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Jason Aaron & Kewber Baal Launch Thundaar The Barbarian From Dynamite

Jason Aaron & Kewber Baal's Thundaar The Barbarian revived the series by Steve Gerber, Jack Kirby & Alex Toth that never got a comic till now

Dynamite Entertainment announced that it acquired the rights to Thundarr the Barbarian this summer through its growing relationship with Warner Brothers, but did not announce the creative team. We can now reveal that it is written by Conan The Barbarian writer, as well as a few other things, Jason Aaron, and drawn by Kewber Baal. Dynamite CEO Nick Barrucci tells us, "I've wanted to work with Jason for over 15 years, but his Marvel exclusive prevented it for the longest time, and when it ended he had his pick of books to write, including last year's best-selling Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. I did keep in touch with Jason, and last year asked him what series he would be interested in writing. Pick a property and we would go for it. He mentioned that the one series that he would want to write most is Thundarr The Barbarian. And man, what a title to pick. Thundarr is such a great property, rich in story and potential. I believe that this is the only project that both Jack Kirby and Alex Toth worked on. Well, I received my marching orders, so to speak and began discussing with Warner Bros. last year about adding Thundarr to our license. It eventually came together, and we were able to move it forward. I can't wait for everyone to read the series. Not only is Jason killing it on writing the series, but Kewbar's art is stunning! He's capturing the essence of Kirby and Toth, while still making the series his own! Don't take my word for it, just check out the interior pages below!"

Will do, Nick. Thundarr The Barbarian #1 out in January, will also have variant covers by Michael Cho, Rob Liefeld, Dan Panosian, Francesco Mattina, Joseph Michael Linsner, Björn Barends, and more. The animated Thundarr the Barbarian ran for two seasons in the early 1980s, which took fantasy staples of barbarians, wizards, and monstrous beings and set them in a post-apocalyptic vision of our world nearly 2,000 years in the future. Jack Kirby worked on the production design, establishing the look of the series, with Alex Toth, who designed key characters and the principal original creator of the show was Steve Gerber, known Howard the Duck, Man-Thing, Omega the Unknown, and more. With other comics mainstays like Martin Pasko, Mark Evanier, and Roy Thomas working on Thundarr, it seems insane that it never got a comic book adaptation until now.

"Writer Jason Aaron is coming up on a quarter century in comics, with forays on nearly every top character or franchise, wide-ranging genres, and hit independent creations. All told, his works have garnered countless awards, nominations, and wins, and proved definitive in many cases. He's no stranger to swords and sandals, leading the charge in the revival of another barbarian comics icon in years past. Now he's ready to bring the world of Thundarr to the page and the hands of readers. Aaron is joined in this effort by artist Kewber Baal, teed up for his biggest breakout yet. The Vampirella, James Bond, and Jennifer Blood illustrator is ready to sling ink in bringing Aaron's scripts to the page, alongside Thundarr's signature Sunsword with his trademark portrayals of action.

"This strange new world arisen from the old, a world of savagery, super-science and sorcery, as created by so many comic book legends, imprinted on me in a profound way at an early age," said writer Jason Aaron. "Thundarr the Barbarian isn't simply my all-time favorite Saturday morning cartoon. It's a fundamental component of my DNA as a writer. To say I'm thrilled to be crafting Thundarr's first-ever comic book adventure would be a gross understatement. In a career full of dream jobs, this one will most assuredly go down as one of the dreamiest. And as a lifelong fan of this character and his richly-imagined world, I'm intent on creating a story that honors the cartoon we all know and love, while propelling Thundarr into his most epic adventure yet."

The series features Thundarr and his trusty companions, Princess Ariel and Ookla the Mok, fighting to save the world's last surviving humans from enslavement by mutants and wizards. But when Thundarr's greatest foes, like Gemini and Mindok the Mind Menace, team up to devise the ultimate revenge, the heroes must battle to save the future itself, an adventure that takes us all the way back to that fateful day in 1994 when a runaway planet came hurtling between the Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction. And for the first time ever, we'll also learn the origin of Thundarr, including his first meetings with Ariel, Ookla, and the first time he ever wielded his mighty and mysterious Sunsword.

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