30 YEARS - Top 30 GREATEST MOMENTS #27

On the 5th of September 1983 the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe received its WORLD premiere in the UK! To celebrate 30 YEARS since this historic day I am counting down (on a daily basis) what I believe to be the 30 GREATEST MOMENTS of the Filmation series.

GREATEST MOMENT #27
He-Man battles the Evil Warriors with comically absurd consequences!
"Three on a Dare"



When the Royal Palace's high frequency transmitter is damaged, all communication equipment becomes useless. Hurriedly seeking a solution Man-At-Arms informs Prince Adam that they need to obtain Rainbow Quartz. However, the only place on Eternia that it can be located is a cavern within the depths of Snake Mountain! Whilst Prince Adam and Cringer pilot a Wind Raider to Skeletor's base of operations, Teela is deep within the Magical Forest with three students (Cynda, Krill, and Tager). As Teela searches for a good picnic spot, the children end up piloting their only mode of transportation towards Snake Mountain. Unable to radio for help, Teela sets off after them, but is captured, along with the children. Meanwhile Prince Adam and Cringer are discovered and transform into He-Man and Battle Cat. When He-Man learns that Teela and the children are Skeletor's captives, he and Battle Cat free them. The heroes find themselves in the hangar bay of Snake Mountain, in which the Rainbow Quartz is located. At that moment Skeletor, Beast Man, Evil-Lyn, Mer-Man, Trap Jaw, and Tri-Klops appear with no intention of letting them leave...

Skeletor, overlooking the heroes from a vantage point laden with the much-desired iridescent glowing Rainbow Quartz, exchanges dialogue with He-Man below. Without warning Evil-Lyn appears from nowhere and freezes Teela with an icy cold blast. Skeletor, intent on keeping Teela within the confines of his abode, declares, "Teela will not leave Snake Mountain!" He-Man quickly rebukes, "Well, I won't leave without her!" At that moment Beast Man, Mer-Man, Trap Jaw, and Tri-Klops surround He-Man, with Skeletor stating, "Then a few of my friends will have to show you the door!" Before the villains have a chance to attack He-Man he races over to a large vat of oil. Picking up the vat, he begins to pour the contents onto the floor. As Skeletor commands his Evil Warriors to capture He-Man, the four villains find themselves slipping on the oil, unable to maintain any balance or dignity. "Just think what you could do if you had skates", remarks He-Man. He-Man rushes over to Teela and deflects the icy cold blast back at Evil-Lyn freezing her in the process. He-Man frees Teela, much to Skeletor's chagrin. As Teela and the children prepare to take off in one of Skeletor's Basher ships, He-Man proceeds to rip open the giant metal door of the hangar bay. Whilst Tri-Klops attempts to shut down the power source, Beast Man, Mer-Man, and Trap Jaw race towards the Basher in which Teela and the children are located. He-Man stops them in their tracks asking, "Still want to play?" The Evil Warriors charge at He-Man, who somehow manages to grab all three at once and throw them into the air. Mer-Man lands on He-Man's shoulders, followed by Trap Jaw landing on Mer-Man's shoulders, with Beast Man landing on Trap Jaw's shoulders! He-Man briefly entertains this unexpected balancing act by ensuring that no one falls off, remarking to the three villains, "Ever think of going into the circus?" He-Man, knowing he has to help Teela and the children, hoists the villains into the air, and they land directly on top of Tri-Klops. Having defeated the forces of evil He-Man, Battle Cat, Teela, and the children escape Snake Mountain with the Rainbow Quartz.

Whilst "Three on a Dare" is by one of the most fun episodes of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, this scene specifically reminds us why we love the series. It is a true joy to see the original colorful cast of villains (Skeletor, Beast Man, Evil-Lyn, Mer-Man, Trap Jaw, and Tri-Klops) reunited for one more outing against the most powerful man in the universe, with truly comedic results. Is this scene silly? Absolutely! But the ludicrousness of the action sequences is what made this Saturday morning cartoon one of the most memorable of all time!

30 YEARS - Top 30 GREATEST MOMENTS #28

On the 5th of September 1983 the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe received its WORLD premiere in the UK! To celebrate 30 YEARS since this historic day I am counting down (on a daily basis) what I believe to be the 30 GREATEST MOMENTS of the Filmation series.

GREATEST MOMENT #28
Stalan confronts Shokoti with the Sword of Power.
"House of Shokoti" Part 2



"House of Shokoti" Part 2 begins with Prince Adam, Cringer, Ram Man, Melaktha, and Stanlan (Melaktha's young assistant) musing over the mysterious pyramid unearthed by the villainous Masque. It soon becomes apparent that Shokoti, a wicked sorceress from the dark side of Eternia, dwells within. When Stanlan is informed that he will not be exploring the temple with the others he becomes upset. Later that night he sneaks out of the tent and finds himself consumed by Shokoti's magic. He-Man, Battle Cat, and Ram Man enter the temple in order to save Stanlan. However, Shokoti's power proves too much for the heroes, and they are captured. During the fight between good and evil Stanlan manages to flee, taking He-Man's fallen Sword of Power with him. As Shokoti prepares to sacrifice the helpless heroes to the legendary Sleeping Beast, Stanlan sits alone, believing the situation to be helpless...

A clearly despondent Stanlan sits upon a rock with the Sword of Power in his lap. As he grows increasingly upset, a mysterious glow surrounds the sword. The voice of the Sorceress assures him, "The help is within yourself, Stanlan." Stanlan picks up the sword and the image of the Sorceress appears to him. Stanlan proceeds to tell the Sorceress that Prince Adam has informed him that she helps out He-Man on occasion. The Sorceress explains why the young boy should not be afraid of his predicament, "There is nothing to fear in the darkness." As Stanlan listens intently the Sorceress utters an important and character-defining phrase, "The power of Shokoti is the power of fear", before telling him, "Fight it...with the sword." The Sorceress disappears leaving Stanlan alone once more, but this time with the knowledge he needs to confront Shokoti. As Shokoti summons the Sleeping Beast an understandably terrified Stanlan watches from afar, the Sword of Power gripped tightly in his hand. He begins to calm himself, remembering the Sorceress' words, "Nothing to be afraid of, she said. Nothing..." Shokoti's blood-curdling screams echo throughout the temple, "Rise! Rise! Take your sacrifice and spread the living darkness across the world!" Stanlan races into the sanctum commanding Shokoti to stop. "Away, boy!" is Shokoti's response, before firing out a beam of dark energy. A determined Stanlan raises the Sword of Power and shouts, "Not afraid!!!" Shokoti's beam of dark energy strikes the sword, but is absorbed by the blade. Three white hot beams of energy fire out from the Sword of Power and strike He-Man, Battle Cat, and Ram Man, freeing them from their bonds!

This episode is widely regarded as the scariest episode of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. And rightly so. Surprisingly, it is Stanlan who is the standout character. At first he has the characteristics of many young children that appear in the Filmation cartoon. However, the way in which he atones for his previous actions in this scene is nothing short of phenomenal. Stanlan, with the Sword of Power in hand, confronts one of the most powerful beings on the planet, and is victorious!

30 YEARS - Top 30 GREATEST MOMENTS #29

On the 5th of September 1983 the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe received its WORLD premiere in the UK! To celebrate 30 YEARS since this historic day I am counting down (on a daily basis) what I believe to be the 30 GREATEST MOMENTS of the Filmation series.

GREATEST MOMENT #29
Farin tricks his girlfriend into believing that he is He-Man.
"Mistaken Identity"



In the season two episode "Mistaken Identity" Karil and her boyfriend Farin are enjoying a picnic. Farin becomes increasingly jealous of his girlfriend's fascination with He-Man, with Karil even going so far as to muse over the possibility that He-Man may have a secret identity. Shortly after Farin leaves to fetch some water from the river an angry Shrieker appears putting the life of Karil in danger. He-Man arrives on the scene, leaps onto the creature's back, and guides the Shrieker away, as a returning Farin looks on in awe. Wanting to impress his girlfriend Farin comes up with the unique idea of pretending to be He-Man' secret identity, "There's no reason that I can't be He-Man! Or at least no reason why I can't let Karil think I'm He-Man." From this moment on, in order to arouse Karil's suspicions, Farin begins acting strangely, running off when danger threatens, and coming up with poor excuses as to his absence, all the while purposely prompting Karil to question his whereabouts...

When Farin and Karil learn of a Dragosaur lurking in the Crystal Caves, Farin awkwardly makes his excuses and leaves, knowing that his now-suspicious girlfriend will follow him. At the same time He-Man races to the Crystal Caves in order to remove the Dragosaur. However, once He-Man arrives he questions the howling noise made by the creature, "That doesn't sound like any Dragosaur I ever heard." Unseen by He-Man, Farin's pet omiran, Ommy, continuously blows into an ornate horn, creating the howls. He-Man continues to walk throughout the caverns, perplexed that he has yet to set eyes on the Dragosaur. Farin, knowing that He-Man is now deep within the Crystal Caves (and that Karil is watching the events from nearby) puts his plan into action, "Now to make Karil think I turned into He-Man!" Moments later Karil watches in horror as Farin runs into the cavern entrance, seemingly in which a Dragosaur lurks. Inside the cavern Farin picks up Ommy, avoids He-Man's presence, slides down a tunnel, and exits the cavern on the other side, unseen by Karil. A frustrated He-Man decides that there is no Dragosaur and leaves. Karil then sees He-Man exit the Crystal Cave, moments after Farin had just entered, and begins questioning herself, "But where's Farin? I just saw him go inside!" Her eyes widen and she breathlessly exclaims, "He-Man! He turned into Farin! I mean, Farin turned into He-Man!", before declaring, "I was right! He-man does have another identity! Farin is He-Man!"

There are only so many stories that can revolve around He-Man's secret identity. However, this intricately original scene is just one of many in an episode crafted by J. Michael Straczynski that successfully breathes new life into the familiar story of a character's secret identity.

30 YEARS - Top 30 GREATEST MOMENTS #30

On the 5th of September 1983 the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe received its WORLD premiere in the UK! To celebrate 30 YEARS since this historic day I am counting down (on a daily basis) what I believe to be the 30 GREATEST MOMENTS of the Filmation series.

GREATEST MOMENT #30
The most powerful man in the universe saves the planet Earth!
"Visitors From Earth"



In the season two episode "Visitors From Earth" two astronauts from Earth, Colonel Mark Blaze and Major Andrea Steele fly their ship through a vortex and find themselves on the planet Eternia. Steele explains to the Royal Family that a giant meteor is on a collision course with Earth, and that time is of the essence. Following an encounter with Skeletor, during which the missile timer is activated and the firing mechanism damaged, Colonel Mark Blaze and He-Man fly back through the vortex...

Seeing the planet Earth for the first time He-Man mutters to himself, "Earth. So that's where my mother came from." It is a brief, but wonderfully written piece of dialogue that reminds us of He-Man's Earth-based origins. This planet is just as important to him as Eternia. With the timer continuing to countdown, the pair have three minutes to find the meteor and launch the missile, before it explodes! The meteor is then seen to be at least a quarter of the size of the planet Earth, but slowly disappearing around the other side of the planet. Blaze comments that they only have forty seconds until the missile explodes, with He-Man encouraging him to fly as close as he can to the meteor. The most powerful man in the universe then rises from his seat and tells Blaze to open the canopy before announcing, "Let's try out our new rocket launcher -- me!" A startled Blaze replies, "You?!", but continues to open the canopy. As the dramatic music plays He-Man, with missile in hand, pulls his arm back, and pauses for what seems to be an eternity. He then throws the missile towards the meteor at great speed. At the very last second the missile strikes the meteor and explodes! And with that He-Man saves the planet Earth from destruction!

While some may consider this a simple action scene, the grandeur of He-Man's accomplishment has to be acknowledged. Yes, we have seen the character move an Eternian moon or two (annoyingly rather effortlessly at times), but given his connection to Earth, this monumental act of strength is a perfect feat for the character.

Steal Teela!

The illustrations in the 1986 Masters of the Universe annual are interesting to behold. While some are gorgeous pieces of artwork, others look questionable to say the least. This illustration of Skeletor attempting to sneak up on Teela is a mix of both. While the style of art is nice, Skeletor looks a little odd. He appears to be quite stocky and wide!


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

Mekaneck spying on Teela?!

I am honestly not sure what to make of this panel. This illustration from one of the many Masters of the Universe coloring and activity books appears to show Mekaneck spying on Teela. Stranger still is that his hand appears to be dangerously close to his crotch. For years Mekaneck has always been regarded as a rather odd character, but is this how the Heroic Warrior gets his kicks?


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

GIANT Picture Book (Heroic Warriors) illustration #30

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 the transformation sequence, resized for you to enjoy! In this piece we see that Battle Cat has been illustrated to look a great deal like the Filmation model sheet.


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

Backgrounds, stock, same/as...

For years I said that I would love to have worked in the Filmation storyboard department. However, when you see a page included a storyboard for an episode of He-Man that looks like an incredibly complicated mathematical sum, it makes me think twice about my desire to have worked at Filmation! This page, included in the storyboard for the season two He-Man episode "Fisto's Forest", shows how Robert Lamb meticulously made sure to breakdown the episode visually, and work out how much of the episode could be made from existing stock, and how much new material had to be created!


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

Odd Adam.

Here is yet another odd-looking illustration from the 1986 Masters of the Universe annual. Here we once again see Prince Adam sporting his green jacket with yellow trim, alongside the often-seen blonde Teela. However, while Teela looks lovely, Prince Adam looks very strange. His face appears to have been rendered too heavily, resulting in him looking far too mature for his age. It almost looks like he is in his forties!


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

Gathering around the jackdaw.

The rarely-seen four story She-Ra Ladybird compilation book was interesting in that aside from including two new stories, it included two previously published stories in "Catra's Ice Palace" and "She-Ra and the Golden Goose", renamed "The Golden Goose" for this publication. Due to the size of this compilation book being a different format, some the illustrations that accompanied "She-Ra and the Golden Goose" were completely redrawn. Here I present one of the illustrations that was redrawn for the book by Glenn Steward. In this piece we see She-Ra, Bow, Glimmer, Flutterina, and Kowl all gathered around a talking jackdaw. This part of the story amuses me in which the heroes have to feed the jackdaw in exchange for information, only to have the little bird start to fall asleep on a full stomach. However, according to the text, Kowl prevents him from falling asleep by shouting in his ear! The way in which the jackdaw is illustrated is incredibly cute, and accurate.


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