The evil Mumm-Ra has ever striven to acquire the powerful Eye of Thundera. Now, he has made a pact and secured a trade with an exile from another dimension; his protection for the Orbs of Barrak, talismans that will allow him to travel to other dimensions -- particularly, the one that holds a twin to the Eye: modern-day Earth. And, as this is a Superman crossover, where else would the Eye be but in a Metropolis museum?

And so begins a high-action tale that may well appeal to the child in many of us; it appealed to mine, anyway. A long-time Superman fan and an avid viewer of the Thundercats series in the 1980s, Superman/Thundercats scratched an itch I never even realized was there -- primarily, seeing Superman (with his vulnerability to magic) go head-to-head with Mumm-Ra. Of course, as the Thundercats pull off their own reality-hop to Metropolis, being perceived as a crew of invaders, readers also get to see Supes throw down with everyone's favorite feline aliens.

What more could a fanboy (or girl) want? Kudos to writer Judd Winick for producing a fun story and preserving the personalities of all characters involved. Props also go to artists Ale Garza (pencils) and Trevor Scott (inks) for a dramatic, dynamic style, slightly manga-influenced, but also with an attention to detail. Perfect for the Thundercat characters, as anyone familiar with the series knows.

This is one of those comic projects that, in my opinion, has the crossover appeal that comics so dearly need today. If well-hyped and sold outside the specialty market, a lot of people who don't normally read comics could be reminded why they enjoyed them as children. Who knows? Maybe DC (the owners of Wildstorm) will reprint this project, releasing it through Walmarts, QuickTrips, Toys-R-Us stores, etc. Hey, a comic fan can dream, right?

- Rambles
written by Mark Allen
published 8 May 2004