Spotted Online – Poe’s Response to “DC vs. Masters of the Universe”
So there’s a DC vs Masters of the Universe comic on the way, and I think Poe Ghostal says it best in his post on the matter where he writes:
Is it me, or has DC’s take on MOTU become barely recognizable as such?
Now I’m not qualified to comment on the writing/stories DC has been creating for their Masters of the Universe comics (I’ll know more once I get the trade paperback* this summer), but I can say that the costumes in the teaser art do look like rejects from DC’s whole 52 project. And that’s not exactly a good thing.
Related articles
- Masters of the Universe Day Around the Web (battlegrip.com)
- Comic Review > He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #1 (DC Comics) (poeghostal.com)
- DC Comics Reveals HE-MAN’s Ridiculous New Look (geektyrant.com)
You – and Poe – are spot-on; this isn’t He-Man – or MotU; it’s a lame-brained attempt by a moribund and financially desperate DC to leverage sales up to the level of the population of a small mid-west town.
The ‘new’ look isn’t new at all; it’s generic DC – all the iconic and subtle aspects of He-Man past have been sacrificed to this banal appeal to 12-year old IQs – who can wallow in “who would win ..?” fantasies, between bouts of breakfast cereal eating.
Pathetic – and BAD for MotU. Mattel should know better – even if Dc plainly don’t
This is bad, BAD news for MOTU in every way. A lame-brained attempt by a moribund and financially desperate DC to leverage sales to the level of the population of a small mid-west town. It will – fleetingly – amuse the 12-year-old IQs of the “who would win…?” mob between bouts of breakfast cereal eating – but then it will sink without trace and wreck the MOTU property as it does so. How can it EVER be taken even slightly seriously again after this disaster.
Mattel should know better than to let DC loose; they only screw things up.
Er – sorry – thought it hadn’t taken – so re-posted. You may want to delete one… (!)
@chalkywhite – Maybe the actual story will blow us all away. Fingers crossed!
this looks totally lame – – but at least all females are almost nude, so this must be a fine read. i don’t have anything against it, lol, this is how i grew up.
why does it remind me so much on Spawn/WildC.A.T.S crossover from 20 years back? where you almost felt like a desperate person when still picking up after the summer the latest issues after #2 (in which the cliffhanger of #1 failed to be awesome and it just turned into a drag – first Alan Moore comic i got to read and it sucked, haha).
Man, Motu comics could be so fantastic but they just won’t let it come to an awesome Motu overall experience. Sad, sad.
@Ralph – Woah. Now that you mention Image it makes me think this does look a lot like one of the cross-over comics from the nineties. Valiant/Image, anyone?
Giving He-Man pants and taking away Teela’s is just plain sexist and insulting. No other way to look at it. It speaks to the poor taste of the artist(s) and writer (who should know better) and shows what Warner Bros. thinks of its comics audience in 2013- that we are all dumb knuckledraggers or afraid of women, and will buy the same bad comics we were tricked into buying from Jim Lee & Co. in the 90’s.
I could understand if the art was somehow tastefully done- but it can’t even decide it’s own style (US comics? anime? something… completely unoriginal? lol) or basic anatomy (women do have waists larger than their hands, basic stuff there.)
It’s even more insulting that the writer says how he wants to “dodge the obvious cliches” and how Teela is his “favorite to write”- then don’t redo the 80’s movie plot, and give Teela some clothing; two obvious first moves!
Why not show some real guts here and make the editors do some actual talent hunting here. After all the editors in comics make the final say in who works on the book, and what actually comes out.
One way to go would be to hire some old timers. Don Glut originally wrote the first few mini-comics, and I’m pretty sure he’s available in between dinosaur photo shoots in the backyard 😉 — and while the great Alfredo Alcala is gone, Mark Texiera is still around, as is another great, Alex Nino.
Even without those two, going in a “highly detailed fantasy illustration” art style would make the book stand out on the shelves. That is the style that sparked people’s imagination in the 80’s. The art just screams “generic 2008 kinda-anime-comic” and He-Man deserves better. He-Man has far more in common with Heavy Metal Magazine than Action Comics. Why not do Heavy Metal style art with good writing that works for both kids and their parents. More thought and Earl Norem, less trendiness and Don Figueroa.
A few weeks ago, I saw artist Gerald Parel’s work. It’s just what MOTU comic need. I urge you to Google his work and tell me that wouldn’t be a perfect fit for this- or any- He-Man book.
Also the portrays in the Ladybird Motu picture books by Robin Davies are sooo good and whacky in a way, that it’s just admiration from my side.
i flipped through the #1 Motu comic that came out recently with the female Hordak/Adora storyline and every guy in the comic was dressed, just Teela was in a bikini or a bra and slippers since she wasn’t dressed up for battle when the Horde attacked – and noone helped her when she was crushed under a wardrobe “she’ll be alright” Adam said. What imbecile mind is writing that shit???
So my tips of to you RZ for your good WB summary.
@Phil: Bloodshot VS Youngblood, Supreme Sacrifice, bla bla 😀 haha oh man, i was always sooo miffed when the ‘good’ titles (lol, like PROPHET) ended in such a bland crossover. All of these ‘creators’ of the past are now at Wildstorm (formerly at Image) and Motu looks like a Wildstorm production. Blargh, nothing changed since 1998 there.
Read Series #2 yesterday; same old dross; Teela a prize dogmother, He-Man completely without leadership skills or much by way of character – the usual stuff that emerges from the DC Dungeon-Dimension.
The dialogue could well have been written by a Ritalin-deficient nine year old, the plot is paper thin (and deeply unlikely – even for Eternia) and the drawings are so bizarre that, while the backgrounds are good, the protagoinsts can’t easily be identified from one frame to another; He-Man’s features – and even hair length – fluctuate wildly.
Giffen should NEVER have been let loose with this property – to which he is steadily administering the last rites. Fans hate it – and say so with venom – and newcomers are bemused – and walk away.
Sales are poor already – and will fall – and it’s going to be a lot of years until we see another MOTU series in print/online.
What are DC/Mattel thinking? Or is that endeavour beyond them? Hiring talent above the level of drugged-out art school rejects certainly appears to be.
What a disaster. Quick, Giffen, while the icebergs drift south into the shipping lanes, pile on more knots – full steam ahead!
Tried to post – nothing took…..
That did..
Read Series #2 yesterday; what a load of utter dross.
Dialogue by ritalin-deficient 12-year old; artwork by those who can’t draw He-Man to have the same features – or head shape – in two consecutive panels; characterization by writers who really need to get out more and meet people – especially real women.
This is He-Man lite for those who can suspend their critical faculty completely. I can’t imagine how low an IQ one would need actually to welcome this pile of dogmess.
As for Teela – and this stilted portrayal of He-Man… Did they used to be – well – HEROES, you know? On the side of good – and not a couple of lumpen oiks?
DC should never have touched this project – they have screwed it royally – and it will fail in an epic way. Take a look at the sames figures.
Avoid at all costs. Ugh!
Er – that would be SALES figures… (!)