See you in 2011...

This is my last post of 2010. This year was definitely a very good year for The He-Man and She-Ra Blog; something which I hope you will all agree on! I do not know what next year holds in general, or for this very Blog, but I do hope it is as creatively rewarding as this past year has been. Thank you for visiting and continuing to support this Blog. I truly appreciate it! See you in 2011...


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Expressive Mara.

The New Adventures of He-Man episode "The Ultimate Challenge" was not only the fifth episode of the series, but also featured some of the best animation and direction! Here are a few images of Mara from a scene in which she and Caz attempt to rescue He-Man from Skeletor. The way in which she moves into each of these expressions is wonderfully fluid. If only the entire series had looked as beautiful as this scene...



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Merry Christmas from He-Man and She-Ra!

Merry Christmas, everyone! I believe that the cover of issue forty-six of the UK Masters of the Universe comic is a more than appropriate image on this day. He-Man, She-Ra, the Sorceress, Extendar, Sy-Klone, and Orko all wish us the very best. Now, I am heading off to watch "A Christmas Special", the only time of year I can stomach it! :)


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Throne rooms revisited...

"A New Beginning", the first episode of The New Adventures of He-Man, featured some nice references to the original Filmation series. We see Snake Mountain's throne room, which whilst different in its presentation, still has the throne partially made of bone. By far the most impressive homage to the original series is the scene that takes place at the Royal Palace. Except for their respective color schemes, King Randor and Queen Marlena are the same as their Filmation counterparts. Not only that, but the design of the throne room itself looks a lot like the one seen in the Filmation series.


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She-Ra and Bow flirt!

Here are a lot of images from the She-Ra season one episode "The Wizard", in which we see She-Ra and Bow flirting for one single scene. The animator of this piece was almost definitely Sherri Wheeler, who was known for inserting moments of passion into her character-emotive sequences! Look carefully at each frame and observe the numerous little moments in which the characters touch each other. Firstly, Bow knowingly looks at the audience and collapses into She-Ra's arms; secondly he playfully pulls She-Ra's lovely locks, prompting her to giggle; and most surprising of all we see She-Ra run her hand across Bow's chest, which he clearly enjoys!





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Secret Files: Sy-Klone #2

Here are pages four to six from the Sy-Klone origin tale from issue seventy-one of the UK Masters of the Universe comic. I find it amusing that on the last page we see that the Evil Horde wrote a book called "Project Eternia"...


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Gepple's spacesuit!

As I may have mentioned before, Gepple was one of my favorite characters from The New Adventures of He-Man series. Behind his initial annoying appearance in the first episode of the series he quickly became a character who was easy to like, often due to his honesty in the face of danger. In the episode "The Guns of Nordor" we see the little scientist don a spacesuit with an hilarious-looking helmet which accommodates his astoundingly large hairstyle!

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The Sorceress' other throne...

In the season one He-Man episode "The Remedy" we see that the Sorceress has another throne in Castle Grayskull. More than often we saw her upon the ominous central throne of the castle. This throne however is positioned much like the one found within the Castle Grayskull playset. It should also be noted that this throne appears to reside in one of the castle's turrets. That said, "The Remedy" is a unique episode visually, so this may just be the artists trying something new...


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Secret Files: Sy-Klone #1

Here are the first three pages from an interesting origin tale from issue seventy-one of the UK Masters of the Universe comic. In this story we learn just how Sy-Klone came to be. Often I found some of the UK origin stories a little hard to accept, and sometimes even pointless. But on this occasion I actually thought this was a genuinely good and believable story! I actually really like his costume prior to become Sy-Klone...


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Skeletor reborn!

"Sword & Staff", the sixth episode of The New Adventures of He-Man series, is very impressive for a number of reasons. As this was the first episode of the series after the first five-part introductory story we would expect a rather subdued or straightforward independent story. Instead we are treated to one of the most memorable episodes in the series, which really showcases the beautiful dynamic between He-Man and Skeletor. Not only that, but we also learn some of the history of Primus. The most notable scene occurs when Skeletor absorbs the power of an evil crystal on Nordor, which not only gives him more power, but also a new costume to boot! We see a very striking piece of animation when the crystal explodes, and Skeletor, in his original form, is engulfed by a bright light. It is not until the following scene when we discover that he is still very much alive...



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The same sword...

The artists at Filmation often had a problem in the first season when it came to Skeletor wielding a sword. In this scene from the season one episode "The Curse of the Spellstone" we see that Skeletor has exactly the same sword as He-Man! One feels that it would have been a nice touch if the sword was colored purple, like the sword that came with Skeletor's action figure. As a result, many of us are left scratching our heads trying to figure out where Skeletor's replica He-Man sword suddenly came from...


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"Ghost of He-Man" #2

Here are pages four to six of "Ghost of He-Man", a memorable story from issue nineteen of the UK Masters of the Universe comic. To this day I still think the conclusion of this story is quite surprising with a unique twist; not at all what we were used to at the time...


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Colonel Blast stripped!

The Masters of the Universe figure Rio-Blast did not have a huge fan base. In fact, many people I speak to still refuse to acknowledge the character, and believe him to be out of place. So in a way, this post is for those people that dislike Rio-Blast. In the She-Ra season one episode "The Wizard", Colonel Blast, who was of course based on the early conceptual design for Rio-Blast, is defeated in battle in the most humiliating way...


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"Ghost of He-Man" #1

A few years back I showcased a dramatic panel from issue nineteen of the UK Masters of the Universe comic. The panel was from the very memorable story "Ghost of He-Man", which I now present for you in the first of two posts. This is one of my favorite stories from the UK comic, because not only is the idea an original one, but the story is written in such a way that it is not all that predictable. Here are the first three pages of the story. I would love to have seen this story animated by Filmation...


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Warlock in He-Man?

Storyboard artist Michael Swanigan was a huge fan of the series that he worked on, and a fan of Filmation. As a result he would often pay homage to previous series that the company had worked on. In the season one He-Man episode "The Remedy" Michael decided that a winged creature in the script, a Takdryl, should sport the same character model as Warlock from Filmation's previous series, Blackstar! I always enjoyed this episode's nod to the Blackstar series...


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Rainbow ending.

There is something oddly magical about this shot from the end of "The Curse of the Spellstone" from He-Man's season one. Often the episodes in which a rainbow appears at the end are somewhat cringe-worthy; as if the director is trying to create an emotion rather than let the writing do its job. On this occasion though it is just included for fun. I like Teela's expressive pose; as if she is captivated and enthralled by Orko's magical spells, whereas Prince Adam just looks heroic with his hands on his hips.


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1000 POSTS! :)

It is true! This entry is the ONE THOUSANDTH post on The He-Man and She-Ra Blog!

Normally I would say, "Let us look back at the previous nine-hundred and ninety-nine posts", but that would be madness (and an incredibly long post)! Instead I will direct your eyes to the right hand side of the screen. I have removed the Blog archives by month, because, to be quite honest, they were not functioning correctly. Now there is a link to an archive listing EVERY SINGLE BLOG post! It will act as an easy-to-access archive for this Blog, and I will do my best to update it with the most recent posts every few weeks.

Now, who thinks I can write another one thousand?! :)

And here, for your entertainment, is a never-before-seen developmental illustration of Castle Grayskull!


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