In December of 1985, Star Comics published the first issue of ThunderCats. Publication was bimonthly for the first 8 issues, and then switched to a monthly publication schedule for the remainder of the series, ending in June of 1988. During Star Comics' run, Marvel UK published the first issue of their line of ThunderCats comics in March of 1987. Unlike Star Comics, Marvel UK's issues were published weekly until issue #84, when it became a biweekly publication. Issue #95 began the start of monthly publication which lasted until issue #105, when a biweekly publishing schedule was resumed up to #129, the final issue, in January of 1991. Marvel UK also produced seasonal specials, trade paperbacks, and hardcover annuals. Beginning in 2002, a wave of mini-series were published by DC Comics through its Wildstorm imprint. DC Comics is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. who acquired the rights for the franchise due to its 1989 purchase of the distributor Lorimar-Telepictures. The first mini-series, Reclaiming Thundera, published between 2002 and 2003, formed a series of loosely connected "episodes" that saw Lion-O continue his struggle against Mumm-Ra and The Mutants. A major plot point was the slow corruption of WilyKat by Mumm-Ra, which would play a major role in later storylines. After another fateful battle with Grune, Lion-O entered the Book of Omens to begin his training and claim his rightful place as Lord of the ThunderCats, but Mumm-Ra uses a powerful spell to keep Lion-O trapped in the book for several years in real time, not "Book" time, and seizes control of Thundera afterwards. In the follow-up mini-series, The Return, published in 2003, Lion-O returned to Thundera to find it enslaved to Mumm-Ra. Several of the ThunderCats are scattered. Panthro, who was left in charge while Lion-O was away, was forced into slave labor. Tygra and Cheetara are held prisoner in Castle Plundarr while Wilykit and Wilykat are the personal servants of Mumm-Ra. This storyline was distinctly more mature than many episodes of the series, with much harsher language such as "bastard" used by Mumm-Ra. Cheetara is depicted as holding a grudge against Lion-O for "abandoning" his friends and leaving her to be abused by the Mutants and WilyKat's corruption in the earlier mini-series takes greater form. Realizing he has betrayed his friends, the older cub flees when the mini-series concludes. Lion-O and the ThunderCats emerge triumphant over Mumm-Ra once again. By the third mini-series, The Dogs of War, also published in 2003, many years have passed, and Thundera has prospered. Lion-O is now an aged and experienced commander of his countrymen. An invasion of Dogstar forces ultimately lead Lion-O to ally with Mumm-Ra himself. Along the way, WilyKit finds true love and WilyKat redeems himself. The storyline concludes with Mumm-Ra offering Lion-O an elixir of youth so that they may continue their struggle against one another. The two remaining mini-series were all set during the events of the animated series; Hammerhand's Revenge, published between 2003 and 2004, and Enemy's Pride, which was published in 2004. Several one-shots were also published by Wildstorm between 2003 and 2004 that included two crossovers with Battle of the Planets, one crossover with Superman, a Sourcebook and two "Origins" issues that established the back-story of several main characters. To date, none of the Wildstorm Thundercats comic series are considered canon due to the major inconsistencies with the storylines. On 22 March 2012, Panini Comics began publishing a new series in the UK to tie in with the 2011 TV series, titled ThunderCats Magazine. The first issue featured a strip called 'Safe Haven' which was written by Ferg Handley and drawn by Cosmo White. In 2016, DC Comics announced a crossover with He-Man/Thundercats crossover comic.
Collections
The series have been collected into trade paperbacks:
