A Strange New World Rises From the Old
Notes on the BUG WARS trade & the coming of THUNDARR
“Thundarr the Barbarian” hit the Saturday morning airwaves when I was 10 years old and instantly became my favorite thing ever. It was all my favorite things rolled into one. It was post-apocalyptic, like Road Warrior and Planet of the Apes. It was swords and sorcery, like Conan, with a sprinkling of super science and Star Wars. It was an action comic brought to life by comic books legends Steve Gerber, Alex Toth and Jack Kirby.
The show only ran for two seasons, but its impact on me was profound. “Thundarr the Barbarian” isn’t simply my all-time favorite Saturday morning cartoon. It’s a fundamental component of my DNA as a writer. Without the world of Thundarr, Ariel and Ookla the Mok taking root inside my head, I maybe never write THOR: GOD OF THUNDER or THE LIFE AND DEATH OF CONAN or BUG WARS.
Thundarr is the dragon I’ve been chasing for 40 years.
And I finally caught it.
Starting in January, I’ll be writing a THUNDARR series for Dynamite Entertainment, featuring interior art by Kewber Baal. Surprisingly, given the cartoon’s lofty pedigree of comic book talent, this will be Thundarr’s first ever appearance in comic book form.
(Though here’s a piece by Mark Evanier, who wrote the show’s iconic opening, about how THUNDARR comics almost came to be once before from Whitman Comics.)
(And while we’re at it, here’s a breakdown of the show’s history that shows off a bunch of Kirby’s artwork from the series. And here’s an interview with writer Buzz Dixon about the show. And there’s a great Thundarr article in this issue of Fangoria from 1980. If you’ve got anymore good Thundarr links, please send them my way.)
With this book, I’m trying to be very precious about preserving the feel and spirit of the original cartoon, while also pushing the violence and tone a bit further than the show was allowed to do, in a way I like to think would’ve made Gerber happy, as he often referenced the restraints the show was forced to operate under. And as with my runs on CONAN and STAR WARS, I want this story to feel weighty and important, like this adventure is a fundamental piece of the world’s lore, so you can expect Thundarr to face a challenge greater than anything he’s faced before, one that will involve some of the most memorable wizards and mutants from multiple episodes, in a battle that stretches 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. You can also expect to learn a bit more about Thundarr’s origins, which the show only ever hinted at, including his first meeting with Ariel and Ookla and the first time he ever wielded his mighty Sunsword.
Here are preview pages from issue #1 by Kewber. Fans of the show may recognize the River Pirates from episode 5, “Treasure of the Moks,” the Carocs from episode 2, “Harvest of Doom,” the creepy bat-riding Raiders of Morag from episode 4, “Raiders of the Abyss,” the vicious rat men, the Groundlings, from episode 1, “Secret of the Black Pearl,” and one of my favorites, the Man-Apes from episode 9, “Valley of the Man-Apes.”
The full press release and more preview covers are available here.
BUG WARS Book One Collection In Stores Now
I’m really happy with how the BUG WARS trade turned out. Hats off to designer Becca Carey. It’s a meaty, goliath-sized tome, featuring 208 pages of bug warring action. All the world-building back-matter from the single issues is included, and you also get a brand-new introduction by entomologist Dr. Adrian Smith, creator of Ant Lab.
If you haven’t yet checked it out, I encourage you to find a copy at your local comic shop. As I’ve said, this is actually a weirdly personal book for me, one inspired by my childhood backyard, the yard where I fell in love with storytelling. And this is also me and artist Mahmud Asrar getting to fully cut loose and build the fantasy kingdom of our dreams. Part bug-infested horror story, part “Oh No, I’m Shrunk!” backyard adventure, part mature-readers dark fantasy epic for the ages.
And as it says above, this is just Book One. More BUG WARS is coming. Look for the over-sized, jam-packed BUG WARS: THE SPYDER WYTCH SPECIAL coming in January, with more adventures in the Yard to follow soon after.
And if you missed any of the single issues or our limited edition debut Ashcan, signed copies are available now in my online store.
Notes & Links & Things & Stuff
—This week, I’ll be making my final convention appearance of the year. No, not at New York Comic-Con. Instead I’ll be making the drive across Missouri for GalaxyCon St. Louis. I expect I’ll be bringing plenty of BUG WARS trades along with me, plus TMNT trades and hardcovers and a whole bunch else.
I’ll also be doing a spotlight panel on Saturday, October 11, from 1:30-2:30.
I’ve just started to finalize some cons for next year, including a few I’ve never done before, so expect announcements soon.
—As recently announced, my run on TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES will be wrapping up with issue #12. This storyline of the brothers’ big Return to New York was always meant to be a twelve issue epic, and now Gene Luen Yang and Freddie E. Williams II will be taking the baton, and I wish them well. As for me and artist Juan Ferreyra, who’s been absolutely killing it issue after issue on TMNT, we’ve been having so much fun, I can promise that you haven’t seen the last of us working together. It might even be sooner than you think. Stay tuned.
—BOOM! Studios has recently released a Deluxe Slipcase Edition of ONCE UPON A TIME AT THE END OF THE WORLD. The whole 15-issue exploration of love in a time of ruin, featuring the work of artists Alexandre Tefenkgi, Leila del Duca and Nick Dragotta, all in one gorgeously-designed package.
Here’s a look at it from Omar over at Near Mint Condition:
Ask your local retailer for a copy, or it looks like you can also order them direct from BOOM!.
—No surprise that the great Russell Dauterman draws an amazing Uncle Scrooge, as evidenced by this variant for UNCLE SCROOGE: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST DUCK #4.
This has been Beard Missives, direct from the Earth’s Beardiest Face of Jason Aaron.
This week’s newsletter has been brought to you by Smoked Gouda Pretzel Nuggets from the Amish Country Store in Lamoni, Iowa, mezcalitas and aguachile from Xcaret Arte in Playa del Carmen, and Mellowcreme Pumpkin after Mellowcreme Pumpkin from the candy dish on my kitchen table.
Be well and be loved, friends. Thanks as always for reading.
Jason Aaron
KC, October 8, 2025
Selected Works Available Now
Once Upon a Time at the End of the World
Things To Come
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #12 — October 22, 2025
UNCLE SCROOGE: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST DUCK #3 — October 22, 2025
ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #13 — November 5, 2025
STAR WARS: DARTH VADER MODERN ERA EPIC COLLECTION: VADER DOWN — November 25, 2025
UNCLE SCROOGE: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST DUCK #4 — November 26, 2025
ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #14 — December 3, 2025
BUG WARS: THE SPYDER WYTCH SPECIAL — January 28, 2026
ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN Vol. 2: SON OF THE DEMON Trade Paperback & Hardcover — March 3, 2026
PUNISHER: KING OF KILLERS Trade Paperback — March 24, 2026
UNCLE SCROOGE: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST DUCK Trade Paperback — April 28, 2026
Where I’ll Be
GalaxyCon St. Louis — October 10-12, 2025
Really looking forward Thundarr!!!! I remember watching that on Saturday mornings, too.
Bug Wars is really one of my favorite comic books so far. I really enjoy the story and the amazing art. I'm eager to read the new series. Good luck with the new adventure stories and your appearance at last Comic-Con.