Secret of the Dragon’s Egg is a 1985 Masters of
the Universe children’s book written by Jack C. Harris and illustrated by
Luis Eduardo Barreto. Here, the Heroic Warriors and the Evil Warriors race to
find and enlist a dragon to their respective causes.
The story’s structure is notably similar to that of Meteor
Monsters, also by Harris and Barreto: both factions exploring (and fighting
in) a series of locations in search of the MacGuffin. In this one, at least,
the plot is a bit more sensibly handled (not a lot, but a bit). There’s also a
weird little meta-moment on page 18, where Teela incredulously repeats
something the narrator has just said.
Interestingly, what we’re told about dragons here
(apparently they’re an endangered species) differs greatly from the Filmation
cartoon and the mini-comics, which are populated by Granamyr and a number of
other dragons. There’s also a named character here we’ve never seen before or
since: Goat Man, a sort of lame proto-Hellboy. He’s no Snout Spout, but we
certainly didn’t miss out by not having him around.
Barreto’s art is a definite plus, as he does a good job with
figures, action, and backgrounds, and his attention to detail is strong
(sometimes). However, he portrays the royal palace as being in the middle of an
overgrown forest, in a seemingly remote location. And he again has a little
trouble with He-Man’s harness as suspenders (Beast Man’s wearing boots here,
too). Another art highlight is, as always, the great painted cover by Earl
Norem. The coloring, however, is sloppy, as in the other books in this series,
particularly as concerns Man-At-Arms, whose armor is drawn symmetrically but
colored asymmetrically.
In the end, Secret of the Dragon’s Egg isn’t anything
special, but it does enough right to make it a fun read.
RECOMMENDED
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