In the aftermath of his first battle with the Mu’Tants, Lion-O attempts to use the Sight Beyond Sight to ask for guidance from their lost leader, Jaga. The vision he receives instead leads the ThunderCats to discover another Thundarian survivor on Third Earth! Meanwhile, Slithe and his Mu’Tant band have discovered the pyramid of Mumm Ra – and they’re about to learn firsthand how dangerous the Ever-Living one can be! ThunderCats #2 isn’t bad but overall is a bit too predictable.
Written by Declan Shalvey, ThunderCats #2 is an entertaining comic and has some fantastic moments but is hampered with plot points that you can see coming from a mile away. The comic, like the debut issue, invokes a style that hearkens back to the television show. There’s some moments that feel classic in some ways but it takes the easy route.
Where Shalvey’s take really stands out is its interaction between the ThunderCats themselves. Lion-O is a leader who is young and untested and attempting to organize a group that is thrust in a difficult situation. Their base is tattered, supplies limited, they’re marooned and besieged. They’re off their game and Lion-O’s inexperience isn’t helping. It leads to friction in the team and some disagreement about priorities and how to handle things. It feels right for a group in this situation and shows some good character growth and depth. Lion-O will need to learn how to lead and Shalvey’s focus on a kid suddenly thrusted to being a man is the best part of the series.
That inexperience leads Lion-O dive into the deep end when it comes to a brand-new character. While the rest of the team is skeptical, it’s clear and pretty obvious there’s more to this new mysterious character. It all feels like it’d fit quite well in the animated series but it all is a bit all too obvious as to where it’s going.
The art by Drew Moss is good. With color by Ciara Di Francia and Martina Pignedoli and lettering by Jeff Eckleberry, the comic has a look slightly different than the traditional from the animated show and toys, but still good. For the most part everyone looks like their classic self but there’s some small changes. The only gripe is things are a bit too neat and tidy right now. The ThunderCats and even the Mu’Tant ship all feel a bit too organized and not haggard enough. The world itself comes off as dusty and grimy but that doesn’t extend to the ThunderCats or base.
ThunderCats #2, like the debut, shows potential. There’s some things that are fantastic but there’s also aspects that feel a bit too easy. Like the sword shattering in the first issue, the comic goes for plots that are predictable and the narrative itself has a choppy aspect at times, like a record skipping a bit. It’s a series that feels like it can be tightened just a bit and it’d be one that stands out on the shelf.
Story: Declan Shalvey Art: Drew Moss
Color: Ciara Di Francia, Martina Pignedoli Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.15 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read
Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle
Source: Graphic Policy
