The Pre-Filmation Era in MOTUC Thread

[MegaGearMax]

I think this has got to be the best Tri-Klops incarnation ever!

And He-Man is trying to get with Duncan's daughter...LOL!

[He-Man54]

I agree, MGM!! I would love to get a Trike figure that looks like this.

[Darkwolf]

Ah, the lore of the mini. I too was lucky enough to discover MOTU in store vs. on TV. I was an early adopter (first kid on the block to get any MOTU) and evangelized to all my pals to jump on board.

My dad is military so we left the States for Italy shortly after I aquired my first few figs (He-man, Battle Cat, Stratos and Beastman). Because the filmation cartoon didn't broadcast in Italy, we heard about the cartoon but didn't see it till months later when the first eps came out on video.

After more than a year of playing without the Filmation series infulence, I was realy let down when I finally heard He-man's corny voice and saw that he had a silly alter ego. Luckily the time in a media vacuum had already solidified my own gritty take on MOTU based largely on the minis, Frazetta paintings I saw on book covers, and the Conan film and B&W comics sold in magazine format at the time.

The mini comics world is pure MOTU, without all the corporate and parental infiltration that sanatized the property.

[He-Man123]

[QUOTE=Darkwolf;2178879].

...and the Conan film and B&W comics sold in magazine format at the time.

That's funny, my brother and I always thought of He-Man when we watched the first Conan movie. We thought Arnold would be a good choice for a live action MOTU movie. Then came 1987 and Dolph Lundgren. What a huge let-down.

[artodron]

"MOTU based largely on the minis, Frazetta paintings I saw on book covers, and the Conan film and B&W comics sold in magazine format at the time." Darkwolf
I did this to! Plus there were alot of warrior/barbarian movies at the time. I'd take elements from them & add them into my personal mythos. Such as Beast Master, Fire & Ice & other I can't even remember the names of.
BTW;That is a really cool Darkwolf custom!

MegaGearMax "The Terror of Tri-klops!" is a favorite of mine! It really shows Tri-klops as the true warrior he is!

[Ulisses31]

The mini comics world is pure MOTU, without all the corporate and parental infiltration that sanatized the property.

Amen... I only have seen Filmation in 1985, and my He-Man was bought on the 1983 Christmas, so 2 years without bad influences... And "The Vengeance of Skeletor" was my bible to start my mythos.

[Alexx]

Man, that interview with the original writer of the first four comics was interesting! I am a bit saddened to hear that it was just a job for him. As a guy who loves writing stories myself, I find it hard to not get involved in my characters. Then again, when you aren't getting paid for the creation of the characters, you're pretty much creating something that you are totally giving to someone else to make money off of.

Regardless, I think the man did the best job out of anyone. He gave us pretty much a "fill in the blanks" story where he put in a hero and villain and all that....but there is a difference between good "fill in the blanks" and bad "fill in the blanks" and this one left it wide open for so many little imaginations to take up and mold! They could have written any old thing up, and they sorta did with the filmation toon, but that didn't really leave it open for imagination like the old comics did. Perhaps they were a throw away thing for the writer, and it should have been, since it was just a job. However, he ended up creating so much more that was ripe for picking!

Now, as for myself: My own introduction to the MotU story had to have been the mini comics, but I wouldn't have been able to read, then! Regardless, looking at those pictures are some of my earliest memories (seriously!) I had been staring at those things for ages, and always went back to them when I wanted inspiration. When I was able to read them, I was confused as all heck trying to fit those old stories with the toon. I think NA He-Man was what really started my love for the original mini comics, because there was finally something pushing the story forward (with He-Man and Skelly leaving in NA). I went back to the old ones and started making my own stories, building He-Man for his eventual journey into space (I know he went to the future, but I don't think I caugh that idea back then).

Since then I've just fallen in love with the original story more and more every time I went back to those old comics. I wondered how the heck they let that story get away from them, since it can easily spawn hundreds of little stories. I believe that those comics were the reason that I love the post-apocalyptic world stories as much as I do.

[Ulisses31]

Some Golden books are pre-filmation too.

I can remember the first ones were no Filmaton Adam showed is ugly outfit...

Caverns of Fear
The Trap
The Sword of Skeletor
The Thief of Castle Grayskull

[Darkwolf]

All this old school talk has me trolling ebay to find all the old minis again. I know I can read them here at the org (already have many times over) but I want to hold them again - silly as that is - and read them to my son.

[josh]

"But Skeletor's moment of triumph was abruptly ended as a beautiful figure appeared before him, glowing green like the energies of the Power Sword."



"Beastman Skeletor's Brutal Henchman"

I'd like some kind of green Power Sword, whether Glow In the Dark, translucent, or even vintage Scareglow green.

I'd also like a red Beastman with the Brutal descriptive replacing Savage.

And maybe a Skeletor that just said "Lord of Destruction." I don't need to be told he's evil. Though I suppose there could, in the future, be a "Heroic Master of Destruction" that demolished condemned buildings

[Ulisses31]

All this old school talk has me trolling ebay to find all the old minis again. I know I can read them here at the org (already have many times over) but I want to hold them again - silly as that is - and read them to my son.

I have some to sell:

http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/showthread.php?t=173787

[josh]

I think this has got to be the best Tri-Klops incarnation ever!

I just realized I forgot to take along some of my mini-comics to have the signed by Texiera this past weekend at Chicago Comic-Con. I really dropped the ball on that one.

[MegaGearMax]

[Ulisses31]

Like JVS3 said... we should band together, if He-Man and Skeletor can we can too.



This is one of my favorite on the mini-comics... enemies join to fight together...



And Trap-Jaw (not the filmation dumb) is a real threat...

[Teela-Na]

Great thread. I'm also a big fan of the mini comics and that was MOTU canon for me long before Filmation came along. I loved the idea of Point Dread and the Talon Fighter. I preferred the Mark Texiera comics to the Alcala issues though because the artwork was much cleaner and superior in my opinion. Teela as a blonde is the best. She looked far sexier and stood out more from these other red headed barbarian warriors like Red Sonja.

Skeletor and his warriors were less pantomime characters and far more deadly and a credible threat.

My first minicomic was the Power of Point Dread, so that's actually my first experience of the goddess where she was flesh coloured. I only subsequently discovered her green origins much later on, so I don't have as much of an affinity to the Green Goddess. That said, green skin is sexy and I wouldn't have minded in retrospect if she were green all the time, especially if she looked like Baena's rendition which is dripping with sensuality.

Does someone have a picture where Stratos is shown with the other evil warriors? I've never managed to find that.

Also, do people consider Faker part of the pre-Filmation era? He appeared on the card backs but not really in the mini comics.

[Master of Disguise]

The golden book, colouring in book, and the toys before filmation , the memories. And then came the filmation cartoon a year or so later, don't knock filmation, proud of it!

[Staff Of Ka]

Like JVS3 said... we should band together, if He-Man and Skeletor can we can too.

This is one of my favorite on the mini-comics... enemies join to fight together...

And Trap-Jaw (not the filmation dumb) is a real treat...

Oh my god,I had totally forgotten that scene! WOW! The trap jaw mini is the only one of my childhood minis Im missing! I remeber loving Trap Jaw when I got him, and thinkin he was SO Bad A**, but then the Filmation 'Pantomime Villian' approach made me dislike him!

I so hope his MOTUC Bio has him as a brutal warrior, and cunning AND not a walking sight gag with a whisk on his arm!

[Ulisses31]

Does someone have a picture where Stratos is shown with the other evil warriors? I've never managed to find that.

From the very first minicomic and Teela and her golden ax?

[gbagok]

I don't knock anyone for liking the Pre-Filmation He-man. I liked it,because it was like Conan,but I really liked it when He-man became a magical being with the power sword because that set him apart from Conan or any other barbarian. I liked the fact he was 2 people,but still one person.

Yes, I agree, the old mini comics are great nostalgia and have that old pulpy feel that I think is their biggest draw to us now because it feels like it has more pop culture validity that way, but there is also something missing from them that I feel is there in other interpretations. I wouldn't call someone less of a MOTU fan for loving one era or incarnation more than another, but I think the TV show drew me in more than the mini comics because I related more to who He-Man/Adam was (essentially a kid like me living with his parents and hanging out with his friends until Skeletor made trouble). Even in the mini comics version, the fight for Grayskull was like a glorified version of "Protect the Fort." And for every panel of Teela looking like a good warrior, there are more where she is just a prisoner in need of rescuing. I'm not ashamed of that aspect of MOTU, I just put it in context, and I think it's disappointing that the mainstream has embraced the silliness of Bay's Transformers and Sommers's G.I. Joe but still looks down on MOTU as too unrealistic. Such a claim is insanity. But in my perfect canon, the differences of MOTU's incarnations somehow coexist and I don't want to completely throw out one for another...except the Fisto as Teela's dad thing--I'll take a clone over that any day.

Also, about the clone, the Goddess herself says Teela is her own person. So she's not just some mindless copy, as some fans keep saying. She's basically a fatherless child, created by magic (and Skeletor indirectly--suggesting a rape child actually). Honestly, I think that's a better answer to the question of Teela's parentage (and the reason for keeping it secret) than we've had in any other version.

[Tallstar]

Teela's backstory is slightly similar to that of Smurfette.

[artodron]

And for every panel of Teela looking like a good warrior, there are more where she is just a prisoner in need of rescuing..

Sorry have to defend my girl.
I would like to point out that in the Early mini-comics Teela was tricked or Sneaked up on.
In King of Grayskull she hadn't seen Skeletor yet and he disguised his face with clay to look like the castles face then opened a trap door under her. Then when He-man freed her she was fighting right along side him & she knocked the the Power Sword out of Skeletors hand. Which turned the tide of that battle.
In He-Man & The Power Sword Skeletor is only able to stun her unconscious by sneaking up on her while shes fighting Beastman,who looks like he's in over his head. Again once when she's free fights right along with the rest of them.
I'm really not seeing Teela as being protrayed as helpless victim or just a prisoner in need of rescuing in any of the min-comics.
She repeatedly kicks major bad guy tail. That is one of the main reasons I really like the mini-comics. I felt and still do that Teela was a much stronger character & warrior in them.
The villians attack Teela first not because shes weaker but because it makes He-Man mad or because Demons generally only take hot girls as currency for some reason. They know he cares the most for her. Its that extra slap in his face. The same effect wouldn't be achieved by kidnapping Man-at-Arms.

[Whiplash7]

^^Word. It's also worth pointing out that He-Man himself took a beat-down a few times, but wasn't always lucky enough to be taken prisoner--he was left for dead!

[Torvik]

Teela's backstory is slightly similar to that of Smurfette.

I never thought of that ..... (luckily) but Smurfette is ... er .. bluer!

[gbagok]

I'm really not seeing Teela as being protrayed as helpless victim or just a prisoner in need of rescuing in any of the min-comics.

[MegaGearMax]

For what it's worth, Teela sometimes did get some payback at the end of some comics.

Everyone got their asses kicked in the early mini-comics. He-Man himself was jumped in 3 of the 4 original mini-comics.

I do see the point though. What's crazier is Gbagok even missed some books. Teela even got captured in Battle in the Clouds...I totally forgot she was in that book. I think it was the times. In the early 80's the whole damsel in distress thing was still going on. This was the days before Xena, Chun Li and even She-Ra proved they could be just as capable as a male lead.

Y'know what's funny? If Teela was helping He-Man fight Skeletor and Beastman at the end of He-Man and the Power Sword, how come she didn't know him in King of Castle Grayskull? I guess that whole "easy disguise bit" is supposed to work...Adam as He-Man, Man-E-Faces, Faker...

You guys also realize that He-Man and the Power Sword AND King of Castle Grayskull end the same way? Skeletor kidnaps Teela and gets the Power Sword. He-Man manually pries open the Jawbridge and makes his way into the castle. Crazily enough, He-Man gets saved both times by Green Goddess and Teela in almost the exact same way...Skeletor animates suits of armor with the Power Sword and sends them after He-Man. He-Man is too busy smashing suits of armor to fight Skeletor too, until both women disarm Skeletor.

I think those two stories might have been the same story. Maybe Glut ran out of page space for all of those ideas and continued them in another comic?