He-Man 2002 comics

When Masters of the Universe relaunched in 2002, Val Staples and his company MVCreations lobbied hard for the license, finally landing it after much deliberation. They originally published through Image but eventually moved to thier own imprint.

This series is worth it for the pencils by Emeliano Santaluca alone, the insane level of detail is amazing, not to mention the hidden eggs they would constantly throw in. This was the first time I saw a Wind Raider inthe new series. You might see the guards in Eternia firing the guns that came on the weapons rack in the vintage Castle Grayskull, or spot toys on the shelf of the faceless one’s lair….

Other details like a small crack in He-Mans chest plate, or the terrifying detail of Skeletor’s horrifying face. It’s a beautiful series. Much like the Sunbird Legacy that we review last month, it’s also a very violent series. There’s an image that stick with me, Beast Man charges the battlements and disembowels an Eternian guard. we see blood and tissue fly….these are the comics after all, and they have a wider audience, they don’t necessarily have to tone the violence down for the kiddies. it’s also a good reminder that these powerful brutes and creatures Skeletor has surrounded himself with are just that – monsters.

This series folded all to soon. Bad deals with the distributor, too many restrictions by Mattel and the cancellation of the cartoon series all formed the perfect storm, but I do still occasional see these in dollar bins and on eBay. They’re worth searching out, particularly if you’re a fan of He-Man.

February 3, 2015 | Categories: best comics you never read, Comic Books | Tags: best comics you never read, Comic Books | Leave a comment