A brief review #036 - "The Search"

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 Search"...

Some episodes of the series feel like they were developed at the same time the series was conceptualized; this is one of those episodes. Right from the first appearance of Zodac we realize this episode is going to be special. For a brief period, the story becomes a simple case of the heroes chasing the villains. During this time however, thanks to David Wise's writing, we do get to see Skeletor at his most determined. The dialogue and direction as He-Man fights the temptation of the Starseed is one of the series' most memorable moments. The twist in the tale when Zodac reveals that it was he whom allowed Skeletor to know of the Starseed's location emphasizes what a great episode this is. 8/10

Now, may I ask; what is YOUR rating?

He-Man's RARE Viewmaster #16

For your entertainment, over the course of the next month or so, I will present the rarely seen second set of He-Man Viewmaster reels. Most, if not all people, have seen the first set of reels based on the early Masters of the Universe minicomics. The second set of reels are unique in that they are a sequel to the season two He-Man episode "The Shadow of Skeletor"! You will notice that even though this story attempts to tell a new tale, there are numerous elements borrowed from the "The Shadow of Skeletor" and other episodes. See if you can spot all the references!

Text accompanying this image: Mer-Man lands in the water.


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

Swooping Weaver.

There is a lot of beautiful layout artwork to be found for the season one She-Ra episode "Friendship". Here is an example of three fantastic illustrations showing Shadow Weaver swooping into shot, and swooping back out again. It is interesting to see the artist's rough blue line art showing the basic shapes of the character's body underneath. What we tend to forget is that due to Shadow Weaver sporting a large cloak, the artists at Filmation still had to illustrate her body underneath, in order to create a realistic movement for the character.


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

He-Man's RARE Viewmaster #15

For your entertainment, over the course of the next month or so, I will present the rarely seen second set of He-Man Viewmaster reels. Most, if not all people, have seen the first set of reels based on the early Masters of the Universe minicomics. The second set of reels are unique in that they are a sequel to the season two He-Man episode "The Shadow of Skeletor"! You will notice that even though this story attempts to tell a new tale, there are numerous elements borrowed from the "The Shadow of Skeletor" and other episodes. See if you can spot all the references!

Text accompanying this image: "Get your hands off Diana, Mer-Man."


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

Skeletor's bride?

As the Masters of the Universe story evolved, somewhere in-between He-Man's barbarian roots and the Filmation series, one of the plots tossed around was that Skeletor wanted Teela for his bride. One of the most memorable was featured in one of the many Masters of the Universe coloring and activity books. Here we see Skeletor fantasizing about his forthcoming marriage to Teela, as the two of them rule Eternia together. I love the fact that in his little fantasy, both he and Teela look very happy together!


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

He-Man's RARE Viewmaster #14

For your entertainment, over the course of the next month or so, I will present the rarely seen second set of He-Man Viewmaster reels. Most, if not all people, have seen the first set of reels based on the early Masters of the Universe minicomics. The second set of reels are unique in that they are a sequel to the season two He-Man episode "The Shadow of Skeletor"! You will notice that even though this story attempts to tell a new tale, there are numerous elements borrowed from the "The Shadow of Skeletor" and other episodes. See if you can spot all the references!

Text accompanying this image: "And now my pretty one, into the water."


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

Snow Kowl!

Here is another illustration from the She-Ra Ladybird book "Catra's Ice Palace" by Geoff Senior. As I have expressed before, Geoff Senior was by far one of the best artists to have worked on the UK Transformers comic. However, his work on this particular She-Ra book was not all that great. Giant robots were definitely his specialty! That said, here is a comical illustration featuring Kowl examining a sad-looking snow version of himself...


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

He-Man's RARE Viewmaster #13

For your entertainment, over the course of the next month or so, I will present the rarely seen second set of He-Man Viewmaster reels. Most, if not all people, have seen the first set of reels based on the early Masters of the Universe minicomics. The second set of reels are unique in that they are a sequel to the season two He-Man episode "The Shadow of Skeletor"! You will notice that even though this story attempts to tell a new tale, there are numerous elements borrowed from the "The Shadow of Skeletor" and other episodes. See if you can spot all the references!

Text accompanying this image: He-Man sends a forcefield around Skeletor.


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

Thar she blows!

Here is an interesting piece of artwork by Bruce Timm from the Masters of the Universe minicomic "Grizzlor: The Legend Comes Alive!" As beautiful as this panel is, I always find it a strange piece of dialogue for He-Man to utter as he and the other Heroic Warriors traverse dimensions in order to confront Hordak. Once more I have to mention just how fantastic Bruce Timm's artwork is; even if it does appear that He-Man has an oversized head...


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

He-Man's RARE Viewmaster #12

For your entertainment, over the course of the next month or so, I will present the rarely seen second set of He-Man Viewmaster reels. Most, if not all people, have seen the first set of reels based on the early Masters of the Universe minicomics. The second set of reels are unique in that they are a sequel to the season two He-Man episode "The Shadow of Skeletor"! You will notice that even though this story attempts to tell a new tale, there are numerous elements borrowed from the "The Shadow of Skeletor" and other episodes. See if you can spot all the references!

Text accompanying this image: "Now it's your turn, Skeletor!"


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