This Comic Is Garbage!! A Thundercats / Youngblood Story.

Super-Blog Team-Up Presents: Staff Picks

Thank you for joining me today for a new tale of woe and frustration. One that will make you question why us comic book fans subject ourselves to the hobby. That story is a little later, but for now let’s get back into our matter at hands… it’s Super-Blog Team-Up week and this is part two of our staff picks edition! Okay… let’s jump back in!! Two more picks to go and two new categories!

The Collectors Key: Thundercats #1 (Star Comics)

My next pick is surprisingly another Toy book! Sense my theme yet? Anyone guessing that this writer is a Gen Xer who grew up an 80s cartoon and toy lover would be correct! For collectors chasing that pure hit of mid-eighties nostalgia, Star Comics' Thundercats #1 from December 1985 is a nice catch but mine comes with a story. Let’s set the table first..Star Comics was an imprint Marvel set up specifically to capture the younger demographic, publishing titles based on Saturday morning cartoons and popular toy lines of the day and I was all in!! Writer David Heck and penciler Jim Mooney were handed the reins to adapt the wildly popular Rankin/Bass animated series for the comic shops. This job in 2026 would be highly coveted! Back in the mid 80s this was unproven and uncharted ground. They had to capture the kinetic energy of Third Earth and translate it to a 24 page newsprint tabloid and do their best to adapt the pilot episode where the royal fleet of Thundera escapes the destruction of their home planet only to be hunted down by the Mutants of Plun-Darr. Sounds amazing right!??

One of the biggest challenges in these adaptations is getting the art right. Kids who watched the cartoon knew what these characters looked and acted like and that makes life extremely difficult as you do not want to alienate the kids who expect that cartoon on the page. Jim Mooney's art somehow managed to nail the classic animation style while still providing the structure of a traditional Marvel superhero book. This issue is highly sought after because it features the official first comic book appearances of Lion-O, Cheetara, Panthro, Tygra, WilyKit, WilyKat, and the sinister Mumm-Ra. It also beautifully establishes the lore of the Sword of Omens and the Eye of Thundera for a brand new medium. Finding a copy of this book out in the wild is tougher than you think in high grade just based on its status. I’ll tell ya what I mean..

Because Star Comics were primarily distributed via newsstands and grocery store spinner racks rather than dedicated comic shops, they were bought by kids who read them until the covers fell off. They were rolled up into back pockets, traded on school buses, and rarely bagged and boarded. Collectors did not seek these comics out as premium collectibles issues. STAR comics were treated like Archie digests, disposable fun. Today, a pristine, high-grade copy of Thundercats #1 commands a serious premium among collectors. Those savvy folks like myself  who bought this day one for  their collection have a nice little hidden gem here as well a definitive piece of 1980s pop culture history. It stands as a testament to an era when animation and comic books collided to create a lasting fandom. It almost never happens for me. 

Here is my story as I promised…

My family and I were on a camping trip in the latter half of the 80s. The closest comic shop was 2 hours away from my home town but we would be there for our vacation in our camper! After searching the Yellow Pages of the phone book, I stumbled upon a place called “Sword and Steel” that sold “Comics and Collectibles.” I HAD to go and my parents were kid pleasers so they made it happen.

I was amazed walking inside. I had never seen a collectible shop before! They had comics as promised. Long boxes and around 10 to 15 of them. Which is not a lot by today’s standard but by golly they gave me plenty to go through. The comics were also in bags and boards! I only had a few at home on my “high end” books but they all had them!

I made my picks that were Sonic Disrupters #1! Yep. Don’t ask. Then I got Legion of Super-Heroes issue number 1 of the Baxter series! I could not get this outside of a real comic shop! I picked Son of the Ambush Bug number one because, well, I liked the cover and it was Keith Giffen on art. Finally I found a nice copy of Thundercats number one! It was 5 dollars, which I thought was grand larceny but had to have it.

I brought my picks joyfully to the counter to what can only be described as a douchebag who thumbed through my purchases and when he got to Thundercats he openly called it “garbage”!!!

GARBAGE!!!

Here is a kid spending his 20 dollar allowance on this high end 5 dollar book and he called it garbage. He then tries to peddle me Watchmen #1. He spent what felt like an eternity talking about the virtues of this Watchmen series.

On first look I thought the cover was dumb. I am a kid what do I know. I assured him his pick was great but my Dad shut down the comic book carney and we paid for my books as I said I would stick with my picks as he placed my comics in a slick brown paper bag disgusted that I dare challenge his all knowing authority.

Now let’s be clear. The guy may have not been misguided. He was trying to sell me issue one of one of the greatest most sought after series of all time and space in Watchmen and for years when I became aware as an actual informed comic collector (I bought one Overstreet Price Guide! I was now the master!) Watchmen always outpaced Thundercats in value forever and my poor toy book rarely moved out of the 10 dollar ceiling that the value gods placed on it.

However justice would be mine.

In 2026, just moments before I publish this, Thundercats number one newsstand edition, raw and in great condition goes for, drum roll please, 100 bucks.

BUT... BUT... here’s where it gets good. A 9.8 CGC slab goes for up to $1000 to $1600!!!

How about Watchmen? A Raw copy in great shape can fetch you $25 to $95 bucks!! A CGC Slabbed 9.8 could run you $520 to $1000 bucks!!

I’ll take my Thundercats “Garbage” everyday of the week false prophet! Lesson of the day folks, buy what YOU like. That is the real value of a comic!

Personal Fave New Title: Youngblood (Image Comics, 2026)

In the 90s, I bought everything I could get my hands on. During one trip to a local grocery store, I ran into Image Comics for the very first time. It was a brand new universe of characters drawn by the heavy hitters of the business, and I was all in on day one. The only problem was that I bought them all except I missed Youngblood #1! I managed to get an issue months later, but I totally missed out on that bombastic first issue that is famous now as the launch of Image. Only three months ago, I finally got myself a copy, and that made me super happy! Comics had changed over the years, and that energy I felt discovering those initial Image titles did not quite exist in modern comics. It was not until our next subject arrived that I finally got that old feeling back!

Talk about a massive comeback. If you told me thirty-four years ago when the original Image revolution kicked off that I would be sitting down to review a brand new Youngblood comic line, I would have told you that you were dreaming. Yet here we are, and Rob Liefeld has returned to his signature creation to celebrate the monumental milestone of Youngblood #100. Liefeld handles both the writing and the pencils, bringing back that explosive, larger-than-life energy that defined the early days of creator-owned comics in the 90s. At the same time, he polishes it with new 2026 technology to help things along, and he brought a few of his comic buddies to help with the heavy lifting.

The narrative catches us up quick, yet it leaves many questions for us to chew on later. It reunites the classic, government-sanctioned celebrity super-team, featuring mainstay heroes like Shaft, Badrock, and Vogue as they come back together for a final, desperate offensive against a massive unknown threat. What makes this book work so well is how it leans directly into the core that made the property a hit in the first place. It understands itself. It is not afraid to be a comic book. These characters are a team of top-tier superhero celebrities and high-profile athletes who have to navigate the pressures of TMZ-style public relations, corporate sponsorships, and media scrutiny, all while simultaneously trying to save the world from total annihilation. If that does not catch you, I cannot help you. I always loved this concept. This book does not waste time filling us in. Instead, it throws us right into the action and never lets up.

Liefeld's art style is as distinct and unapologetic as ever. It is bursting with energy and pure 90s aggression! It is dirty, imperfect, and full power. For those looking for realistic visuals with perfect architecture and anatomy, this is not your jam. If you want to get lost in a time when comics ruled the world, this is your time machine. The pages are packed with massive splashes, detailed character designs, and a level of pure enthusiasm that you just do not see in a lot of modern, mainstream superhero books. Liefeld is at the top of his form! This is why I love this book. Everything that is missing in modern comics is right here, and the book is not afraid to be itself. It does not lean into dialogue-heavy, Bendis-style writing or computer-generated, photo-realistic character design. If that is what you desire, this is not your book.

This is a book designed for the fans who love the high-octane spectacle excesses of the glorious comic book nineties! Rob is giving us a slice of nostalgia, and it is not afraid to be exactly that. It is easily my favorite new book on the stands, proving that some properties never lose their ability to surprise you. I have been reading this for the first six issues and cannot wait for the next one to come out. It has been a long time since I could say that.

And that’s a wrap.. but there are many more picks to get into. Click on the links of my comrades below as they deep dive their faves! 

Thanks for joining the mighty matching SBTU and we will see ya again real soon! 

If you liked what you read let me know with a like and a comment below, follow me on X, Bluesky, Threads or wherever you are at @Charlton_Hero!! 

Check out the rest of Super-Blog Team-Ups Offerings for Staff Picks right here!!

The SuperHero Satellite

Classic Pick - Transformers (Marvel 1-4)

Dollar Bin Classic - Strikeforce Morituri

Collectors Key - Thundercats #1 (STAR)

Personal Fave New Title - Youngblood

https://charltonhero.wordpress.com/2026/07/15/super-blog-team-up-presents-staff-picks/

Dave's Comic Heroes

Classic Pick - Justice League Of America #144

Dollar Bin Classic - Super Team Family #8

Collectors Key - DC Comics Presents #26

Personal Fave New Title - DC Finest

https://davescomicheroes.blogspot.com/2026/07/daves-sbtu-staff-picks.html

Between The Pages - Amazing Spider-Man Comics On Marvel Unlimited

Classic Pick - Spectacular Spider-Man (1968) #1

Dollar Bin Classic - Marvel Team-Up (1972 - 1985)

Collectors Key - The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #121

Personal Fave New Title - Infinity Comics

https://www.betweenthepagesblog.com/2026/07/amazing-spider-man-comics-on-marvel-unlimited.html

Asterisk*51

Classic Pick - Unbeatable Squirrel Girl

Dollar Bin Classic - Ravage 2099 #1

Collectors Key - Brave and the Bold #85

Personal Fave New Title - Batman-Superman: World’s Finest

https://open.substack.com/pub/ebasterisk51/p/super-blog-team-up-staff-picks?r=18jsto&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Comics Comics Comics

Classic Pick - Pre-Crisis Superman

Dollar Bin Classic - The Defenders

CCollectors Key - New Teen Titans, Vol 1 #1

Personal Fave New Title - Conan the Barbarian (Titan)

https://comicscomicscomics.blog/2026/07/15/staff-picks/

Miscatonical Musings

Classic - Elfquest 1 (WaRP Graphics April 1979)

Dollar Bin Classic - Painkiller Jane 1 (Event June 1997)

Collectors Key - X-Men 94 (Marvel August 1975)

Personal Fave New - Wandering Island (Kodansha July 2016)

https://tealproductions.substack.com/

The Telltale Mind - Four Hulks!

Classic Pick - Incredible Hulk #309

Dollar Bin Classic - Hulk Vol. 2 #34-76 by Bruce Jones

Collectors Key - Hulk: Future Imperfect

Personal Fave New Title - Infernal Hulk

https://thetelltalemind.com/2026/07/15/four-hulks/

Magazines and Monsters

Classic Pick - The Brave and the Bold # 109

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3JluPN64Raq17jL5SFfn8C?si=52ZRWbIGTr21nnRvvVmvgA&utm_source=copy-link