GRAPHIC-NOVEL COLUMN: Really good Thundarr the Barbarian adaptation
By Dan Brown If you watched Thundarr the Barbarian as a kid, you should check out the six-part comic series the post-apocalyptic cartoon has inspired. It’s really good. The Thundaar comic is a rare adaptation that stays true to the source material while introducing new layers to the story. Published by Dynamite, the graphic novel collecting all six issues is out this week. The TV show ran 21 episodes on Saturday mornings starting in 1980. It was aimed at geeky kids like me – I watched it from my childhood home in Poplar Hill on the Detroit ABC affiliate. The fact the reception was dodgy on our TV set just added to the murky atmosphere of each episode. Taking place in “a world of savagery, super-science and sorcery,” Thundaar is a barbarian whose motto could be “Kill all wizards.” He wields the magical Sunsword and is joined on his adventures by Princess Ariel and Ookla the Mok. The starting point for the series came in the then-futuristic year of 1994, when a rogue planet flies too close to the Earth, shattering the moon and leaving human civilization in ruins 2,000 years later. The look of the series blew my young mind, largely because Jack Kirby – after he left Marvel for the second time – worked on the production design. His fingerprints are all over the show. The comic, on the other hand, was written by Jason Aaron and illustrated by Kewber Baal. They have a hard job, because those of us who love Thundaar have had decades to yearn for more of his adventures. It’s tough to compete with nostalgia. And to make things more challenging, they decided to set the comic in multiple timelines – including 1994. Aaron does a remarkable job adding new layers to Thundarr’s origins and lore without making anything feel forced. He maintains the original spirit of the characters while also growing the world Kirby and others imagined. If you missed mutant rat men or pig men, don’t worry. If you have a hankering to see arrogant wizards in action once again, fret not. This creative team has you covered. Baal also plays a crucial part in pulling the whole thing off. He draws each timeline in a different style – it’s a subtle but noticeable visual cue for the reader as the narrative shifts from scene to scene. And the variant covers! I especially loved the one for Issue No. 5 by Francesco Mattina, which shows Thundarr rafting by a partially submerged Statue of Liberty, a very knowing wink at the cover of Kirby’s own Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth No. 1 from 1972. Other variants include Kirby-drawn animation cells and model sheets. Michael Cho is also well-represented. The hardcover Thundarr lands Wednesday, with a trade paperback planned for early next year. Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 34 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly Graphic-Novel Group book club.
