Do Wildstorm's sales numbers really reflect a demand for yet another Thundercats limited series? Well, they must, because here we are, with another such title in front of us by yet another creative team. It's creating an inconcistency in style, and not just in the art. The plotting and personalities in the stories seem to be ever changing. Mind you, can the blame for these inconsistencies be laid at the feet of this creative team, or any creative team? Of course not. I didn't really dig on this book, but to be fair, it seems to be aimed at the Thundercats faithful fans. The property is one that's just never appealed to me.
Hachiman, the prince of the Samurai Empire, is preparing to take the throne. As he and his crew sail for home, Hachiman readies himself for the ceremony during which his father plans to step down and allow his son to rise to power as the emperor. That plan is derailed, though, by an attack by an immense ship crewed by scoundrels... and led by the barbaric Hammerhand. Word gets back to the empire of Hammerhand's attack and capture of Hachiman, and an urgent, desperate message is sent to the Thundercats to aid in the rescue of the land's new leader.
As this issue opens, D'Anda's artwork reminds me immediately of the Jack Kirby-influenced styles of Jose (Hip Flask) Ladronn and Jorge (Mystique, Iron Man) Lucas, as well as the stark approach of Scott (The Flash) Kolins. Later on in the book, though, it looks more like the wide-eyed manga style of the T-Cats house style or the work of J. Scott (Danger Girl) Campbell. In other words, the interiors are rather inconsistent. Now, perhaps more than one artist contributed to this book, but there's no way to tell, as the creative credits have not been included, as far as I can tell. I also found the artist's portrayal of the shapely messenger to be more than a little gratuitous.
The opening scene, featuring the human character of Hachiman, was easily the strongest in the book. I loved the sea setting, and the character's reflective tone rang true. Hammerhand's even a colorful, entertaining villain, and Avery's opening scene touches on a fun pirate riff that's so popular right now.
The story's not that accessible, though. We're given no indication of Hammerhand's history here, and that's rather important, as the title -- Hammerhand's Revenge -- indicates this story is all about the character's history. Furthermore, based on previous T-Cats titles, I had thought Thundera was a world without humans, that humans were as alien to the title characters as Martians would be to us. On top of that, we're given no indication why Lion-O is in training, why his followers are worried about him.
