After the runaway success of theirThundercatsrevival,Dynamite Entertainmentis set to breathe new life into theSilverhawks. Created a year afterThundercatsand designed to be a companion show,Silverhawksnever quite achieved the same level of success, but still became a cult property. TheSilverhawks’cartoon, like many others of its era, was accompanied by a wave of merchandise, including action figures, clothing, as well as a comic book series from Marvel.
Now, nearly 40 years after it premiered,Silverhawkswill be returning to comics courtesy of Dynamite Entertainment, as part of their larger deal with Warner Brothers/Discovery (which has also producedtitles based onJonny Quest, Powerpuff Girls, andSpace Ghost). Dynamite has paired each book with a top-tier creative team, andSilverhawkswill be no different. Ed Brisson, known for his work on Marvel titles such asPredatorandAlpha Flight, will be joined by artist Georgoe Kambadais forSilverhawks.Brisson was gracious enough to speak withScreenRantabout his childhood love ofSilverhawks, his experiences writing it compared to other licensed titles–and the Tiger Sharks!
Writer Ed Brisson is a LifelongSilverhawksFan
Ed “Pestered” His Editor About WritingSilverhawks
ScreenRant: So how did you come to be involved with Dynamite’s revival of the SilverHawks? Did you watch the cartoon or engage with the toys when you were younger?
Ed Brisson: I grew up watching the cartoon and had the toys and the comic series that Marvel released back in the 80s. I was a big fan, still am, and so when I found out that Dynamite was doing ThuderCats, I started a low pressure campaign for the book. I pestered Declan Shalvey to let me know if/when Dynamite was planning a SilverHawks book. When Nate called me up to do ThuderCats: Apex, my first question was “When are you doing a SilverHawks book and can I write it?” Months of me asking about it worked and, well, here we are.
SR: Can you offer fans a hint of what to expect, story-wise, from SilverHawks’ first story arc? How close are you sticking to the cartoon’s continuity?
EB: The series kicks off the same way the cartoon did: MonStar breaks out of prison and begins wreaking havoc across Limbo. Stargazer, who put MonStar in prison in the first place, is tasked with bringing him down.
Where we diverge from the show is in how the team comes together. In the cartoon, the team is, more-or-less, preassembled and quickly introduced via a third party, followed by a very quick training montage before they’re off to the races. In the book, we’re taking time and care with assembling the team. We want to show who everyone was before they signed up and how Mon*Star and his crime syndicate have impacted their lives.
We’re taking cues from the show, which often hinted at the cast’s past, and expanding upon it. In some cases, we’re taking liberties, but nothing that doesn’t feel organic to whom the character is. The show left a lot of room for us to explore, and we’re taking full advantage of that.
SR: You’ve worked on licensed titles in the past, such asSons of Anarchy.What was your experience like working on that book, as well as other licensed properties? How does it compare working on a book likeSilverHawks?
EB: I think I’ve been lucky in that most of the licensed properties I’ve worked on have been good experiences – though, there have been one or two that were a real pain.
Sons of Anarchy was my very first ongoing series and the experience on that couldn’t have been more pleasant. My editor, Dafna, was great and the folks in the Sons of Anarchy TV office seemed genuinely excited and engaged with the material we were doing. Any notes that came from them were thoughtful and there to enhance the story.
Most recently, I was onPredator,which was similarly a positive experience. I was a big fan of the film growing up and was excited to create new lore with that world. Even when I wanted to take wild swings, they were supportive.
And, SilverHawks are no different. There’s been an incredible amount of support for the type of story we’re trying to tell, including all the additive bits we’re throwing in.
SilverhawksIs Full of Awesome Characters–But Ed’s Favorite Changes Often
Could Fans See New Silverhawks?
SR: As you have gotten deeper and deeper into writingSilverHawks, have any characters jumped out and become a favorite?
EB: Going in Bluegrass and Hotwing were two favourites, but as I write, Stargazer and Condor have been two that I’ve enjoyed working on more than I expected. They’re grizzled cops who lived during the worst era on Bedlama. Because of them, there’s been a long era of relative peace, which means there’s a generation who don’t know what it’s like to live under Mon*Star’s wrath. And, now that it looks like we’re about to usher in another era of instability and chaos, these two are the only two who fully understand what they’re up against, which gives them this burden that the rest of the cast doesn’t have (yet).
That said, ask me again next week and the answer as to who my favourite to write is might be completely different.
SR:SilverHawkslore is as diverse and deep asThuderCats, and full of compelling characters. Can fans expect new characters to be added to the mythos? Declan Shalvey and Drew Moss have introduced someexciting new additions toThuderCatslore, such as Calica and Apex, andSilverHawksnot doing so too feels like a missed opportunity.
EB: We’ll have a few new characters who’re introduced in the first issue – they’re not part of the core team, but they’ll play a large role in how the story rolls out in this first arc, and they have a long history with Stargazer and Condor. In the cartoon, it’s hinted that there was a previous SilverHawks team – which Stargazer and Condor were part of – and in the comic, we’re going to meet them.
Beyond that, we’re not introducing anyone new to the team in the short-term. We’ve already got a fairly large cast to introduce to a generation of readers who might not be familiar with the cartoon, and we want to make sure that we take the time to do that properly, before we start hitting folks with brand-new additions.
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SR: Speaking ofThuderCats, it has been a huge success in terms of sales and critical acclaim for Dynamite.HasThuderCats’successupped the ante forSilverHawks?
EB: Oh, yeah. The success ofThuderCatsdefinitely ups the pressure, but I’m trying not to let that get inside my head. I’m just focusing on writing the best scripts I can. I know that George has us covered on the art front, so as long as I deliver on the story, we’ll be good.
Will the Silverhawks Meet the Thundercats? Stay Tuned
And Will the Tiger Sharks Return?
SR: Time for a fun question. Dynamite will be groupingSilverHawkswithThuderCatsunder a single banner, and rumors are swirling of a crossover between the two. If this meeting was to happen, hypothetically speaking, who would be friends among the teams? And could Mon*Star and Mumm-Ra exist without killing each other first?
EB: I think Mon*Star and Mumm-Ra would probably kill one another. Both are too power hungry to share.
As to who’d become friends, I dunno. I can see Quicksilver taking Lion-O under his wing, helping to guide him on his quest to find his feet as a leader. Copper Kidd and the Kits would find some common ground, I’m sure. Panthro and Steelwill and Steelheart would have plenty to talk about, given they’re all gearheads. Bluegrass and Hotwing could keep Tigra and Cheetara entertained.
SR: One more fun question: Rankin/Bass, who createdSilverHawksandThuderCats, also produced another, similar series calledTiger Sharks. As it is also owned by Warner Brothers, what are the odds of the Tiger Sharks showing up too?
EB: Good question. I’ve been asked this – a lot – and the answer is: You’re going to have to wait and see.
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SilverhawksWill Ship With a “Murderer’s Row” of Variant Covers
SR: What was it like working with George Kambadais on this project? How did he come to be involved?
EB: I’ve been wanting to team up with George for ages; it was just about finding the right project. His art has this amazing dynamism and fluidity that fits perfectly with the high-flying, fast-paced action needed for a book like SilverHawks.
What I really love about George’s style is how unique it is. His linework has this sharp, kinetic, and vibrant quality that suits the futuristic, sleek world of SilverHawks perfectly—think space battles, high-stakes chases, and strange and wild environments. He’s got a knack for nailing the armor and their unique designs, while also capturing the emotional moments that are key to the story we’re telling.
We’ve had plenty of chats about how to bring this universe to life, and George understands the SilverHawks on a molecular level. His attention to detail and his ability to mix old-school nostalgia with a modern twist make him a perfect fit for SilverHawks.
SR: Any final thoughts on SilverHawks you would like to share with fans?
EB: We haven’t mentioned the murderer’s row of variant cover artists we have yet! We’ve got some amazing covers from Declan Shalvey, Lucio Parrillo, Jae Lee, James Stokoe, Geraldo Borges, Lesley “Leirix” Li, Mannix, David Cousens, and a few other surprise guests!
Don’t forget to pre-order! This is the first SilverHawks coming in nearly 40 years, and we want to make sure this sucker does well enough that we can keep it going for a good long while.
