Bow bows...

Here is an image of one of my favorite pieces of animation from the She-Ra series, as featured in the episode "Of Shadows and Skulls". In the episode She-Ra has been captured by Skeletor and so her fellow rebels race to her rescue. Upon arriving Bow bows to She-Ra in a rather gentlemanly way. Not only is the animation of his bow incredibly well animated, but She-Ra's reaction to his bow is wonderfully sweet. She acts purposely very ladylike and raises her hand to her chest, taken aback by Bow's manners. It is a very small moment in one of the series' best episodes, but one that I always believe is worth highlighting.


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The surrounding land.

As we have seen numerous times over the years when it came to Castle Grayskull the only canon that seemed to get it right was the Filmation cartoon, which perched the magical castle atop a bone structure, surrounded by a bottomless abyss. The Star Comics often just placed the castle on a flat unimpressive dead landscape with no deterrents of any sort; leading to an infamous panel in which Skeletor attempts to dig under the castle using his Terror Claws! The UK comic was also fairly guilty of surrounding the castle with uninspired land mass. In this panel from issue sixty-five of the UK Masters of the Universe comic we see that the castle merely sits atop a raised section of land...


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Modulok drools!

As many of you know Tom Tataranowicz was by far my favorite director at Filmation, notably on the She-Ra series. Under his supervision, in the episode "Just Like Me" we see a heavily drooling Modulok attack She-Ra. Interestingly in Vicky Jenson's storyboard panels there is no indication that Modulok should drool. It is obvious that Tom Tataranowicz chose to do this to make the character more savage. And while it may not entirely work on screen it is an oddity worth noting.


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Entering the Doom Room!

Here is a fantastically dramatic splash page from issue sixty-eight of the UK Masters of the Universe comic. There are numerous things to point out in this illustration, but I will keep it brief on this occasion. I love the fact that there is a wonderful sense of depth due to the artist illustrating Man-At-Arms on a separate part of the ground which curves towards the sprawling background. The detail and the numerous skulls that fill the wonderfully named "Doom Room" also contribute to the atmosphere in this illustration.


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The journey home.

Once the artwork shifted direction in the UK Masters of the Universe comic from issue fifty onwards, aside from the detailed toy-accurate artwork, the colors that filled the pages of the comic were often worth noting. In this panel from issue fifty-seven we see not only some beautiful colors, but also a wonderful sense of direction. This panel really does indicate that another adventure for the heroes has come to an end, especially with the Royal Palace in the distance. I like the fact that He-Man and Man-At-Arms already having walked over the peak of the hill are not the focus on this panel, rather Teela and Orko in the foreground are what draws our attention.


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The steeds race.

Not the most spectacular of illustrations, but I do like this panel from issue sixty-nine of the UK Masters of the Universe comic, as it features He-Man and Skeletor racing on their respective steeds without any weapons. Often we would see He-Man with the Sword of Power or Skeletor with the Havoc Staff raised. On this occasion the mighty felines take all the glory!


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Rolling Stones references!

When I was working for BCI on their various Filmation DVD sets I inserted the odd personal easter egg here and there. When writing down the chapter names for the She-Ra episode "Assault On The Hive" I decided to use Rolling Stones song titles. "Gimme Shelter" I referenced as Sweet Bee and her people were looking for a place to live; "The Last Time" because this would be the last time we would see the characters from the Masters of the Universe series; and "It's All Over Now" because there would be no more He-Man and She-Ra team-ups, and of course because it was the end of the episode. Now that I think back, working on those BCI DVD sets was not a completely bad experience!


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Mick Jagger influence?

Admiral Scurvy was by far one of the best guest villains in the She-Ra animated series. His appearance in the two part "Anchors Aloft" was a visual treat, and he would often steal the scene when appearing on screen. Even as a kid, watching this episode I could not help but compare his face to that of Mick Jagger from the Rolling Stones. Amusingly when I finally read Bob Forward's script in his lengthy description of Admiral Scurvy he states, "Think Mick Jagger turned vampire". It is nice to know that the character designers adhered to this!


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What astounding beauty!

Even though some questioned the change in direction the artwork took in the UK Masters of the Universe comic from issue fifty onwards, it would be hard for them to dismiss the beauty and detail of this illustration from issue sixty-six. This particular artist, who illustrated the comic until its demise, would always put a great deal of detail into the environment of Eternia. I hope one day to find out the name of the artist; it would only be right to credit him after all these years of praising his art!


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Shocked Stinkor!

Here is a comical panel from issue sixty-five of the UK Masters of the Universe comic. While it may be hard to look away from Teela's shapely bottom, Stinkor's wide-eyed toy accurate face is what makes me chuckle every time. Also, it is interesting to see him wielding a Zodac gun, but not surprising, since the weapon his toy came with was a blue shield; something he would be unable to threaten his foes with!


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