I have never understood the appeal of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, unless you're talking about the appeal of making fun of such an obviously cheesy concept designed to sell ugly toys. So the retro appeal of this book is just slightly below Thundercats or Battle of the Planets (other series I didn't watch or didn't like) for me. Still, the Battle of the Planets comic won me over early on, and the artwork by Santalucia certainly looked flashy, so it seemed reasonable to give it the first issue a shot. As it turns out, this is one for the retro fans, playing up the role of the ill-advised "kid-friendly" cartoon character Orko and giving little in the way of exposition about the world of the Masters of the Universe.
To me, it seems like playing a goofy concept like He-Man straight is just death, but that's the approach that Staples has chosen to take here. Whether it's a heartfelt conversation between Prince Adam and Man-at-Arms about the responsibilities of being He-Man, a female villain (Who I like to call "Skeletor's wife," since She's never identified) plotting to herself like a villain from a 1930s serial or Orko, the goofy comic relief finding an item of dangerous magical power, it all feels a little bit too earnest. I've got a pretty high tolerance for cheese; I can read and enjoy G.I. Joe and Transformers, for God's sake, but I just can't take these characters seriously.
It doesn't help that Staples's story is built on a number of cliches. A powerful magical object is sought by the villains, and the heroes must find out what it is with magical help. Some of the characters are having personal difficulties which will no doubt be resolved by their actions in this story. And one of the villains is scheming against the other. It's by-the-numbers plotting and characterization, and it mostly just leaves me bored. Especially when little effort is made to introduce the status quo and background of these characters and this world to those of us who may not already know. Those who aren't enjoying the current Masters of the Universe cartoon, or who don't have a fondness for the old, need not apply.
On the art side of things, the book isn't quite so dire. Santalucia and Failla are using a style which owes a lot to J. Scott Campbell and Joe Madureira, the exaggerated Amerimanga style which was in vogue a few years back and still is amongst some fans. Their storytelling is nice and clear, the detail on the backgrounds is strong and the character designs are impressively done as well. Also, while Staples let me down in terms of writing, he certainly didn't in terms of color, as the colors are vivid and beautiful.
I must admit, I came into this with an open mind but I didn't really expect it to hit with me. I can't speak to whether fans of these characters will enjoy this retro title. I can only say that those who don't have some familiarity with and appreciation for these characters and this setting probably won't find much to keep them coming back to Masters of the Universe.
