Star Comics cereal:geek article #9

As many of you will know I continue to self-publish cereal:geek magazine; the one-hundred page glossy magazine dedicated to the cartoons of the eighties. I have incredibly talented individuals write articles for the magazine. However, when I required an article covering the Masters of the Universe comic book published by Marvel's Star Comics imprint I knew I had to write this article myself, given that I have such strong views on this series! As I have rarely covered the Star Comics series on this Blog I thought it would be good to showcase the article I wrote for the magazine across a group of posts.

So here I present the ninth part of the article...

Issue ten continues the good characterization and storytelling established in the previous issue. In another nod to the animated series Caragonne has He-Man transform back into Prince Adam uttering the phrase "Let The Power Return!" This issue, more than his other four, demonstrates that Caragonne understands these characters, what makes them work, and how they should interact with one another; highlighted during the scenes featuring Adam and Teela, especially their final scene. It should be noted that whilst not award-winning storytelling Skeletor's plot in this issue is the best so far; with him tricking the Eternians into giving him a powerful gem. Incidentally issue ten was actually the first issue I managed to find in the United Kingdom. Imagine my sadness when I finally discovered the quality of the first eight!

In issue eleven we are presented with a very interesting story; after a trip through space both He-Man and Hordak end up on a different planet suffering from amnesia. The writing is what shines most of all in this issue. Instead of merely joining up with He-Man, Hordak asserts his independence, believing that he can survive on his own. Throughout the issue we see him struggle to make decisions and question why he is treated so harshly by the beings of this planet; a planet that the Evil Horde once ruled. Hordak's change of personality does not for one second feel forced upon us, and when Shadow Weaver returns his memory we are genuinely saddened for the villain, as he has formed a close bond with He-Man.

The ending of this issue is brief but well executed, with Hordak "accidentally" missing an opportunity to destroy the heroes. It should be noted that this comic has a couple of references to the Flash Gordon series in the form of Prince Bar'in and his homeworld of Aarboria. This was no doubt made possible as Star comics themselves owned the Defenders of the Earth property.

To be continued...


(click on the image to see it at full-size)

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