He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Maybe You Saw the Movie, Soon You can Read the Comic Strip (Again)

Masters of the Universe and Star Trek have more in common from a licensing perspective than causal fans might remember. The two franchises were licensed by both DC and Marvel (and its kid-friendly Star imprint), at various times. They also both spawned newspaper comic strips. Star Trek had decent U.S. distribution, but Masters of the Universe was more successful in international markets, where the show was still in its first run. Consequently, tracking down the entire run proved tricky. In fact, there are a couple dozen holes (out of four and a half years) filled by writer Chris Weber’s original scripts. For fans, the republication of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: The Newspaper Comic Strips represents an opportunity to enjoy new-to-them adventures, created by franchise veterans.

Jim Shull went one-and-done, writing the first arc and then handed the reins over to Weber. Yet, “Day of the Comic,” might be the funniest of the entire run, because of the shamelessly snarky voice Shull writes for He-Man’s nemesis, Skeletor. Frankly, he plays more like a roguish anti-hero, who reluctantly joins forces with He-Man to save Eternia from a common enemy, so he can conquer it later.

Throughout his subsequent fourteen story-arcs, Weber does a nice job capturing the “kitchen cabinet” camaraderie shared by He-Man (and his Clark Kent alter-ego, the screw-up Prince Adam), with Duncan the Man-at-Arms, his adopted daughter, Captain Teela, and floating Trollan sorcerer Orko. Only Man-at-Arms, Orko, and the Sorceress who guards Greyskull Castle know He-Man’s secret identity.

In fact, He-Man’s power derives from Greyskull, so one of his many enemies travels back in time to prevent its construction in one of the strip’s best narratives, “Terror Takes Time.” Obviously, Greyskull did not exist during Eternia’s prehistory, so the Sorceress creates a Greyskull battery crystal. However, Prince Adam must use its power sparingly. He also falls for rebel leader Verona, which adds a Somewhere in Time-ish vibe to the arc.

Another clear standout is “Shaken to the Core,” thanks to the provocative original villain, Faultmaster. In a desire to achieve lasting “stability,” Faultmaster has induced earthquakes targeting provincial villages. Frankly, his rhetoric sounds eerily prescient, foretelling the “sustainability” extremists macabrely obsessed with population growth.

Not surprisingly, the worst continuity is also the jokiest. That would be “When You Need Something Extra,” in which He-Man must battle Eternia’s tabloid media just as much as Evil Lyn, whose new line of cosmetics makes jewelry and valuables “disappear” into her possession. It is a scheme more suited to the Pink Panther than Skeletor’s [dis]trusted lieutenant.

Ironically, like the recent film, the Masters of the Universe strips often overindulge in throwaway jokes, usually “hard day it the hero office” style one-liners from He-Man. Perhaps this was an attempt to appeal to the readers of gag-a-day strips. However, it nicely sustained an original romance between Man-at-Arms and Miranda, the ambassador from the Kingdom of Rondale, one of King Radnor’s key allies. Weber also does a nice job exploring Orko’s insecurities rather than just using the incompetent sorcerer as goofball comic relief.

Power of Grayskull: The History of He-Man

These toys can kick Woody and Buzz Lightyear’s butts without working up a sweat. Yet, they also have a much more sophisticated backstory. You could even call it a progressive franchise, since both seasons of its animated series were directed by women. Children of the 1980s can look forward to a heap of nostalgia while everyone else will get a masterclass in toy marketing from Randall Lobb & Robert McCallum’s Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, which is now available on VOD platforms.

Mattel passed on the chance to do licensed Star Wars action figures—and deeply regretted it later. Hoping to develop a property that could rival the legendary franchise, Mattel started designing Conan the Barbarian figures until it became clear the movie would be R-rated (generally a no-no when it comes to children’s toys). Instead, they built an original barbarian themed line around the “just-for-fun” sketches of an in-house designer. That property became known as Masters of the Universe. He-Man was the unambiguous hero and Skeletor was unrepentant villain.

Of course, it caught on in a big way. The toy line exploded and the Filmation cartoon (one of the first produced for expressly for weekday afternoon syndication) took it to a higher level. It is probably one of the few franchises that were licensed by both Marvel and DC Comics. Eventually, He-Man’s sister She-Ra would get her own spin-off, co-created by J. Michael Sttraczynski. And then there was the 1987 movie starring Dolph Lundgren and Frank Langella, both of whom are quite happy to talk about it on-camera. It wasn’t exactly a hit, but it remains fondly remembered by a lot of people, including its principal stars.

Unfortunately, Mattel basically killed the golden egg-laying goose through over distribution, over-saturation, and veering too far off-brand. This might be frustrating for fans to revisit, but it is fascinating stuff. Frankly, the Masters of the Universe franchise would make an instructive MBA case-study. Lobb & Marshall get the full story from at least half a dozen former Mattel executives, numerous designers, and most of the creative team at Filmation.

Lobb & Marshall deserve a great deal of credit for never dumbing down the film. In all honesty, Power of Grayskull is more about business and media studies than it is about fandom. Still, if you are a fan, you will want to know this stuff. Conversely, those who never watched MOTA in any format, will also likely become curious enough to dip into it a little bit, probably starting with the Gary Goddard’s live action film, because who doesn’t dig Dolph Lundgren? Highly recommended for anyone intrigued by the rich history of 1980s pop culture, Power of Grayskull is now available on VOD platforms.