First look–Ultimate 1980s crossover–He-Man and Thundercats meet this week in the pages of DC Comics

Are you a fan of Mattel’s Masters of the Universe and ThunderCats from the 1980s? Were they a part of your afternoon cartoon line-up? Did you pit your action figures of He-Man and Lion-O, in an epic battle against Skeletor and Mumm-Ra on your parents’ living room floor? If so, a new series from DC Comics and Mattel may be your next favorite comic book.

An outgrowth of the Big Jim action figures and toy line, Masters of the Universe toys first appeared in 1981. Four years later we met the ThunderCats in a Marvel Comics series and animated television series. Flash forward thirty years and Mattel’s Rob David and Lloyd Goldfine have written a limited series bringing together the two worlds with interior artwork and covers supplied by Freddie E. Williams II. The artist had a big year with another big crossover, his Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, a huge hit for fans of both franchises and for DC Comics.

Advance publicity for the series gives us a look at what’s to come: In his eternal desire to destroy the mighty ThunderCats, the evil Mumm-Ra quests for a weapon that can rival the legendary Sword of Omens: He-Man’s Sword of Power! But his dimension-spanning scheme launches a cataclysmic crisis that will, for the first time ever, unite Lion-O, Cheetara, Tygra, Panthro, WilyKit and WilyKat with He-Man, Battlecat, Teela, Man-At-Arms and the rest of the Masters of the Universe.

This week the six-issue series begins. We have a preview of the series below for borg.com readers.

Williams was an early fan of both series, as he explains in publicity materials for the release: “The Power of Grayskull and the Great Eye of Thundera have aligned to make me the luckiest guy on all the earths! He-Man and ThunderCats were my life when I was in grade school—family and friends knew I loved both cartoons so much. I used to pause episodes and draw from them, since they were so awesome. The He-Man/ThunderCats crossover is the fulfillment of a lifelong goal and my fanboy dream come true! I’m having a blast!”

Here’s a preview of Issue #1: