A brief review #041 - "House of Shokoti" Part 2

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 "House of Shokoti" Part 2...

From the moment this episode begins with a long panning shot of the House of Darkness, accompanied by some foreboding music, we know we are in for a treat. The atmosphere throughout the episode is breathtaking, with a wealth of twisted, creepy, action sequences. He-Man, Battle Cat and Ram Man make for an exciting heroic trio, but they are not the stars of this episode. The dynamic between Stanlan and Shokoti works beautifully as the episode progresses. Numerous factors, including Larry DiTillio's script, the beautiful yet haunting direction and animation, and Linda Gary's fine performances as both Stanlan and Shokoti, make this episode one of the scariest and best of the series. 9/10

Now, may I ask; what is YOUR rating?

FILMATION ART: The Bottomless Hole of Trolla.

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 "Dawn of Dragoon". One of the most dramatic scenes from this memorable episode occurs as He-Man and Battle Cat confront Dragoon near the Bottomless Hole of Trolla! Even though I do not own a special effects cel of the wind, I love the artwork which details the never-ending depth of this unique location. Interestingly, this background would be repainted and used two episodes later in "Song of Celice" during the scene in which He-Man hurls Yog down a bottomless abyss.


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

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

His eyes shift...

Here are a couple of lovely panels by storyboard artist Rich Chidlaw from the season one He-Man episode "The Region of Ice" showing Man-At-Arms. One of the interesting things to note is that in blue pencil, aside from the rough illustration below the final line art, Rich also wrote the dialogue under each of his panels. Sadly, in the actual episode Filmation did not use this awesomely expressive close-up; instead they opted for a full body shot with a slow truck-in...


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

GIANT Picture Book (Heroic Warriors) illustration #21

Golden Book published a great deal of Masters of the Universe material during the eighties. Two of the most notable and yet rarely seen books are the Giant Picture Books; oversized quality publications printed on thick quality paper featuring artwork by Fred Carrillo. One book focused on the Heroic Warriors, whilst the other focused on the Evil Warriors. Here I present, from the Heroic Warriors book, the second of the two black and white illustrations focusing on Castle Grayskull, resized for you to enjoy! One would presume this illustration is showing Zoar flying back into the castle. However, upon careful examination you will see that she is flying into an open window. Somehow, I do not believe Castle Grayskull was designed with open and close windows!


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

He-Man versus Man-At-Arms.

This action-packed illustration from the 1985 UK Masters of the Universe annual is one of my favorites from this book. I have championed before the beautiful use of watercolors in this book, and here is another example. The extreme poses of both He-Man and Man-At-Arms are illustrated wonderfully, and the sense of fury in He-Man's attack can be felt! I like the attention to detail throughout this piece; from the leather straps that bind the boots of the characters, to the way in which He-Man's harness rests on the ground.


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

Stratos versus Skeletor (again)!

Just when you thought Stratos and Skeletor had finished fighting, they start once again! Yes, here is another illustration from one of the many Masters of the Universe coloring and activity books. I have to say, in this illustration as well as the one yesterday, Stratos does appear to be gaining the upper hand. It would have been interesting to see this scene take place in the Filmation cartoon...


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

Stratos versus Skeletor!

The early Masters of the Universe coloring and activity books featured some unique pieces of artwork. Sometimes the artwork would be focused solely on the pre-Filmation version of He-Man, whereas other books mixed elements of both. Here is an interesting action-packed illustration featuring Stratos and Skeletor engaged in some good old fashioned hand-to-hand combat!


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

GIANT Picture Book (Heroic Warriors) illustration #20

Golden Book published a great deal of Masters of the Universe material during the eighties. Two of the most notable and yet rarely seen books are the Giant Picture Books; oversized quality publications printed on thick quality paper featuring artwork by Fred Carrillo. One book focused on the Heroic Warriors, whilst the other focused on the Evil Warriors. Here I present, from the Heroic Warriors book, the first of the two black and white illustrations focusing on Castle Grayskull, resized for you to enjoy! It is odd to see the interior of the castle lit up with torches positioned on the wall. It makes Castle Grayskull feel a lot less mysterious when normality is placed within it!


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

Who are the leaders?

After the UK Masters of the Universe comic changed direction and began telling stories focused on He-Man's new adventures in space, a reader asked a question in issue twenty two of the He-Man Adventure magazine that we all wanted to ask. The answer from Scrollos that Man-At-Arms and Hordak were now the respective leaders for the forces of good and evil on Eternia, never really sat well with me. I always thought that once Skeletor left, either Evil-Lyn would take control of the Evil Warriors, or there would be so much in-fighting that the group would disband...


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

United in defeat #2

"The Unicorn King" is a visually interesting episode due to its inclusion of strikingly new characters and new locations in the Growling Sea and Unicorn Island. The Evil Horde also get their fair share of new weapons and vehicles, too. Here is the second of two illustrations by Herb Hazelton showing Hordak and Mantenna in the escape pod of the Sea Fright, showcasing their uncomfortable closeness, which would of course be resolved with a trap door...


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