s seafood dinner?
Even decades after this would have been a no-miss home run, it’s still a pretty fun premise with a tried and true creative team attached. Now, if only they could somehow incorporate Robotech (Macross) and make all our childhood cross-property fantasies come true . . .
Image: DC Comics