The minicomics that came with the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe toys are finally being made available again.
When Mattel launched their widely successful Masters of the Universe toy line in 1982 it was, initially, just a toy line. The animated series didn't come around for another year, and that became the predominant "official" vision of He-Man and the world of Eternia.
But that wasn't always the case.
The toys were originally packaged with minicomics, each one telling a tale relevant to the action figure they came with. These were, at least at first, pretty different from the stories told on the animated series, often with a more medieval/barbarian tone. There were about 50 made, and the first 11 are considered to be the ones that were the biggest departure from the He-Man legend that has become entrenched in popular culture. There's a great index of them here.
You can find these every now and then, in your basement, maybe at a garage sale. But they've never been given a proper collection. That's about to change thanks to Dark Horse Comics.
The sharp-eyed folks at the excellent He-Man.orgwebsite spotted a listing on Edelweiss for the He-Man and the Masters of The Universe Minicomic Collection. Here's the info:
The toy juggernaut Masters of the Universe and its subsequent action figure lines featured memorable pack-in minicomics that aided in playtime for children across the world. This oversized hardcover collection features sixty-eight U.S. releases, including all minicomics from the ’80s Masters of the Universe line, the ’80s Princess of Power line, and the ’80s and ’90s He-Man line, plus an introduction to the minicomics in the current Masters of the Universe Classics toy line. Relive the illustrated adventures that fueled your imagination!
Over 1000 pages of minicomics collected for the first time featuring interviews with the original comics creators!
Series Overview: This oversized hardcover collection features sixty-eight U.S. releases, including all minicomics from the ’80s Masters of the Universe line, the ’80s Princess of Power line, and the ’80s and ’90s He-Man line, plus an introduction to the minicomics in the current Masters of the Universe Classics toy line.
There's a cover image, too!
It's currently set for release on November 3rd, 2015. The hardcover collection is listed at $29.99 for 1,000 pages. If that's correct, well, that will be the bargain of the season. I wonder if there's any chance they can convince DC Comics to allow them to reprint the He-Man and Superman team-up from DC Comics Presents #47, or if DC (who currently publish the He-Man license) have plans of their own for that book and the mini-series that followed.
Thank you, Dark Horse. Thank you so very much.
Mike Cecchini has the power. But only on Twitter.
