Masters Of The Universe: Origin Of He-Man
Masters Of The Universe
Origin Of He-Man #1
Masters Of The Universe: Origin Of He-Man is a perplexing book. There’s seemingly so much to like about this book. I could go on about things that kept my attention in this book, I mean just really hooked me. There are things that, well, would just leave you scratching your head and wondering, ” Why? Why would this even be a thing that is happening in this book?” As I mentioned before, perplexing. I will tell you right now though that Joshua Hale Fialkov (I, Vampire) scripts this companion to DC’s new He-Man ongoing. Ben Oliver gets the call on art duties with Jose Villarubia and Kathryn Layno splitting coloring chores. The book is on newsstands now for $2.99.
Anyone with a working knowledge of the 80’s remembers Masters Of The Universe, the show in which the prince of a distant planet used his enchanted sword to transform into the buffest barbarian this side of Ahnold, He-Man. Along with his allies, He-Man would battle archenemy Skeletor to keep his family’s kingdom safe and sell you a ton of toys in the process. The show inspired a spinoff, She-Ra, Princess Of Power, which attempted to sell sword and sorcery to girls via Barbie type dolls. The franchise’s live action spectacle was a career highlight for Dolph Lundgren, a lowpoint for Frank Langella and a waypoint for Courteney Cox on her way to Friends stardom. After various attempts to reboot the franchise over the last couple decades we’ve arrived at this ongoing comic series published by DC. This “origin” issue is a companion to a companion series to a toy line.
Does this read like the setup to a scathing review? A hit piece? Hmm, maybe. Don’t take it as that, though. There are a lot of positives to this book. Ben Oliver’s art is dynamic, with effective panel layouts. Villarubia and Layno’s colors are the secret weapon in this book and really elevate the material. I stopped and retreated a couple of pages so I could marvel at some of the artistry on display.
Fialkov’s script is where the confusion lies. There’s just enough exposition to propel the story but not quite enough to cover some logic gaps. If you’re perhaps, a younger reader who isn’t immediately familiar with He-Man’s previous heroic exploits you might finish this book and have more questions than answers. The main title might have those answers, it might not. Does this book do enough to get readers to sample the other titles? That’s what’s perplexing.