MASK OF EVIL by John Hughes and Al McWilliams

Mask of Evil is a 1984 Masters of the Universe children’s book by John Hughes and Al McWilliams. Here, Prince Adam’s friend Lady Irena visits the Royal Palace, but soon begins to behave strangely.

Here, Orko’s helping/screwing things up, Skeletor’s not trying to get into Castle Grayskull, and He-Man’s solving problems without necessarily punching things - Mask of Evil really has the feel of a Filmation episode. It all works pretty well, even if Skeletor hasn't really thought through his plan very thoroughly.

As in his previous MOTU work (Caverns of Fear), McWilliams’ art has its ups and downs. This time, everything is done in full Filmation style (interestingly, Filmation Teela puts on her snake-head armor for combat - works for me). The characters have reasonably realistic musculatures, but McWilliams has trouble with some of the faces - Skeletor is goofy looking in every panel in which he appears, and Prince Adam/He-Man often looks like he’s fifty years old. Additionally, the coloring work is shoddy and, while Earl Norem’s cover looks great, it’s also a big spoiler (so is the title page).

In spite of its shortcomings, Mask of Evil is a nice little He-Man story.

RECOMMENDED

Read it HERE

SKELETOR’S DRAGON (mini-comic, 1984)

Skeletor’s Dragon is a 1984 Masters of the Universe mini-comic by Christy Marx, Peter Ledger, and Charles Simpson. Here, Skeletor resurrects and enslaves the skeleton of an extinct monster, then marches on the Royal Palace.  

The title has a double meaning, as this comic prominently features both Dragon Blaster Skeletor and Battle Bones. Toy plugging aside, however, this is a quality story with some really good scenes, including He-Man at the fair and Battle Bones’ story.

The art is solid, although the inks can be a little sloppy. The backgrounds are great – when they get drawn. The layouts are excellent, and the tug of war scene is a highlight. As far as continuity, we’ve made the inexplicable move from the all-white Sorceress to the all-pink Sorceress, who has a long run in the mini-comics.  

Even with the obvious toy plugs, this is one of the best stories we’ve seen in a mini-comic.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Read it HERE

THE OBELISK (mini-comic, 1984)

The Obelisk is a 1984 Masters of the Universe mini-comic written by Karen Sargentich and illustrated by Alfredo Alcala. Here, a mysterious obelisk with magical powers appears, and everybody fights over it.

This is the first of the fourth series of mini-comics (or the last of the third, depending on what account you go by), and honestly it doesn’t get off to the best start. Holy smokes, the dialogue is bad. It’s corny, expository, and where are the commas? The story isn’t a lot better, and the ending, where He-Man and Skeletor spam the obelisk for minions until they break it, is pretty lame.  

This is, alas, the last of the Alcala mini-comics. His art and colors are great as always, even if he has lowered himself to use goofy poses that fit the goofy story. It’s funny, though, to see the Evil Warriors gathered around tiny Muppet-headed Snake Mountain (they sure as heck won’t fit inside). All it’s missing is a campfire.

Alcala’s art is the only reason to read this one – but it’s a good reason.

RECOMMENDED

Read it HERE

MOTU Marathon: Interlude - The Power of He-Man

As we transition from 1983 to 1984, a little nostalgic marketing for you, presented without further comment: