New Adventures Of He-Man 1990 Annual & Possible Season 2

[Mikey]

Hey Fellow NA Fans!

I recently just won the NA 1990 Annual on E-Bay (my last purchase for a while, I promise) which I'll be paying for within a week. This is so cool! I have all the MOTU Annuals now, and one of the POP ones, so now I will have the NA Annual as well! I can't wait to read this one!



Cheers, Mikey

[Wacky Martin]

Hey Mikey, I bought the same annual off Ebay a few months ago. It's interesting to see some of the earlier ideas and concepts for the New Adventures in there

[Brimstone]

I liked the annual for the most part, it sticks to my prefered origins of the New Adventures where He-man travels to Primus to defend it from Skeletor (by the way this origin was done better in the UK Adventures comic), rather than the cartoon where Primus is in fact Eternia in the far off future and He-man is whisked there from the past.

The strangest thing I found in the annual was the fact that they got King Randor's name totaly wrong. In the annual they name Prince Adam as the son of Ragnor. I could understand this type of error or name change in the eairlier annual because their source material was mainly from prototypes, like having Orko go under the originally intended name of Gorpo. But as this was produced nearly a decade after MOTU began and names and characters had been long established I found this a bit annoying.

[Rodster6]

I didnt realise primus was eternia in the future in the cartoons?

[Predabot]

Actually, it's not in the cartoon. That was revealed to be so in the continuity of some of the later UK-mags.

[Wacky Martin]

Actually, it's not in the cartoon. That was revealed to be so in the continuity of some of the later UK-mags.

Ahhh I always wondered where that idea had come from, as its definately not from the cartoon

[Dagar]

Primus obviously is Eternia in the far distant future. The fact that Hydron and Flipshot thought they were in the same place (except with the ground replaced with a pond) when they travelled to the past in the Time Vessel, plus the Freudian slip in the preview for the last episode leads me to believe they are one and the same.

[Wacky Martin]

I dunno...I think theres definately a case for it, but the fact that the whole planets different and has been renamed make me think its a different place. But then there is the decaying Snake Mountain image and such.

[Dagar]

Exactly, the Snake Mountain point is probably the one of the best examples. As far as the changes in the landscape, bear in mind that it is in the distant future.

[Mosquitor]

Actually, it's not in the cartoon. That was revealed to be so in the continuity of some of the later UK-mags.

Which mag was that? I have them all and there is definitely no reference to Primus being the future Eternia. It was treated in the UK comics as a totally separate planet.

I thought personally that "A New Beginning" made it 100% clear that the writers of the NA series envisioned Primus as Eternia in the future.

[Rodster6]

Did eternia somehow split in half and the light hemispher became primus and the dark became denibria?

[He-Fan]

Chris here...

Hmmmm, I'm definitely not convinced that Primus is Eternia in the future - sure, Primus is in Eternia's future, that's a 100% given, but I'm not convinced that it is the same planet. My suspicion is that it was a concept that Jack Olesker was kicking around and it made its way into the scene with Hydron and Flipshot in the pond, but I would disagree that it's obvious, I think it's very much open to interpretation.

Exactly, the Snake Mountain point is probably the one of the best examples.

I agree that the Snake Mountain decaying scene is one of the best pieces of evidence to support the theory that Primus is Eternia in the future - but, until I heard this theory, I always took it as a symbollic illustration of the prosperity enjoyed by Eternia (heralded by the Sorceress) once Skeletor had left the planet. As a kid, I always thought that Snake Mountain crumbled upon Skeletor's departure of Eternia (in other words, that what we see on screen happens in "real time" and is not an illustration of something that takes place over years), although I don't hold fast to that now.

I remember that you and I have debated this before, Dave, and it was very much a case of "irresistible force meets immovable object"! Whilst I agree that there's a strong case for Primus being a future Eternia (and I would say that if it was, I actually really like the idea!), I think there's also a case to say it wasn't. Until someone senior from either the NA cartoon or Mattel steps up and says otherwise, I don't think we'll ever know for sure!

Take care...

[Brimstone]

Admittingly I haven't seen the NA cartoon in years but there is one thing that stands out to suggest that Primus is the future version of Eternia, (cartoon continuity) is that in the opening credits He-man states that he was summoned to the future to help the last of mankind. I know that it doesn't mean that Primus and Eternia are the same planet but when I saw it the first time it left a lasting impression of He-man traveling to the far future and Eternia evolved in to Primus.

As for the Uk comic's version of events which is in my opinion the far superior version goes if I can rember correctly like this:

The story opens on Skeletor outside Grayskull surrounded by the gathered forces of the Evil Warriors and Heroic Warrior. The Starship Eternia arrives tricked in to comig there by Skeletor and begins to transport Skeletor on board. In an startling act of courage Adam breaks ranks and leaps on Skeletor and the two are taken on board the Eternia. Skeletor reveals that he is giving up his quest to conqure Skeletor and boast to Adam that is new target is Earth, (a tie in to the MOTU movie that was showing) Adam then makes his greatest scarifice and draws the Sword of Power and transforms in to He-man in front of Skeletor, however something strange happens and He-man is altered in to the NA version permantly. I can't quite remember the rest of the issue but what I've described is what left a lasting effect. Perhapse Mosquitor will be able to tell me where I went wrong.
Sadly the He-Man Adventures mag only had a short run before returning to MOTU stories, but the NA stories were well done and in several cases incorperated the MOTU continuity by having He-man reflect back of the friends and family he left behind on Eternia.

[Mosquitor]

The story opens on Skeletor outside Grayskull surrounded by the gathered forces of the Evil Warriors and Heroic Warrior. The Starship Eternia arrives tricked in to comig there by Skeletor and begins to transport Skeletor on board. In an startling act of courage Adam breaks ranks and leaps on Skeletor and the two are taken on board the Eternia. Skeletor reveals that he is giving up his quest to conqure Skeletor and boast to Adam that is new target is Earth, (a tie in to the MOTU movie that was showing) Adam then makes his greatest scarifice and draws the Sword of Power and transforms in to He-man in front of Skeletor, however something strange happens and He-man is altered in to the NA version permantly. I can't quite remember the rest of the issue but what I've described is what left a lasting effect. Perhapse Mosquitor will be able to tell me where I went wrong.
Sadly the He-Man Adventures mag only had a short run before returning to MOTU stories, but the NA stories were well done and in several cases incorperated the MOTU continuity by having He-man reflect back of the friends and family he left behind on Eternia.

Brimstone more or less summed it up there. It's worth adding that the Starship (piloted by Darius and Flipshot/Icarius) had actually been sent to Eternia to destroy Castle Grayskull, because Skeletor, in liason with Brakk/Flogg, had faked a signal that Grayskull was evil and was the cause of the mayhem in the Triax Star System. When the Starship arrived, its scanners detected Skeletor's signal, and realizing his power, they chose to beam him on board, assuming he was heroic. But naturally enough, once he was on board, Skeletor's cohorts Brakk and Kalamarr/Slushhead came out of hiding and attacked the heroes, later rushing to the Starship's escape pod to escape to Denebria. There seemed to be virtually no doubt that Eternia and Primus were different planets in different parts of the universe- in fact, nothing was even mentioned about Primus being in the future.

And I agree that the UK comics gave the best interpretation of the NA storyline. They made the conflict much more dramatic and also a lot darker, it definitely had a darker feel to it than even the UK's MOTU comics. That's why I was very disappointed when I first watched the cartoon, as I had been expecting it to be just like the comics, but not only was it nothing like them in feel but the light comedy elements were even sillier and more childish than the ones from the MOTU cartoon (the scientists, the villains being even more bumbling etc.), I was totally baffled by Darius' absence, and the characters were being called by named that were not only different from the comics but also completely ridiculous (at first I thought Skeletor was just calling Kalamarr 'Slushhead' as an insult as I could not believe they would use that as a character's real name!).

[Sir Reilly]

Where was a crumbling Snake Mountain? I thought I'd seen it all, but I can't remember that.

[Rodster6]

I think they mean in the first episode where it decays after skeletor and he-man travel to primus.

[Brimstone]

Any one got a picture of this?

[galaxy warrior]

I think they mean in the first episode where it decays after skeletor and he-man travel to primus.

wouldnt that be indicating the time lapse?

[Rodster6]

Well I always thought it was just a symbol of skeletors evil leaving the land and his power over snake mountain fading but it may well have been ment as a time lapse indicating he-man and skeletor travelled forward in time but not through space. Wish there were some way to find out for sure either way? I think it would make NA seem more relavant if it were set on a future eternia rather than than on a totally different planet.

[Dagar]

Did eternia somehow split in half and the light hemispher became primus and the dark became denibria?

Only just spotted this post and thought I'd try to answer it. The answer is no, BUT Moon Nordor was once a part of Primus. There was once a crystal of enormous evil power on Primus and it was eventually detached from the planet and came to be Moon Nordor and ended up floating over Denebria.

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

Actually, it's not in the cartoon. That was revealed to be so in the continuity of some of the later UK-mags.

And they were completely wrong. They are two different planets.

[Wacky Martin]

And they were completely wrong. They are two different planets.

I'm glad we've finally got confirmation that they were indeed two different planets in the cartoon, the ammount of Primus is Eternia debates theres been!

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

Chris here...

Hmmmm, I'm definitely not convinced that Primus is Eternia in the future - sure, Primus is in Eternia's future, that's a 100% given, but I'm not convinced that it is the same planet. My suspicion is that it was a concept that Jack Olesker was kicking around and it made its way into the scene with Hydron and Flipshot in the pond, but I would disagree that it's obvious, I think it's very much open to interpretation.



I agree that the Snake Mountain decaying scene is one of the best pieces of evidence to support the theory that Primus is Eternia in the future - but, until I heard this theory, I always took it as a symbollic illustration of the prosperity enjoyed by Eternia (heralded by the Sorceress) once Skeletor had left the planet. As a kid, I always thought that Snake Mountain crumbled upon Skeletor's departure of Eternia (in other words, that what we see on screen happens in "real time" and is not an illustration of something that takes place over years), although I don't hold fast to that now.

I remember that you and I have debated this before, Dave, and it was very much a case of "irresistible force meets immovable object"! Whilst I agree that there's a strong case for Primus being a future Eternia (and I would say that if it was, I actually really like the idea!), I think there's also a case to say it wasn't. Until someone senior from either the NA cartoon or Mattel steps up and says otherwise, I don't think we'll ever know for sure!

Take care...

Well you're right on both counts: they were separate planets and each was in the other's future. Had the series continued, we would have had a skein in which we had He-Man, Skeletor and the mutants return to Eternia. What a reunion THAT would have been. I always felt badly that that didn't happen. I was empathetic to MOTU fans who felt disenfranchised and I felt the second season would help to address their justifiable concerns. Sadly, that didn't happen.

[Wacky Martin]

Well you're right on both counts: they were separate planets and each was in the other's future. Had the series continued, we would have had a skein in which we had He-Man, Skeletor and the mutants return to Eternia. What a reunion THAT would have been. I always felt badly that that didn't happen. I was empathetic to MOTU fans who felt disenfranchised and I felt the second season would help to address their justifiable concerns. Sadly, that didn't happen.

That would have been brilliant! I've wondered for ages if there was a Season Two planned, can you tell us anything else about what we would have seen in a Second series?

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

That would have been brilliant! I've wondered for ages if there was a Season Two planned, can you tell us anything else about what we would have seen in a Second series?

The question makes reminds me of Howard Carter peering into King Tut's tomb, Lord Carnavon behind him asking, "What do you see?" Carter replied, "Wondrous things."

We had great plans for future seasons. Well, at least I had great plans. Whether or not Mattel was would go along with it is conjecture. But they were ecstatic with the NA series bible the first five episodes I wrote. We got a green light for sixty-five episodes just based on that. So I was pretty much the Golden Boy there. (Plus I had a long history of work on Mattel projects.) If the series really took off, I could have had a strong influence on them. (Life's funny: NA didn't get a second season and I ended up writing the original development work for Power Rangers.)

With regard to NA, what was most important to me was to bring MOTU fans into the NA fold. If we could pull that off, we'd have the new fans and the old ones. But I knew that would be a daunting task -- made all the more difficult because we'd gone so far from Eternia. Thus, it seemed to make sense to me that the way to do this was to to back to Eternia, in so doing paying unspoken and deserved homage to the genius (and I do mean genius) of Filmation's early series. (I was fortunate to spend a number of years working with Robby London at DIC while I was DIC'S Executive Story Editor. Robby wrote the first episode of He-man at Filmation, Diamond Ray of Disappearance, as well as Double-edged Sword -- arguably the best episode ever written -- and others. Robby's eyes used to light up when he spoke about those years. There are few executive in the kid biz of his lofty caliber -- both as a creative person and as a gentleman. So with people like Robby and the immeasurable talents of writers Paul Dini, Larry Ditillio and Joe Straczynski, it's little wonder the series was so brilliant.)

What I wanted to do when we brought the series back to Eternia was to have huge changes take place in He-man's absence. MAA going to the dark side and ending up as ruler of the planet. Would Skeletor align himself with the new order? Serve at MAA's side? Doubtful. And He-man wouldn't let a dictator -- even a father figure -- rule his beloved Eternia. So what I envisioned was a tri-lateral battle between He-man, MAA and Skeletor -- any similarities to U.S./the former U.S.S.R. and China would have been intentional. And the women -- She-ra, Teela and the Sorceress...don't even get me started! I had a whole female empowerment sub-story in which they got sick of guys and their titanic battles and form their own power base.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. And of course not all of it would have flown. But, oh, what might have been...