Summary

• Writer Declan Shalvey compared his new Thundercats series, from Dynamite Entertainment, to classic 1990s X-Men, adding another layer o the excitement for its launch.
• Shalvey explained that he treats Thundercats as a sci-fi story, leaning away from the fantasy aspect, while drawing on a range of science fiction and superhero influences.
• The Thundercats reboot promises a fun adventure story, with a focus sci-fi action and interpersonal character dynamics.

Writer Declan Shalvey recently compared his new X-Men, giving readers another reason to be excited about the title's launch. The debut issue has already wildly sured expectations, before it even officially hit shelves, with the reboot quickly becoming one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year.

Declan Shalvey's new, fresh take on Thundercats is set to recalibrate the franchise, bringing the iconic 1980s characters into the contemporary comics landscape.

On a recent episode of Pros and Cons show The Weekly Spinner Rack, Shalvey spoke about the exciting influences he's bringing into the new Thundercats series, and how those have led him to craft a thrilling overarching vision for the book.

Shalvey spoke about his approach to the franchise, explaining that he treated his iteration of Thundercats as a sci-fi story, while "leaning away from the fantasy [aspect]." He also noted that during the writing process he reflected on his work, thinking: "This is '90s X-Men."

Declan Shalvey: "I Felt Like I Was Writing X-Men"

Though the book will have its share of pathos and grit, given Shalvey's artistic temperament, the writer has promised fun adventure story, with an emphasis on science fiction and interpersonal character dynamics.

Declan Shalvey's new, fresh take on Thundercats is set to Alien –which he noted was "very dark," and suited to his sensibilities – he was excited to take on a fun franchise like Thundercats. He discussed the connection between science fiction and superhero stories as crossover genres, unraveling the tapestry of influences that resulted in his reboot.

"My approach was, it's Thundercats, but with like, Lost in Space," the writer elaborated, slightly teasing the tenor and style of the series. He mentioned wanting to distinguish his version from the classic cartoon, while also revealing the story's parallels with X-Men. "It's got a little bit of soap opera element," Shalvey said. He also stated that while he worked on the project, he came to realize: "I was writing more of a superhero book than I intended...It kind of feels like I'm writing X-Men or something."

Thundercats New Writer Promises A Fun Sci-Fi Adventure

Given the surge in excitement for Thundercats' new comic book series, Declan Shalvey should have free rein from Dynamite Entertainment to write a solid new chapter in franchise lore. Though the book will have its share of pathos and grit, given Shalvey's artistic temperament, the writer has promised fun adventure story, with an emphasis on science fiction and interpersonal character dynamics. If his comparison to 1990s X-Men is even partially accurate, which readers should suspect it will be, the latest incarnation of Thundercats will certainly be able to build on its already laudable success.

Source: The Weekly Spinner Rack

Thundercats #1 will be availlable February 7, 2024 from Dynamite Entertainment.