In a lot of ways, it’s a retro world, and we’re just living it. Over the years, we’ve seen the returns of major ’80s properties like G.I. Joe, Thundercats, Transformers, My Little Pony, He-Man, She-Ra, and many others, trying to capture the nostalgia of Generation X. Millennials are finally getting their chance to buy their childhoods back again, with reboots of numerous ’90s series hitting the air waves (or, more accurately in 2026, wi-fi) and comic shelves, including the animated series SWAT Kats: Radical Squadron, which ended 30 years ago and is finally about to make its triumphant return in comic form.
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This cartoon, produced by Hanna-Barbera and created by Christian and Yvon Tremblay, ran on TBS for two seasons starting in 1993 and took kids to Megakat City. It followed former law kats Jake “Razor” Clawson and Chance “T-Bone” Adler, who use special jet fighters like the Turbokat to take on Dark Kat and deal with Commander Feral, their former commanding officer in the Enforcers, MegaKat City’s police force. Like many nostalgia projects, SWAT Kats: The First Ever Comic Book started life on Kickstarter, where it hit a massive milestone right away, raising $757,140 from the support of 6,778 backers. This impressive campaign set a new record on Kickstarter, becoming the biggest single-issue comic book of all time on the platform. However, the success wasn’t done, reaching $1,000,000 on Backerkit.
“SWAT Kats is a testament to the enduring passion of this fanbase. Surpassing $1,000,000 through our pledge manager before fulfillment even begins is extraordinary — and with add-ons and pre-orders open through the end of May, we’re excited to see how much more their community shows,” said Rosalind Chau, Backerkits co-founder, touting the success of the campaign.
Swat Kats Is Back
The book is a collaboration between Roditeli Productions and The Tremblay Brothers, with Kevin Roditeli, known for his work on books such as X-O: Manowar, Bad Omens: Concrete Jungle, and the acclaimed Washed in the Blood working with co-writer Frank Barbiere, who has worked at Marvel, DC, and Image, including the current Author Immortal. For art, they were able to land the current artist of DC’s Next Level series Lobo Jorge Corona, a massive get for the project, as well as his frequent partner on colors Sarah Stern. He’s exactly the kind of name to get fans interested in the book and his style will bring the Kats to life brilliantly.
This being 2026, Roditeli Productions has gotten a slew of artists to give the book variant covers, securing some of the biggest names in comics today, including Mirka Andolfo Juan Gedeson, Leo Chiola, Alessio Zonno, Daz Tribbles, Preston Asevedo, Corin Howell, Filya Kenobi, and Ryan G. Browne. There’s even one from comic legend Neal Adams, released in partnership with Continuity Studios and his estate. These covers are still available, with fans getting one last chance to secure them through Backerkit until the end of May at skcomics.com.
Creators Christian and Yvon Tremblay have expressed excitement for the project, saying, “The idea of launching a comic book series is something we wanted to do for a long time, as it is the opportunity to tell new stories within the SWAT Kats universe. In fact, The Comic Book #1 (sic) is the first time since 1993 that we are telling an official new story of SWAT Kats!“ The two of them are working closely with Roditeli Productions to bring the newest chapter in the SWAT Kats ouevre to the printed page, ensuring fans will get the same old flavor they loved back in the day on TBS. Crowdfunding has proven to be a perfect ways for fans to get another chance with their favorite properties of yore. The success of the SWAT Kats is a massive milestone, both for crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Backerkit and fans of the beloved classic series.
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Image Courtesy of DC Comics
