COLISEUM OF COMICS: While He Man has had his own ongoing series for a few years now, the Thundercats have been out of comics for over a decade. How does it feel to be bringing them back into comics?
ROB DAVID: Thrilling! I grew up loving ThunderCats, so writing the characters gives me a rush every time I sit down at the computer. And, comics are my first love. As a medium, they’re the best place for experimentation. You can be as epic as any Hollywood blockbuster or as risk-taking as any independent movie — all at the same time. Combining ThunderCats with Comics is irresistible.
But mostly I feel a great deal of responsibility — to the series, the fans and Warner Brothers. I just want to honor the characters and mythology we all love.
COLISEUM: You’ve written He Man before, and now you’re hard at work on an epic crossover featuring the character. Is there something about He Man or Thundercats you enjoy writing about?
DAVID: On this crossover, I’m really enjoying collaborating with Lloyd Goldfine. We’ve worked together before, on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and now on lots of projects at Mattel’s entertainment studio, Mattel Creations. We share the same brain, so it’s a joy.
For He-Man, the world is just so compelling in its…weirdness! It’s this amazing cocktail of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Barbarian and Superhero fiction. It should be a mess, but it just works.
The world of ThunderCats is also so alluring. Things like Third Earth…as a kid my mind was racing. What about First and Second Earth? Is Mumm-Ra’s world our earth in the future, the past, a parallel world? The world of ThunderCats always felt bigger than any one story.
But in the end, the best part are the characters. He-Man and Lion-O in particular have so many mirrored qualities that are fun to explore in this crossover. For example, everybody looks at Adam and sees this irresponsible, wayward young Prince, but inside he’s this stalwart hero. While with Lion-O, on the surface, he’s this perfect hero, but inside he’s this insecure young boy worried that he won’t live up to everyone’s expectations of him.
COLISEUM: The two properties involved in the story have been around for over thirty years. Some comic readers might never have seen an episode or read a book with any of these characters in it. How familiar would people need to be with He Man and/or the Thundercats would you say to enjoy this title?
DAVID: Not very. If you’re a fan of these series coming in, you’ll pick up on all the easter eggs, and the story will resonate on lots of different levels, but readers new to these characters will pick up on things right away and enjoy the ride.
COLISEUM: Will this story tie into or have anything to do with the recent He Man title?
DAVID: No, it’s a self-contained story, based on the classic incarnations of He-Man and ThunderCats, and isn’t tied to the continuity of any of the other modern He-Man series.
COLISEUM: Is there anything else you would like readers to know about the book?
DAVID: The book is fun, funny and nostalgic, but also suspenseful and… dangerous!
It’s a big story, with huge action and stakes, but with lots of heart and quiet character moments. We’ve been waiting thirty years for this crossover, so we’re trying not to squander it!
Plus, Freddie William’s art is thunderously powerful. I’ve just been looking over the art for issue #3. I’m blown away. He’s surpassing the work he did on Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
COLISEUM: Lastly, what’s your favorite title you’re reading right now?
DAVID: Walt Simonson’s Ragnarok. You know the saying “you can’t go home again”? Walt Simonson has disproved it. His return to the world of Thor and Norse mythology is better now than ever. He’s at the top of his game.
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