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.
GRAPHIC NOVEL COLUMN: Spring mini-reviews
By Dan Brown It’s that time again . . . when I give you the lowdown on the comics I’ve been reading lately. Here, in no particular order, are brief reviews of a few of the titles I’ve picked up recently from the L.A. Mood new-releases shelf. As always, there's no logic to my choices, these ones just caught my fancy. Fantastic Four No. 7 and 8: The creative team of writer Ryan North and penciller Humberto Ramos has hit its stride. The superhero foursome is forced to leave Earth after receiving a cryptic message from Galactus about Sue Storm. At the end of issue No. 8, they discover an alternative-reality Invisible Woman who is powerful enough to defeat the World Devourer on her own. “You can call me the Invincible Woman,” the baddie says, “I’ve been killing Galactus.” North and Ramos know just when to hit the accelerator, and when to lay off. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles no. 15: I just love the variant portrait cover of this IDW Comic, which features a red-eyed Splinter, mentor to the young martial artists and my favourite Turtles character. It’s drawn by Ben Bishop and Kevin Eastman. If you’re a fan of Gene Luen Yang, sometime Superman writer, you’ll want to check this series out! Feral No. 13: Truly suspenseful tale about a group of cats trying to survive an apocalypse. In this issue, they plan to break into a Pet City Supercenter, which has all the food and treats to sustain them. The problem: It’s guarded by angry, sick dogs. Love the art from Trish Forstner and Tone Rodriguez. An Image joint. X-Men Annual No. 1: To give you some sense of how long it’s been since I picked up an X-Men book, I did not know Phoenix is again a member of the team. This is a self-reflexive story that reminds readers they are looking at a comic book. “We aren’t flesh and blood right now . . . we’re ideas,“ Jean Grey tells Wolverine when the pair travel to a sketchy “conceptual space” outside reality. X-Men United No. 1: The X-Men get together to start training young mutants again. I like this book’s spunky version of Kitty Pryde, as written by Eve L. Ewing and drawn by Tiago Palma. As a reminder of how far things have come since the Krakoa storyline, mentor Wolverine reminds his charges, “You’ve got one body.” Love that Cerebro is now the Empathy Engine. Logan: Black, White and Blood No. 3: Contains three self-contained untold stories of Wolverine’s past. There’s a horror Western, a civil-rights thriller, and a story in which he takes on Big Pharma! Wolverine: Weapons of Armageddon No. 1: Written by Chip Zdarsky (who seems to be everywhere these days), it shows the Canadian mutant tracking down someone who might be a younger version of himself! Teases a showdown with Nuke, the super-soldier introduced in the pages of Daredevil all those decades ago. Thundarr the Barbarian No. 1 and 2: Published by Dynamite, this is the comic that fans of the Steve Gerber-created character deserve! The setting is deliberately reminiscent of Jack Kirby’s animation designs from the 1980s Saturday-morning series. Writer Jason Aaron clearly put a lot of thought into making the post-apocalyptic world of Thundarr make sense. And yes, Ookla the Mok and Princess Ariel are at Thundarr’s side. Big Rig No. 1: This Vault comic is being sold as coming from the mind of Post Malone (the singer guy). He wrote it with Adrian Wassel. It’s frenetic and takes place in a landscape where demons roam the Earth. I liked the lush art by Nathan Gooden. Lady Mechanika No. 1: Published by Image Comics (the series actually started with Issue 0). Steampunk horror is not really my thing, so I’m not the target audience. More than just the title character – who is searching for her creator – have mechanical limbs. Written and drawn by Joe Benitez. The Dark Knight Returns: This facsimile release reprints the Frank Miller classic from 40 years ago that thrilled comic fans and changed the industry forever. Comes in regular and foil versions, as well as with a variant cover by Jim Lee showing a weary Bats sitting in the tank version of the Batmobile. What have you been reading lately? Are there any comics you would like to recommend – possibly ones that got you through the winter? Let me know in the comments! Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than three decades as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
