The Ultimate
Battleground! is a 1986 Masters of
the Universe mini-comic written by Phil White and illustrated by Bruce Timm.
Here, Skeletor and King Hiss raise the ancient Three Towers of Eternia, which
control “the secrets of ultimate power.”
Ah, the gargantuan playset you probably never owned (it
retailed in the vicinity of $100 – and them’s 1986 dollars). This comic is a shameless
toy ad, and while it does a very impressive job of showcasing every single
aspect of the playset, it’s not a very good story, and White’s writing doesn’t
help.
Much is made of the potential of these towers, but little is
actually explained (either here or in the future) as to why two of them are
significant, other than that Viper Tower makes a nice condo for King Hiss after
he’s been sleeping on Skeletor’s couch for so long.
On the first page, Extendar says, “Eternia has never had
earthquakes before.” That’s a dubious claim, but if true, why does everybody
act like they know exactly what’s going on and what to do when one happens?
Send in the clowns: Rio Blast is here doing what he does
best – shooting things. An earthquake? Shoot it. And heroic firefighter Snout
Spout is here as well, also doing what he does best – flying planes.
Timm’s art is superb, as usual – his figures, action, and
backgrounds are all strong. The only criticism is that he puts Castle Grayskull
right down the block from Snake Mountain with the towers in between – it all
can be a bit misleading and should not be taken as a geographical retcon.
In short, the art in this mini-comic is fine, but the
marketing is just too heavy-handed.
TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT
Read it HERE
