New comic book coming from Thundarr the Barbarian: When Conan meets Star Wars!
Hitting comics in the new year: After a long wait (seriously, decades) the classic barbarian, sorceress, and Wookie-ish beast are finally getting a comic book!
Celebrating the surprising history of the sword & sorcery & sci-fi mash-up Thundarr the Barbarian—including its legendary comic book history—and how shocking it is that we had to wait this long for an actual comic book…
Lords of Light! After decades of being an asterisk in pop culture, the sword & sci-fi & sorcery cartoon show Thundarr the Barbarian is making a big comeback: The 1980s series is returning as a brand-new comic book from Dynamite Entertainment, written by Jason Aaron with art from Kewber Baal. Below, find out about the history of the original TV show—and what to expect from the brand-new comic book series!
In this article:
How comic book legends created the original TV series
What Thundarr the Barbarian was all about
Why Thundarr The Barbarian is finally cutting his way into actual comic books
When Thundarr missed being as big as He-Man
Why the original TV show was cancelled so suddenly
My wife and I recently started watching episodes of Thundarr the Barbarian on streaming. And we have been amazed at how much we love this show.
First airing in 1980, the animated television series Thundarr the Barbarian was a mashup of sword & sorcery with blaster sci-fi. The show starred barbarian Thundarr, magic-wielding Princess Ariel, and furry beast Ookla the Mok. Set years in the future, Thundarr and his companions traveled by horseback across a post-apocalyptic vision of the United States, where the wreckage included the Statue of Liberty and the St. Louis Arch. Along the way, they faced the likes of wizards, monsters, evil scientists, violent mutants, animal people, and extraterrestrial invaders.
The post-apocalyptic science fantasy adventure was created to grab onto the influence of both the recent movie Star Wars (1977) and also the coming-soon-movie Conan the Barbarian (1982). There are also clear influences from the 1970s Planet of the Apes movies and TV show, as well as Jack Kirby’s 1978 post-apocalyptic comic book Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth.
(In fact, recently watching the old Thundarr episodes, I’ve started exploring the history of sword & sorcery fiction—reading stories of classic sword & sorcery legends like Conan the Barbarian. I’m also now reading reprints of the 1970s comic book Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth. And planning to read the original Planet of the Apes 1963 novel—and the omnibus editions with novelizations from the 1970s movies and the TV show.)
Comic book legends created the original Thundarr TV show
Thundarr the Barbarian was invented by comics legends Steve Gerber, Jack Kirby, and Alex Toth. And among the show’s writers were comic book writers Roy Thomas and Martin Pasko. In case you don’t recognize those names, here are just some of the work they’re famous for:
Steve Gerber (1947-2008) was comic book writer whose work at Marvel Comics included creating Howard the Duck, plus writing stories for Man-Thing, The Defenders, Daredevil, and more.
Jack Kirby (1917-1994) was a comic book artist and writer who created or co-created such legendary characters as Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Captain America, Avengers, Hulk, X-Men, New Gods, and more. In fact, a whole bunch of the superhero movies you’ve watched probably had characters and elements created and/or influenced in some way by Kirby. (And, as I mentioned earlier, Kirby also created, wrote, and drew the post-apocalyptic Kamandi comic book.)
Alex Toth (1928-2006), who had a career in comics from the 1940s-1980s, also worked in TV to create the looks of classic animated shows like Jonny Quest, Space Ghost, Sealab 2020, The Herculoids, and more.
Roy Thomas is the comic book writer and editor who, in the 1970s—with Marvel Comics—put Conan the Barbarian in front of a huge audience of new readers. His comics resume also includes co-creating characters like Vision, Carol Danvers, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Valkyrie, Man-Thing, Red Sonja, Ghost Rider, Ultron, and more.
Martin Pasko (1954-2020) was a comic book writer and TV writer who worked on several comics related projects. He’s probably most remembered for all the Superman stories he wrote for different media—including comic books, TV, webisodes, and a newspaper comic strip.
What Thundarr the Barbarian is all about
The TV show originally ran for two seasons on ABC. Those episodes were soon rerun on NBC. And, although there were so few episodes—the show ran for less than two seasons before it got bumped by another show—Thundarr made such an impact that it continues to find new fans.
Here is the official description from the DVD box set:
Man’s civilization is cast in ruin when a runaway planet speeds between the Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction.
Two-thousand years later, Earth is reborn from the ashes with a savage landscape, strange creatures and a primitive sense of justice. But one man fights to spread peace throughout the land: he is Thundarr the Barbarian and you can own all 21 exciting adventures in a 4-Disc Collection starring Thundarr and his companions Ookla the Mok and sorceress Princess Ariel.
Using their strength, courage and wits plus Thundarr’s magical Sunsword, they journey from village to village, liberating slaves and battling all kinds of beasts, mutants, wizards, thieves and robots. The future of Earth may be shrouded in darkness, but Thundarr the Barbarian bursts into action as a shining symbol of hope for humanity.
Thundarr is finally cutting his way into actual comic books
Given the original show’s history, it is surprising—and about time!—that Thundarr the Barbarian is only now coming to an actual comic book. (It’s been said that co-creator Jack Kirby had actually started working on a Thundarr comic book, but that the project fell through.)
Finally hitting comics shelves in January 2026, the brand-new Thundarr comic book is coming from writer Jason Aaron (whose credits include Conan the Barbarian, Star Wars, Thor, Ghost Rider, Wolverine, Absolute Superman, and more) and artist Kewber Baal (Vampirella, James Bond, Jennifer Blood).
“Thundarr the Barbarian isn’t simply my all-time favorite Saturday morning cartoon,” says writer Aaron. “It’s a fundamental component of my DNA as a writer. 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 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.
For the first time ever, we’ll actually learn the origin of Thundarr—including his first meetings with Ariel, Ookla, and the first time he ever wielded his mighty and mysterious Sunsword!
Find out more about the new Thundarr comic book from publisher Dynamite Entertainment!
More about the original show’s history…
The Sad History of Thundarr—who just missed being as big as He-Man | Secret Galaxy
Thundarr the Barbarian was, by some accounts, Ruby and Spears favorite show they worked on as is evidenced by the number of times they tried to save it. Riding the wave of Star Wars and predicting the popularity of Conan the Barbarian they couldn't keep Thundarr on the air long enough to be swept up in the pop culture wake of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
The Rise And Fall Of Thundarr The Barbarian (1980): Why It Was Cancelled So Suddenly | Nostalgia 4-1-1
Thundarr the Barbarian was one of the most unique and creative cartoons of the early 1980s — a wild blend of science fiction, sorcery, post-apocalyptic adventure, and unforgettable Saturday morning energy. But despite its loyal fanbase, the series ended far sooner than anyone expected. In this video, we explore the rise and fall of Thundarr the Barbarian and reveal why it was canceled so suddenly. From network decisions and production hurdles to shifting trends in early-80s animation, we break down the real story behind the show’s short run. If you grew up watching Thundarr, Ookla, and Princess Ariel battle mutants and wizards, this deep dive will bring those memories roaring back.
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The 1980s sword & sci-fi & sorcery cartoon show Thundarr the Barbarian is returning as a comic book by Jason Aaron and Kewber Baal. Find out about the history of the original TV show—and what to expect from the comic book series!