Catra kidnaps Broom?

Here are two amusing illustrations by Glenn Steward from the story "Catra's Web of Mischief", which was featured in the rarely-seen four story She-Ra Ladybird compilation book. In the first illustration we see Catra believe she has kidnapped Broom, and in the second illustration we see the moment she realizes she has not! The bowtie is part of the reason she believes she has Broom, but even she should be able to notice that this broom has no face! Not a good day for Catra. I like the fact that in these illustrations, as is the case throughout this book, Catra is illustrated sporting her Scratchin' Sound costume.


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"The Disappearance of Madame Razz!" #1

For your entertainment I present the story "The Disappearance of Madame Razz!" as featured in issue three of the UK Princess of Power comic. In this story Madame Razz, tired of her friends laughing at her, casts the spell of visa'lity to prove that she still has what it takes. Unfortunately the spell fails to work correctly and Madame Razz finds herself both invisible and blind. There are some very amusing visual gags in this story showing objects affected by Madame Razz's invisible state. In this story there is an incredibly accurate explanation as to why Madame Razz is suddenly blind when invisible. Here are the first three pages of this story...


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"Power from the Sky" #6

Over the years I have showcased many illustrations that were featured in the numerous Masters of the Universe and Princess of Power books published by Golden Books. One Masters of the Universe book in particular "Power from the Sky" is notable by its absence, and this is largely in part due to its rarity. Rather that select a few images to highlight on my Blog I thought I would present all twenty-four pages from this book, which I should also mention has beautiful artwork by the great Fred Carrillo! Here are pages twenty-one to twenty-four...


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Spydra's poses.

As I have mentioned before, for some reason both Spydra and her partner Azrog from the season one He-Man episode "The Return of Orko's Uncle" underwent a great deal of visual development before their looks were finalized. These three illustrations of Spydra appear to have the character pretty much finalized. I always find it interesting to see the characters draw in unique poses and expressions in an effort to convey how the character behaves, even though Filmation's stock system would limit their emotions to a degree...


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"Power from the Sky" #5

Over the years I have showcased many illustrations that were featured in the numerous Masters of the Universe and Princess of Power books published by Golden Books. One Masters of the Universe book in particular "Power from the Sky" is notable by its absence, and this is largely in part due to its rarity. Rather that select a few images to highlight on my Blog I thought I would present all twenty-four pages from this book, which I should also mention has beautiful artwork by the great Fred Carrillo! Here are pages seventeen to twenty...


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Join them...

I always thought it was a brilliant move on the part of Mattel to have Kobra Khan join the Snake Men when those particular characters were introduced to the Masters of the Universe toyline. It gave the character a greater importance, especially when Skeletor had instructed him to be a spy. Even though this sub-plot was used in numerous canons, it was never fully utilized to its full potential. In this panel from the minicomic "King of the Snake Men" by Bruce Timm we see the moment Skeletor orders Kobra Khan to join the Snake Men.


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"Power from the Sky" #4

Over the years I have showcased many illustrations that were featured in the numerous Masters of the Universe and Princess of Power books published by Golden Books. One Masters of the Universe book in particular "Power from the Sky" is notable by its absence, and this is largely in part due to its rarity. Rather that select a few images to highlight on my Blog I thought I would present all twenty-four pages from this book, which I should also mention has beautiful artwork by the great Fred Carrillo! Here are pages thirteen to sixteen...


(click on the images to see them at full-size)

Angry Razz?

This illustration by Fred Carrillo from the Princess of Power Golden Book "The Crooked Crown" always amuses me. In this illustration Madame Razz is supposed to be warning Adora of the danger of the Crooked Crown, but instead it appears as if she is angrily pursuing Adora! To me, her expression looks like one of rage! I do like Adora's pose as she runs off to transform into She-Ra. Or maybe she is fleeing from the crazed Madame Razz?


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"Power from the Sky" #3

Over the years I have showcased many illustrations that were featured in the numerous Masters of the Universe and Princess of Power books published by Golden Books. One Masters of the Universe book in particular "Power from the Sky" is notable by its absence, and this is largely in part due to its rarity. Rather that select a few images to highlight on my Blog I thought I would present all twenty-four pages from this book, which I should also mention has beautiful artwork by the great Fred Carrillo! Here are pages nine to twelve...


(click on the images to see them at full-size)

Cracker's introduction!

The storyboards for the season two He-Man episode "The Greatest Show on Eternia" feature some of Tom Sito's best work on the series! Aside from his Crackers design being infinitely better than the final character model, his panels are full of comical emotions that were sadly not translated to the screen. In these panels we see Orko shake hands with Crackers. What I love about these illustrations is that Cracker's expression changes with each panel, giving life to the character. Orko's expressions are equally well drawn, too!


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"Power from the Sky" #2

Over the years I have showcased many illustrations that were featured in the numerous Masters of the Universe and Princess of Power books published by Golden Books. One Masters of the Universe book in particular "Power from the Sky" is notable by its absence, and this is largely in part due to its rarity. Rather that select a few images to highlight on my Blog I thought I would present all twenty-four pages from this book, which I should also mention has beautiful artwork by the great Fred Carrillo! Here are pages five to eight...


(click on the images to see them at full-size)

Worried Clawdeen.

This illustration by Robin Davies from the She-Ra Ladybird book "Spirit is kidnapped" always makes me chuckle. It is a really lovely illustration, but Clawdeen's expression, which appears to be one of fear, is comically distracting. I did not think anything could frighten the giant pink cat, but it appears that Shadow Weaver could cause her fur to stand on end! Also notice Catra's incredibly big hair...


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"Power from the Sky" #1

Over the years I have showcased many illustrations that were featured in the numerous Masters of the Universe and Princess of Power books published by Golden Books. One Masters of the Universe book in particular "Power from the Sky" is notable by its absence, and this is largely in part due to its rarity. Rather that select a few images to highlight on my Blog I thought I would present all twenty-four pages from this book, which I should also mention has beautiful artwork by the great Fred Carrillo! Here are the first four pages of the book...


(click on the images to see them at full-size)

"Freedom Castle" #2

For your entertainment I present the story "Freedom Castle" as featured in issue seven of the UK Princess of Power comic. In this story a depressed Adora visits Freedom Castle with Madame Razz and Broom. However, the castle is not all it seems, and strange things begin to happen upon their arrival. The image of the castle bookends the story quite beautifully. Here are the remaining three pages of this story...


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A brief review #044 - "The Region of Ice"

As many of you will know, in 2010 I published The unofficial cartoon guide to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. At 300+ pages the book features 700+ pieces of trivia, 460+ deleted scenes, 360+ examples of animation reuse, 380+ quotes, 50+ abandoned episodes, and a LOT more! It is the book that NO fan of the Filmation series can live without! BUY IT NOW!

As an incentive, here is my brief review and rating (as they appear in the book) for "The Region of Ice"...

From the moment He-Man and Orko enter Snake Mountain this episode shines, as the pair are played more like a comedy double act; their dialogue wonderfully playing off one another. Each and every action scene at Snake Mountain is cleverly thought out, with the villains given scenes just as entertaining as the heroes. Patrick Duncan succeeds greatly in crafting a story that effortlessly weaves action and comedy together with some terrific moments of character interaction. He-Man and Orko are the true stars of this episode. Even Snowflake seems to be enjoying herself. An episode that relies this heavily on physical comedy should not work, but this one does. Better than most. 8/10

Now, may I ask; what is YOUR rating?

"Freedom Castle" #1

For your entertainment I present the story "Freedom Castle" as featured in issue seven of the UK Princess of Power comic. In this story a depressed Adora visits Freedom Castle with Madame Razz and Broom. However, the castle is not all it seems, and strange things begin to happen upon their arrival. The image of the castle bookends the story quite beautifully. Here are the first two pages of this story...


(click on the images to see them at full-size)

Azrog concept artwork.

Here I present a striking piece of concept artwork of the character Azrog who appeared in the season one He-Man episode "The Return of Orko's Uncle". As many of you reading this will know Azrog looked very different in the actual episode produced. I personally own numerous character designs for both Azrog and Spydra that were conceptualized by the artists at Filmation during the production of this episode. For some reason, these two characters went through a lot more development than many of the characters in the series!


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Spydra concept artwork.

Azrog and Spydra who appeared in the episode "The Return of Orko's Uncle" were, by far, two of the most visually interesting villains to have appeared in the He-Man series. It is no surprise then to learn that both characters went through numerous designs! Here is one of the earliest conceptual designs for Spydra. As you can see, she is a vastly different-looking villain! I have to stay, while I do prefer her final design, the spider motif on this character's costume works.


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GIANT Picture Book (Heroic Warriors) illustration #36

Golden Book published a great deal of Masters of the Universe material during the eighties. Two of the most notable and yet rarely seen books are the Giant Picture Books; oversized quality publications printed on thick quality paper featuring artwork by Fred Carrillo. One book focused on the Heroic Warriors, whilst the other focused on the Evil Warriors. Here I present, from the Heroic Warriors book, the second of the two black and white illustrations focusing on King Randor and Queen Marlena, resized for you to enjoy! Although their thrones are not as impressive as they are in the Filmation cartoon, I absolutely love the detail in this illustration. Fred Carrillo had a knack for making the royal couple looking incredibly regal and important.


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Catching missles.

Here are six action-packed storyboard panels illustrated by Don Manuel for the season two He-Man episode "Disappearing Dragons". Once again I have to point out Don's ability to illustrate superb extreme character poses; in this case He-Man catching the missiles fired by the giant robot Bellatron! Although the final piece of animation in the episode was good, it was nowhere near as expressive as these poses...


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Valuable mineral deposits.

Robert Lamb came up with numerous story ideas during his time working on She-Ra. One of many which unfortunately never saw the light of day was an untitled story that would've seen the Horde attack Frosta's kingdom in an attempt to gain valuable mineral desposits. Read for yourself!


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GIANT Picture Book (Heroic Warriors) illustration #35

Golden Book published a great deal of Masters of the Universe material during the eighties. Two of the most notable and yet rarely seen books are the Giant Picture Books; oversized quality publications printed on thick quality paper featuring artwork by Fred Carrillo. One book focused on the Heroic Warriors, whilst the other focused on the Evil Warriors. Here I present, from the Heroic Warriors book, the first of the two black and white illustrations focusing on King Randor and Queen Marlena, resized for you to enjoy! In this piece King Randor appears to be making a declaration of sorts. I like the fact that He-Man sits at the table instead of Prince Adam, indicating this may be a meeting that requires his attention.


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