Third Mini-Comic Cover Revealed

[Dynamo of Eternia]

The most amusing thing about all of this is that anyone reading USA Today, who isn't a fan of the property like WE are, will just think it's She-Ra with a new look.

NO ONE will think that's Teela.

So, ha.

Be that as it may, I doubt that Mattel had any idea that there would even be a USA Today article on MOTU when they started designing that cover, so the cover is not part of some kind of conspiracy to get a specific reaction.

The comic cover, itself, was something that was more or less initially intended to been seen by the fans who buy the figure that it will come with, not as a big promotional piece. And it's been completed for some time even though we are just now seeing it for the first time. Odds are USA Today decided to run this article, Mattel only had so much notice, and they probably didn't have time to go and create a new piece of artwork that perfectly balances MOTU, POP, etc. to appease all of the fans and avoid the typical myriad of absurd and ridiculous conspiracy theories that people come up with everytime POP isn't represented in the exact over-specific manner that they want to see it represented in (this statement isn't necessarily directed specifically at you, bcrduke, but anyone who tends to go off on these tangents). USA Today likely said that they could feature a piece of artwork in the article, and they gave them something that they already had ready to go that the public (including MOTUC fans) hadn't seen yet... this comic cover.

There's a number of issues people can take with it. It doesn't have the most iconic versions of He-Man and Skeletor on it.... more recognizable characters like Man-At-Arms are missing from it in favor of characters like Extendar and Photog. King Hsss.... arguably the most obscure faction leader in that he never even appeared in the Filmation cartoons and came later in the line in the 80s, is holding Skeletor's havoc staff, potentially creating confusion there.

My point is that there are plenty of issues that we can take with these things, but it's really silly to do so. It's an article in a major news publication on the brand.... there's no reason why we should be upset about that.


And look at it this way.... even if certain people here aren't thrilled that it's Battleground Teela on the cover instead of She-Ra, at least it's not regular Teela. If it was, there would be almost no mistaking who it is, and it would be her battling Horde Troopers. At least having the blonde BG Teela on there can inadvertently make people think of She-Ra, thereby giving She-Ra some attention, even if that wasn't the intention.

I think if more POP fans came at these things from a glass-half-full perspective instead of a glass-half-empty one, they'd probably enjoy things a hell of a lot more.

[rhea]

Since, the She-Ra thing has been beat to death by both sides (same points over and over and over) can we discuss the real issues here-- where is Battleground Songster and the fact those towers are so close together how do they really expect the monorail to really function

[Tallstar]

To their credit, controversy does create buzz as is apparent by this reaction. I do agree at this point like TG is almost trying provoke POP fans lol! No seriously though, if rumors hold true then I think POP fans are going to be pretty pleased at SDCC.

Unfortunately, I'm not hopeful that this controversy will result in us getting She-Ra publishing/entertainment beyond maybe a panel or two in the final mini-comic. To get any form of meaningful entertainment from Mattel/DC, I fear us POP fans are going to have to wait it out once again as the characters of Eternia work their way through the played-out Evil Warriors - Snake Men - Horde formula and then maybe just maybe, once Mattel has thoroughly used up The Horde and every interesting premise for MOTU, She-Ra can have her enemy leftovers... despite Mattel promoting this idea that they're all about multiple continuities and freedom of expression for the DC contributors, it seems the world of POP is limited to this one rigid has-to-come-after-MOTU-at-a-particular-point-in-time way of being brought into existance. No. We can't just have a She-Ra comic that hits the ground running and leaves the explanations for later issues. :/

As for getting some POP figures at SDCC, to me, that's something standard that we should be getting anyway and their way of trying to rope us into buying a subscription. Hopefully Mattel will surprise us though at SDCC and turn it all around by pulling out some amazing stuff from their bag 'o tricks.

[MegaGearMax]

The most amusing thing about all of this is that anyone reading USA Today, who isn't a fan of the property like WE are, will just think it's She-Ra with a new look.

NO ONE will think that's Teela.

So, ha.

That's a point I've always made. Some average people will think ANY warrior woman with He-Man is She-Ra, red hair or blonde.
They can't tell the difference between Teela and She-Ra. Hell, even the relationship is confusing with people thinking that She-Ra is He-Man's wife, sister or girlfriend.

[Darkspecter]

Be that as it may, I doubt that Mattel had any idea that there would even be a USA Today article on MOTU when they started designing that cover, so the cover is not part of some kind of conspiracy to get a specific reaction.

The comic cover, itself, was something that was more or less initially intended to been seen by the fans who buy the figure that it will come with, not as a big promotional piece. And it's been completed for some time even though we are just now seeing it for the first time. Odds are USA Today decided to run this article, Mattel only had so much notice, and they probably didn't have time to go and create a new piece of artwork that perfectly balances MOTU, POP, etc. to appease all of the fans and avoid the typical myriad of absurd and ridiculous conspiracy theories that people come up with everytime POP isn't represented in the exact over-specific manner that they want to see it represented in (this statement isn't necessarily directed specifically at you, bcrduke, but anyone who tends to go off on these tangents). USA Today likely said that they could feature a piece of artwork in the article, and they gave them something that they already had ready to go that the public (including MOTUC fans) hadn't seen yet... this comic cover.

There's a number of issues people can take with it. It doesn't have the most iconic versions of He-Man and Skeletor on it.... more recognizable characters like Man-At-Arms are missing from it in favor of characters like Extendar and Photog. King Hsss.... arguably the most obscure faction leader in that he never even appeared in the Filmation cartoons and came later in the line in the 80s, is holding Skeletor's havoc staff, potentially creating confusion there.

My point is that there are plenty of issues that we can take with these things, but it's really silly to do so. It's an article in a major news publication on the brand.... there's no reason why we should be upset about that.


And look at it this way.... even if certain people here aren't thrilled that it's Battleground Teela on the cover instead of She-Ra, at least it's not regular Teela. If it was, there would be almost no mistaking who it is, and it would be her battling Horde Troopers. At least having the blonde BG Teela on there can inadvertently make people think of She-Ra, thereby giving She-Ra some attention, even if that wasn't the intention.

I think if more POP fans came at these things from a glass-half-full perspective instead of a glass-half-empty one, they'd probably enjoy things a hell of a lot more.

The cover and the article are two separate things. The cover is by Mattel, the article is by USA Today. I was very surprised that USA Today didn't mention how She-Ra: Princess of Power is part of the line. I mean...that's huge, as it was a separate cartoon and full on property in the 80's. Maybe they don't know or Mattel didn't mention it to them? They seem to have a lot of knowledge on the rest on the line based on the article though.

Mattel chose the comic cover to show off because it's cool and hasn't been shown off before. If they had a YEAR to prepare for the interview, they never would have made a piece of art showing off all eras. Let's face it, Mattel is very...cost conscious.

About your issues with the cover: Flying Fists He-Man and Terror Claws Skeletor were on the 80's cover of the "Ultimate Battleground" mini-comic, the Eternia poster and on the box art. It's an homage to the 80's = good. Man-At-Arms isn't on the cover because he's a Snakeman now...and depending on the time this "snapshot in battle" is from, he's dead. MAA dies in this battle (as per Snake MAA's bio). King Hiss having Skeletor's Havoc Staff is a story element and is meant to draw you in to the story. Before anyone says otherwise, She-Ra doesn't die in this battle. Flipshot's "Icarious" bio explains how she and He-Man go to the Tri-Solar Galaxy after this battle. She-Ra not being on the cover doesn't make sense.

That's a point I've always made. Some average people will think ANY warrior woman with He-Man is She-Ra, red hair or blonde.

Take that Teela!

[Dynamo of Eternia]

About your issues with the cover: Flying Fists He-Man and Terror Claws Skeletor were on the 80's cover of the "Ultimate Battleground" mini-comic, the Eternia poster and on the box art. It's an homage to the 80's = good. Man-At-Arms isn't on the cover because he's a Snakeman now...and depending on the time this "snapshot in battle" is from, he's dead. MAA dies in this battle (as per Snake MAA's bio). King Hiss having Skeletor's Havoc Staff is a story element and is meant to draw you in to the story. Before anyone says otherwise, She-Ra doesn't die in this battle. Flipshot's "Icarious" bio explains how she and He-Man go to the Tri-Solar Galaxy after this battle. She-Ra not being on the cover doesn't make sense.

For clarification, those aren't "my issues", I was just making a general example of issues that someone could take with using that particular cover to represent MOTU for this USA Today article specifically. I understand why the cover is the way it is, and I'm not arguing about it in-and-of itself. I'm just saying that one (not necessarily me) could argue that it's not the best image to represent the property, since there seems to be a lot of complaints about the lack of She-Ra on it.

[MegaGearMax]

Take that Teela!

Is that really such a victory if it's really Teela in She-Ra's place? Casuals may not be able to tell them apart, but fans certainly will.

[Angel-T]

I think if more POP fans came at these things from a glass-half-full perspective instead of a glass-half-empty one, they'd probably enjoy things a hell of a lot more.

Half a glass!!! She-Ravers are lucky if we even get a few drops from Mattel when looking at the way MOTUC has been treating POP!



When you look at the overall POP representation in this line over the years, compaired to everything else (bar NA) it's not hard to see where the negativity stems from!

Recently Mattel have been playing a shady game with BG Teela!!! She-Ra and Teela fans are now calling them on this and rightly so! This was a wasted opportunity to rightfully promote She-Ra on this comic cover. Sadly IMHO all the signs are pointing to someone at Mattel wanting to push a new Mary Sue for the MOTU brand. Characters like She-Ra and Teela are incredibly dear to a huge number of fans out there, garnering them massive support and fierce loyalty. Honestly Mattel are kicking a wasps nest for no good reason, or maybe the fall out is what they want?

I like many others feel that Mattel are cheeping both Teela and She-Ra by trying to push BG Teela down our throats. She is a DC variant and a nice one. But, she is not the iconic Teela or She-Ra and I hope after all this Mattel will get that message. I totally believe if Mattel were pushing Vikor in the way they have been promoting BG Teela, He-Man fans would be up in arms. She-Ra is just as "big" and important as He-Man and as you can see deliberately keeping She-Ra out of the lime light in favour of Blonde Teela is starting to leave a real bad taste in fans mouths!!!!! I know it's not a very positive oppinion, but it's the truth none the less.

[Darkspecter]

For clarification, those aren't "my issues", I was just making a general example of issues that someone could take with using that particular cover to represent MOTU for this USA Today article specifically. I understand why the cover is the way it is, and I'm not arguing about it in-and-of itself. I'm just saying that one (not necessarily me) could argue that it's not the best image to represent the property, since there seems to be a lot of complaints about the lack of She-Ra on it.

Okay, I understand.

Is that really such a victory if it's really Teela in She-Ra's place? Casuals may not be able to tell them apart, but fans certainly will.

I was just joking, MGM. I love Teela. I very much want a MOTUC figure of NA Teela...but now that she's the Sorceress, I fear we never will get one of her unless they revive Teela-Na and make her techno (like the mini-comics) or a ghost (sort of like the NA TV show).

Love her look in NA...although I wished she was She-Ra. Her outfit looks a lot like Adora's recoloured with added details and a helmet.

[krosfyah]

I really get annoyed when fans of one thing have to bash another long standing thing to somehow validate their stance. The Spector defenders bash other vintage characters that stood the test of time, now the she-ra supporters want to bash teela. it's annoying. I like she-ra, I actually like her more than Teela, but I'd never bash one to support the other. When used right Teela is a great character, but I hate bossy women If the writers set it up so that She-ra fits in naturally by all means use her, also by all means set her up naturally, but that said Teela is a natural main character in MOTU to not use her would be more criminal than not using She-Ra (because no matter how this line is going she is the star of her own story.)

[MegaGearMax]

Half a glass! we are lucky if we get a few drops when you look at the overall POP representation in this line over the years compaired to everything else bar NA! Mattel have been playing a shady game with BG Teela of late and She-Ra and Teela fans are now calling them on it! This was a wasted opportunity to rightfully promote She-Ra on this comic cover. Sadly IMHO all the signs are pointing to someone at Mattel wanting to push a new Mary Sue for the MOTU brand. Characters like She-Ra and Teela are incredably dear to a massive number of fans out there, garnering them massive and fierce loyalty.

I like many others feel that Mattel are cheeping both Teela and She-Ra, but trying to push BG Teela down our throats. She is a DC variant and a nice one But she is not the iconic Teela or She-Ra and I hope after all this Mattel will get that message. I totally believe if Mattel were pushing Vikor or King Grayskull as much as they have BG Teela, He-Man fans would be up in arms. She-Ra is just "big" and important as He-Man and as you can see deliberately keeping She-Ra out of the lime light in favour of Blonde Teela is starting to leave a real bad taste in a number of fans mouths!!!!! I know it's not a very positive oppinion, but it is the truth,

I think it's more like pushing NA He-Man, instead of normal He-Man. It's the same character, with a different look.

I understand the She-Ra "leading lady of Masters of the Universe" complaints, but why does there need to be this ******* contest between the red haired Teela and blonde Teela? Both versions of Teela are legitimate and Classics has used them both.

[Angel-T]

I didn't choose NA He-Man as my example because I don't think he is a good fit when being compaired to Battle Ground Teela. Many fans Know the NA He-Man design and think of it as a natural variant when compaired to other well known and accepted variants of He-Man. NA He-Man's look also has a lot of brand media behind it, BG Teela does not have this exposure sadly. Vikor corralates more appropriately to Battle Ground Teela as like her he is a complete departure from the design and colorings of the iconic look of He-Man. Vikor is an obscure varient just like Blattle Ground Teela is a totally obscure varient to anyone who does not know about or follow the savage cannon.

I would argue that she is perticularly obscure to the Filmation kids who are probably having a harder time swallowing what Mattel is trying to do with her at the moment. Like vikor, Blonde Teela has historical and very early brand relavance but nothing more. He-Man fans would not stand for Mattel trying to give He-Man's spotlight to vikor, so the fan reaction to Mattel trying to do just this with Battle Ground Teela when it comes to She-Ra is completely understandable.

[MegaGearMax]

I didn't choose NA He-Man as my example because he is not a good fit when being compaired to BG Teela. Many fans Know of the NA He-Man design and think of it as a natural variant when compaired to other variants of He-Man we have had over the years, NA He-Man's look also has a lot of brand media behind it BGT does not have this exposure sadly. Vikor corralates to BG Teela more appropriatly as he is is a complete departure from the design and colorings from the iconic look of He-Man we know. He is a variant, but an obscure one, just like blonde Teela is totally obscure to anyone who does not know about or follow the savage cannon. I would argue that she is perticularly obscure to the Filmation kids who are probably having a harder time swallowing what Mattel is trying to do with BG Teela right now. Like vikor she has some historical and very early brand relavance but nothing more. He-Man fans would not stand for Mattel trying to give He-Man's spotlight to vikor, so the fan reaction to Mattel trying to do just this with Battle Ground Teela when it comes to She-Ra is again arguably very understandable.

I guess the MOTUC line must be a constant surprise to the group of Filmation fans who are getting the "History Lesson" that there was more MOTU stuff out there than Lou Schiemer's cartoon! Filmation's success doesn't mean the other canons or their concepts never happened or shouldn't be celebrated.

I think the NA He-Man example was accurate. People know of NA He-Man, but just as some fans don't like "a He-Man in space who wears pants, wears a ponytail and uses a translucent green sword", there are the fans who know of the early days of Teela, but yet don't like "Teela as a blonde". We've had almost two years of Blonde Teela in assorted MOTU media before she was changed to red. Battleground Teela is the exact same character as the 2009 Teela, but with a new look. In Classics, Vikor is an all new character. He's not Adam.

[Nemisythe]

First of all GREAT article in USA today! Sounds like the writer may be a fan (to an extent) and really gave an article that could definitely generate buzz!

Great shout out to the original cover and "lookie" all the new characters who will be on the way! Terror Claws and Flying Fists.... well glad for those who want them (just not feeling the variants so much...)! Where are my 8 back / mini comic versions of ya know who!!!

The who debate on who appears on the cover, character designs, etc. I think may be the result of two separate comic companies working on them. Kinda like how the media rights are owned by Mill Creek, designs make all the legal issues probably a fiasco. You can't make Dark Horse MOTU look like DC MOTU... Just taking a guess, which is why the character designs are different. Why BG Teela in battle, many have figured it out since the Towers are up, things changed. Now as per BGT being there if you read her bio it states that her and the Sorceress partake in the battle probably early on, thus when the Sorceress gets injured she whisks BGT away and begins the process. as for She-Ra's absence; we see Horde Troopers yet no Hordak so maybe She-ra and a squad are in pursuit of Hordak?

And if anything serves from the last mini this Battle will possibly Ultimately QUICK!

P.S. Orko is getting his BURN ON!!! I think that's pretty cool!

[JonWes]

Now as per BGT being there if you read her bio it states that her and the Sorceress partake in the battle probably early on, thus when the Sorceress gets injured she whisks BGT away and begins the process.

I thought this at first too, but since in Part 1 Teela is already the Sorceress, then you'd THINK that the events of this issue take place after that.

As for She-Ra not being on the cover, I always thought she was there at the second Battleground myself.
hd_cdaae420c854459a7b84274968119f84.jpeg

I bet she'll be there on the inside. It'd be cool to see a peek at some other Rebellion characters too. Just so we start to know who crossed over with her. It seems like Frosta might be a good bet.

[Dragonblaster]

I thought this at first too, but since in Part 1 Teela is already the Sorceress, then you'd THINK that the events of this issue take place after that.

As for She-Ra not being on the cover, I always thought she was there at the second Battleground myself.
hd_cdaae420c854459a7b84274968119f84.jpeg

I bet she'll be there on the inside. It'd be cool to see a peek at some other Rebellion characters too. Just so we start to know who crossed over with her. It seems like Frosta might be a good bet.

Very nice artwork! I love that fight between Extendar and Sssqueeze.
Hopefully we'll get both in time... they're very high on my most wanted list.

[Whiplash7]

I love the cover artwork!

It's sad people have to create reasons to be unhappy with MOTUC and the new comics we are getting.

I agree. I love the artwork and enjoy the comics despite the fact that it, and the comics in general, are filled with stuff I don't like. I despise the 3 Towers and consider it one of the worst concepts in motu. I think Flying Fists He-Man is a weird and pointless variant that gets a pass b/c it's a vintage toy. I don't care much for the vintage Snake Men, and I detest the likes of Rio Blast and Extendar. I'm not a fan of PoG, time travel, techno-dinosaurs, SLL, Evil-Lyn's new costume, and so on. But does it really matter? At the end of the day it's just a bit of fun--comics for toys and nothing more. I can't believe how bent out of shape people get

[Darkspecter]

I thought this at first too, but since in Part 1 Teela is already the Sorceress, then you'd THINK that the events of this issue take place after that.

As for She-Ra not being on the cover, I always thought she was there at the second Battleground myself.

I bet she'll be there on the inside. It'd be cool to see a peek at some other Rebellion characters too. Just so we start to know who crossed over with her. It seems like Frosta might be a good bet.

That's an INCREDIBLE picture!!!

I agree. I love the artwork and enjoy the comics despite the fact that it, and the comics in general, are filled with stuff I don't like. I despise the 3 Towers and consider it one of the worst concepts in motu. I think Flying Fists He-Man is a weird and pointless variant that gets a pass b/c it's a vintage toy. I don't care much for the vintage Snake Men, and I detest the likes of Rio Blast and Extendar. I'm not a fan of PoG, time travel, techno-dinosaurs, SLL, Evil-Lyn's new costume, and so on. But does it really matter? At the end of the day it's just a bit of fun--comics for toys and nothing more. I can't believe how bent out of shape people get

I actually like most of those things, personally. FF He-Man's ball spinning thing is pretty weird, but I always liked his outfit for some reason. I really LOVE the Eternia playset and how it looks...but I do not like how it makes Castle Grayskull...pointless. I mean, if the bad guys just need to take over Central Tower to control the Universe...what's the point of Castle Grayskull? About Evil-Lyn's redesign...I will try to keep an open mind. I really did not like it in the Sir LL comic, but the sketch work we saw wasn't terrible. So...I'll hope for the best.

I know it may seem like one of those "my favourite character wasn't on the cover, so I'm going to freak out!" nerd rage things, but that's not the case. It's the deeper issue of how Mattel seems to handle/view She-Ra and the Great Rebellion...like they aren't very important (ex. Teela and She-Ra being used interchangeably when they are two very different characters). That's why there's being push back (in my opinion).

[NagAAsi]

In MOTUC, She-Ra defeated Hordak and he fled to Eternia. She-Ra and some Great Rebellion members followed him there. They joined He-Man as the "Renegades." She's in the first mini-comic on page 1. First and last panel:

http://youbentmywookie.com/wookie/ga...wmotualves.jpg

ALSO, Mattel said the new DC series is free to use She-Ra in their comic.



Well...ALL canon's with the Sorceress had it that way. The only canon's that didn't (Pre-Filmation)...she didn't exist. Not sure about MOTUC's Sorceress bio though. I'm going to go check.

EDIT: Yeah, no mention of Zoar at all in any of the bios.

Not true in the later minicomics.. Once the 3 towers appeared the Sorceress could leave Grayskull in her human form.

[Darkspecter]

Not true in the later minicomics.. Once the 3 towers appeared the Sorceress could leave Grayskull in her human form.

Yes, you are correct. I forgot about that completely. It's been mentioned a few times to me now. I am grateful for the information sharing!

[NagAAsi]

Yes, you are correct. I forgot about that completely. It's been mentioned a few times to me now. I am grateful for the information sharing!

Sorry to beat a dead horse. I was a little late to the party.. I responded to ur comment b4 reading all seven pages of this thread
..

[Thrawn29]

I like the cover except for Battle Ground Teela. I hate that version of the character as Teela. She should have been a new character. Teela is a red head to me. She-Ra is blonde.
I wonder if it's a story point that King Hsss is holding Skeletor's Havoxc staff?

[Dragonblaster]

I like the cover except for Battle Ground Teela. I hate that version of the character as Teela. She should have been a new character. Teela is a red head to me.

I completely agree.
I only got the figure because she makes a great companion for Vikor. Since I needed her face for my Sorceress I gave her the face of BP She-ra:

Now she IS a different character

[danielsan52]

Half a glass, we are lucky if we get a few drops! When you look at the overall POP representation in this line over the years, compaired to everything else (bar NA) it's not hard to see where the negativity stems from! Recently Mattel have been playing a shady game with BG Teela.
She-Ra and Teela fans are now calling them on this and rightly so! This was a wasted opportunity to rightfully promote She-Ra on this comic cover. Sadly IMHO all the signs are pointing to someone at Mattel wanting to push a new Mary Sue for the MOTU brand. Characters like She-Ra and Teela are incredibly dear to a huge number of fans out there, garnering them massive support and fierce loyalty. Honestly Mattel are kicking a wasps nest for no good reason, or maybe the fall out is what they want?

I like many others feel that Mattel are cheeping both Teela and She-Ra by trying to push BG Teela down our throats. She is a DC variant and a nice one. But, she is not the iconic Teela or She-Ra and I hope after all this Mattel will get that message. I totally believe if Mattel were pushing Vikor in the way they have been promoting BG Teela, He-Man fans would be up in arms. She-Ra is just as "big" and important as He-Man and as you can see deliberately keeping She-Ra out of the lime light in favour of Blonde Teela is starting to leave a real bad taste fans mouths!!!!! I know it's not a very positive oppinion, but it's the truth none the less.

It is not the truth as you put it. It is simply your complaint that your favorite character isn't on the cover. You don't even know if she appears inside the comic, or if she is even supposed to be part of this story for that matter.

She-Ra is the only figure to be given a 2.0 treatment out of all the characters we have gotten so far so you can't say Mattel is keeping he out of the "limelight".

Just because you and a couple others don't like BG Teela doesn't mean many more Of us feel the same. I was delighted to see her back to blonde like in the original mini comics. I prefer Teela in the cobra armor and that is never used for her anymore.

My favorite characters (Stonedar, Rokkon) have yet to even get mentioned in this line, comics, or even bios, yet I'm not bringing out the matches and gasoline.

[Toymaker]

While FF He-Man and TC Skeletor look cool, if this means that they are coming next year then I'm a bit disapointed as I'd hope that they'd mix up the variants and have either NA or 200X versions coming next year

Otherwise, cool cover!