Monday, January 21, 2013

PRISONER IN THE SLIME PIT by John Braden, Pablo Marcos, and Judith Marcos



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