Over the last year, there’s a been a resurgence of beloved ’80s and ’90s cartoons making their way into the realm of comics. That list includes Roboforce and Biker Mice from Mars (over at Oni Press) and Thundercats (and its spin-off Cheetara) from Dynamite. Now, that list is set to grow with another beloved but slightly niche ’80s gem courtesy of a brand-new SilverHawks series.
This latest SilverHawks title is being headed up by writer Ed Brisson and artist George Kambadais, and represents the first such comics series in some four decades. The duo of Brisson and Kambadais are working right in line with the cartoon proper, as Commander Stargazer recruits a new team (including Steelheart, Hotwing, and Steelwill), to once again take down the nefarious Mon*Star criminal organization.
Along the way, this new SilverHawks series will explore the team and their various dynamics amid the “setting” of a police procedural, offering big action and bigger humanity. Whatever your relationship to the series prior, though, this SilverHawks will deliver nostalgia and a fresh take in one fell swoop.
SilverHawks #1 debuts on January 29 from Dynamite. (The FOC is slated for Monday, January 6.) Ahead of the release, Brisson was kind enough to answer some truly important SilverHawks questions via email. That includes the procedural “storyline,” working with Kambadais, standout team members, and his own creative approach to the book.
Main cover by Lucio Parrillo. Courtesy of Dynamite.
AIPT: What was your association/relationship like with the SilverHawks show before getting this call? Was it a childhood fave?
Ed Brisson: I grew up a fan the cartoon, I collected the toys, and followed the comic series that Marvel released in the 1980s. I’ve been a fan since first tuning into the double bill of ThunderCats and SilverHawks on afterschool TV.
As soon as I heard about that Dynamite was going to launch ThunderCats, I began seeding my interest in SilverHawks wherever I could and to whoever I could.
AIPT: You’ve also done ThunderCats: Apex recently. Did you take anything from that process/experience into SilverHawks?
EB: Not really. These are two very different books – even if they exist in the same wider Rankin-Bass universe. Apex was a solo tale of a drifter and so I didn’t have to concern myself with serving a cast of seven main characters, ensuring that each had a moment to shine. Apex is more fantasy, though we infused it a Western-feel. SilverHawks on the other hand feels much bigger in scope. We’re facing a galactic threat, as opposed to the one man on a personal mission.
The one thing I did take away from it is the idea of diving back into the world and pulling out underused characters and giving them a bit of a spotlight – not so much easter eggs as they are a nod to the world we’re inhabiting.
AIPT: The book’s said to take an “inventive procedural approach.” Can you explain a bit more about what that means — is it a different kind of cop procedural than we’re used to? SilverHawks always struck me as “space cops.” How did you approach the premise and try and make it more interesting or update it somehow?
EB: Our motto has been “Untouchables in space,” which is very much in tune with what the cartoon series was – the SilverHawks are a special taskforce brought together to take down Mon*Star, an intergalactic mobster.
Variant cover by James Stokoe. Courtesy of Dynamite.
In terms of influence and approach, we’ve been taking cues from as far and wide as Homicide: Life on The Street, RoboCop, The Ultimates, while staying true to what was already established in the cartoon. In terms of being an “inventive procedural,” that’s more about us taking a more procedural approach to a big sci-fi story. The SilverHawks are, more-or-less, space-cops and we want the book to have that feel. Sure, they’re battling giant galactic threats, but they’re also hard at work trying to proactively prevent these threats from causing harm to the people of Bedlama.
The procedural will come into play more and more as we roll into the second arc, where a new threat will start to emerge – but, I can’t say much more about that at the moment.
AIPT: You’re also supposedly delving into some folk’s backgrounds/backstories and even the larger events of this universe. Are there ever any issues in adding to existing canon, or maybe just some general uncertainty?
EB: We really didn’t get much backstory on many of the characters in the cartoon. The series was mostly a done-in-one set up with the status quo more-or-less resetting at the end of every episode. Because of that I wanted to make sure that we take our time here in building the team so that we can develop the characters beyond what we had been used to, so that we could give readers a deeper understanding of who they are, how Mon*Star has impacted their lives, and why they’ve agreed to sign up with the SilverHawks. Those personal, grounded moments with the characters have been an absolute joy to develop and I think will help us in terms of bringing in readers new to SilverHawks while also hooking those who grew up with it.
I think there can be plenty of problems some creators run into when adding to existing canon or lore, but generally that’s an issue when things are being revamped from the ground up or when old lore is being tossed out in favour of new. I think that’s an approach that can work well in some cases, but sometimes you run the risk of losing the thing that made the concept special in the first place.
We’re sticking close to what was established in the cartoon, we’re just diving deeper on it. What did Jonathan Quick’s time as a lieutenant with Interplanetary Force 8 look like? What did Bluegrass do between being a pilot and joining up with SilverHawks? What about Hotwing? Copper Kidd? Steelheart and Steelwill? We’re taking time to look at that, to ground these characters and make them feel more real by exploring who they are and why the decided to become a SilverHawk. That’s where my interest is: what are their motivations, what are they fighting for, etc? If we can establish that, if we can make readers connect to it, then everything that happens after – every fight, every victory, every loss, is going to have more weight to it. It’s going to matter in a way it wouldn’t without us having explored who these people are.
Variant cover by Manix Abrera. Courtesy of Dynamite.
AIPT: Speaking of ThunderCats, Dynamite’s been killing it with that title and some similar retro-themed adaptations. Does that buzz/popularity add any stress or pressure to a title like SilverHawks?
EB: Oh, no pressure at all to compete with Dynamite’s biggest selling title of all time. None. It’s all cool. *Wipes sweat from forehead*
AIPT: What was the collaborative process like w/ George Kambadais? His style is so energetic and lively and it feels nearly perfect for this title.
EB: I’ve been wanting to work with George for a long time; it was just a matter of making the stars align.
He’s got a unique style, his linework has this sharp, kinetic, and vibrant quality that is perfectly tailored for this high adventure, sleek future world of SilverHawks, while also being grounded enough to capture the emotional moments that are key to the story we’re telling. It’s really something special.
George and I have talked plenty about how to bring the SilverHawks to a more modern audience without losing the magic of the cartoon – and all it takes is one look at the pages to see that George understands what a SilverHawks book needs on a molecular level. I couldn’t have asked for a better collaborator.
AIPT: Someone commented once that many of these ’80s shows (this one but also Transformers, Care Bears, GI Joe, etc.) helped inspire the morals/values of an entire generation. Do you try to carry that aspect over into the comics?
EB: No.
I think with those cartoons, there was a burden to shoehorn in a message – usually as an epilogue at the end of the episode – to justify that they weren’t just trying to sell toys to kids. That’s something we don’t have to worry about. We don’t have to make excuses or try to appease parent groups. We’re free to tell the kind of stories that we want to.
Audiences are more mature than they were back then, they don’t want to be spoon-fed messages about being kind or not littering or whatever. They want more complicated storytelling. I’m only interested in telling stories that are morally complex than black and white good vs. bad tales.
Variant cover by Geraldo Borges. Courtesy of Dynamite.
AIPT: Is a book like this just about stoking nostalgia, or is there something else to it? How do you get folks to stay beyond that initial hit of remembrance?
EB: The nostalgia hook is undeniable, but no book is going to last long if it’s not bringing something new to the table. Nostalgia is how we get you through the door. Good story, compelling characters, and a deeply explored, expanded universe is how we keep you.
AIPT: Is there a member of the team that stands out to you, or that you’ve grown extra fond of?
EB:: Initially, Bluegrass and Hotwing were my top picks, but as I got deeper into the writing process, I’ve found Stargazer and Condor to be my most unexpected favourites. These seasoned officers have endured the toughest times on Bedlama, and their efforts have brought about a prolonged period of peace. Because of that, there’s a whole generation who haven’t had to suffer under Mon*Star’s rule as Limbo’s undisputed crime king. Now, with Mon*Star on the loose and seemingly making up for 100 years behind bars, Stargazer and Condor are the only two who can fully comprehend the challenges ahead, and they carry a weight of responsibility that the rest of the characters have yet to experience.
However, if you ask me next week, my answer might be completely different. It often depends on who I’m writing at the time and I just finished writing a bunch of scenes with these two.
AIPT: How do you think your writing style or general approach differs between creator-owned titles and something like this book?
EB: Not really. The only real difference is that with licensed or work for hire, I need to appease not just myself and the rest of the creative team, but also the editor, the publisher, the licenser, etc. With creator-owned, it’s just about me and the artist.
The only real differences in terms of the writing itself are boundaries, expectations and guardrails. With licensed properties, you’re playing in someone else’s sandbox and have to keep in mind that someone else will be playing in that same sandbox when you’re done and so you want to leave things in a place where they can do that. If it’s creator-owned, then no one else is touching our toys. When me and the artist are done, the sandbox is closed. It’s freeing. That said, sometimes working within an existing universe can feel the same way, there’s always a challenge to leave a lasting mark, so that when the next person comes to play in that sandbox, they’re not just picking up the original toys, but they’re grabbing on to some of the toys that you and the creative team built and left behind.
Variant cover by Declan Shalvey. Courtesy of Dynamite.
That’s a lot of talk about sand and toys.
AIPT: Is there anything else you want to say about SilverHawks, ’80s cartoons, comics, art, space travel, life, etc.?
EB: Sure, I need to mention the murderer’s row of variant cover artists we have on the first issue. We’ve got some amazing cover 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 comic in nearly 40 years, I’ve missed them and hope we can keep them adventuring for a good long while.
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