Defeat of the Horde!

"He-Man and the Lost Dragon" was an interesting book published by Ladybird, because it was based on a story that appeared in the Masters of the Universe annual titled "Dragon from the Lost Valley", also published by Ladybird. This time however the story was rewritten to include the Evil Horde, who were now making appearances in the Ladybird books. This two page illustration shows the defeat of the Evil Horde in spectacular fashion. Robin Davies illustrates this piece to give the audience a tremendous sense of depth.


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Caption?

This illustration from the Masters of the Universe Ladybird book "Wings of Doom" features Teela looking somewhat worn out, as Stratos looks on inquisitively. Not only that, but Skeletor is also observing the events; all of which can be said are not very exciting. If you have the time, why not caption it?


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Orko's comic strip #55

Almost every issue of the UK Masters of the Universe comic featured an Orko comic strip on the inside front cover. As this Blog continues I will try and feature all of them for your amusement. Here I present the "Orko the Magician" comic strip from issue fifty-five. You can never go far wrong with a vanishing cream gag!


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Action-packed snapshot!

Here is an action packed, and somewhat poorly illustrated piece of animation artwork from the He-Man episode "She-Demon of Phantos". Throughout this episode there is a great deal of strange animation, much of which occurs during the action sequences. Note that whilst Mer-Man looks predictably shocked, Man-At-Arms almost looks as if he's sitting down, slightly shocked.


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Entering the darkness.

Here I present yet another Robin Davies illustration from the UK Ladybird book "He-Man meets the Beast". This time it is Teela, who looks very determined in her mission to find Prince Adam who has gone missing. My only criticism is that her lips look a little too big. Maybe she is pouting? It is good to see her staff Kobra on display.


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Orko's comic strip #42

Almost every issue of the UK Masters of the Universe comic featured an Orko comic strip on the inside front cover. As this Blog continues I will try and feature all of them for your amusement. Here I present the "Orko the Magician" comic strip from issue forty-two. Orko has a craving for bean soup...


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"The World Devourer!" #6

Here are pages twenty-one to twenty-three of "The World Devourer!" as seen in the Masters of the Universe special published in 1988 by London Edition Comics. I cannot recall ever seeing a story wrap up this quickly! It is as if the writer and artist ran out of pages and had to rush out an ending!


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Animated Evil-Lyn!

In one of the first few shots from the episode "The Cosmic Comet", we see Evil-Lyn drawn off-model, but not in a bad way. Not only is this a unique shot of the character, but she is animated with a great deal of fluidity, as opposed to a reliance on Filmation's stock system.


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"The World Devourer!" #5

Here are pages seventeen to twenty of "The World Devourer!" as seen in the Masters of the Universe special published in 1988 by London Edition Comics. Page twenty is incredibly dramatic with an unexpected scene of destruction, followed by a feeling of loss and despair...


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Annual copies annual?

Two of the most memorable UK Masters of the Universe annuals were the 1985 edition and the 1987 edition. The 1985 annual featured a wealth of very beautifully drawn almost-classical illustrations with a lot of watercolor techniques used to create a near washed-out style. The 1987 annual was the first of the books to heavily acknowledge the Filmation series with the characters now drawn as if appearing in the cartoon. There are a lot of model sheet poses in this particular book, too; almost too many at times. On occasion in the 1987 annual the artists decided to look to previous annuals and comics for inspiration. The first image below is of He-Man is from the 1985 Masters of the Universe UK annual. The second image is from the 1987 Masters of the Universe UK annual. While the style of illustration is different the pose is obviously the same...


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