THUNDERCATS – CHEETARA #1 / Script by SOO LEE / Art by DOMENICO CARBONE / Colors by CHIARA DI FRANCIA/ Letters by JEFF ECKLEBERRY / Published by DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

Cheetara is one of the more notable heroines of ’80s animation. Defined by her speed, she also was teased as having psychic powers, though it taxed her to use these abilities. The 2011 revamp defined her character further, giving her a background as a cleric of the Thunderian people. However, this series was cancelled before the new Cheetara truly had a chance to develop. ThunderCats – Cheetara attempts to address this, exploring the life of the only adult female ThunderCat from the original line-up, before her journey to Third Earth.

Soo Lee’s script draws deeply on the mythology of both cartoons. This Cheetara is a cleric and part of the Thunderian nobility, studying under the mystic Jaga. Some romantic tension is teased with Tygra, and she is shown as having a maternal relationship with the young Lion-O. Indeed, he addresses her as “Mother” while drifting off to sleep.

This establishes Cheetara and her background well enough. However, it does raise questions as to how this fits into the other ThunderCats series, particularly the current ThunderCats comic reboot. The Dynamite Entertainment series depicts Tygra as the oldest of the Thundercat refugees. There is also one panel that seems to show Lynx-O, Bengali and Pumyra among the ThunderCat nobles, despite those characters being Thunderians later elevated to the nobility on Third Earth in the cartoon.

It’s possible this last point is a mistake on the part of the artist. Thankfully, the art is otherwise solid. Domenico Carbone has created recognizable designs for the classic characters. The colors by Chiara Di Francia are muted, but this choice adds to the nostalgic aura of the story. The letters by Jeff Eckleberry are also of high quality.

ThunderCats – Cheetara #1 is a slow start to examining the past of the beloved character. It is not bad, however, despite a few possible continuity hiccups. It will hold limited appeal outside of the ThunderCats fandom, but it is a solid comic all around.