Comic Info
Comic Name: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Limited Series)
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Keith Giffen/James Robinson
Artist: Pop Mhan/Philip Tan
# of Issues: 6
Release Date: 2013
Reprints He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Limited Series) #1-6 (September 2012-March 2013). Adam is a woodcutter but has dreams of bigger and better things…and a mysterious man named He-Man. When inspired to seek his dreams by a falcon named Zoar, Adam sets out for adventure…and finds the life he has been living might very well be a lie.
Written by Keith Giffen and James Robinson, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Volume 1 collects the six-issue mini-series produced by DC Comics. Based on the popular ’80s toy series launch in 1981 by Mattel. It is the second He-Man series produced by DC Comics following a 1982 three issue limited series entitled Masters of the Universe after an appearance with Superman in DC Comics Presents #47 (July 1982).
I grew up on Masters of the Universe. I was already into Star Wars and with Star Wars slowing down with the release of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, new action figures were needed to keep me entertained…enter He-Man. This mini-series isn’t great, but it does capture some of the fun of the old He-Man.
When He-Man was first released, the mini-comics did not resemble the story that most are familiar with. He-Man was a guy with a powerful sword and a chestplate that gave him power. Reading this volume, I couldn’t help noticing that it felt like these original mini-comics were the basis for Skeletor’s false world…and that was fun for me. The fun however ended as the series progressed.
The story became an odd El Topo type event where Adam just keeps meeting Skeletor villains and battling them…getting better and more memories back as he went along. This isn’t a very inspiring or modern telling of the story. I had hoped that the story would be jazzed up and made creative. Though I love Masters of the Universe, I realize it was very gimmicky and often not very inspired. I wanted a really new, modern take on it while still holding to the traditions that made it fun as a kid.
Despite my criticism, I still have a soft spot for this series. I can imagine the cheesy cartoon and rushing home from school to catch it (it aired at a time that I never got to see the beginning unless it was vacation time). With He-Man restored and the story progressed, the series provides hope that there can be some fun with the characters. The series was picked up after this volume but He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 2: Origins of Eternia doesn’t contain the next issues in the series but a collection of one-shots and webcomics that were released during and around this mini-series run. The third volume of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe picks up the continuing series.
Related Links:
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 2: Origins of Eternia
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 3
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 4: What Lies Within
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 5: The Blood of Grayskull
He-Man: The Eternity War—Volume 1