Thundarr the Barbarian Returns: Jason Aaron Brings Iconic Post-Apocalyptic Hero to Comics for the First Time
In a massive collaboration, Dynamite Entertainment, Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, and acclaimed writer Jason Aaron are bringing fans the sword-and-sorcery comic book event of the year — Thundarr the Barbarian is finally making his comic book debut!
Originally airing in the early 1980s, Thundarr the Barbarian captured imaginations with its unique mix of fantasy and science fiction, set in a post-apocalyptic Earth nearly 2,000 years in the future. With barbaric heroes, evil wizards, mutated monsters, and ancient technology, the show became a cult classic — but shockingly, never received a comic book adaptation. That changes now.
Jason Aaron, the superstar writer known for his work on Thor, Conan the Barbarian, and Southern Bastards, will be penning the new series. With nearly 25 years in the industry and a long list of iconic runs, Aaron is the perfect fit to revive the world of Thundarr.
“This strange new world… imprinted on me in a profound way at an early age,” said 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. In a career full of dream jobs, this one will most assuredly go down as one of the dreamiest.”
Joining Aaron is artist Kewber Baal, known for his dynamic work on Vampirella, James Bond, and Jennifer Blood. Baal’s kinetic action style is set to bring the post-apocalyptic chaos — and Thundarr’s Sunsword — to vibrant life.
The upcoming series will reunite Thundarr with his loyal allies Princess Ariel and Ookla the Mok as they battle to protect humanity from the forces of evil. Familiar foes like Gemini and Mindok the Mind Menace return with a plot to reshape the world — a storyline that will take readers all the way back to the show’s origin point: the catastrophic cosmic event of 1994. For the first time ever, fans will also learn the origin of Thundarr himself — including how he met Ariel and Ookla and came to wield his powerful Sunsword.
In addition to Aaron and Baal’s creative team-up, fans can expect an array of stunning variant covers from comic book heavyweights, including Rob Liefeld, Dan Panosian, Francesco Mattina, Michael Cho, Joseph Michael Linsner, Björn Barends, and others.
Despite its deep comic book pedigree — with Jack Kirby and Alex Toth designing characters and legends like Steve Gerber, Roy Thomas, and Mark Evanier contributing to the original series — Thundarr never received an official comic adaptation… until now.
Originally teased at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Thundarr the Barbarian’s long-awaited comic debut was fully unveiled at New York Comic Con 2025. The first issue arrives this January — and it promises to be a thunderous start to an epic new era.