Official "MOTU Vol 3 #8": The Final Issue Talkback Thread

[zodak74]

I just got done reading the latest (and last) issue and what can I say? It was in my opinion one of the best issues I've read! I really thought the new artwork was refreshing (in no way meant to be a slight on Emiliano's hard work)... it was a bit less detailed and a touch cartoony, but for some reason I felt like it gave the issue more of a "flow"... the writing was a lot better than in the Stratos issue too. And the fact that I dislike Orko quite a bit, but really was intrigued by the story as a whole, says something. I guess I kinda wish that the previous comics were all these little one-off stories. I liked following the previous volumes to see where it was all headed, but often found myself disappointed with the end results. Short little adventures are more to my liking, I've discovered. And what a fantastic way to end the series (okay, probably not as huge or epic as where Val and co. would have liked, but still)- Orko getting his wand back!!! It might sound silly, but just having this little detail makes me very very happy. This issue touched on what has happened in some of the best MYP episodes of the cartoon, and even some stuff that has happened in previous issues, thus tying the two MOTU worlds together seamlessly! It is just a shame that this has to be the end. The "epilogue" from Val and Emiliano at the issue's end brought me to tears. I mean, this is it. Aside from statues, this really is the end for the MOTU relaunch
I as a fan am very grateful for what we've been given. It's always going to sting, thinking about what could have/would have been... but this wee little Orko story is sort of a "happy nail in the coffin".
PS- thanks for sort of cementing the fact that the Oracle was Trollan, and that in "future" adventures, Orko now has the means to kick some serious ass! I always felt the Four Horsemen redesign was meant to suggest Orko was ready to go head-to-head with Skeletor and his minions and was saddened when the new comic and cartoon initially reduced him to the Filmation comic relief role that I always despised. Roll up the sleeves young Trollan, it's time to get yer hands dirty!

[rmfoley]

Greetings my fellow Masters,
I've been waiting to say something about this issue but I wanted the timing to be right and seems like this thread is the perfect place.
First, my name is Ryan Foley. I'm an Orger, just like the rest of you. Maybe you recognize my little Avatar. I'm the webmaster of The Grayskull Archives and a fan just like you guys (and girls). I'm the writer for this particular issue and I hope I can answer any question you all might have.
I'm a fan of Masters of the Universe but I am also trying to make a living as a comic book writer. This is my FIRST issue and my prayers are that it will not be my LAST.

I started a long time back sending submissions to Matt Tyree, hoping for some sort of writing assignment. I sent in too many, tossed women of ill-repute through the office windows, mailed them cash (just kidding), and they sent me back letters saying, "Please, just send one submission a month... psycho."

Despite rejections, I knew I wanted to write a He-Man story. Val has been tremendously helpful when it comes to giving a helping hand to new talent and, back in March, I was given the assignment to write Issue 8.

Admittedly, I don't have the issue yet. I live an hour from my nearest comic shop but my wife picked it up for me on her lunch break.

The way it works, Val sent me a two-page plot to work on. I then wrote the individual pages based on his plot, wrote all the word balloons, and the sound effects. So, this is as much Val's story as it is mine. He gave me some great concepts to work off of.
The coolest thing? I've net met Val in person. I've talked to him on the phone and through email but we have never met face to face. Ah, the glory of the Internet.

I'll answer any questions as best I can and I hope everyone likes the issue!

Ryan

[zodak74]

I'm the writer for this particular issue and I hope I can answer any question you all might have.
I'm a fan of Masters of the Universe but I am also trying to make a living as a comic book writer. This is my FIRST issue and my prayers are that it will not be my LAST.

Well, you've already won my approval So hopefully there'll be a bright future for you out there! I really thought you nailed this issue... I know it's personal preference and I don't want this to sound like a knock against the previous writers' work... but I so much enjoyed this issue in particular than some of the previous ones, so it's pretty cool to discover out of left field that another fan was the one behind the words! Good job!

[JVS3]

The way it works, Val sent me a two-page plot to work on.

That credit should really go to Emiliano.
Almost all of the story behind this issue was his design.
I only had a small amount of input when the plot was created.

[PanMan]

wow am i falling behind! i still never picked up issue 7, and 8 is out already

stupid exams

[Kevenn]

This issue was WONDERFUL!!!! I loved the artwork, and the story was awesome! I loved that Orko got his wand back at the end, and did I even detect a hint that the Oracle is actually Orko himself - perhaps travelling back in time (and maybe back to the future) himself, like Keldor seems to have?

There are so many hints in the series throughout that Val and Emiliano really did have a much larger tapestry planned. I look forward to seeing it come to fruition someday. I will SO be there!!!

I'm not going to be sad, I'll remain optimistic, but it was a really great note to end on. . .for now. Thank you to everyone at MVC for such great comics. I'm going to miss them and their signature BEAUTIFUL coloring.

[KUZEH]

I just bought the comic, I haven't read it yet..
I flipped pages to see the artwork...
but I did read the last words by Val and Emiliano...
and I'm feeling a little blue...
I've never been too much into comics,
but this one changed everything...

Their last words to fans
are inspirational
...eventhough the path seems dark
now, eventhough everything is getting cancelled, the biggest
power behind MOTU is the fans, and as long as we keep posting
here and looking forward to what the future might
bring us, there's still hope....
So who knows, maybe one day the comics will be back,
and maybe one of us will participate somehow...pencilas or inks or
stories...the day will come when MOTU will resurrect,
and you now what?
I so want to be there!!!!!
but right now I'm going to enjoy this last issue so badly!!!
and to Val, Emiliano and everyone ever involved in this comics

YOU DID MAGIC!!!...

THANKS A MILLION!!

[choanata]

I just got the issue. I liked the look of the Sorceress, very animated. Awesome story, although it kinda dawned on me that it was kinda mean that Orko coudn't just have both items. It's not like there was a rush on those 2 items...but I guess that's how it goes with quests of that nature.

And then the coolest part of the comic? Definately the fact that I got my fan art in there. Granted it isn't amazing art, but I'm still proud of it. And the fact that it's in the last issue...unbelievable.

To Val and everybody else who brought these character to life for me in the comic medium, thank you.

-choanata
(Jimmy Ford)

[the_ultimate_evil]

hope to get it tomorrow, one to read and one to keep good


hope the crud sent in made it

[Lord Eternos]

At the beginning of Volume One, Issue one, there was a large fire adn the Snouth Spout-looking firefighters came to the aid of the palace. Now in the last issue, the same firefighters came to the palaces aid again. I know, not a big deal really, but it as jsut kind of a full circle thing.

Good story, and I guess it did well as a last issue. (Although it wasn't planned that way) but now with Orko having more powers, the Masters are better off then when the comic started

I want to wish the best of luck to all the hard workers at MVC. You created my favorite part of the re-launch, and, I'm sure this is the only time I will be able to speak for everyone at the Org, we very much appreciate it.

[Nighthawk]

This was one of my favorite issues. It felt like I was reading/seeing an episode of the cartoon. The story, the art, the feel of it felt so true to the MOTU legacy.

Everyone should be proud of the work they did on this issue. I am said that it will be the last I am able to pick up.

Thanks for all the good work you did on the comic everyone, we fans appreciated it.

[Accident of Earth]

7/10

- AoE

[HeManOfGreyskull]

Totally dug the story, and following last issue, I do like the single issue MOTU format better then the arcs. It was great to see Orko semi-meet the Oracle(or was that the "real" Oracle at the end?) and retrieve his magic wand. As for the art, I'm on the wall about it. Places it looked great, others it didn't. And Nate, that Skeletor/Panthor rocks.

[RedBaron]

Haven't had a chance to pick it up yet, but man.....it's bittersweet to think about it.

MOTU had serious potential to be a great series in comic form, but by the time of the IOE series, things started to slip.

What I'm thankful for is that some fans got to write for, illustrate, and have art submissions in the comic. In that respect, even if the venture failed, we as a collective community put our stamp on it. I don't hesitate to say, to a great extent, that MOTU the comic was ours.

Am I being too sentimental yet?

[MossMan710179]

I'm 8 months behind on "reading" comics. But by 'reading" the art, all I can say is that it is amazing. I love that art style. Not too many people can pull it off, and most of the time it is colored in poorly.

but not here.

200% in this issue guys ...

[Drunken Fist]

I was surprised to see this issue in my holds yesterday, since I just got the Stratos issue a couple of weeks ago. It came out much sooner than I expected. I have despised Orko since I was a small child, but I really enjoyed this issue. The art was kinda hit or miss, but overall, it got the job done. The story felt exactly like a good one-shot MOTU adventure should, and the dialogue was better than it's been in any issue to date. Dialogue is one of the most difficult things to write, and it's one of my pet peeves in comics. It is usually very awkward in comics, and I find myself automatically rewording the dialogue in many comics as I read them, so that it flows better. I barely had to do that at all with this issue, which is a big compliment coming from me. I was almost dreading this issue, because I figured an Orko-centric story would be anathema to me, and almost insulting for it to be the final issue. I was wrong about that, and I'm glad I was. This is one of the 3 best issues produced to date, and it makes me furious that things have to end now. When I see all the sub-par licensed comics that continue to be released, it's like rubbing salt in the wound. Then poking the wound repeatedly. Then rubbing it with sandpaper. Then pouring alcohol on it.
Yet another reason it's sad for things to end at this point is that, with Orko reclaiming his wand and finally having mastery over his power, he might have actually become a character I would grow to like. Now, he won't have the chance to change my mind. This issue was a very good effort from everyone involved, and I hope very much that we will someday be able to see this rich universe continue. Sure, we have our fanfics, but it would be great o actually see the "official" continuity live on.

[Baena]

And Nate, that Skeletor/Panthor rocks.

I haven't picked up my copy yet, I will tomorrow.
Glad you like the piece. Glad to hear it made it in there.
It is an older piece, it's been on these boards before, but I thought it'd be a good "opposition" to the exlusive cover I did for that issue.

[rmfoley]

Awesome story, although it kinda dawned on me that it was kinda mean that Orko coudn't just have both items. It's not like there was a rush on those 2 items...but I guess that's how it goes with quests of that nature.

Choanata,
This was hack writer's version of the Lady and the Tiger. The items themselves were not particularly powerful, after all, it was just some sand and a piece of parchment.
By taking one, the other proves worthless. It's more of symbolic thing. Two divergent paths in the woods and Orko takes the harder road. I think that showed us a lot about his character...

Hey guys,
I see a lot of similar comments so far about Orko and I wanted to weigh in with my two cents and let you see where I was coming from.

Admittedly, when I started this project, I was not an Orko fan at all. But watching the cartoon with my then six and four year old boys--who laughed at all his antics--I saw his importance in the greater scale.

When Val approached me about writing the issue and said it involved Orko, I kind of cringed. 1) I can't write comedy. 2) Orko? C'mon, gimme Two-Bad, I could write a heckuva story about him! Gimme Mekaneck!
But what was I gonna tell Val? No? I wanted the job so I put on my writer's cap and went to work. And this is what I discovered...

Orko was the Peyton Manning of Trolla. This guy was given the title of "The Great." You don't get that title unless you EARN it. So then this great wizard comes to Eternia--a land in desperate need of heroes. Orko can really contribute!
And then he loses his wand.
This is like Manning not being able to throw the ball because of a little thumb injury. Here is this person with loads of potential, he can be a real hero but that darn hangnail won't go away!!! Imagine the frustration...

If I could only do this... If I could only get this one break... Why can't people recognize me for the potential talent I have?

Gee, that was a voice I sure did recognize. And when you think of Orko in that aspect, as a tragic character instead of just comic relief, suddenly your empathy grows for him in leaps and bounds. Suddenly you find Orko action figure moving up on your desk to stand next to He-Man, instead of being slotted in the back. At least it did for me...

I also want to state that when this issue was written, it was in no way written with the intention of it being the final issue. It was bad freakin' timing to let a hack like me write what could be the final story. I think the last line spoken by Orko is somewhat prophetic... and I sure do home some magic happens to bring this title back.

What stuns me the most is that Mattel is ending the comic, it is not Val and guys wanting to give up. But the lawyers are stepping in over a DEAD property. You would think that the comic, which would employee the least amount of people to produce, would be able to keep going.

My last and best hope is that a live action movie will be made. If it is good and a large population show interest, maybe then the comic will come back but this time around, Val and the gang can make it on their own terms...

Ryan

[Goat Man]

I loved this issue! Although I am left feeling a little sad to see it end. I read the letters from Val and Emil first - and this big Goat got a little choked up -but the story and art work are so great and light hearted it brought me back and made me smile. I loved the cartoony style and thought it worked great with the story. I loved the tie-in's to the Power of Greyskull.

I think this was a great issue to end the run on - it's very jovial and optimistic. It has a classic "80's cartoon-with-a-moral" feel. Well done.

And thanks guys reviving this old Goat's childhood passion for MOTU once again. (I even got some fan art published - I think I should put it up on my mom's fridge! ) Woo!

-Devin
"Goat Man"

[Emiliano]

I wonder when you guys will spot a little cameo by two familiar faces...

[Eamon]

I just got mine! Haven't read it yet but I love the artwork. Think it works really well! Great cover also! Now where's my Galaxy muffin and cup a tea....

[the_ultimate_evil]

I wonder when you guys will spot a little cameo by two familiar faces...

you talking about dree el and montatk or are there others, and how'd you manage to get away with that

[Emiliano]

you talking about dree el and montatk or are there others, and how'd you manage to get away with that

Uh, I haven't said any names here.... shhhh.

[the_ultimate_evil]

what who where how, this isnt my office

[Drunken Fist]

I wonder when you guys will spot a little cameo by two familiar faces...

I didn't see any familiar "faces," but I did see a couple of little blue-skinned aliens swathed in robes, scarves, and covered with hats that I recognized.