MOTUC Mini Comic issue 3 (SPOILERS)

[Uki]

I'm not bothered by the deaths. Eventually, everyone dies. MOTUC's story is pushing beyond the comfy "happily ever after" ending we might have gotten as kiddos. I can see both sides of the debate, but I'm cool with the status quo.

Maybe Stratos' blue-winged, red jetpack-wearing younger brother can step in as Lord of Avion now...

I wonder what happens to CC after all this. Its clear that he's replaced by SLL later on in life. Is he killed? Retired? I hope his Bio covers that...

[Berserker79]

After reading the mini comic, I got the impression, that the wrong series got 22 pages per issue...

This few pages has more MOTU inside, than all the DC issues together so far...

[DarrkKnight]

Wow, did you read my mind. Exactly my thoughts. Some things I can not buy. People turning into snakemen indiscriminately makes no sense. Why kill anyone? Just turn everyone into a snake man. Now what does make sense is that the magical item that can do it requires time to recharge like say a year. In my mind, altering the basic core of a life source is difficult thus more time and magical power.
2. Time travel never works in any story. It's not that I hate Spector just the ideas invoking time travel. If something doesn't work just go back further in time. Why bring spell of separation to present? Use it in past to stop them sooner and prevent death.
3. How does hordak kill He-ro with one blast but not anyone else?
Overall a great fast paced story just my little pet peeves.

Update: referring to Barezz's comments

[MISSILE-TOE]

I wonder what happens to CC after all this. Its clear that he's replaced by SLL later on in life. Is he killed? Retired? I hope his Bio covers that...

He appears to get old and have a heart attack...



(Don't worry, he survives)

But nice to see him keeping the DEKKER/DUNCAN mustache tradition going!

PS - am I right in thinking - ROHAD->DEKKER->DUNCAN->CLAMPCHAMP->LASERLOT is the correct MAN-AT-ARMS order?

[Wolfman Jake]

Time travel never works in any story. It's not that I hate Spector just the ideas invoking time travel. If something doesn't work just go back further in time. Why bring spell of separation to present? Use it in past to stop them sooner and prevent death.

I want to say this is a famous quote/paraphrase from a science fiction writer, but I can't come up with a name to attach to this at all. Nevertheless, it has been said that the worst thing an author can do is give his character(s) control over time travel. There will always be inconsistencies and a better way to resolve events.

[Kingglenn]

I actually drummed up an idea where Hordak retrieves the body of Stratos, who actually is still alive just severely wounded (which made the appearance of him dying) and Hordak 'rebuilds' him introducing us into our newest Horde Member........

I like it, maybe thats what will happen. Who rules Avion now? I wonder what other masters bite the dust in this big battle?

[TUC138]

He appears to get old and have a heart attack...

http://he-man.org/assets/images/coll...t_161_full.jpg

(Don't worry, he survives)

But nice to see him keeping the DEKKER/DUNCAN mustache tradition going!

PS - am I right in thinking - ROHAD->DEKKER->DUNCAN->CLAMPCHAMP->LASERLOT is the correct MAN-AT-ARMS order?

wOw ! What's the name of this comic ? It looks very old & "vintage" !

And, Prince Adam... is he.... YOUNGER than CC ?????

[cbomb23]

Honestly, if it really has JUST been Toyguru writing all of the MOTUC fiction, that's probably way too much to place upon the shoulders of one person. For a franchise this big, you really need an entire creative team dedicated to writing the story. I'm sure he has been trying his best, and I mean no malice or disrespect, but my bet is that Toyguru is not a seasoned creative writer. Am I incorrect, or is his official role as the community relations manager for Mattel? There should have been a dedicated writing team on this project from the start.

Oh yeah.... This is going to wreak havoc on the ongoing comic that has been entrenched since forever, or the current animated series, and the 4th installment of the movie franchise will never be the same now. Oh wait? I must have been thinking about something where there was actually any kind of story going on over the past 7 years? Yeah this franchise is huge? Maybe it could be but it hasn't been "huge" since the 80's so over 20 years ago.

I just don't get the alienation with characters dying? It's simply moving the story forward, and if they decide to start any of the media I previously mentioned they can start from scratch and everyone will be alive and well..until those working on those stories kill off some characters.

It was stated that MAA Duncan had been a Snakeman too long and could not be changed back, probably the same thing happened to Mek... er Snake-A-Neck. So when Clamp Champ killed Duncan it was because he could'nt be saved, and then when Orko cast the Spell of Seperation basically ripping the 3 sets of DNA of the Snake Men apart thus killing all the Snakemen and probably Mek-A-Neck too since he had been probably permenantly turned also.

After reading the mini comic, I got the impression, that the wrong series got 22 pages per issue...

This few pages has more MOTU inside, than all the DC issues together so far...

So far I'd agree with you, the DC series feels totally like an "elseworlds" type story where as the minis feel firmly entrenched in the MOTU "proper". While some elseworlds stories can be interesting (and this one has yet to really grab my attention) the fact they don't really affect the characters in the "regular" universe the attachment just isn't there for me. But then again with Masters of the Universe there really isn't a definitive canon to follow?

[kylun flac]

PS - am I right in thinking - ROHAD->DEKKER->DUNCAN->CLAMPCHAMP->LASERLOT is the correct MAN-AT-ARMS order?

I think Rohad was Duncans tech/mechanic/science teacher. Not a man at arms himself.
That is cool you remembered Rohad from the Filmation cartoon.

[Wolfman Jake]

I just don't get the alienation with characters dying? It's simply moving the story forward, and if they decide to start any of the media I previously mentioned they can start from scratch and everyone will be alive and well..until those working on those stories kill off some characters.

It was stated that MAA Duncan had been a Snakeman too long and could not be changed back, probably the same thing happened to Mek... er Snake-A-Neck. So when Clamp Champ killed Duncan it was because he could'nt be saved, and then when Orko cast the Spell of Seperation basically ripping the 3 sets of DNA of the Snake Men apart thus killing all the Snakemen and probably Mek-A-Neck too since he had been probably permenantly turned also.

The problem is not so much with a character's death moving the story forward. It's that an iconic figure's character was basically destroyed. They turned one of the ultimate good guys into an instantaneous bad guy via magic and then had him killed. That's just poor writing. Like I said before, the payoff in a good turned evil story is not death, it's redemption. Furthermore, a compelling good to evil story should show us how a person turns to the dark side slowly, or snaps and begins to compromise his moral code. Duncan got none of that. Heck, Meka-neck deserves better too. The death of the Sorceress at least makes sense, because we've known since the Filmation series that Teela's fate is to become the new Sorceress of Grayskull. Everyone else seems to just be collateral damage on the level of The Transformers: The Movie. Furthermore, I don't buy any of the "been a Snakeman too long/can't be saved" explanation as both depictions of Duncan's death so far in MOTUC explicitly state or show that he regained his humanity before dying. So, obviously, someone wasn't trying hard enough before. In a universe where so many characters have cheated death with magic and TECHNOLOGY, it's a little hard to swallow that Man-At-Arms would go out with such a wimper.

[Uki]

I love Time Travel stories. (For a great read, try "The Map of Time.") I understand why some don't, but I have a blast with that stuff.)


Missile-Toe, I totally forgot about that comic! (I actually have it, too.) That would be a great end to Clamp Champ... (That's a great Danny Glover moment there, too!)

Of course, that was also a time travel story...

[kylun flac]

In a universe where so many characters have cheated death with magic and TECHNOLOGY, it's a little hard to swallow that Man-At-Arms would go out with such a wimper.

good point. my sentiments exactly.

[Irian]

Why on earth is Queen Marlena wearing her astronaut gear during the SUB? That makes no sense at all!

[MegaGearMax]

Why on earth is Queen Marlena wearing her astronaut gear during the SUB? That makes no sense at all!

I guess that's supposed to be her combat gear...I guess Mattel forgot about her battle armor from MYP.

[Arvulis]

I'm a little bit lost with the Great black wizard. What do we know about him except the bio of Draego Man. Could he be the unnamed one?

[SCB]

I guess that's supposed to be her combat gear...I guess Mattel forgot about her battle armor from MYP.

I doubt they forgot. It's a nod to our action figure in this line.

Scott also confirmed Hordak was killed by Skeletor in the comic.

[Uki]

Also, Marlena and the others likely fled Eternos in haste, unable to pack for the trip. Perhaps the spaceship and her gear were more accessible. Besides, it's less likely we'll get any Marlena variants these days. (I'd love to get the MYP version though!)

Toyguru's answer at Matty's forums regarding the Black Wizard makes me think he'll pop up in not only more Bios, but also in the Skeletor minicomic coming with King He-Man. Of course, I could be wrong.

Another of his answers has me thinking we won't be seeing Skeletor's nifty Bone Blaster. Perhaps if we all clamor for it, we can get it added to a Weapons Pak or to an upcoming figure as a Mystery Accessory...!

[carlo]

Why on earth is Queen Marlena

was that a pun?

[MegaGearMax]

Sorry, I disagree. His helmet looks ridiculous IMO. The rest of him is pretty cool though. I was never a fan of the red circutry plate on his chest but since we now know it's covering up some serious buzz saw damage I have embraced it.

I know variants aren't everyone's cup of tea but the evolution of Skeletor is awesome. I really hope we get Terror Claws!

The one part of the comic I don't get is why Skeletor would leave Eternia in search for the power of the universe when it is located on Eternia??!! Has he given up on the power Grayskull in search of the old skool power in the form of a dictatorship at the top of the Horde ranks, or has the techno virus clouded his goals in life?

Actually in the first issue, Skeletor leaves modern day for all of the power that lies in Preternia, since Randor AND Miro are back and his powers are diminished. After that Second Ultimate Battleground, although Hordak and Hsss are gone, Skeletor now has to deal with He-Man and an undistracted She-Ra, as well as Randor, Miro and the other united kingdoms. All of his enemies are now unified...they took out Evil-Lyn, Hordak and Hsss. It's only a matter of time before Skeletor gets taken out too! So I guess Skeletor would rather raise an army of Space Mutants, take on Horde Prime and rule the Horde Empire than take on all of these heroes and lose epically.

[wundarwarrior]

I guess that's supposed to be her combat gear...I guess Mattel forgot about her battle armor from MYP.

I agree. I think her wearing the space suit was lame. Her armor is way better.

[oICEMANo]

As far as Im concerned these minis are all an alternate universe...

I think it would have been better to have it as an ongoing quest to save Duncan... something that would haunt Teela until she finally found a way to save her father.

[iron_pride]

These events make me wonder.......if He-Man sent Spector to get Sir Laser-Lot to be his Man-At-Arms, why would he not send Spector to save Duncan? So many possibilities.....is leaving Duncan dead a weird motivation to Teela as the new Sorceress? He didn't exactly die a hero, so it couldn't be the "died a hero's death"......Is there something more? Obviously sending Spector to retrieve SLL has messed with the timeline anyway, unless SLL was already from the future or something...?... Thoughts?

[phantom1592]

These events make me wonder.......if He-Man sent Spector to get Sir Laser-Lot to be his Man-At-Arms, why would he not send Spector to save Duncan? So many possibilities.....is leaving Duncan dead a weird motivation to Teela as the new Sorceress? He didn't exactly die a hero, so it couldn't be the "died a hero's death"......Is there something more? Obviously sending Spector to retrieve SLL has messed with the timeline anyway, unless SLL was already from the future or something...?... Thoughts?

Time travel is 'tricky'. Anything you change in your OWN past leads to paradoxes that screw up everything else.

Duncan died in the ultimate battleground... but so did Hordak. So did The snakemen. Skeltor Lost. And the good guys were triumphant.

Changing ANYTHING that led to that victory could have altered EVERYTHING. and the 'present' where King He-man sends Spector back... ceases to exist.

SLL however was a blank slate. He didn't 'die'.... he just mysteriously disappeared. and now we know why

[iron_pride]

Time travel is 'tricky'. Anything you change in your OWN past leads to paradoxes that screw up everything else.

Duncan died in the ultimate battleground... but so did Hordak. So did The snakemen. Skeltor Lost. And the good guys were triumphant.

Changing ANYTHING that led to that victory could have altered EVERYTHING. and the 'present' where King He-man sends Spector back... ceases to exist.

SLL however was a blank slate. He didn't 'die'.... he just mysteriously disappeared. and now we know why

Awesome insight Phantom1592. Very cool thoughts there.

[Uki]

So was retrieving SLL the only mission Spector had at the first Ultimate Battleground? (Was that his mission at all there, or was he sent back to a time after that to get him?)

Scooter? What were you doing back there/then?