Thundercats UK TV Premiere date announced

By John Freeman on 18 August 2011

Promotional art for the new ThunderCats animated series. © Warner Bros.

ThunderCats, one of the most beloved cartoons of the 1980s, returns to UK TV next month on Cartoon Network UK – and, as we previously reported, a new comic from Panini UK will follow, although no release date for this has yet been announced.

Launching on Saturday 10th September at 11.00am on Cartoon Network, with a new episode every Saturday, the new Thundercats is a “reimagining” of the iconic animated series on Cartoon Network.

Set as an epic tale, the much anticipated return of ThunderCats tells the story of a hero’s journey to fulfill his ultimate destiny, starting with the story’s origin of Prince Lion-O’s ascension to the throne.

On Third Earth, the kingdom of Thundera is being threatened by the evil sorcerer Mumm-Ra, and Lion-O, the young heir to the throne, embarks on a great quest to take his rightful place as king. The unlikely champion must work with his faithful comrades Tygra, Cheetara, Panthro, WilyKit, WilyKat, and his loyal pet, Snarf to save their world from darkness. As the forces of good and evil battle each other in the quest for the fabled Stones of Power, Lion-O and his champions learn valuable lessons of loyalty, honour and mortality.

Cartoon Network says ThunderCats will appeal to viewers who have loved the characters all their lives as well as young newcomers to the franchise.

Panini UK announced they had secured the rights to publish a licensed Thundercats in May, shortly after news broke that they would no longer originate Marvel superhero comic strip.

Thundercats has a proud history as a comic in the UK – Marvel UK published 129 issues of a regular title based on the original 1980s animated show. To date, it is the longest-running comic associated with the franchise and included work by artists such as Tim Perkins and Martin Griffiths.

Other tie-in merchandise includes an action figure range from Bandai, kids’ apparel, watches and bags (see news story).

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John Freeman

John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.