Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

There are few more iconic enterprises in 80's American Pop-Culture than He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Toy-giant Mattel captured the lightning in a bottle they were hoping for, having designed the toy-line as a sort of retaliation for skipping out on the Star Wars license. Hindsight is always 20/20, but rather than attempt to ape (now defunct) Kenner's cash-cow, Mattel set to work on building a new franchise from the ground up, in part taking Joseph Campbell's "Hero With a Thousand Faces" mythological archetypes as seriously and strictly as Lucas took them with his own initial film vision. One could argue that once an idea is born, the need for definition separates it from being part of general mythology and forces it to be something more narrow, but unlike that other far, far away galaxy, the universe of the Masters somehow managed to flourish as a catch-all for fantastic heroism, embracing almost all types of heroic fiction as a viable component of its whole. That willingness to embrace and expand conventions, all the while breaking down walls about what can be done in a fantasy franchise, ensured the Masters of the Universe line would exhibit the kind of timeless and immortal attributes that keep it popular even today. This huge tome seeks to capture as broad and comprehensive a look at the design, mythos, and creativity of Masters of the Universe as possible, without destroying your end table under its weight. From concept to completion; From cartoons to comics; From prototype to polish; This book covers it all. Interspersed with the amazing art are interviews with key players in the history of the line, all the way through to the current toy line being sold online. For a collector like myself who opens his toys for display, the inclusion of the amazing package art in this collection is immensely welcome. In particular, the recent release of Castle Grayskull had amazing art by Rudy Obrero, and I couldn't part to dispose of the box. Now with this book on my shelf, I might reclaim some garage space, if only to donate the huge cardboard cube to another, less space-constrained fan. Maybe... There is even a section covering the live-action film, with some amazing pre-vis work from the inimitable Ralph McQuarrie. Unfortunately, there is a glaring omission to this section: While there is a wonderful interview with production designer William Stout, none of his production artwork made it into the book. As a fan of Mr. Stout's work, I lament the exclusion. Still, the rest of the book feels so comprehensive, it's difficult to hold that as a point against the book as a whole. Now, a confession - I never collected Masters of the Universe as a kid. While I loved the ideas, and enjoyed the Filmation cartoon, I was much more drawn to the smaller, more highly articulated fighting man. It was the new "Classics" line that brought me to the table as a collector, even though I was a fan since He-Man first raised aloft his magic sword and said...well, you know what he said. And yes, I said "he-Man", not "Adam". I'm one of those guys. That is to say, one of the most appealing things about Masters of the Universe is the ability for each fan to own it in a different way, and this book does a great job of showing how hard so many great artists worked to make that possible, for kids of all ages. Long time fans will appreciate the tribute to their favorite line. New fans will appreciate the accessible compilation of history in one place. And fans of art and design will enjoy the book for how it shows the full arc of an idea, from beginning to no-end-in-sight. An easy recommendation, at a reasonable price.

I'll just start first by saying that this book is......AWESOME!!! Just to cut to the chase for those wondering. When this book was announced at SDCC last summer it couldn't seem to get here quick enough and IMO......it delivered. I wanted to write my review sooner since I had the book in hand just about 2 weeks ago already since specialty stores received it a full 2 weeks ahead of the mass retailers as it was also announced with the unveiling of this book at SDCC 2014. When I picked it up at my local comic shop I was amazed when it was handed to me at what a monster this book really is. It's a very beefy book that basically covers the 35 years of MOTU history from it's early conception all the way up to 'possible' artwork being considered for a possible new MOTU movie that's been in production limbo for probably the last decade or so. I was a MOTU fan since the Filmation cartoon debuted back in 1983, so I was a year or so late after the first figures hit store shelves so I wasn't a fan since day 1. I did, however, stay with the line until the very end in 1987 and still have all my vintage figures intact but sadly not the vehicles and playsets. This book showcases so much great artwork that brings back tons of childhood memories from that great decade known as the 1980s and this book would have been a holy grail of collectibles back then to collect so much into one book. It's great to see art that you remember along with stuff that you may possibly never have seen. Back at SDCC 2009, Mattel released a MOTU art book that wasn't bad but wasn't all that great either. Then came the "Power and Honor Foundation" hardcover that really gave fans a taste of what an MOTU art book can be. And now we have this book and it's probably one the best MOTU compilations to ever come out. Like the 'Power & Honor' book, you can tell that these books are a labor of love by people who clearly get and love the MOTU franchise. Dark Horse and the Seeley's have done a great job getting this together along with others who are well known in the MOTU community. It's great to see that the 'Power & Honor Foundation' was also credited as well as MOTU experts and diehard fans like Emiliano Santalucia & James Eatock (among others) contributing to this book only adds to it's credibility IMO, even moreso. IF (and I stress IF) I have any complaint about this book is that it doesn't contain ALL of the MOTU artwork like the cardback artwork or all the vehicle art, etc. But to include all of that, this book would easily be several volumes instead of just one. Plus to obtain all of that artwork would be incredibily daunting and we would probably have to wait much, much longer. Plus, there's the fact if some of the artwork is even obtainable. Either way, this book is true testament to the MOTU franchise and how it still is popular today, granted maybe not as popular as it was 30 years ago but it is still is in the public eye & part of our pop culture. My knowledge isn't as in-depth as some since I took almost a 15 year break from MOTU from the vintage line to the 2002 reboot so I hope my review here is close to 100% accurate. Short & sweet, if you are an MOTU fan then this book is a must have. Not to overlook it but it does cover 'She-Ra: Princess of Power' and 'New Adventures of He-man' as well so it covers all the bases. It was an added bonus to see that shortly before the release of this book that Dark Horse had announced its follow-up, 'MOTU: Mini Comic Collection'. After seeing the care that went into this book, I cannot wait for that book to come out. Hopefully it won't stop there.

As a kid, I watched and followed He-Man with enthusiam. That was many years ago and the only characters I could remember today are He-Man and Skeletor. Going through this book is therefore a nostalgic experience. Not just that, it also introduces me to a world of MOTU that I never knew. The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an artbook that looks at the art and design for the animation, comics and toys. Instead of photos of toys and their packaging boxes, you'll be looking at the character designs and packaging art. There are interviews with many of the creators, such as with Emiliano Santalucia, Joshua Van Pelt and James Eatock, founders of the Power and the Honor Foundation, writer of many MOTU minicomics Steven Grant, illustrator and animator Larry Houston, writer Paul Dini, illustrator Earl Norem, concept artist William Stout, designer David Wolfram and many more. It's interesting to find out how the toys, comics and animation are made, the conceptualisation that went behind, and the creative process used to maintain the series. The first chapter starts with the business side of making toys to appeal to young boys. It's enlightening to read about the methodology and thinking that goes into toy design, or creating a character that boys can look up to, and eventually buy. There are several notes and internal memos from the Mattel Male Action Team that outlines how they should develop this particular toy market. The book covers not just the creative side but also the business side. As for the artworks, you'll get to see storyboards, animation cels, including a piece of plastic with He-man and Skeletor that you can overlay onto the background art, toy posters from Mattel, comic covers, designs for the character, background, toys, maps and unused concepts such as toys and characters that never got made. Personally, I've only watched the animation and don't read the comics or collect the toys, so the bulk of the content in this book are new to me. The artworks are fantastic. There are sketches as well as those fully painted pieces. There's even an illustration by movie poster master artist Drew Struzan. The latter part of the book covers the relaunch of the toy line and animation from 2000 onwards. Again, it's quite interesting to see the modern take on the classic characters with the current visual styles of comics and animation. This 320-page hardcover is a wonderful collection of pop culture. Highly recommended to all fans of He-Man and MOTU. (See more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

The line above is what children told the toymakers of Mattel how they'd improve existing toy concepts. You've got to love it! Being a child of the 80s, He-Man was one of the icons of my childhood and I've long wanted a book that featured the stunning paintings and artwork created for the toyline and accompanying media. This book is like an incredible time-capsule of the He-Man franchise, providing not only a blast from the past in the material we remember, but an insight into the creative process from the behind-the-scenes work in the toy design, animation, comics, etc. Some of this is absolutely hilarious, particularly the notes the corporate guys at Mattel write to each other, such as, "A large part of the time boys spend in fantasy play revolves around aggression while they project their own personality into the role of the "good guy" or hero. Mothers believe that this is an acceptable way for boys to act out their hostilities as long as it is accomplished within the realm of an unreal situation/theme." But yeah -- if you're like me and have been wanting to see all this content collected in a high quality volume, this is definitely the book for you. It's an art book for those nostalgic for He-Man and those who simply love fantasy art and concepts. If I have one minor criticism, it's that I wish we could have seen more from the 80s time-period. The Power and the Honor gang, whose mission is to preserve He-Man / She-Ra art, said on TheFwoosh that the art in this book barely scratches the surface. While I appreciate wanting to give a historical look at He-Man art up to this point, I would have gladly sacrificed many (if not all) of the art we see from the 90s and 2000s incarnations of He-Man for more toy production and Filmation stuff. Still, much of that post-80s art is lovely and of interest to He-Man fans. This book is a wonderful package and I can't recommend it highly enough. As the great Jack Kirby would say, "Don't ask! Just buy!"

Where do I start? I admit it. I'm a nerd. I was born in the 80's and as such, my favorite thing in the world was watching Saturday morning cartoons. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Orko, Skeletor. Teela, Evilyn and Prince Adam's twin Sister She-Ra were among the cartoons I'd sneak and what with my brothers because my mom would often say I had to watch girl cartoons. Yet, I wanted action! I wanted to watch Prince Adam bring up his sword and transform in to He-Man and kick b*tt. It was and still is till this day one of the greatest cartoons released in the 80's alongside others that derived from He-Man such as She-Ra his twin sister whom he had the ability to communicate with her telepathically at gray distances. He would wield his sword as Adam and become He-Man, the strongest man in the universe and that's where this book comes in. If you're an 80's kid like me that grew up watching this, She-Ra, Thundercats, Silverhawks, and others, this is a must have. This book is great. It contains great information about Matel and how the series came to be. The art is out of this world and what else can I say? To watch this guy wield his sword to make Cringer his furry best friend in to Battle-Cat was AWESOME. Like I said, I this book is a must have for every fan of the Masters of the Universe series whether it's the trilogy movies or the cartoon. I have to say I'm kind of nostalgic that nowadays we no longer have the same Saturday morning cartoons we used to have if at all. Reason why I try as a mother of boys to encourage them to watch these instead and watch the classics. Get this book. It's a tremendous Piece for a collector and a lover of the series overall. You won't regret it! And when it comes to Princess Adorable, sorry you guys but I must say it. "I AM SHE-RA THE PRINCESS OF POWER" "For the honor of Grayskull" :D

Outstanding Dark Horse book on the art of masters of the universe! High quality binding and pictures of concept art, cross-sell art, and Interviews with He-Man creators. My only critique perhaps is that I wish that the book had more concept art delving more into the strange concepts that exist for unreleased characters. But I understand that perhaps it was best not to bog readers down with facts that more die hard fans would enjoy.

Update: Hardback version | 5 stars Comixology version | 5 Stars Kindle version | 2 stars Addition -- for future ebook version customer reference: Reading and viewing of all of these related MOTU reference books are superior in their Comixology versions -- 1) buy here in the Amazon Kindle store, 2) download the Comixology app, 3) yet sign in with your Amazon login. It is then you can immediately see the difference between the Kindle version and the Comixology formatting. With the Comixology format, you can zoom in on the page and command the comic viewing option as well, if you so wish. Also about the Comixology formatted page: you realize it is exactly as the print version instead of that horrid, white, unyielding borders and non-zooming pages in the Kindle app. Hardback version | 5 Stars I'm not a die-hard fan (I enjoyed watching the original series and collecting some of the action figures once), however I can appreciate awesome when I see it. This is it. The 320 pages it boasts holds hours of inspiration and nostalgia, covering the original series (the origin of the characters compared to what they became -- amazing!) and taking the reader to where the property was in 2014, all in wonderful color images of sketches, cels, figure development and so much more. This book just upped the standard of what an art book is supposed to be. Well done, all involved.

This is the book I was waiting for!. Since I was a little kid I've loved the art work of the packages, probably even more that the toys themselves. The drawings gave me "ideas" for my own games with the toys. And this book has allowed me to relive all of those imaginary adventures i made up as a kid. And, even better, it has told me the story of how it all came together. It gives you the insights on the mini comic books, the box art works, even the actual designs of the toys themselves are in there!!

This is a priceless collectible for those who grew up with He-man and the Masters of the Universe. The book vibrantly captures the artwork of the vintage toy line and related merchandise (books, comics, posters, etc.). The full-page posters are particularly brilliant. The latter half perhaps focuses a little too much on the 2002 animated series and toy line. It would have been nicer if the book had focused more on the vintage toys and artwork (e.g., the box art for every figure, creature, and vehicle as well as additional posters by well-known artists such as William George, Rudy Obrero, and Earl Norem).

Ce version anglophone est légèrement différente de la Française et pour moi qui possède les deux versions, je puis vous dire qu'elles se complètent toutes les deux ! Idéal pour les fans des Maîtres de l'univers, ce livre les ravira !

Tremendo libro de arte con un montón de transparencias, curiosidades, desplegables, etc. Sin duda algo que todo fan debería tener. Adquirí la versión en inglés y llegó impecable, bien precintado y sin ningún problema. Una auténtica maravilla imprescindible para los MOTU lovers.

I like He-Man, I'm not a He-Man fanatic, but this book is easily one of the most satisfying art books I've ever acquired! You know how some books have waaaaaay more text than actual art? This book is the antithesis of that! Nearly every page is FILLED with full color production art spanning the franchise's inception in toy design, to comics, animation, posters, the movie from the 80s right up to it's modern reboot! The book also includes interviews with key individuals who's contributions made the property so iconic. If you're a He-Man fan, this book is an obvious no-brainer must-own item, and if you appreciate fantasy art you'll definitely want to pick this one up too. Top shelf real estate!

Amazing art book from MOTU figures and cartoon world. Paper is thick and pictures are great quality. Just love all Dark Horse published MOTU books. Reading them is like a walk through Masters of the universe museum.