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The Masters of the Universe Shift. Skeletor’s Revelation

Dark Horse Comics
Now Available

Spoiler Alert

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe have been retconned many times over the decades as new animated series debut on television. One character I’ve always wanted to know the backstory to is Skeletor. In comic book land, I remember the tale offered by DC comics was quite the Shakespearean style take which sees him as a brother to King Randor–a concept taken from the comics released after the Filmation series.

With the release of #2 of MotU: Revelation, the recon changes the backstory back to its original incarnation.

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Not every Tenent is Revealed (yet) in Masters of the Universe: Revelation #1

The fact this comic skips a beat by having no introductions is welcoming. Anyone familiar with Masters of the Universe can jump in.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation Dark Horse Comics
Spoiler Alert

The history of creating He-Man to what it is now had its difficulties when Mattel, the toy manufacturer, didn’t take the deal of a lifetime. The CEO of the time, Ron Wagner declined to make toys for the upcoming Star Wars movie. Thankfully, that didn’t spell the destruction of this business. Recovering from that was hard. They looked to fashion a similarly competing product.

I still want the Emperor and Skeletor to fight each other but we won’t see that in any official media. If there’s a chance for an apprentice to defeat the master narrative in Kevin Smith and Rob David’s prequel comic, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, then I’ll be thrilled.

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Behind the Scenes w/ the Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is the perfect compendium which shows everything that’s been made for one of Mattel’s flagship product lines.

By the power of Grayskull, the massive, 700-plus-page, full-color hardcover chronicling the quintessential toys of He-Man, She-Ra, and the other Masters of the Universe is huge! The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is a must have for those who want to see everything produced, and as for those who can’t afford it all, thankfully this tome can fit the bill.

In the 1980s, the Masters of the Universe toy lines shook the world of children’s entertainment to its foundations. Now, YouTube influencer “Pixel Dan” Eardley and He-Man historian Val Staples have worked with fans worldwide to cultivate this incredible volume that contains in-depth overviews of every item in several complete toy lines, including: 1982’s Masters of the Universe, 1985’s Princess of Power, 1989’s He-Man, 2002’s Masters of the Universe relaunch, and 2008’s Masters of the Universe Classics!

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The Power of Grayskull Hits Home Video Sept 3rd! & Other News

Available on Netflix
Coming to home video, DVD on Sept 3
High Octane Pictures

When Masters of the Universe is looking like the reboot movie to keep an eye on, perhaps it’s time to revisit the merchandise that inspired it. Mattel once lamented over the missed opportunity when an offer crossed the desk of then CEO Roy Wagner to produce Star Wars toys. After seeing how successful that went, they missed the boat. The race was on by many toy manufacturers to produce the next big thing. Sadly, that meant licensing nearly every fantasy or sci-fi movies made under the sun in that quest to find El Dorado. Thankfully, a few creative minds got the right idea, but to maintain the fan base has been a struggle.

The conflict has always been with having associated media to keep interest alive. Randall Lobb and Robert McCallum‘s documentary, THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe explores the hurdles involved over the years in why this franchise is still reverent. According to a few chiefs at Toys r Us back then, 5-year-olds don’t read comic books. Mattel’s answer was to make a TV show.

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Stop the Presses! He-Man and The Masters of the Universe is Coming …

This volume begins with “Day of the Comet,” where Rokkon (of a Rock people tribe) is seen whizzing through space to find the Planet of Eternia because he needs He-Man’s help to save his people and prevent another world from falling.

All the newspaper strips from 1986-91 of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (MotU) is getting printed by Dark Horse Comics into a hardcover book, and I will be there when it hits shelves Feb 1st! Amazon lists it for Feb 15th, but I’m not waiting that long. By the power of Grayskull, it shall be mine, and that’s not because I still enjoy the cartoon series. I heard of the strips, but my local paper did not print it.

The forward in this book explains how archivist Danielle Gelehrter became an enthusiast. The real search began when the strip’s primary writer Chris Weber and wife Karen Willson, who edited it, wanted to create an online archive of their work. After talking to Gelehrter, they were hard at work scanning all the material they had all through the night.

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