Tag: Alfredo Alcala

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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Coloring Books

Masters of the Universe Poster Coloring Book (1982)

Posted on by Adam McCombs

Written by Adam McCombs

In the first set of 1982 minicomics (really mini story books) that came packed with the first wave of MOTU figures, there were a few promotional pages at the end of the stories. One page featured a couple of products from Western Publishing (the publisher of Golden Books) – a MOTU Pop-Up Game and a MOTU Poster Coloring Book. I previously featured the pop-up game on the blog, so I thought it made sense to post about the coloring book as well. Many thanks to Øyvind Meisfjord for reaching out and sharing images of his copy, as I don’t own one myself.

Minicomic advertisement

As some background, Mattel filed a copyright related to this book, with the following information:

Type of Work: Visual Material
Registration Date: 1983-01-04
Title: Masters of the Universe : 10 posters to paint or color : [no.] 2110.
Notes: Cataloged from appl. only.
Date of Creation: 1982
Date of Publication: 1982-12-06
Variant title: Masters of the Universe : 10 posters to paint or color

Unfortunately we don’t get any information on the artist for the book, and it’s not listed on the page. But the cover has been attributed to R.L. Allen, who did a number of coloring book and puzzle images for Golden. He may have done the internal artwork as well – the faces seem to fit the style of the cover.

Many of the internal drawings are definitely very closely based on some some of Errol McCarthy’s licensing artwork as well as some panels from Alfredo Alcala’s work. I’ll call some of that out in the captions below:

It appears that Errol McCarthy’s Castle Grayskull art is used in this image.
In this images we see Skeletor is mainly based on his cross sell artwork, but he has five toes instead of three
This image is closely based on Errol McCarthy’s artwork, but Skeletor features shin guards and four-toed feet, which is closer to the original Mark Taylor concept. .
This image is an almost exact copy of Alfredo Alcala’s page 6 illustration in He-Man and the Power Sword

These images again are closely based on Errol McCarthy’s work as well as the cross sell artwork
This image is based on page 22 of He-Man and the Power Sword, illustrated by Alfredo Alcala
This image is based on the fight between He-Man and sea creature in The Vengeance of Skeletor, illustrated by Alfredo Alcala
An almost exact recreation of the cover of Battle in the Clouds, illustrated by Alfredo Alcala
This is somewhat reminiscent of a scene from King of Castle Grayskull illustrated by Alfredo Alcala

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MOTU Origins, Reviews

Custom MOTU Origins feet by Guillermo Grande

Posted on by Adam McCombs

Written by Adam McCombs

I wanted to follow up my recent review of Guillermo Grande‘s amazing custom Castle Grayskull with a quick write-up about his feet. Well, not his feet per se, but the custom feet he’s made for MOTU Origins.

I have slightly mixed feelings on the MOTU Origins line – I love the concept and minicomic-based figures. I mostly like the main vintage toy inspired line, although there are a few things I would change (Battle Armor Skeletor’s frowny face, the retail Beast Man’s face paint and armor color, Mer-Man’s face light paint, Battle Cat’s helmet and chest area, Castle Grayskull’s overall design, etc.) These are things that probably aren’t going to bother any kids who are collecting these toys, but as a (purportedly) grown-up collector, they do stick out to me.

Despite its flaws, I love the potential of the line. I love the idea of having modern toys in the scale and build of the 1980s line that are homages to vintage minicomic and prototype designs. I also love how easy it is to customize these figures.

Although oddly not called out on the packaging, all Origins figures have easily removable heads, arms, hands, boots, and waists. With a bit of added heat (through hot water or a hair dryer) you can also separate the feet at the ankles, the shins at the knees, the legs at the hips, and the forearms at the elbows. This makes it so easy to mix and match different parts.

The 2020 Power-Con exclusive Lords of Power Set is amazing and my favorite thing in the line so far. But as with most limited exclusives, the tooling budget tends to have some limits as well, and some of the parts used in the set were “good enough” reuses from existing parts. The two that stand out the most are the feet on Skeletor/De-Man and Beast Man:

LOP Skeletor
LOP Beast Man

The original Skeletor/De-Man prototype had bare feet, but he had five toes, not three toes (the bare three-toed feet on Skeletor would work great for a cross-sell art inspired variant, however). Poor Beast Man is given “sock” feet that were used on the retail release of Beast Man. The vintage Beast Man prototype based on also had five-toed bare feet. Guillermo Grande has created a foot design that works well for both figures, and can be easily swapped out with the originals with some added heat to temporarily soften the plastic.

Beast Man finally takes off his socks

Both of them are definite improvements, but Beast Man in particular really needs his bare feet – the sock feet really undercut the savage look of the rest of the figure. It’s amazing how such a small change can completely alter the character of a figure.

Those interested in buying these feet, or any of his other customs/commissions, can contact Guillermo through his Instagram page.

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Reviews

Custom Castle Grayskull by Guillermo Grande

Posted on by Adam McCombs

Written by Adam McCombs

For a couple of years now I’ve been admiring the minicomic-inspired customs of artist Guillermo Grande. What has caught my eye the most, however, is his recreation of the original Mark Taylor prototype Castle Grayskull (as featuring in the first set of Alfredo Alcala-illustrated minicomics and other material), using a combination of newly sculpted pieces and paint work on an existing vintage Castle Grayskull shell. When he created a second one for sale, I had to jump on it right away.

The original Castle Grayskull prototype (designed and sculpted by Mark Taylor) is shown below for reference. You can also check out my article on the prototype for a more detailed discussion of what sets it apart from the mass-produced castle, which was trimmed and simplified to reduce manufacturing costs and to fit it in a smaller box (which would reduce shipping costs and allow more playsets to fit on shelves at retail).

Image shared by James Eatock, originally via Andy Youssi

Guillermo of course references that prototype in his custom work, but he also references colors and other unique elements from the illustrations of Alfredo Alcala.

On to the custom!

Exterior

Color-wise, the exterior of Guillermo’s castle seems to invoke the more dramatic and moody color scheme of the Alcala comics, with deep blue shadows in the recesses of the exterior and vivid green on all protruding surfaces, as if lit by some eldritch light. This is of course present on the prototype, but it’s more amplified in Alcala’s artwork.

On the front face of the castle, there are quite a few modifications. The most obvious might be the teeth, which are much more ghoulish than the retail castle and have quite a bit of overhang. The teeth ended up being more recessed on the retail version because that was much easier for molding purposes.

Another key feature is the ledge on the side of the tower:

Another obvious change is the so-called pawn-piece on the top of the helmet. The helmet itself also has an enlarged center section of the decorative piece on the front.

A really ingenious addition to the castle is a completely reworked jawbridge. The retail castle had an enlarged opening with some extra room at the top half of the entrance. The prototype had a narrower front entrance. It also had a stone textured exterior, while the retail jawbridge had a wood texture on the outside. Guillermo has also modified the jabridge teeth to match the prototype (while extending it a bit to completely cover the entrance when closed):

Custom version
Retail version
Image source: Guillermo Grande

There is also a hole to the side of the door for He-Man or Skeletor to insert their sword – a detail taken from the minicomics. I should note that doing this won’t actually open up the jawbridge – that must be done manually.

A more subtle change is the addition of extra material between the eyes and around the nose, to better reflect the prototype design:

Visible from the front is the concept laser cannon. This one was actually kitbashed by Mark Taylor from Micronauts Hornetroid parts – he later designed something from scratch for the production model. You can see also from this view that Guillermo has included simulated stone floor on the platform.

Visible from the front on the taller tower is the “Spirit of the Castle.” This wasn’t from the prototype playset, but it was included at the end of many of the Alfredo Alcala/Don Glut minicomics. The Spirit would appear at the end of the story to deliver a message to the triumphant heroes. The custom “Spirit” glows in the dark.

Something that I’m told will be available in future customs is the prototype flag. Guillermo was kind enough to send me the artwork he did for it, so I could print one out and add that to my castle (note – I made a modification on the colors of the evil side of the flag):

On the exterior of the other half of the castle, there are a few changes as well (other than, of course, the paint). The handle that was added to the retail castle to allow kids to use it as a carrying case has been removed to restore it to the prototype design, and sculpted stone is used to cover up the tops of the battlements.

The tower on the far end has had its roof extended to a sharp point, again to match the source material:

And a really fun feature: a secret door has been created under the side windows, which was again a feature of the prototype, but not included in the retail release:

Secret door behind the prototype combat trainer

Interior

The second floor pieces of the interior have been given a wood-like finish, and the gargoyle piece at the top of the elevator has been cast in a greenish stone finish. The prototype castle had a circular elevator and a skull at the top, although it was never illustrated in the Alcala comics (it does get referenced in Don Glut’s text). On the right side we see a replica of the computer cardboard cutout that came with the retail castle, but below it is a 3-D piece that recalls the prototype castle:

From the prototype

One of my favorite extras here is a green computer and monitor. It wasn’t in the prototype castle, but it was featured in King of Castle Grayskull:

Down below we have a repainted elevator (in red, like the prototype) and a repainted weapons rack. There are also weapons from the retail playset, cast in metal, with wood handles on the spears/poleaxes. Behind you can see that the ground floor is given a stone slab texture.

In the throne room, we have several fun goodies. There is a redesigned throne that is based on the prototype. Included is a red blanket or cloak shown in the Alcala comics. There is also a small green computer, from the Alcala comics. The single rail ladder, featured in both prototype and comics is there as well. Guillermo has also created a 3D version of the space suit cardboard cutout, which was a part of both the prototype and retail castle as a 2D printout:

Rear detail of the laser cannon, also showing stone slab detail on the platform.

A great feature of Guillermo’s custom is that the trap door works just like the vintage castle!

On interior of the front entrance, we have a few more goodies. To the left of the jawbridge, we see the dungeon. The prototype didn’t have walls and a door like this, but it was illustrated in the Alcala comics:

The door to the dungeon opens on a hinge. Inside is a poor unfortunate victim who was left there too long. The dungeon is removable. On the back wall are a set of shackles, which were featured in the prototype:

And that’s the castle! Guillermo has been constantly coming up with new additions and innovations to his designs, so I’m sure his creations will continue to evolve. Some possible extras I might suggest in the future: the prototype combat trainer, jetpack, bop bag and torture rack. The round elevator might be fun too, although that might difficult to engineer. In any case, this is the Castle Grayskull I’ve always wanted and I’m absolutely thrilled to have it in my collection!

Guillermo is accepting commissions – if you’re interested in custom work, you can reach out to him via his Instagram account.

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