Thundercats: Reclaiming Thundera

Thundercats was originally an 80's animated television series about a bizarre collection of anthropomorphic feline characters, living in a futuristic world of simple morals and plenty of fighting. They have access to advanced technology but fight evil using swords and martial arts weapons - there are no guns, nukes or death rays to be found in the world of the Thundercats.

If you missed the original series or were never interested in it anyway, you may as well stop reading now - there's nothing here worth developing a new interest for. This book picks up where the second series of the animated adventures ended, and there isn't much by way of scene setting to bring a newcomer up to speed.

As well as the original Thundercats, there are three newer characters, apparently discovered during the second television series, which your humble reviewer isn't acquainted with. This lack of acquaintance is probably a good thing - the new characters smack of marketeers looking for more products to sell rather than any particular need for character diversification.

Although the plot of the TV series was never, to our recollection, particularly stunning, this collection of stories seems even blander. Lion-o has grown up and isn't the 'mixed up kid in the body of a weight-lifter' we remember from the series, which takes away the moral struggles he went through in each episode. All we're left with is a dumbed-down tussle between the forces of good and evil, destined never to end because the Thundercats will always let the baddies go instead of eliminating or incarcerating them. The plot's shortcomings are a shame because the artwork is reasonably impressive, especially from guest artists Campbell and Herrera.

So there isn't really enough backgrounder and too much reference to the past to appeal to new readers, while it lacks the understanding that ten year olds in the 80s will be into their 30s by now and might just demand something a bit more from the plot. If you want a nostalgia trip, try and find the original series on video. This collection of stories is a poor imitation, albeit with attractive, stylish illustration.

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