He-Man's RARE Viewmaster #20

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: "Thank you for rescuing my daughter."


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

How gruesome!

In this panel from the Masters of the Universe minicomic "Grizzlor: The Legend Comes Alive!" Bruce Timm beautifully illustrates a scared Teela. Once again even though this is very early in Bruce Timm's career, many of his artistic traits are already in place; from Teela's expression in the second panel, to her somewhat somber expression in the third panel. Also, Man-At-Arms' face is a fine example of Bruce Timm's ability to make the male characters look incredibly heroic. I should also acknowledge the coloring in this panel which is beautiful, and really creates a wonderful sense of mood as the Heroic Warriors are camped around a fire.


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

He-Man's RARE Viewmaster #19

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: That's the end of Beast Man's escape try.


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

Duke Drear turnaround.

The season one She-Ra episode "Troll's Dream" is one of the most memorable of the series. Aside from featuring an impressively immense premise in which The Evil Horde unleash the Spider of Crystal, the story also includes a sub-plot about racism, the return of the Trolls of Spikeheart, and a new villain, Duke Drear. I have always been a fan of the design of this character, especially the posture of his body; something that was transferred into the final episode. However, the color scheme left a lot to be desired, appearing to look like an extra from the awful season two He-Man episode "Time Doesn't Fly", which is why you are looking at a black and white model sheet, and not a color one!


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

He-Man's RARE Viewmaster #18

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: "I'll make myself into a human whirlwind."


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

The Grazzler was an Ice Hacker!

In this panel from Robert Lamb's storyboards for the season two He-Man episode "Fisto's Forest", we see that his original plan was to have the role of the Grazzler played by an Ice Hacker. Robert had previously used the Ice Hacker in his storyboards for "The Dragon's Gift", to it would only make sense to reuse the character design. However, Filmation decided to go with a different design, one unique to the episode. Although the design would later show up in "Battle For Bright Moon".


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

He-Man's RARE Viewmaster #17

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: Beast Man tries to sneak away.


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

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)