The Power of Point Dread!/Danger at Castle Grayskull!
is a 1983 Masters of the Universe comic and audiobook. No author is
credited; it was illustrated by Alfredo Alcala. In the first story, Skeletor
tricks He-Man into leaving Castle Grayskull unprotected; in the second, Skeletor
– say it with me – captures Teela and tricks his way into the castle.
The audio presentation, which includes voice acting, music,
and sound effects, is pretty solid. Be advised, though, that in this
pre-Filmation production, none of the characters sound like their cartoon
counterparts.
Alcala’s art is good, as always. He’s using a distinctly
different style from his runs on the mini-comics; it’s perhaps more reminiscent
of the first run, but it isn’t quite as impressive as either of them.
The Power of Point Dread! is a good story, and one
that bears some similarities to the classic cartoon episode “The Problem with
Power.” Zodac’s here – apparently for him, “balance” between good and evil
involves good winning every single time. This book was originally packaged with
the Point Dread and Talon Fighter toy; as such, this story makes sure to let us
know that the Talon Fighter holds two people and that Point Dread fits on top
of Castle Grayskull.
Danger at Castle Grayskull! isn’t quite on the same
level, unless you’re looking for the usual recycled early He-Man plots.
Teela’s here, which means she gets abducted by Skeletor. Man-E-Faces is here,
which means he gets enchanted by Skeletor. Marketing-wise, this one plugs the
Attak Trak and Zoar (the Talon Fighter only holds two people – be sure to buy
the Attak Trak too, so your Teela figure can go along on the adventure and get
kidnapped). Well, at least we get Zoar dropping bombs and Skeletor with his hood
off.
Whether you’re following along with the audio or just
reading the comic, this is entertaining stuff.
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