Review by Pat Kelly
The He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Minicomic Collection is a must read for any fan of the 1980s toys. This book is a collection of over seventy of the minicomics that were included with the original Masters of the Universe line, the She-Ra Princess of Power line, He-Man (The New Adventures) line, The 2002 Masters of the Universe line, Masters of the Universe Classics line, and some previously unpublished material.
While many of the stories’ creative teams were lost with time, this collection does feature stories written and drawn by the likes of Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead, Outcast), Bruce Timm (Batman the Animated Series), Tim Seeley (G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Hack/Slash), and Mark Texeira (Punisher, Moon Knight, Vampirella). The book also features some creator interviews, although sadly neither Robert Kirkman nor Bruce Timm participated.
The stories are printed as they were originally published and in continuity order versus production order. The continuity is a bit different than you may remember from the 1980s Filmation animated series. For example, Teela is a clone of the sorceress (called goddess in the early minicomics and who is also named Teela) versus being her actual daughter like in the show. Luckily for the reader, notes are included to point out little facts and bits of trivia such as when characters were modeled after concept art in early issues so when you see Stratos working with Skeletor in the first comic, fear not, He-Man’s winged friend does not stay evil, although the change is never acknowledged. Despite some color changes to characters, the art is beautifully drawn and presented in this wonderful hardbound book. The stories themselves hold up well considering they were intended to be throwaway items packaged with action figures that give kids some background on the characters similar to the file cards that were printed on the back of G.I. Joe packages and the writers did it because it was a paying job.
The book definitely brings back a sense of nostalgia and makes me long for the days of playing with Skeletor and Tri-clops trying to get into Castle Grayskull, and using the echo microphone on Snake Mountain while He-Man, Battle Cat, Man-E-Faces, and Man at Arms fight Beast Man, Mer-Man, and Trap Jaw. It is really a fun read and a great value for the size. With the holiday season approaching, this would make a wonderful gift for any fan of the series.