Thundercats #21 // Review
Tygra and Cheetara are having a very deep conversation. It’s a heavy one. Tygra is trying to get Cheetara to understand that she is the best-suited to lead the entire group. It’s not like she doesn’t understand why it is that he’s suggesting as much. She had been a strong leader in the past and now she’s forced to ponder a tough decision about possibly taking the lead again in Thundercats #21. Writer Declan Shalvey continues a careful re0imagining of the popular action space fantasy franchise with artist Drew Moss. Color comes to the page courtesy of Arancia Studio.
Cheetara doesn’t have long to consider her options. Before long, Lion-O is walking into the room. If Cheetara and Tygra look as though they’re seeing a ghost it might be because they had never expected to see their former leader again. He’s been gone. He’s been through hell. And now he’s back with a bit more wisdom to lead the group. Before he can fully reacquaint himself with everyone else, however, he’s going to have to go into a secure location to have a bit of a confrontation with a certain old relic who once held the power of the Eye of Thundera.
Shalvey is painting a story in broad, heroic strokes. This issue is the return of a king. There’s a certain power that rests in that Shaley is rendering for the page. given the right momentum, it could really turn into something further down the line. As it is for the 21st issue, Shalvey is framing a moment that’s a bit of a showdown and a bit of a completion of an old conflict that he had established earlier-on in the series. The intensity of the situation feels like a very natural progression from the cast of characters that had been established decades ago for the cartoon TV franchise. It’s not quite what it had been i the past, but it’s nice to see the characters progressing as the series reaches the final quarter of its second year.
There are a few moments that are very powerful on the page. Old visual accused that had been in the animated series strike with renewed energy on the comics page. The current context of the series is a natural evolution of what had come before it. The artwork feels like a natural evolution of the old cel animated art that established the design aesthetic of the franchise back in the 1980s. Moss could deliver tighter lines to the page. There could be a stronger sense of strength and visuals. Overall, though, the visual reality of the story is bound to the page in a way that feels very satisfying.
Shalvey seems to be moving in a direction with the narrative explores some of the mystery of the original, cartoon franchise never really had a chance to. That mystery might have been a central appeal of the series. The precise reasons for the origins of the heroes and their current situation had been something that could articulate with the imagination of the fan base. Trying to establish the mystery a little bit more, and to reveal a little bit more about the background could backfire in the big way if it's not of satisfying or revelation. That being said, it would be kind of hard to think in the long-term of the series, without addressing some of the basic fundamental mysteries that there are so much a part of the series.
