Category: Comics

Comics

He-Man and the Power Sword sample, the Lords of Power, and the French connection

Posted on by Adam McCombs

Written by Adam McCombs

One of the most interesting of the minicomic variants is the sample version of the first comic, He-Man and the Power Sword, illustrated by Alfredo Alcala. It’s called the sample version that because on the cash rebate offer toward the end of the comic, it’s stamped over with the word “SAMPLE” on both sides, indicating that the comic itself was just an early sample, and therefore the rebate wasn’t valid:

As a side note, I’ve done a lot of research about dates for the release of the Masters of the Universe line. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that He-Man was released starting in May of 1982. I’ll note however that the date on the rebate indicates a purchase window of March 1, 1982 to January 31, 1983. There has long been talk of an early test market release for He-Man, on a limited basis, prior to its wide release in stores across the country. It’s possible that these test market figures (typically identified as the “G0” early release MOTU cards) were released in March of 1982, but I’d want more evidence to be able to say that with any degree of confidence. I actually don’t know what the source is for the test market pre-release claim. It could stem from an interview with someone at Mattel, or it could just be a fan theory. If anyone has any sources, please contact me!

Sample Comic and its Logo

Regarding the sample comic in question, I know from my interview with Alfredo Alcala Jr. that his father received a number of copies of this early sample after its printing. In the interview he also referred to the comic as an artist’s proof. Mattel employees working on the brand also received copies of the sample comic, and it may have even been handed out at New York Toy Fair in February of 1982.

Image courtesy of Alfredo Alcala Jr.
A worn example of the sample version of the comic.

A number of years ago, Jukka Issakainen interviewed the creator of the Masters of the Universe logo, Bob Nall. (The interview used to be hosted on He-Man.org.) Jukka asked Bob about the variant logo on the sample version of the comic:

Jukka: I found a pic of the alternative logo of MOTU on the minicomic cover. Can you tell me more about this logo version?

Bob Nall: It mimics the original but is not too good as far as logos go (my opinion). Back in the day, MOTU was taking off and making tons of money so many Mattel entities and others outside of Mattel wanted a piece. These types of anomalies popped up all the time.

Bob Nall: But, I will say this – the logo you are questioning definitely followed the original MOTU logo which I created. It may have been rendered that way for a variety of reasons (who knows) but none of which came through my office for approval. As I said, there were many hands in the pot once the Brand became successful.

Sample version of the comic with unofficial logo. Image via Jukka Issakainen
Standard version of the comic with official logo

My opinion is that the official Masters of the Universe logo hadn’t been finalized at the time the artist’s sample was to go to print, so Alfredo must have created a placeholder for the cover until the final logo was ready to go.

Sample Version vs. Standard Version

So what are the differences between the sample version of He-Man and the Power Sword and the version that came packaged with figures? We know the logo was different, but there is a difference in the artwork on the cover as well. On the sample, the sky is a single color of blue, while the final version has a color gradient going from dark to light blue. The clouds behind Castle Grayskull on the final version of the comic have been redone, with more detail, and they cover more of the page. Finally, the title of the story has been moved so that it’s over rather than underneath the logo:

Sample version (left) vs standard version

Lords of Power

As shown at the beginning of the article, the rebate pages were stamped “SAMPLE” on the early version of the comic. But there is one more important difference. On the final page of the story, the Spirit of the Castle delivers a message to the heroes. In the sample version he calls them the “Lords of Power,” while in the standard version he calls them the “Masters of the Universe.” As you may know, “Lords of Power” was one of the early working names for the line. That name was dropped because it was thought that it might have unintentional religious connotations. The sample version of course has the revised name, Masters of the Universe, on the cover. The inclusion of “Lords of Power” on the last page must have been a simple oversight by the editor.

Sample version (left) vs. standard version.
Close up of the text of the sample version.

Interestingly, in ads promoting the full collection of the first four minicomics (or adventure books, as they are called), the sample version of He-Man and the Power Sword is pictured:

The Adventure Books – probably a better description for the first four comics, which are really story books with no panels or speech balloons.

I’ll also note that there were a couple of other US variants of He-Man and the Power Sword. There was a later reprint, which had a yellow title, fewer pages, and updated advertisements. There was also a version that lacked the word “FREE” on the burst on the cover. You can check out those and other variants here.

The French Connection

The story doesn’t end there, however. For reasons unclear to me, the French version of He-man and the Power Sword was partially based on the US sample version (the same goes for the French Canadian version). On the cover, the French edition has the official Masters logo (or the official French version of it), but it is colored according to the unofficial logo from the US sample. The sky on the illustration is the solid blue of the sample version. The title appears below the logo, like the sample version. However the clouds are the revised version that appeared in the standard version:

French edition of He-Man and the Power Sword. Also note there is no “Free illustrated book with purchase” burst on the cover.

The final page of the story in the French edition also mirrors the US sample. The Spirit of the Castle addresses the heroes, twice calling them the “Seigneurs de la Force” or Lords of Power (literally “Lords of the Force”):

Final page of the French story
“Lords of Power”
Back cover, printed in France

Why did the term Lords of Power end up in the French version of the comic? I don’t know. However, this isn’t the first time early lore ended up in French materials. In an early French catalog, Mer-Man is said to be a companion of He-Man, and Stratos is said to be a companion of Beast Man. We know Mattel originally planned to have Mer-Man as a Heroic Warrior and Stratos as an Evil Warrior. You can read more about that here.

Bonus: extras in the French edition of He-Man and the Power Sword:

The French edition is interesting for other reasons as well. It contains a number of coloring pages, based on some of the US wave 2 minicomics:

Best of all, it also had a two-page photo, featuring an early Teela prototype with Barbie-style leg articulation, the Castle Grayskull model used for catalogs, blue beard Stratos, and striped tail Battle Cat:

Left to right: regular version, sample version, and French version

I hope you’ve enjoyed this exploration of some interesting variants of He-Man and the Power Sword. Bonus for Patreon supporters only: Here are some additional coloring pages from the French edition of Vengeance of Skeletor. Also, look for an upcoming video where Mega Jay Retro and I discuss this topic at length!

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1
Comics, Filmation

The Spirit of Grayskull

Posted on by Adam McCombs

Written by Adam McCombs

The Spirit of Grayskull, also known as the Spirit of the Castle, is a reoccurring character in early Masters of the Universe stories. I’ll plot out the development of the character and the places it appeared.

The very first attempt at a Masters of the Universe story was Don Glut’s “Fighting Foe Men” treatment, prior to the first minicomics. Although the Spirit of Grayskull doesn’t appear in The Fighting Foe-Men, Mattel did provide this feedback regarding his treatment of Castle Grayskull:

Castle Grayskull

  • More mysterious
  • Should hold vast treasures
  • Should hold secrets of the universe
  • Add dangers for the unwary

Apparently one of things Glut added to make the castle more mysterious was to add “the Spirit of the Castle,” which appears in three of the four minicomics he wrote.

He-Man and the Power Sword

We see the Spirit appear first in He-Man and the Power Sword, the first published minicomic in the Masters of the Universe line. As Skeletor and Beast Man approach the castle, the Spirit warns them away:

An eerie voice — that of the castle’s all-present Spirit — warned them: “Go back! The secrets and treasures of Grayskull are for no one to posses! Go away…”

To which Skeletor responds:

“I defy you, Spirit of the Castle! Your many secrets shall be mine! I hold half of the mystic Power Sword! I shall soon possess the other half which is hidden within your walls. Then I will have full power! And none of your deadly traps will stop me!”

Later in the story, they encounter a metal door barring their way:

But as they touched the door, the Spirit of the Castle cursed them and unleashed its ghostly demons.

Skeletor vanquishes the ghost demons with his sword and says:

“Again I defeat you, Spirit of the Castle! Now, to seize your greatest treasure!”

Eventually the heroes are able to defeat Skeletor and Beast Man and send them running away. On the last page of the story the Spirt appears over the castle and says:

“You truly are the ‘Masters of the Universe’ who are destined to protect my secrets from evil forces. You should at least have some small reward.”

At this point the Spirit gifts them with Teela’s unicorn steed.

King of Castle Grayskull

In King of Castle Grayskull, Teela replaces the Sorceress (aka Goddess) as the guardian of Castle Grayskull.

Teela listened as the Spirit of the Castle spoke. “Legend tells of a warrior who will find the split halves of the Power Sword. One half is hidden at Eternia’s highest point. The other is beneath its hardest rock. With both halves, he can enter the castle and claim the throne and the secrets of the universe. You are to be the guardian here!

Skeletor manages to get both halves of the sword and tricks Teela into thinking he is the warrior spoken of by the Spirit. Skeletor defies the Spirit of the Castle:

“These things are mine!” he shouted to the unseen Spirit of the Castle. “The secrets of the universe are now at my command. Soon Eternia and all other worlds will belong to me. I am now king!”

We don’t see the Spirit again until the end of the story, after Skeletor has been defeated again.

With Skeletor departed, the Spirit of the Castle appeared again. “I must make sure that the halves of the Power Sword are never again used for evil,” said the chilling voice. “I shall send them into another dimension where even clever Skeletor will have great difficulty finding them.”

“Centuries may pass before the true king comes to claim his throne and fulfill the prophecy of the legend,” said the Spirit. “Go then, Masters of the Universe, and fight evil wherever you find it!”

He-Man and Teela did as ordered. As they departed, the Spirit of the Castle seemed to smile, knowing that at the proper time He-Man would prove himself to be the true King of Castle Grayskull.

Vengeance of Skeletor

In this story, the Spirit appears only at the very end, after the heroes have once again defeated Skeletor and his forces:

“No doubt they will invent new plots of evil,” said the Spirit of the Castle, appearing. “But you, the Masters of the Universe, will be ready for them.”

MOTU Bible

The Masters of the Universe Bible, written December 1982 by Michael Halperin, contains the next appearance of the character, now called the Spirit of Grayskull. In short, in order to hide the power of the Council of Elders and the Hall of Wisdom, the council transformed themselves into the Spirit of the Council. Then the Hall of Wisdom was transformed into the foreboding Castle Grayskull, with “the wisdom” (meaning perhaps the Spirit of the Council?) becoming the Spirit of Grayskull. The relevant text is quoted below:

ZODAC, the wise leader of the Council of Elders, called to the stars for advice. In a shimmering, gleaming beam a figure appeared out of the cosmos — the figure of an elegant and beautiful woman adorned in snake shaped armor and bearing a twisted snake-headed staff.

For centuries Eternia dwelt without fear, the SORCERESS told them, and now the time of testing fell upon the planet. For too long the Council had made all decisions; Their people had lost the ability to think for themselves. The time had arrived to cut the umbilical cord and permit Eternia the right to exist on its own.
The Council listened to the vision which promised them that if ever the forces of evil should try overcoming Eternia a champion would arise to defend the planet. A champion not seen in all the universe. A being so powerful and filled with good that evil, no matter how mighty, could not stand against him. However, with all the champion’s virtue he needed one more element to make him the ultimate ruler of the Universe — he required the collective wisdom of the Elders. And that he would not have until he proved himself against the dark forces.

There Lay the danger. For if the evil powers discovered the secret — this key to destiny — they might destroy all that’s harmonious in Eternia. Once that occurred light would go out all over the planet and it could end with the same fate as Infinita.

Zodac gathered the Council of Elders in the Hall of Wisdom and collectively they concentrated their mind force until the sheer power of their consciousness created a mighty force field. At that moment, an implosion cracked through the corridors of the Hall and the Council disappeared in a blinding flash of energy. Only Zodac retained his human form as one of the Eternia’s guardians. In the Council’s place existed a mass of light at once denser than the densest material in the universe and as light as a ghost. It rose to the topmost parapet of the Hall of Wisdom where the Spirit of the Council looked to the far horizon — past the Evergreen Forest; beyond the Vine Jungle; above and through the Ice Mountains to the sealed Space Portal. It knew that one day an Infinitan would discover how to break the spell. That evil person would search the magnificent Hall of Wisdom. The Spirit, along with Zodac determined that it would not be found — at least not in its present state.

A great aura of energy burst forth from the mass of light which had been the Council of Elders. It surrounded the Hall of Wisdom and an astonishing shuddering and shimmering arose as the very air around the Hall glowed with a cosmic light. Anyone witnessing the experience would have seen in incredible sight – almost mirage-like, the Hall’s very atomic structure shifted; the molecules seemed to run wild as the building changed form.

The wisdom of that which once was the Council understood that the demons of Infinita would look for the magnificent edifice embodying all that it wise and good. But if they saw a dark and forbidding place they might go aside. The wisdom of the Council planned to hide the once beautiful hall behind the rocks, trees and overgrowth of the Evergreen Forest.

When the atoms and molecules slowed the Hall of Wisdom ceased to exist. In its place  stood the dark, green, crenelated fortress of CASTLE GRAYSKULL. Its craggy towers and black windows looked out upon Eternia. The most striking feature of the castle was the entrance. The portal had the face of a skull. The skull’s lower jaw created a jawbridge and anyone wishing to enter had to have immense courage. Behind these walls and within the corridors of Grayskull dwelt the wisdom transformed into the Spirit of Grayskull. The Sorceress remained guarding the castle against all intruders. Zodac would sail the universe, keeping watch over Eternia, keeping vigilance over those who believed in virtue and wisdom, but not interfering with the natural course of events. Thus did Castle Grayskull slowly subside out of sight and the minds of all Eternians except as myth and legend.

MOTU Bible

The transformation of the Hall of Wisdom into Castle Grayskull is actually illustrated in the Kid Stuff story, Castle Grayskull, although the Spirit of Grayskull is not mentioned:

Filmation

The Spirit appears in only one Filmation episode, “Teela’s Triumph.” In the story, the Spirit of Grayskull appears as a floating head in the Eternos Palace courtyard. Clearly this is based on the Halperin Bible, as it’s not called the Spirit of the Castle and it has no visual similarity to the Spirit in the Glut/Alcala stories. He appears to tell Adam, Teela and Man-At-Arms that the Sorceress has disappeared. The Spirit tells Teela that she must guard Castle Grayskull while the others search for the Sorceress.

Screen capture courtesy of Jukka Issakainen

When Teela enters the castle, the Spirit instructs Teela to take her rightful place on the throne of Castle Grayskull. He instructs her in the use of Grayskull’s power and advises her when Skeletor and his minions try to take over. Teela is able to fend off the Evil Warriors until He-Man is able to rescue the Sorceress.

Screen captures courtesy of Jukka Issakainen

The Power of Point Dread

Spirit’s next minicomic appearance would be in The Power of Point Dread, part of a comic/record set that came packed with Point Dread and the Talon Fighter. Like the earliest comics, this was illustrated by Alfredo Alcala. The author of this story, however, is unknown.

In the story, He-Man notes that, after dispatching Skeletor and Beast Man, the Talon Fighter and Point Dread are his key to entering Castle Grayskull when he lands on top of the tower. The Spirit of the Castle appears and addresses him:

“That’s correct, He-Man. Yes, once again, you have saved the Castle from Skeletor, He-Man. I thank you.

“Return now to your city. Skeletor’s spell is broken. The king is well and the monsters have vanished.”

Piu Comics

The Spirit appears several times in the Italian Piu comic series. The Piu series is based closely on the look of the original four Alcala minicomics, so it’s no surprise that the Spirit appears occasionally throughout the series.

The Spirit of the Castle

In this story, we don’t actually see the Spirit, but Teela calls on it using a spell that forces Beast Man and Mer-Man out of the Castle. All of the Piu comic scans in this article come from Ben Massa/Orko’s Keep:

The Mockery

In this story we get to see the actual Spirit of the Castle illustrated, which looks very much like Alfredo Alcala’s interpretation. In the story, Teela warns the Spirit of Skeletor’s immanent arrival so it can thwart his attempt to take over.

This page takes a pose from Alcala’s Danger at Castle Grayskull

Ice and Fire

The Spirit appears again in “Ice and Fire.” In the story, Teela calls on the Spirit to help her save Stratos and Zodac:

Update: Øyvind Meisfjord has pointed out that the Spirit also appears in the Eternia’s Deadly Maze Boardgame:

It also shows up at the end of the “Cloudy Climbs” story in one of the early Golden coloring books:

Personally, I’m quite fond of the original Spirit of the Castle concept. I actually have a very nice custom glow-in-the-dark version of it, shown below. You can read more about that here:

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2
200x, Artwork, Comics

2002 Masters of the Universe Comic Cover Gallery – MVCreations

Posted on by Jukka Issakainen

Written by Jukka Issakainen

I really like Masters of the Universe comics. Heck its no secret I’d love to one day write and/or draw art for an official publication in the future. And since its now been 20 years that the reboot comic series ended, I wanted to take a moment to appreciate the cover artworks on that series.

The 2002 comics for Masters of the Universe were produced by MVCreations. While the animated series by Mike Young Productions was aimed at a younger demographic, the comics had the opportunity to appeal to the older fans who grew up with He-Man in the 80s.

From 2002 to 2004, the Masters of the Universe comic series was published through Image Comics (15 issues), CrossGen Entertainment (8 issues) and MVCreations (6 issues).

Since the beginning, there were many variant covers for the comic issues. But some fans reported how they couldn’t keep up with them, so the president at MVCreations, Val Staples listened to the feedback and decided to not feature them during the Volume 2 ongoing comics and the mini-series “Icons of Evil”. Accordingly it “cut the sales by almost half, and made the comic extremely hard to produce later on.” [1] They added them back when Volume 3 started, as limited releases and special exclusives, which “helped a little.” There were also ideas for other special gimmick covers they wanted to do, but never got the chance – such as a lenticular cover depicting Adam transforming into He-Man, or a felt texture cover with Moss Man.

The cover artwork especially was really terrific, with a multitude of talent from regular to variants, so I’d like to highlight them in this article. Full disclosure, it was also a way for me to dig through old hard-drives (from 2004) and folders on my computer, so that I can share the logoless cover versions, many of which can’t be found online in 2024 anymore. They are displayed next to the final covers. When researching other sites, I found some to have omitted variant covers or credited wrong artists. So I’ve tried my best to include as many of the unique cover artworks in this gallery (meaning a special museum edition won’t be here, since it used art on its cover from the existing 5-page preview comic), and the artist & colorist credit.

Below you can find links to different sections:

⚬ Vol. 01 covers
⚬ Vol. 02 covers
⚬ Vol. 03 covers
⚬ Rise of the Snake Men
⚬ Icons of Evil
⚬ Specials
⚬ Trades
⚬ Unpublished/Unused covers

Hope you enjoy the images and if you found some errors or missing unique art by MVCreations, please let me know! Some of the scans are my own, and I’d like to give a special shout out to grahamcrackers, milehighcomics, comicvine, mycomicshop, cilman and RED.

VOLUME 1

Issue 1 – Cover A (wraparound)

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 1 – Cover B (wraparound)

Art by: J. Scott Campbell
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 1 – Cover C (wraparound)

Art by: Earl Norem

Issue 1 – Graham Crackers exclusive cover (wraparound)

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Nathan “Baena” Baertsch

Issue 1 – Reprint (front)

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 2 – Cover A (front)

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 2 – Cover A (back)

Art by: Kevin Sharpe
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 2 – Cover B (wraparound)

Art by: Francis Manapul
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 3 – Cover A (front)

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 3 – Cover A (back)

Art by: Matt Tyree
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 3 – Cover B (wraparound)

Art by: Brett Booth
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 4 – Cover A (front)

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 4 – Cover A (back)

Art by: Tone Rodriguez
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 4 – Cover B (wraparound)

Art by: Keron Grant
Color by: Val Staples

VOLUME 2

Issue 1 – Cover A
Regular (wraparound)

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 1 – Cover B (wraparound)

Art by: Drew Struzan

Issue 1 – Cover C
Graham Crackers exclusive (wraparound)

Art by: Cully Hamner
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 2 – Cover A (front)

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 2 – Cover A (back)

Art by: Nathan “Baena” Baertsch

Issue 2 – Cover B (wraparound)

Art by: JJ Kirby
Color by: Joel Benjamin

Issue 3 – Cover A (front)

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 3 – Cover A (back)

Art by: Jonboy Meyers
Color by: Tony Washington

Issue 3 – Cover B (wraparound)

Art by: Tommy Lee Edwards

Issue 4 – Cover A (front)

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 4 – Cover A (back)

Art by: Leanne Shaw Hannah
Color by: Tony Washington

Issue 4 – Cover B (wraparound)

Art by: Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell

Issue 5 – Cover A (front)

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 5 – Cover A (back)

Art by: Matt Roberts
Color by: Tony Washington

Issue 6 Cover (front)

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 6 Cover (back)

Art by: Jonboy Meyers
Color by: Val Staples

VOLUME 3

Issue 1 – Regular Cover

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Jeremy Roberts

Issue 1 – Incentive Cover (wraparound)

Art by: Frank Quitely
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 1 – He-Man.org Exclusive Cover

Art by: Nathan “Baena” Baertsch

Issue 1 – Convention Gatefold Cover

This cover depicts all of the 5 covers that were planned for Masters of the Universe Encyclopedia. [Click HERE to download a high-resolution scan by Jukka Issakainen]

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia and Enza Fontana
Color by: Nathan “Baena” Baertsch

Issue 2 – Regular Cover

Art by: Enza Fontana
Color by: Jeremy Roberts

Issue 2 – Incentive Cover

Art by: Brett Booth
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 3 – Regular Cover

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Jeremy Roberts

Issue 3 – Incentive Cover

Art by: Sam Liu
Color by: Jeremy Roberts

Issue 4 – Regular Cover

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Jeremy Roberts

Issue 5 – Regular Cover

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Jeremy Roberts

Issue 5 – He-Man.org Exclusive Cover

Art by: Tim Seeley
Color by Jeremy Roberts

Issue 6 – Regular Cover

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Jeremy Roberts

Issue 6 – He-Man.org Exclusive Cover

Art by: Andy Smith
Color by: Jason Keith

Issue 7 – Regular Cover

Art by: Leanne Shaw Hannah
Color by: Jeremy Roberts

Issue 7 – He-Man.org Exclusive Cover

Art by: Eamon O’Donoghue
Color by: Jeremy Roberts

Issue 8 – Regular Cover

Art by: Mike O’Hare
Color by: Jeremy Roberts

Issue 8 – Graham Crackers Exclusive cover

Art by: Randy Green
Color by: Val Staples

Issue 8 – He-Man.org Exclusive Cover

Art by: Nathan “Baena” Baertsch

ICONS OF EVIL

Beast Man – Cover

Art by: Tony Moore
Color by: Val Staples

Mer-Man – Cover

Art by: EJ Su
Color by: Val Staples

Trap Jaw – Cover

Art by: Mike Pedro
Color by: Nathan “Baena” Baertsch

Tri-Klops – Cover

Art by: Corey Walker
Color by: Val Staples

RISE OF THE SNAKE MEN

Issue 1 – Regular Cover

Art by: Jonboy Meyers
Color by: Tony Washington

Issue 1 – He-Man.org Exclusive Cover

Art by: Nathan “Baena” Baertsch

Issue 2 – Regular Cover

Art by: Andie Tong
Color by: Jeremy Roberts

Issue 3 – Regular Cover

Art by: Andie Tong
Color by: Jeremy Roberts

SPECIALS

Promo comic – cover (front)

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Promo comic – cover (back)

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Special Preview comic – cover (front)

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Special Preview comic – cover (back)

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Dream Halloween 2002 – cover

Art by: Enza Fontana
Color by: Val Staples

Dream Halloween 2003 – cover

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Masters of the Universe Encyclopedia Season one – cover

[*See Volume 3 Gatefold cover variant #1 that depicts all 5 covers intended for the Encyclopedia mini-series]

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia and Enza Fontana
Color by: Nathan “Baena” Baertsch

Target 2-pack He-Man & Skeletor insert comic – cover

Art by: Neal Adams

TDK Gameboy Advance insert comic – cover

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Episode 40 Adaptation Comic – cover

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Trade Collections

Volume 1 – TPB Cover (hardcover version)

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Volume 2 – TPB Cover

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia and Enza Fontana
Color by: Jeremy Roberts

Icons of Evil – TPB Cover

Art by: Emiliano Santalucia
Color by: Val Staples

Unused/Unpublished covers

Planned 2-pack Smash Blade He-Man & Spin Blade Skeletor insert comic cover. Art by: Emiliano Santalucia. Color by: Val Staples
Possible cover for issue 4 Volume 3, published in the end of issue 3. Art by Enza Fontana. Color by: Jeremy Roberts.
Possible cover for issue 6 Volume 3, published in the end of issue 5. Art by Emiliano Santalucia. Color by: Jeremy Roberts?
Commissioned cover by Alex Ross. Due to time constraints, it was not completed. (Later repurposed for the BCI Filmation DVD Art Cards).

[1] Staples, V. [JVS3]. (December 3th, 2007). He-Man.org Discussion Boards.

1
Comics

Are Skeletor and Zodac wearing gloves?

Posted on by Adam McCombs

Written by Adam McCombs

Special thanks to Jukka Issakainen for adding a few observations to this article.

This is probably another one of those esoteric micro topics that only I am actually interested in exploring. But it is something that’s been rolling around in the back of my head for years, so I’m finally going to write about it. To those few obsessives who have the same ailment as me, join me, won’t you?

The origin of this topic starts with the cardback images on the packaging of the vintage Masters of the Universe figures. The backs of the 1982 figure cards showed the eight figures available that year, rendered in beautiful detail that in many cases exceeded the detail of the figures themselves. Most of these images were based on evolving concept art and prototypes for the figures.

Skeletor, Mer-Man and Zodac all feature what look like “double glove” forearms – as if the figures were wearing two sets of superhero gloves, with the edges of the gloves flaring out near the elbow. Only on Mer-Man were these features painted as gloves. On Skeletor the design looks somewhat altered to give it a more anatomical look, as if it’s part of his flesh. On Zodac, the design looks a bit more clearly like gloves, just unpainted. Also note that He-Man is shown with unpainted, flesh-colored wrist bracers, just like the actual figure.

As an aside: one of the things I love about the 2008 MOTU Classics line is that they released Skeletor and Zodac with the “double glove” forearms, with no attempt to add scales or anatomical irregularities, and left them unpainted. I love the boldness and audacity of saying, yes, look at these arms. They look like gloves, but they aren’t. This is just how Skeletor and Zodac look, and you have to accept that. Their anatomy is so alien that they have these clean lines that go out to points. Embrace the weirdness. We’re following the source material wherever it leads us.

MOTU Classics Skeletor and Zodac

On the vintage figures, this “double glove” look wasn’t actually used – instead the arms were sculpted with a single gloved look that also featured some subtle scales. This made them a bit more ambiguous – they could be anatomical or they could be gloves, depending on if they were painted over or not.

However, it was the cross sell art that was often used as the reference for many comic and storybook illustrators (especially in the first years of the line), and it’s interesting to see how they interpret Skeletor and Zodac’s forearms, as gloves, as anatomy, or just plain ambiguously. Discerning which was the intent is sometimes clear, sometimes not. So without any further ado, let’s begin!

Fate is the Killer (August 26, 1982):

In DC Comics’ Fate is the Killer, both Skeletor and Zodac are seen to be wearing gloves. The colorist even goes so far as to add shading not present in the source material. But even without the shading, the presence of lines all the way across the forearms reads as gloves.

The Key to Castle Grayskull (October 14, 1982):

In the follow-up story, The Key To Castle Grayskull, the lines across the forearms still suggest gloves, although the additional coloring is dropped, perhaps based on feedback from Mattel:

Within These Walls Armageddon (November 11, 1982):

In the final story in this DC series, we get the clearest depiction yet of these characters wearing flesh-colored gloves (single rather than double gloves here):

DC Minicomics, 1983:

Moving onto the 1983 series of DC-produced minicomics (all illustrated by Mark Texeira), we see Skeletor again wearing gloves in most instances (Zodac makes no appearances until the larger Point Dread comic book that came with a record):

He-Man Meets Ram Man:

The Ordeal of Man-E-Faces:

The Terror of Tri-Klops:

The Menace of Trap Jaw:

The Tale of Teela:

The cover of this comic gives Skeletor ambiguous or anatomical fins, but in the story they are drawn like gloves:

Cover

The Magic Stealer:

The cover of this comic gives Skeletor ambiguous or anatomical fins, but in the story they are drawn like gloves:

Cover

The Power of… Point Dread:

This comic seems somewhat more ambiguous for some reason, even though we do usually get a full line across the forearm where the gloves would terminate. But they do seem a bit more fin-like here than in previous minicomics.


The Power of Point Dread:

In the Alfredo Alcala-illustrated Power of Point Dread, Skeletor lacks the cross sell art style arms (as is the case in every minicomic illustration done by Alcala), but Zodac has them. In one panel they are clearly gloves, but in another they are gone altogether:

Look! A sale on Isotoners!
Come back, gloves!

The other minicomics tend not to reference the cross sell art look. In fact, as the series went on, the animated look for Skeletor tends to dominate, while Zodac doesn’t appear at all. Temple of Darkness does depict Skeletor with dark purple gloves, but it’s not drawing from the cross sell art look, but instead mixes the concept art look with the animated cartoon look.

However, the Golden series of books draws upon the cross sell art very frequently, so I’ll cover those as well:

Caverns of Fear:

In this story I’d say the Skeletor on the cover (by Gino D’Achille), has ambiguous arm fins while the version inside the pages (illustrated by Al McWilliams) is clearly wearing gloves. In both cases the artists are drawing from the cross sell artwork, but they both color the character’s feet like the vintage toy.

Another fun thing to note: some of the artistic choices here seem based on misinterpretations of the source material. Everyone’s wearing striped underwear, Trap Jaw is wearing wading boots, and Skeletor’s armor lacks the cross bone design. On the inside pages, Skeletor’s face looks closer to B-sheet art by Mark Taylor.

Thief of Castle Grayskull:

In this tale, illustrated by Fred Carrillo, Skeletor seems to actually be wearing flesh tone bracers – his hands read as bare to me.

The Sword of Skeletor:

On the cover (D’Achille) Skeletor’s arm fins seem to clearly be a part of his anatomy, although they look strangely like gills here:

Skeletor’s appearances inside the story (again illustrated by Fred Carrillo) usually look like bracers again, although in one panel they are colored like gloves:

Zodac also appears in this story, and it looks to me like he has flesh tone gloves or bracers:

The Trap:

The cover of The Trap gives Skeletor smooth forearms, with no gloves or strange anatomy. However, in the internal story (illustrated by Dan Spiegle) features a Skeletor with clearly anatomical forearm fins:

Golden Oddities:

The later Golden stories don’t always draw from the cross sell art, but the conceit of flesh-colored gloves or other costume elements pops up randomly across the various books:

In a couple of cases, Webstor is given the flesh colored gloves, despite him not having that design in his own cross sell art. Mer-Man in one case is drawn using the lines from his cross sell art, but the coloring from his toy, giving him flesh-colored double gloves as well:

Webstor cross sell art

The Magic Mirror:

In The Magic Mirror, Skeletor has the forearm fins in both his regular costume (cover by Earl Norem) and in his Battle Armor costume (illustrated by Fred Carrillo). The Battle Armor Skeletor cross sell art didn’t feature that design either. In both cases, the illustrator makes these look like metallic bracers.

Skeletor Cross Sell Art

Years later of course Skeletor would stop messing around with ambiguous-looking gloves and get serious about handwear:

I hope you enjoyed this rather weird journey. Until next time!

Post script: it occurs to me that some might wonder what the designer of Skeletor actually intended? From a 2006 Q&A with Matt Joswiak and Mark Taylor:

Matt J: Are the ridges on the toy’s forearms meant to represent gloves?

Mark T: No, they are part of his unnatural sub structure showing through his hide.

We don’t actually know who illustrated the cross sell artwork for the first wave of figures, but the “double glove” look may have been influenced by the original Skeletor B-sheet, which had drooping, rotting flesh on the forearms, in a similar shape to gloves:

However, Zodac’s B-sheet doesn’t have the double glove look – his design was based on Mark’s knowledge of the existing sculpted parts for the line, so the double glove look must have come from the anonymous cross sell art artist:

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