By Todd Allen
Every once and a while, news takes you completely by surprise. Were you expecting James Robinson and Philip Tan to be teaming up for a He-Man comic? Neither was I. And yet, it has been announced.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. A six-issue mini-series kicking off in July, written by James Robinson, pencilled by Philip Tan with Ruy Jose on inks. Which doesn’t really sound like the creative cast on a DC licensed property, to be honest.
MTV’s take on the premise:
That’s right: the skull faced arch-enemy of He-Man has figured out a way to rewrite the reality of Eternia, casting himself as the ruler of Castle Grayskull, and our heroes – including He-Man – as regular peasants with no memory of their previous life. And while simple woodsman Adam may dream of wielding a massive sword, and fighting in battles, he thinks they’re just dreams. That is, until a mysterious sorceress approaches him, and sends him on an epic journey to save all of Eternia.
In that interview, Robinson says (of Skeletor):
He’s terrifying. Period. The silly era is done and gone. Phillip and I are taking great pains to make Skeletor, who is after all a barbarian warrior with a skull face, into a horrifying and worthy foe for He-Man. As to motivation, much like before he wants it all. Eternia. Castle Greyskull. Adam’s head on a plate. Everything. He’s just going to be much more ruthless in how he goes about getting it.
Now we know where Tan landed after Liefeld and Bennet ttook over Hawkman.
Also of interest from that MTV interview, Robinson says he’s working on a novel, which he expects to have finished by the end of the year.
Wow, I thought DC was trashing its history, and now it’s calling back all the way to 1982, when Superman met He-Man in DC Comics Presents #47.
Oh BOY! You mean they’re going to take a series created for kids and update it and make it all adult and everything!
Wow!
That’s never been done before. And DC sure isn’t doing enough of THAT!
I cannot wait to see a grim and grittier he-man. I just cannot figure out how they will get a high-collar on him. Dido has replaced George Lucas.
I really enjoyed the last lot of He-Man comics from Image (and Cross Gen, and ….), but I just have a feeling this wont be as good. With Robinson writing there is a 50/50 chance it will either suck hard, or be average at best. And was Philip Tan the artist on Didio’s god awful Outsiders run? :(
Oh goody. Maybe Prince Adam will wind up with a cybernetic arm and attack Man-At-Arms with Cringer’s rotting corpse.
There’s enough fun nostalgia-bait on the market right now that I’ll give this one a pass.
Are you sure it wasn’t announced on April 1st? Although actually, the idea of Skeletor being frightening and not silly is a good one – The New Adventures turning him into a wisecracking comedian really did some permanent harm to a great character…
I hope this does well. That way if they do more, maybe they’ll try to get Val Staples to go back to finishing more of the stories he wanted to tell when he had the license.
Now that’s something DC should look into. They can get a decent trade program started with the Image/Crossgen stories back in print.
Why does Skeletor want Castle Greyskull?
If he has it, what does he do with it?
If Adam is a peasant, why doesn’t Skeletor kill him immediately? I mean, if Skeletor is crafty enough to rewrite history, he’s smart enough to kill his enemies when he can. Or is it gonna be like Hamlet, since Skeletor is Adam’s UNCLE? Does that make Teela Ophelia?
Hey, has Skeletor ever tried time travel? All he has to do is keep Captain Marlena Glenn from landing on Eternia. But then Evil-Lyn wouldn’t exist either…
And then there’s She-Ra and Skeletor’s old boss, Hordak. And Horde Prime.
As for the quality… well, remember when DC rebooted that forgotten Jack Kirby version of The Sandman? There’s some meaty history in the Eternia universe.
“The silly era is done and gone” pretty much sums up DC as a whole. So much of what DC puts out makes me think these creators take their inspiration from the guy in “On The Ground.” “I’M AN ADUUUUUUUUUUUUUULT!!!!”
This is really the problem with superhero comics writ large: “serious” storytelling being imposed on an exceptionally feeble concept which had no artistry or vigour in its original execution.
I agree however the original 4 mini comics are brilliant.
Gee, I cant imagine why so many people think of this site as pro marvel.
I guess I don’t fit in on the internet.
I think it will be fun.
I second Regan!Lets see the book first before we bash it. I was a huge He-Man fan (who wasnt in the 80s). Hope it will be good.
The superhero genre isn’t terrible. If a writer provides a rational basis for powers, and understandable motivations for opponents, a superhero story can work perfectly well. If the powers are based on technology, the story will be indistinguishable from SF.
Take AvX. The setup seems thoroughly artificial, as if a toy manufacturer with two lines of characters asked a writer to set up a conflict between the lines to boost sales. But—if the Phoenix Force’s abiding interest in the mutants is thoroughly described, and its intentions for their future at least hinted at, then the storyline could be solid. The Phoenix Force’s power level is less of a problem than being written as practically indistinguishable from a dozen other cosmic power sources that the mutants could wield.
I won’t be buying the He-Man miniseries, anyway, because I have no interest whatsoever in the character, no matter what age level he’s written for.
SRS
Jasmine, it’s a little unfair to cast the site pro-marvel. Maybe some of the readers are just anti-crap. It’s hardly anyone other than DCs fault it is the biggest purveyor of crap. I apologize to all readers who enjoy the same rehashed garbage.
This is New 52 He-Man. Complete with adjustable Jim Lee collar! The all-time record for issues in a He-Man series is 13 issues during the Marvel/Star run. In the last attempt at a mainstream comic, He-Man lasted only 8 issues from Image. Should be fun watching this take off then slowly burn into dust.
I’m with Chris on the anti-crap front. I actually collect alot more DC than Marvel – but that doesn’t mean I have to love all their output, and hate all of Marvel’s. That is such a silly black and white outlook. I’m stating my opinion based on the creators past work. Lets hope they prove me wrong – but I wont be buying this blind.
No more kids stuff!
Heh. Wasn’t He-Man originally meant to be a PG Conan? So now that it’s an adult story, who will buy the toys?!
“So now that it’s an adult story, who will buy the toys?!”
The same people who are currently buying them: 40-year-old men.
Shut it all of you negative whine bags! Only those who truly love He-Man and idolized him in there childhood can understand the joy this is bringing us. While other 80’s shows have had successful revivals He-Man has always been left in the dust. The 2002 series was phenomenal but was hurt because kids were to caught up in anime wannabe shows!
So exited and can’t wait!