Some of you may have read Steve Perry’s latest post on this very forum. In it he mentions that he’s contributing to a Thundercats book. Because of this, I thought I’d tell you a little bit more about the project.
I’ve been commissioned to write an ‘Unofficial Guide to…’ style book for Thundercats. It’s being released by a publisher that specialises in Film and TV books and will probably be on shelves towards the end of this year/beginning of next.
The book I’m writing is an ‘academic’ reference book that explores why Thundercats was/is such a phenomenal success and takes a detailed journey into the many stages of production.
The book features memories and contributions from around 50 of the cast, writers, crew and production team that made Thundercats a reality (featuring many who’ve never before spoken about their time on the show). In addition to individual chapters about music, art, animation, writing, voice artists and LJN toys etc, the book will also feature a comprehensive episode guide with each writer contributing a short ‘making of’ article about their inspirations and opinions for each of the 130 episodes.
The writers have been delighted to talk about their time on the show, however, because of Steve Perry’s unique memory (see his post) I’ve asked him to help out with a special ‘Script to Screen’ chapter, which will follow the episode Safari Joe from an initial idea, right through to animation (following the various departments in-between).
I hope you’ll all be enthused by this project, I’ve been a member of this forum for some years and I hope I know the questions we all want answering by this kind of book. To conform with copyright law, the book won’t be featuring character designs, but there is more than enough content to make this book a fascinating read (and you’ve always got great sites like this for the visuals).
Please feel free to ask any questions about the project and make any suggestions for content you’d like to see. It’s still very much in active development, so I’m happy to receive feedback.
Many thanks, I sincerely hope to give you the book you’ve all been waiting 25 years to read.
Congrats, David! If anyone in this fandom was born to do this project, it’s you. I’m sure you’ll do a fabulous job Can’t wait til the release date to buy my copy!
I’m sure you’ve got it under control, but if you need anything let me know. I might be able to help.
David - thanks for this post! When Steve mentioned the author of the book, I was a step too slow not connecting the name David Crichton with you - I must be getting old!
Your book sounds amazing - please let us know when it’s due to be published and we’ll give it a shout-out right here at ThunderCats Lair!
And, although it sounds like you have everything under control, like Angie says, if you need any help with anything, don’t hesitate to ask!
Good luck, and thanks again for letting us know about this!
Sounds exciting Dave! Like others here said, if you need any help with the book let us know. I’m a graphic designer and a huge Thundercats fan so if you need any help drop me a pm! Good luck and I’ll be looking to pick up a copy!
Cool story… some of their short term creative contributions still mean a lot to fans who are all grown up now. And many of those writers/artists wouldn’t even be aware of the lasting impression their work has left behind :).
Hi everyone - I’m glad people are getting excited about the book. I’ll be finishing the research portion very soon (I’m just conducting the last few interviews). Therefore, if anyone has any suggestions or questions they’d like answered in the book, please let me know.
I’m confident expectations (and hopes) will be met, but it’s always worth asking and I’ll try to ensure these topics are explored.
Can’t believe I hadn’t commented on this! :oops: I’m also excited about the release of this as it will be so cool to have a complete and detailed guide to all things ThunderCats!
As I said in my email David, I’m very interested in the LJN toys part of the book. I’d love to see the back story about the prototype toys that never saw commercial release and find out how close they were to being released!
I’d also love to hear if any further figures were planned (more Lunatacs to accompany the Red Eye prototype, Willa, Mandora etc..)
I’d like to know if any new ThunderCat/Thunderian characters were being thought of, or if there were any plans to bring Tygra and Pumyra to New Thundera on a permanent basis.
Oh, yes, and the artwork! Please have plenty of examples in the book!
I was just wondering Dave if you are planning on putting a seperate section on your book,maybe as an extensive research at your LJN guide, covering some rare AFA graded Thundercats toys?
I am saying this because collectors worldwide treat some selected figures,depending on their overall grade, as unique and museum pieces. Hence the price as well as the antique quality bestowed upon them.
Can’t wait til the release date to buy my copy!
