She-Ra Viewmaster #14

For your entertainment, over the course of the next month or so, I will present the rarely seen She-Ra Viewmaster reels. You will notice that even though this story attempts to tell a new story, there are numerous elements borrowed from the season one episode "Beast Island".

Text accompanying this image: Catra transforms.


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

"Nightmares!" #1

Here I present an interesting story from issue sixteen of the UK Masters of the Universe Adventure magazine. "Nightmares!" is an interesting story in which Prince Adam finds himself the victim of terrifying dreams. The initial nightmare that featuers Skeletor and his Evil Warriors has a shockingly dramatic end from which Prince Adam awakens! The problem with this story is that it feels like it could have been much longer. The nightmare situation seems to be resolved very quickly, as if the writer ran out of room in which to tell the story! Here are the first four pages...


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

Hey Layout!

In Warren Greenwood's beautifully illustrated storyboards for "Ordeal in the Darklands" we see his suggested design for Kor's palace. Interestingly, underneath the interior illustration of the palace he accuses the layout department of previously having swiped designs from Steve Ditko's Dr. Strange work for Marvel Comics!


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

She-Ra Viewmaster #13

For your entertainment, over the course of the next month or so, I will present the rarely seen She-Ra Viewmaster reels. You will notice that even though this story attempts to tell a new story, there are numerous elements borrowed from the season one episode "Beast Island".

Text accompanying this image: The rescuers meet Catra.


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

"The Masters' Amulet"

As He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was developed into a series, the staff writers at Filmation came up with a wealth of proposed story premises. Numerous episodes were never developed beyond the early stages. Showcased below is one of those abandoned episodes, alongside a title card that I have created to show what might have been. Please note that in some of these synopses Orko is still referred to as Gorpo, Evil-Lyn as Desira, and the Evil Warriors as the Masters of the Universe. The Sorceress does not appear to have been fully developed at this point either; with many references instead to the Spirit of Grayskull. Also, Stratos is a villain; much like he was in the early Mattel material. All of the original spellings (Tee-La, Beastman, etc.) are also retained for authenticity.

The unofficial cartoon guide to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe features many more abandoned episodes!

"The Masters' Amulet"
The Masters of the Universe have come across a Power Amulet which will bestow special powers upon its possessor. But while Skeletor, Beastman, and Evil-Lyn fight among themselves over who is the owner, He-Man destroys it.


* Legally I should say that Marc Scott Zicree did NOT write this episode. This is merely an example of how the episode title card might have looked.

Capturing Flutterina!

Have you ever wanted to see Flutterina captured by Catra and Clawdeen? Well, the story "Catra's Web of Mischief", which was featured in the rarely-seen four story She-Ra Ladybird compilation book, features just such an illustration. The part of this Glenn Steward artwork that always makes me chuckle is the way in which Clawdeen is posed having launched the net, with Catra in the background cheerleading!


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

She-Ra Viewmaster #12

For your entertainment, over the course of the next month or so, I will present the rarely seen She-Ra Viewmaster reels. You will notice that even though this story attempts to tell a new story, there are numerous elements borrowed from the season one episode "Beast Island".

Text accompanying this image: "I knew the bear was friendly."


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

He-Man's Bruce Timm jawline.

Here is an illustration from "The Revenge of Skeletor!", a minicomic from The New Adventures of He-Man toyline! Now, we all know that Bruce Timm would go on to become one of the most accomplished individuals in the field of animation! What I find interesting is that in this panel you can clearly see his style forming as an artist. One can see numerous elements of character design, not least of all with the way in which Timm has illustrated the jaw line, which would show up in Batman: The Animated Series.


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

Kroom leader.

The Kroom leader, from the season two He-Man episode "Trouble in Trolla", was always one of my favorite characters. He pretty much steals the show in the one scene he appears in, in which he orders one of his henchmen to close the gates to their fortress. The character was designed by Charles Zembillas, one of the foremost character designers on the show. What I love most about the design of the Kroom leader is that his eyes are so wildly expressive! Also, there is just something naturally funny about a pig-sized warrior sporting ostentatious armor!


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

She-Ra Viewmaster #11

For your entertainment, over the course of the next month or so, I will present the rarely seen She-Ra Viewmaster reels. You will notice that even though this story attempts to tell a new story, there are numerous elements borrowed from the season one episode "Beast Island".

Text accompanying this image: "Don't, Bow!"


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

He-Man's mighty thews!

Warren Greenwood's storyboards were very unique. He would clearly spend a great deal of time illustrating certain panels and characters, whereas other times he would not bother to illustrate He-Man with his harness. However, this was not a sign of laziness, but rather a tactic that enabled him to deliver the boards before their deadline! After all, the layout artists at Filmation working from his boards knew that He-Man would be sporting his harness as always, so it was a detail that did not really need to be added. In these three panels, from the season one He-Man episode "Ordeal in the Darklands", we see the most powerful man in the universe break the bonds that bind him with a great sense of power! You can see that Greenwood had a very unique way of illustrating He-Man, and many of the male cast members, by giving them triangular shapes for eyes.


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

Prepare for hyperspeed!

Once more in this blog I showcase another piece of beautiful Masters of the Universe artwork by Bruce Timm. This time, the artwork featured is from "The Revenge of Skeletor!", a minicomic from The New Adventures of He-Man toyline! This was the first and only minicomic Bruce Timm would illustrate for the short-lived reboot of the Masters of the Universe franchise. Ironically, this panel features some of Timm's finest work on the He-Man property, illustrating both He-Man and Skeletor, and their respective friends and allies, with a wonderful level of detail and power. As an artist Timm was clearly honing is craft, on his way to be an incredibly accomplished and successful artist.


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

She-Ra Viewmaster #10

For your entertainment, over the course of the next month or so, I will present the rarely seen She-Ra Viewmaster reels. You will notice that even though this story attempts to tell a new story, there are numerous elements borrowed from the season one episode "Beast Island".

Text accompanying this image: Madame Razz tries a spell.


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

FILMATION ART: Tunnel to mines.

For the last sixteen years I have collected He-Man and She-Ra animation artwork. As a result I have amassed a pretty large collection! Here I present a piece of original background artwork from the He-Man episode "Orko's New Friend". I will admit that when I first saw this background, prior to seeing the production number, I had no clue as to what episode it was from. This made perfect sense as soon as I realized it was from one of my least favorite episodes of the entire series! That said, this is an incredibly well-rendered background. While the curtain and archway are nothing to speak of, the tunnel which leads down to the mines is beautifully illustrated. Again, we see just how fantastic a light source can be when creating a sense of depth and mood. Here we see the mine lit up from below, creating beautiful textures that rise up out of the tunnel. One thing I also like is the texture on the ground, with certain elements from the room reflected upon it.


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

And here is how the background was used in the episode...

A brief review #047 - "Keeper of the Ancient Ruins"

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 "Keeper of the Ancient Ruins"...

This episode starts off with a great deal of promise, but somewhere during the plot it all seems to fall apart. The pacing of the story seems all over the place; specifically on the scenes with the Zactons which are so drawn out they quickly become dull. Many of the scenes during the middle part of this episode seem incredibly tedious, and Trap Jaw's inclusion is probably one of the most unnecessary appearances of a villain in the series; he serves little purpose. The only great thing about this episode is, of course, the scene where Teela is hurt, Prince Adam transforms in front of her, and we see a large mythological bird come to her aid. For one brief moment the episode captivates us. 5/10

Now, may I ask; what is YOUR rating?

She-Ra Viewmaster #9

For your entertainment, over the course of the next month or so, I will present the rarely seen She-Ra Viewmaster reels. You will notice that even though this story attempts to tell a new story, there are numerous elements borrowed from the season one episode "Beast Island".

Text accompanying this image: A monster attacks the rescuers.


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

"Gorpo's Quest"

As He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was developed into a series, the staff writers at Filmation came up with a wealth of proposed story premises. Numerous episodes were never developed beyond the early stages. Showcased below is one of those abandoned episodes, alongside a title card that I have created to show what might have been. Please note that in some of these synopses Orko is still referred to as Gorpo, Evil-Lyn as Desira, and the Evil Warriors as the Masters of the Universe. The Sorceress does not appear to have been fully developed at this point either; with many references instead to the Spirit of Grayskull. Also, Stratos is a villain; much like he was in the early Mattel material. All of the original spellings (Tee-La, Beastman, etc.) are also retained for authenticity.

The unofficial cartoon guide to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe features many more abandoned episodes!

"Gorpo's Quest"
Skeletor decoys He-Man and Man-At-Arms to a distant universe to stop a cataclysmic explosion. Meanwhile, his forces descend upon Eternia. Only Gorpo and Cringer escape. These two, who do not get along, must join forces and work together through a perilous journey through the cosmos to summon He-Man back to Eternia before Skeletor seizes Grayskull's powers.


* Legally I should say that Robby London did NOT write this episode. This is merely an example of how the episode title card might have looked.

By the waterfall.

Here I present a really nice illustration from the story "The Lost River", which was featured in the rarely-seen four story She-Ra Ladybird compilation book. I love the way in which the background is rendered in this piece. The characters once again are rendered with an outline around them, much like an animation cel, making them stand out. However, the background is really noteworthy, with a beautiful rock formation next to the water. The waterfall itself looks impressive with an iridescent green color scheme striking the water as it flows over the ledge and down below.


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

She-Ra Viewmaster #8

For your entertainment, over the course of the next month or so, I will present the rarely seen She-Ra Viewmaster reels. You will notice that even though this story attempts to tell a new story, there are numerous elements borrowed from the season one episode "Beast Island".

Text accompanying this image: The scout flies into a little trouble.


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

The many forms of the Crimson Scourge!

In a previous blog post I mentioned that the storyboards by Warren Greenwood for the season one He-Man episode "Ordeal in the Darklands" reveal a very different look for the Crimson Scourge! Interestingly, in the storyboards for the episode there is a page in which Greenwood dictates how the Crimson Scourge could move, presenting us with some unique visuals. Sadly, when the episode was produced it was decided to simplify the creature a great deal, as it would have been rather expensive to produce a variety of possible animation sequences for one character.


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

Skeletor atop the ramparts!

Over the years that I have worked on this Blog I have come to have a greater appreciation for the work that Mark Texeira contributed to the Masters of the Universe minicomics. Sadly, his name is rarely championed as one of the great artists that worked on the brand. This panel from the minicomic "The Tale of Teela!", featuring Skeletor and Teela, as well as Castle Grayskull and the Talon Fighter, is an example of how Texeira could create iconic images in such a small space. One has only to flick through the pages of a Texeira-illustrated minicomics to see just the phenomenal level of craftsmanship that he put into each and every illustration.


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

She-Ra Viewmaster #7

For your entertainment, over the course of the next month or so, I will present the rarely seen She-Ra Viewmaster reels. You will notice that even though this story attempts to tell a new story, there are numerous elements borrowed from the season one episode "Beast Island".

Text accompanying this image: The rescue party enters the Black Wood.


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

"The Tablet of Truth" #2

For your entertainment I present the story "The Tablet of Truth" as featured in issue two of the UK Princess of Power comic. In this story Shadow Weaver invades the home of the Zundar Goblins and steals the power Stone of Secrets. She soon learns that She-Ra has a secret identity, and immediately deduces that it must take the form of one of her closest friends! Shadow Weaver captures Adora, Bow, Kowl, and Madame Razz, and plans to use the Tablet of Truth to find out She-Ra's secret identity. Here are the remaining three pages of this story...


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

"The Tablet of Truth" #1

For your entertainment I present the story "The Tablet of Truth" as featured in issue two of the UK Princess of Power comic. In this story Shadow Weaver invades the home of the Zundar Goblins and steals the power Stone of Secrets. She soon learns that She-Ra has a secret identity, and immediately deduces that it must take the form of one of her closest friends! Shadow Weaver captures Adora, Bow, Kowl, and Madame Razz, and plans to use the Tablet of Truth to find out She-Ra's secret identity. Here are the first three pages of this story...


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

She-Ra Viewmaster #6

For your entertainment, over the course of the next month or so, I will present the rarely seen She-Ra Viewmaster reels. You will notice that even though this story attempts to tell a new story, there are numerous elements borrowed from the season one episode "Beast Island".

Text accompanying this image: They fly in the amazing clipper ship.


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