DC Launches New He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Comic
(please log in to view the image) HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE #1 hits comic book stands from DC Comics in July!
Get ready, He-Man fans: DC Comics is getting ready to launch a brand new take on the Masters of the Universe this July, in a six issue comic book series written by James Robinson, with pencils by Phillip Tan and inks from Ruy Jose. And that's not the end of the surprises . . . As the series starts, the evil Skeletor has already won!
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.
To find out more, we chatted with Robinson about where the series is going, if this is just the tip of the iceberg for the Masters of the Universe, and whether a certain fan favorite (well, us favorite) will return:
MTV Geek: Why Masters of The Universe? I think most people nowadays know it from a somewhat cheesy cartoon, and a somewhat cheesier movie—what draws you to the property? Is it a chance to really go back and reinvent from an almost blank slate, in a way?
James Robinson: I agree to some people Masters of the Universe is considered a cheesy cartoon. However, I know for a fact that a certain generation of people, who grew up at the right time, hold genuine affection for Masters of the Universe. The challenge is to write something that raises the standard for the series, with a cool, modern story that nevertheless honors the fans of the animated series and toy line.
Geek: How much reinvention versus continuation are we going to see in the book? It seems, like a lot of these '80s properties, your approach is a way of honoring the old fans, while allowing an easy access point for new ones.
JR: As I say, that's the challenge. Let's just say I've come up with a series concept that introduces the line of characters to new readers in what I hope is a fresh, dynamic and compelling way while honoring what the series has been prior.
Geek: Let's talk about the characters . . . What's going on with Adam? He's in a pretty interesting place when this all starts.
JR: Adam is in a place where he really has to reconnect with what it means to be a Master of the Universe. It's his odyssey, much like the Greek myth in fact, that is the backbone of this series.
Geek: Skeletor walks the line between terrifying, and very, very silly . . . What are you going for here? What's his motivation, and how will he play throughout the series?
JR: 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 Grayskull. Adam's head on a plate. Everything. He's just going to be much more ruthless in how he goes about getting it.
Geek: There's also a "mysterious sorceress" who kicks off the proceedings. Is she someone we've met before? What game is she playing? Oh, and she's She-Ra, right? Right???
JR: Not She-Ra I'm afraid. Although the sorceress is very important to Adam's odyssey taking shape.
Geek: This is a bit of personal question, but are we going to see Orko in this series? I don't want to brag, but I won a costume contest dressed as him when I was seven.
JR: Congratulations! Yes, there is a possibility you'll see Orko by the end of the series.
Geek: What other characters are we going to see popping up? And was there anyone you weren't able to fit in?
JR: Yeah, Orko until you mentioned him. Apart from that, no, I'm going to try and get every character in, if only in our epic climax.
Geek: You have Philip Tan on pencils, and he's clearly been doing some fabulous fantasy work on Hawkman—if you've seen any of it yet, what's his work like here? What does he bring to the project?
JR: Truthfully, I haven't seen the work yet, however based in Philip's work on Batman & Robin, Green Lantern and Hawkman, he'll brings a darkness and mood, coupled with a dynamic storytelling that will definitely add a unique quality to this Masters of the Universe relaunch.
Geek: This may be a little too literal, but I've always wondered why they were called "Masters of the UNIVERSE," when they only hung out on Eternia—are we going to see any exploration of places beyond Eternia in this series, or more of a fleshing out of that side of the concept?
JR: A little too literal? Boy that's an understatement. Seriously though, that's a good question and one that deserves it's own arc. However that isn't this arc, which is more concerned with reintroducing the Masters of the Universe and the world of Eternia to a new generation.
Geek: . . . And this may be above your pay-grade, but I imagine these comics are somewhat a testing ground for the franchise, to see if it can be reinvented for TV, action figures, movies, etc. . . . Has that been part of the discussion at all? And when you've been writing this, has your eye turned to that side of the business at all?
JR: Honestly I don't know. Mattel has been very supportive to my ideas, I do know that. I'm sure as a company they've got their eye on all their franchises for the best way to make the most of them. I know I would.
Geek: Just to wrap up, between finally revealing the life of The Shade on an epic, globe-trotting journey, creating a whole new world with Earth Two, and reinventing Masters of the Universe, are you going to want to write a nice, small character piece after this is all done? Or do you have even bigger plans?
JR: No, my plans are a couple of more character based ideas, although even those have some pretty epic brush strokes. Oh and I'm working on a novel, that I'm very happy with so far and will have done by the end of the year. Thanks for asking.
I hope Eternia will be just an Galaxy away and located in the DCnU. Why not, He-Man is awesome and it would be quite cool to see him interact with the main DCnU heroes from time to time. Not just in some alternate realities.
I for sure will get this He-Man run. Though the last He-Man designs were decent too.
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I like how this is (at least visually) based around the original! Having He-Man and Superman cross over would be sweet but I would LOVE to see He-Man crossover into the DCnU earth or possibly the justice league, or a wide array of characters crossover to eternia....
OMFG! Imagine a story where Skeletor fights beside the Legion of Doom!
Newsarama.com: HE-MAN Returns to Re-Master the Universe at DC Comics
In July, DC Comics is launching a brand new, six-issue He-Man and the Masters of the Universe comic, trying to attract a whole new audience to those once familiar characters while still retaining the fandom of those who already loved it. Written by James Robinson with art by Philip Tan, the comic will update the concepts behind the toys for a modern audience.
The He-Man comic will be based on the 1980s media franchise that was built around a line of popular action figures and toys. In fact, Masters of the Universe was once so popular that the toys spawned two TV cartoon series and several spin-off lines of action figures, plus a live-action film.
Just like the cartoon, the He-Man comic takes place in the land of Eternia. But in the new comic, the evil Skeletor has already taken over the world, and Eternia's heroes have forgotten their "Master-ful" nature. A character called the "Sorceress" awakens He-Man to his true purpose, and he embarks on a quest to restore the rest of the group.
For the He-Man comic, Robinson is working with artist Philip Tan, with whom he was rumored to have been working on the Hawkman relaunch last year. Instead, Tan launched Hawkman with Tony Daniel, but then left when a new creative team came on board that title.
Before that, Tan provided art for DC series like Green Lantern and Batman and Robin. On He-Man, Tan will be working with inker Ruy Jose to update the well-known characters for Robinson's story.
Newsarama talked with Robinson to get the scoop on what readers can expect from the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe comic.
Newsarama: James, since this is a licensed property, is your approach a little different? And are you working with Mattel at all?
James Robinson: Yes, and I've been trying to come up with a story that suits my writing style and has a kind of new, creative approach to the story, but at the same time, is something Mattel can get behind, something that's not so crazy and off-the-wall that it changes the franchise in any way. So I do work with DC in Burbank, and also with people at Mattel.
Nrama: Can you describe how you've found that balance?
Robinson: It really is a balance. That's a good way of describing it, because I recognize that readers are going to want to see the things they recognize, but there should also be an expectation of originality. So on one level, it's a toy franchise, but on another level, it will be this exciting, epic struggle.
I'm making it much bigger. I'm giving it more of a grandiose feel that marries Conan and science fiction and science fantasy.
This whole storyline is so that we can tell a compelling story that works for people who have loved Masters of the Universe since they first saw it as a kid on TV and read all the prior comic books. It will work on that level.
But it also works as an introduction to the characters and the world for people who are picking it up for the first time.
And we're seeing it through the fresh eyes of Philip Tan.
Nrama: What's it been like working with Phil Tan?
Robinson: It's been fantastic. I'm getting all kinds of concept art, and he and I have been communicating about the approach we want to take on this.
He's bringing a more sophisticated and artistically nuanced depiction to both the characters and to the world of Eternia than existed prior to now.
Based on the character concepts I've seen, I think fans will be very happy, and we'll have some fun doing this book together.
Nrama: What is He-Man like when we meet him in the comic?
Robinson: When you first meet him, he's just a humble woodsman named Adam, who knows his place in the world. He's keeping his head down to avoid the villainous Skeletor, who's ruling all of Eternia, which is the land of He-Man.
The story is about him coming to terms with the fact that there's more to him than this simple life, and slowly taking the mantle of He-Man as he goes on this odyssey across Eternia and reacquaints himself with his fellow Masters of the Universe, who have also forgotten their past lives. So they need to have that past lives remembered for them.
Nrama: How did you approach Skeletor?
Robinson: As you can see with the artistic representation, he's a barbarian with a skull face. He should be terrifying. And obviously, in the cartoon, he wasn't.
So whilst not negating what came before, or treating it like it was childish, I'm treating Skeletor as more of a villain and more of a worthy adversary for He-Man.
Nrama: What other fan-favorite characters are featured in your story so far?
Robinson: Obviously, you'll see He-Man and all the major characters. They'll all make important and exciting appearances in the series at certain points.
You're going to see He-Man, you're going to see Man-At-Arms, you're going to see Teela, you're going to see Stratos. Of course, you'll see Skeletor, and as I said, he'll be the character you know, but more terrifying. You're going to see Beast Man. Who else? Sorceress. You're going to see all those characters along the way.
But each issue will slowly introduce one character, then the next character, so that it's not going to be this sort of mess of characters all introduced at once. You'll really get to understand who those characters are and enjoy their reappearance and their reintroduction into this universe of Eternia, and the world of He-Man and the Maters of the Universe.
Nrama: Were you familiar with He-Man before, or was this something where you heard about the project and started researching?
Robinson: I was not familiar with He-Man, but that was part of why I was attracted to it as a challenge, to familiarize myself with these characters. The one thing I'm very keen on doing is to not insult or offend people who have enjoyed that series in the past. You know, there are children's shows that I remember that, to me, are a vivid and cherished part of my upbringing. And I hate it when people make fun of them and say how corny they are or how dumb they are. And I know for certain people of a certain age, He-Man is a huge part of their past. People who have communicated with me via Twitter or in other ways have basically been very supportive and are very excited that I'm doing this for them. And I don't want to let them down and disrespect the core of these characters.
But at the same time, I feel like this project is also a challenge to write a story that will entertain them as adults, and I think we've done that.
James Robinson Channels the Power of Grayskull in "Masters of the Universe"
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No stranger to breathing new life into forgotten Golden Age characters like Starman and The Shade, James Robinson may be facing his largest challenge ever as a comic book writer when he launches "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" for DC Comics in July.
While many creators would think an assignment like this would be an unenviable task—having to balance paying homage to the beloved '80s cartoon for its power sword-wielding followers while making the concept relevant for a new generation of readers—Robinson told CBR News that he believes wholeheartedly in the franchise and is absolutely delighted to be bringing the legendary characters of Eternia, which according to the mythos is the center of the universe, to the front and center of the ever-expanding comic book landscape.
"He-Man and the Masters of the Universe," an animated TV series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's popular toy line, debuted in 1983. It was the first syndicated TV series to be based on a toy and by 1984 was watched on 120 U.S. stations and in more than 30 countries.
Set on Eternia, a planet of magic, myth and fantasy, the series primarily follows the adventures of Prince Adam, the heir apparent to King Randor and Queen Marlena. As the animated series' intro explains, once fabulous secret powers were revealed to Adam, he merely had to raise his magic sword in the air and say, "By the power of Grayskull. I have the power" in order to become He-Man— the most powerful man in the universe.
In Robinson's six-issue tale, illustrated by Philip Tan ("Hawkman"), He-Man's archenemy Skeletor has altered reality, making himself the ruler of Castle Grayskull, leaving Adam cast as a simple woodsman who has visions of wielding a mighty sword in battles against fishmen, beastly humanoids and trap-jawed robots.
Robinson told CBR News his efforts are primarily focused on delivering a story that maintains the sense of wonder and excitement of the original Filmation cartoon, tempered with an increased level of seriousness and intensity.
CBR News: How did you come to write a "Masters of the Universe" project? The property certainly has a legion of fans—
James Robinson: Honestly, Warner Bros. came to me and asked me if I would be interested. And the fact they wanted to do it as a slightly more—I don't want to say mature because that implies a Vertigo book—[with an] adult sensibility while still being true to the source material.
It was just a really interesting challenge that I thought would be fun. Knowing Philip Tan is the artist, you know it's going to have a darker, more shadowy look, although having seen the artwork, it's actually quite beautiful and quite bright. But at the time, he wasn't the type of artist that I was expecting for "Masters of the Universe." Again, I thought it would be an interesting challenge to work with someone like him on the book too.
Those were the initial reasons. I was also aware that "Masters of the Universe" is a fan favorite, and various generations have enjoyed the animated series either in original syndication or in reruns, but there wasn't any new point of entry for "Masters of the Universe." If they don't know the characters from the TV show, it would be bewildering. The challenge was coming up with a storyline that was something that fans of the animated show and fans of the toys and fans of the prior comic books would enjoy but also would be an introduction for new readers into this world, and maybe Eternia would become a place that they would like to revisit and get to know based on this miniseries.
Were you familiar with the concept before accepting this project?
I was not familiar with it, but I have made myself familiar with it. Basically, I read up on the franchise without actually looking at the TV show, which allowed me to get what I believe was my own interpretation of the show first and developed a storyline. And then, once I saw the show, I was able to reconcile that with how the actual characters are depicted. That approach allowed me a little bit more freedom at the start in order to come up with a fresh idea that wasn't anchored down by what had been done before.
I wasn't a fan or familiar with "Masters of the Universe," but I have become one since I started on the project.
You have a long history of writing epic stories with more traditional comic book superheroes and villains like Superman, Starman and the Justice Society. Do you approach a project like "Masters of the Universe" any differently or is this essentially another superhero series?
It's definitely different. One of the things about the "Masters of the Universe" TV show is that, I think when they were first doing the show during its original run, they were just throwing anything that they could of think of in there. It was sword and sorcery, but there were robots, flying craft and all sorts of stuff. What that immediately gives a writer is a real open book to do whatever he wants in terms of drawing from inference to another. I was interested in making it a little more science fantasy. Another thing to remember is, since "Masters of the Universe" came out, we've become much more comfortable with those kinds of worlds through playing video games. People say they don't read science fantasy, but they play "Skyrim" or whatever.
While the world of "Masters of the Universe" is not a comic book superhero universe, it's one—due to my own love of video games and the art of Frank Frazetta and everything else—that I am very familiar with in terms of style. I am trying to bring more of that to this series to give it a modern vitality—and I have to stress this every time—whilst being true to the original source material. That's not to say what happened before didn't happen or was without validity. I am trying to give everyone what they want, both old fans and new readers.
Now, the series opens with Skeletor positioned as the ruler of Eternia. How does this come about?
I don't want to say too, too, too much, but basically at the start of the series, Skeletor has won by wiping the memory of the Masters of the Universe from all of Eternia, including from the Masters of the Universe themselves. He's taking great delight in being responsible for their very unhappy, uneventful, un-notable fates. He now watches over their lives as the Masters of the Universe have no memory of their past.
Adam, who is now a woodsman, slowly begins to think there is more to his life and he goes off in search of this piece of his life that he believes is missing. Thereby, he begins an odyssey, across all of Eternia, slowly finding and reuniting the other Masters of the Universe. In this way, we are introduced to them one after another and we get a clear picture of each character as this happens.
Orko and a number of Skeletor's cronies like Beast Man, Mer Man and Trap Jaw were traditionally played for laughs on the TV show. On the variant cover for the first issue CBR is debuting today, Skeletor looks pretty bad ass. Are these other characters getting similar makeovers?
That's definitely something I made sure of. Skeletor is a big, barbarian warrior with a skull face. He should be the most terrifying guy in Eternia. I saw an episode recently where he gets all pissy because the space circus arrived on Eternia and he wanted them to play on Snake Mountain. They don't, so he turns into a school girl and decides to ruin the circus, just like a little kid that didn't get ice cream at the end of the day.
That Skeletor is not in this series.
He's scary. He's plotted this downfall and he's joyful in his triumph, but he's also aware that he might lose it because he knows Adam is trying to regain his memories and his hold on all Eternia.
Beast Man should be this scary, feral villain, but like you said, he was played for laughs too. They all were. But that was the nature of the series. If you look at the toy line from Four Horsemen, there was an attempt to make the characters look a bit more sophisticated.
I've taken that as part of my inspiration and am now making what I believe to be a story that is a nice sophistication of those old TV shows, which used the villains primarily for comic relief. It's slightly more serious but not without the same sense of wonder, excitement and fun the TV show provided to its fans.
This was announced as a six-issue miniseries, but having worked with the characters, do you think the world you've recreated could carry additional series or even its own ongoing title?
I am really enjoying these characters and it's a very cool concept. And yes, potentially, it's one that I would like to revisit if I am given the invitation and if this one is a success.
I think I know the answer to this last one, but just in case, I thought I would ask; is Eternia part of the New 52?
No, it's not. In fact, everything I am doing in terms of my editor Kwanza Johnson and all of my approvals from Mattel and Warner Bros. are all handled on the west coast. This is not a DC comic at all—apart from them being the publisher, obviously.
"Masters of the Universe" #1 by James Robinson and featuring art by Philip Tan debuts in July.
I suppose if we wait long enough, DC will release a Looney Tunes comic series since that is owned by Warner Bros. as well.
Just wait for the universal crossover (they will be on Earth 53!): Superman meets Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd meets Lex Luthor, Marvin the Martian meets J'onn J'onzz - it will be awesome.
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Except this is being published by DC under sources (well one at least) that work closely with DC.
It's got a decent chance of being ported. Not that it'd make the series any better but the possibility of He-Man being a DC mainstay is a very appealing thought. Just look at his muscles, and now imagine him with notable ripped heroes like Batman, Superman, Billy, and Hal.
It all depends on sales. If this book sells well (and does so consistently) then I have no doubt that it will eventually be absorbed into the 'mainstream' DCU.
And He-Man is far too sexy of a character to not sell well, IMO.
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Last edited by Galan007 on Jun 11th, 2012 at 10:20 PM
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Apr 8th, 2012 12:39 AM
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