| ThunderCats Annual 1989 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Production | |
| Format | Hardcover |
| Released | 1988 |
| Published by | Marvel Comics Ltd |
| Pages | 62 |
| Original Price | £3.95 |
| Editor(s) | John Tomlinson |
| Cover Artist(s) | Stephen Baskerville, Geoff Senior, John Burns and Euan Peters |
| Chronology | |
| Previous | ThunderCats Annual 1988 |
| Next | ThunderCats Annual 1990 |
Thundercats - Annual 1989 was the third annual released by Marvel UK and is based on the original cartoon series.
Canon[]
Due to inconsistencies with the original animated series, comics by Marvel UK are not considered canon.
Story[]
Past Perils Times Two!:[]
Written by Mike Collins
Art by Andy Wildman, Martin Griffiths, Glop and Louise Cassell
The story begins with Lion-O and Cheetara on Hook Mountain. They travel through the Vortex after hearing someone crying for help. Lion-O finds himself in a desert confronted by Thugrons beating slaves. He immediately attacks and knocks them out, only to be asked who he is by the slaves as he frees them. Elsewhere, Cheetara emerges in a lava field with two children running towards her to escape from a stinger!
Lion-O and his companions have made camp and he discovers that he is once again on First Earth. After hearing more, Lion-O resolves to do battle with Mumm-Ra and prevent the unfinished Onxy Pyramid from being built. But Mumm-Ra is watching in his cauldon and despite not knowing who Lion-O is, knows that he is trouble! Lion-O leads an assault against Mumm-Ra’s army. Using the Sword of Omens and the rebelling slaves, he defeats the Thugrons and their leader Skagrok. But when Mumm-Ra arrives, Lion-O unwittingly blurts out his knowledge of the future from his previous trip back in time. Mumm-Ra defeats him, returning him to his own time. He then emerges as the Pharoah, Ka-Rey-Bar, ushering in another period of rule, all thanks to Lion-O!
Meanwhile, Cheetara beats the stinger with her staff but her victory is short lived as its enormous mother soon arrives! Later, she is awoken by the missing children's parents, having been badly beaten herself. She recovers her strength at their campfire and learns that she is in Earth Minus Three! She gathers her courage and climbs the mountain where the mother stinger has her nest. Despite being taken by surprise, Cheetara uses her speed to batter the enormous scavenger with her staff and frees the children, returning them to their parents. Seeing Lion-O’s signal, she returns with him through the Vortex to Hook Mountain and home.
ThunderDogs Ho!:[]
Written by Simon Furman and Mike Collins
Art by Darren Goodacre and Steve White
The story begins with the ThunderCats enjoying a rare period of peace on Third Earth. This is ended by the arrival of a wounded Moleman begging for their help against bird-like attackers. The ThunderCats race to the scene to be told that they are not needed. Six powerful dog-like figures appear. Calling themselves the Thunderdogs, they mock Lion-O and the other ThunderCats before leaving. The next few weeks see the same thing repeating over and over again with attacks on Hook Mountain, the Berbil village and the Treetop Kingdom all foiled. The ThunderCats’ spirits fall as they begin to feel useless, especially Lion-O.
Worried about the Lord of the ThunderCats, Snarf begins to follow the Thunderdogs and finds them belittling the ThunderCats everywhere they go. But when he goes to their fortress, he discovers the truth. They are mercenaries working for Mumm-Ra. All of their heroics have been performances carefully coordinated with the Mutants. When Mumm-Ra arrives, Snarf is captured and thrown into the River of Despair by Rex, the Thunderdog leader.
The next day, Cheetara is fetching water from the river. She has decided to suggest leaving Third Earth and searching for a new home where she and her companions are needed, thus falling into Mumm-Ra’s trap. Instead, she finds Snarf barely alive on the riverbank. At Cats’ Lair, Panthro analyses the mud on Snarf and confirms that it comes from the marshes around the Thunderdogs’ fortress. Lion-O races off to the Swamp of the Serpents to confront them. Outnumbered, he is quickly overpowered and Rex almost persuades him that Snarf fell in on his own. But then Tygra and the others arrive with news that Snarf woke up and told them everything. A fierce fight breaks out but the ThunderCats eventually lose when the latest robots from Slithe arrive and join in.
The Thunderdogs prepare their spaceship, planning to blast the ThunderCats into deep space. But Lion-O and Wilykit are able to send the robots haywire, causing a distraction. With the TunderCats free and Slithe’s robots attacking everyone, the Thunderdogs flee to their spaceship and take off, forgetting the course that they have locked in! As the ThunderCats begin the long walk home, Tygra reveals that Snarf is still asleep and the accusations he made earlier were just suspicions but Rex’s guilty reaction confirmed their truth.
The Fireballs of Plun-Darr!:[]
Written by Craig Anderson
Art by Ernie Colon, Al Williamson, Pat Brosseau and Stuart Place
The story begins dramatically with Tygra running towards a huge forest fire engulfing the Treetop Kingdom. Through thick smoke, he passes all manner of animals fleeing for their lives until Willa, swinging on a vine, kicks him to the ground and draws her bowstring, an arrow inches from his face! After a moment, the two recognise eachother but before they can talk, they are attacked by Monkian on a skycutter. Tygra uses his bolo Whip to unseat the Mutant but his machine continues to fly steadily. The bombardment causing the fire has stopped and Tygra realises that Monkian must have been scouting for the gunners so they decide to head to Castle Plun-Darr.
Back at Cat’s Lair, Lion-O and Snarf are concerned about Tygra’s absence so Panthro explains he is investigating the Mutant war machines. As Tygra and Willa reach the castle, it fires a fireball – but it’s just a test of the equipment. Since they would be spotted on the path, they cross the outer moat using Tygra’s whip as a tightrope. Since she lacks Tygra’s power of invisibility, Willa is persuaded to stay and call for help if needed while the ThunderCat swims the inner moat and sneaks into the castle. Unbeknownst to Tygra, the Mutants have Phosphor R in the water that allows them to detect him. Slithe attacks in the nosediver but Tygra is able to escape into an intake pipe. Unfortunately for him, it’s a trap and he’s caged inside. Outside, Willa finds Tygra’s bolo whip. The Mutants take Tygra to a high tower and bolt him to the Four Winds, a collection of catapults that will rip him apart. Slithe attaches a solar mirror so that the mechanism will fire at dawn.
Shortly before sunrise, Snarf finds Lion-O awake in his room worrying about Tygra when he receives a warning from the Sword of Omens and races off. He finds Willa waiting for him and she leads him across a rope she has tied across the moat. Needing to climb the walls, Lion-O realises he left his Claw Shield behind. Willa produces Bushy, a giant treetop spider, who climbs ahead of them and pulls them up on a silken thread. But as they pass the Mutants’ control room, they are spotted! They reach Tygra with seconds to spare! Overpowering the guards, they head to the fireball launcher, fighting all the way. Once inside, they bar the door. But Slithe and Monkian arrive and begin to melt it down. Lion-O summons the other ThunderCats who arrive in time to send a grapple into the room so that Willa, Lion-O, and Tygra can escape. Monkian finally gets through the door and turns his flame thrower on them, igniting the fuel and causing a huge explosion. With the threat over, Panthro asks how they got into the castle but when he is shown Bushy, he shrieks with fright, causing great mirth to the others.
Features[]
- This annual introdues the Chronicles of Thundera, Plun-Darr, and Third Earth segments.
Trivia[]
- Past Perils Times Two! follows on from Way Back... When? in the 1988 ThunderCats annual.
- A mistake in the artwork in Past Perils Times Two shows Mumm-Ra with the ThunderCat symbol on his chest on page 56!
- The Fireballs of Plun-Darr is based on the episode of the same name by William Overgard.
- The Fireballs of Plun-Darr is also the only time in the Marvel publications that Willa is depicted as she is shown in the cartoons.
- The annual is being advertised as early as May 1988 where it is mentioned as "due out later this year" in answer to a reader's letter about Thunderdogs in Issue 60 of the Marvel Comic.