Thundercats… Noooo!: In Defense of Asreeth Lion Warrior

Writer and Artist: Rene Arreola
Publisher: My Arts Creative

First things first: For readers of a certain age (even for younger readers, given the recent Thundercats comic books) this book seems a lot like the adventures of Lion-O and his friends. But if you can look beyond the initial impression you may have of this book, you will find a pretty good story here.

Asreeth Lion Warrior is the story of Asreeth, the High Guard of the Golden Pride Kingdom. The enemies of the Golden Pride are the Red Sabres. As the comic begins, Asreeth is sent to investigate rumours of an uprising of Red Sabres. Asreeth soon finds that his king has been replaced by the Vizier. The Vizier dismisses Asreeth from his duties. What’s a Lion Warrior to do without a king?

Asreeth has an interesting story, even though it sometimes veers into soap-opera land. The script, however, needs work: “You are Golden Pride no longer. Now get out of here.” That just doesn’t sound like something a lion would say. There are times when Asreeth acts like a mighty cat, but there are also times he just acts like a guy wearing a lion’s head.

Which brings us to the best part of the book: the artwork. Asreeth and his friends/enemies really do look like the animals they represent. On the final page of the book, I really felt Asreeth’s loss. I like the dark tone of the artwork, and that does further differentiate Asreeth from Thundercats.

Ultimately, Asreeth Lion Warrior makes me want to read the next issue. So for that reason, I’m going to give it a solid B.