Are you a He-Man and/or She-Ra fan? If so, stop what you are doing right now — it is imperative that you go order this book right now. RIGHT. NOW.
Go ahead, I will wait for you. In fact, I will make it easy by providing you THIS LINK to where you can order it right now. Seriously, I am about to go on a thousand-word gushing session, so you are probably going to want to go order it right away anyhow, so better to do it now instead of ten minutes from now.
Off you go …
Ordered? Done? Good! So now, just what did you buy (if you have not been paying attention to these MOTU book releases) and what all does it include? I am glad you asked! What you have just ordered is one of the most complete and nicely presented guides I have ever encountered, and that includes anything that has ever had a guide written about it. Dark Horse has been releasing Masters of the Universe-dedicated books for a little over a year now, and their previous (and future) offering have run the gamut in terms of style and information for this rich property. That said, I am completely comfortable in saying that this is by far the best release yet, and, really, it is going to be tough to beat in terms of depth and information for one particular iteration of MOTU.
Their first book, The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was a great presentation of samples of artwork and history from several different iterations of the property; it offered more samples and snapshots than anything else, and it serves as a great study of the art used throughout the life of MOTU, without getting overly esoteric. In short, it makes for a fantastic coffee table book. The second book, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Minicomic Collection, is exactly that: the complete collected and reproduced minicomics that were included with the vintage He-Man and She-Ra toy releases. This is positively essential in its importance of preserving those stories for all time, but the book obviously serves more as a story piece, rather than guide or historical annotation.
With this third book, He-Man and She-Ra: A Complete Guide to the Animated Adventures, Dark Horse and author James Eatock have served up the best parts of the previous editions and have created an historical guide, but with staggering completeness and detail. I really am amazed at the amount of information that is contained within this tome, as well as how logically it is presented, and how useful the structure and information is for any self-respecting MOTU and PoP fan. Furthermore, this deluxe edition, available ONLY via the He-Mart store, come enhanced with additional design perks, as well as being limited to only 1000 copies.
Here is the official information from the He-Mart store (the ONLY place to get this) about the bonuses you get with this limited edition:
This limited edition variant comes with a faux leather cover with foil stamping that beautifully complements the design of the limited edition of The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. It also comes with gilded edges that enhance the look of the volume with a prestigious gold sheen.
And for the crowning element, it is wrapped with a holofoil dust jacket featuring He-Man and She-Ra in their famous transformation scene! The holofoil makes the magic come to life as you move the book around in your hands, and it will pop off any collector’s shelf. The back of the dust jacket features the two most evil beings on Eternia and Etheria: Skeletor and Hordak, ready to attack!
I can tell you this, having only the standard edition of the Art of book, this deluxe edition is very impressive in its presentation of the material, and I not have regrets about not getting the special edition of the first book. I mean, I love MOTU so much, so having the best of the best in terms of release seems like an obvious thing. Regrets … I’ve had a few.
The content itself is, by far, the most complete guide ever to the Filmation animated He-Man and She-Ra shows. James Eatock released an “unofficial” guide to the MOTU show several years ago, and while some of the information herein is built off of that, this goes far beyond anything that has ever been done before. Every single episode, over 120 He-Man and over 90 She-Ra, is showcased within these 600 pages, and if you ever had a conceivable question about anything about anything about any of them, the chances are that this book will offer up the answers. Eatock is nothing if not a wealth of information when it comes to Filmation MOTU and he is very giving in the information, facts, and history about everything in the book. Dark Horse also harnessed the knowledge and talents of other known MOTU experts like the teams behind He-Man.Org (and its members) and the Power and Honor Foundation, so the collaboration is truly to the benefit of all of us fans.
Every episode of both shows is presented chronologically, and each show gets at least two pages worth of dedicated space, divided into several sections. The factual information is all there, including the writing and directing credits, original air dates, and cast. Furthermore, a synopsis, review, storyboard art, the (verbatim) episode moral, and trivia in formation is included as well. On of the most interesting pieces is the “same as” section that embraces the Filmation “stock footage” system instead of scorning it, and being able to connect similar shots and concerts between episodes is really very interesting.
In a way that seemingly only Eatock can do with the encyclopedia-like brain, you also get referential insight and connections of concepts, allusions, and even gags made throughout the run of the two series. I felt I already had a very strong knowledge of the property and the show itself, but this has already made me aware of so much more, and it makes for a very interesting read for any fan. I would suggest not trying to take it all in in long sittings — there is just far too much to absorb. I am personally going to set aside time to read the book as I watch each episode of the show, so I can follow along with the annotations. My daughter loves watching with me, so I think this will really enhance the experience as I can read and reference things as we go along.
The book does go beyond the episodes themselves and provides art and information about the overall background of the production, but also offers up source art and materials that were used to create everything on Eternia and Etheria. There is character art that was used in-show, but also early concepts, background designs for some of the most famous locales (the highlight being the Castle Grayskull cutaway), and also an original cel reproduction page. The most exciting piece though is the reveal that is really over 30 years in the making: Orko’s full look under his hat and mask. This is being put on display for the first time ever, and shows that the design was developed for a possible reveal on the show, but that was obviously abandoned. I have included a picture of the page here (with the actual reveal censored), but I am not going to ruin it because it really is something to see.
I am feeling a lot of emotions about this book right now, and the run for complete joy, to academic interest, to even being overwhelmed with everything that is presented. I do know that if you are at all a fan of the He-Man and She-Ra shows, you are absolutely going to want to get this. I already told you to go pick it up, but if, for some reason, you did not, here is the LINK again so you can make this a part of your collection. This is so well done and is probably the best guide book to anything I have ever owned, so I LOVE that MOTU is being put on such a respected stage, with valuable information being made available, much of which is for the first time.
Fortunately, Dark Horse is going to continue their MOTU releases into next year, so I cannot wait to see what is coming next. The Newspaper Comic collection will be out in February, and I have a feeling it will be very much like the Minicomic Collection, but the one I am REALLY looking forward to is the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: A Character Guide and World Compendium coming next May. We *might* have a bit of information to share about some Fwoosh involvement in that one, but we will save that for another day …
At any rate, this new book certainly sets the standard going forward, and I am so pleased to be able to add it to my collection. It is a very classy presentation with more information you thought possible that puts the Filmation presentations on the pedestal they deserve. It really is a wonderful collection, so kudos to everyone involved; the fans really are the ones to benefit from such tireless efforts!
