Prisoner in the Slime
Pit is a 1986 Masters of the Universe
children’s book written by John Braden and illustrated by Pablo and Judith
Marcos. Here, Hordak schemes to trap He-Man in the Slime Pit.
Braden puts Hordak up to some interesting, confusing
friendly tactics. This is a nice touch, given that the only real suspense in a
book like this concerns whether Hordak will succeed in getting He-Man brainwashed, as
in the mini-comic Escape from the Slime
Pit, and, if so, how his friends will get him un-brainwashed.
There are some writing nitpicks: Stonedar and Rokkon are
indistinguishable from one another personality-wise, and, after some good
build-up, the resolution is a little predictable and underwhelming. But on the
whole, it’s an entertaining read.
The Marcoses’ art is generally well done. The characters,
action scenes, and backgrounds are all very good, and the color and shading are
excellent. However, the pile of toys the artists were working from apparently
didn’t include a Horde Trooper: while everyone else looks more or less like
their action figure counterparts, Hordak is supported by an army of gray
goblins in shiny blue armor.
In the end, though, despite a number of relatively minor
issues, Prisoner in the Slime Pit is a
solid book.
RECOMMENDED
Read it HERE
