"Icons of Evil :Trapjaw" - Official Talk Back *Spoilers*

[Lord Eternos]

This book is definitely the best of the three by far. I didn't even notice that there was no explanation as to where Kronis came from until someone mentioned it on here. The origin of Trap Jaw was very well displayed, with a great battle at the finish. Thefirst panel on the page after Kronis yells ATTACK! is awesome. Swords busting through skulls and everything. Deifinitely made Trap Jaw alot tougher than he seems to be in the caetoon, but it makes sure that Skeletor is still the supreme evil. Great book. Now I'm actually looknig forward to Tri-Klops. Best for last possibly?

[Divia]

Well I thought it was OK. I didn't read the other two, but I decided to give this one a try. I thought the story was rushed, if not a tad corny. "Join me or die!" and then everyone is bowing, well whatever. I think this story would have worked much better if it had been done in 2 or 4 issues.

Anyway, I hope Tri-Klops is killer, cause thats the one I'm dying to read.

[King Kahn]

best icons so far! i can't see why people would complain. all we were promised was how trapjaw became ol' metal mouth and that was acomplished. were we told why he joined skeletor's gang again? check.
were we witness to a pretty gruesome(ha pretty...gruesome...i made a funny)battle? check. it was really a great read. i don't see why people think it was only weeks after kronis was kicked out? obviously it would take awhile to amass an army like that. i did like that skeltor has his own army. i especially liked the fact his army all wore skull masks. it was a nice touch.
i was also amazed at how skeletor just handed the army their buttocks well done. for me this issue acomplished all that i wanted it too and am fully satisfied.
but by far this issue gave me a new respect fro tappy's motives. he's waiting to take skeletor down himself. it makes me look at episodes of the cartoon and comic differently .

[RedBaron]

I haven’t had access to the internet in a week, so I couldn’t post this right away until today.

Thank God we finally get a good IOE issue. I really did not like the last two. IOE: Beast Man was okay and IOE: Mer-Man was abysmally awful, but IOE: Trapjaw has lived up to the promise of being better. Way better.

One of my biggest beefs with the IOEs was the lack of insight into character personality and origins. IOE: Beast Man started out well enough but there was too much action and the ending lacked believability. That Beast Man, from what we learn in the IOE issue, would bow down to Skeletor so quickly seemed very off base. IOE: Mer-Man had next to no story at all. It could have been written about anyone, at any time, from any genre or television show. There wasn't even any insight into how he got hooked up with Keldor or even any early days with Keldor/Skeletor.

IOE: Trapjaw, however, in the restraint of the comic book's length, did a very good job and bringing both elements of story and action together. We get insight into the dynamics of working with Skeletor through the opening scene when Kronis confronts Skeletor about no longer being Keldor. We also get insight into the world of the dark hemisphere as it has been cast into chaos due to the mystic wall cutting off trade routes and such. That simple statement, while brief, goes a long way in making plausible the rest of the story in which Kronis uses his strength and cunning to amass an army of the scattered and desolate groups of marauders, armies, and bandits. That they fall so easily into following Kronis does not seem so outlandish when you take into context the state they live in of a constant struggle to survive. It is natural to rally around the one who is most powerful, especially if he or she offers you safety and survival and lives up to his promises. Word would spread, and legions would grow.

I liked the lack of transitions between the scenes of Kronis conquering the various armies. It really conveyed how constant the struggle to survive and how obsessivly bent on domination and revenge Kronis was.

The final battle between Kronis and Skeletor was also very well done. Despite some less than inspired dialogue such as, and I paraphrase here, Skeletor: "I have not met one so eager for death." / Kronis: "The only death I am eager for is yours" (I've heard such battle banter before), the fight turned out very interestingly.

The decimation of Kronis was gruesome but appropriate and the end speaks much about Skeletor and Kronis' characters, without being too obvious. That Skeletor would spare Kronis shows how, although he may have been impressed with Kronis' abilities outside of Snake Mountain, he probably took more enjoyment in destroying these accomplishments and keeping Kronis around to rub it in his face by keeping him as a minion. Sparing Kronis his humilation by killing him would be too easy a fate in Skeletor's eyes. Also, the revelation that Kronis was not begging for mercy but, even in his near-death state, still struggled to strangle and kill Skeletor, shows that although he was broken and beaten, he was to the end tenacious. Although he was broken and rebuilt and spared death by Skeletor so Skeletor could keep him as a minion and a war-tool, we know that Trapjaw has not given up and still harbors resentment towards his "master". It's all about power

Overall, a huge improvement over the last IOE issues. I only wish that the first two were worth the price. Hopefully, IOE: Tri-Klops will be equally enjoyable.

Congrats to Val, Kirkman, and all the rest that were apart of this book. After some trial and error, you hit the target.

One final though, not so much about IOE: Trapjaw as it is about the implications of it. What sort of heroes in Eternia would erect a mystic wall in an effort to contain Skeletor that would also cut off other people, clans, and groups from vital trade and access to aid and supplies and cast them into violence and chaos to survive? Were they all inherently "evil" (since the line between good and evil is very clear cut in the world of MOTU) because they already resided in the dark and therefore evil side of the world, or were the Masters simply not thinking? Did they even care? Was it a sacrifice that MAA and Randor debated but thought had to be made in light of the greater good of keeping Skeletor contained? It makes you think.

[krosfyah]

Originally posted by RedBaron
One final though, not so much about IOE: Trapjaw as it is about the implications of it. What sort of heroes in Eternia would erect a mystic wall in an effort to contain Skeletor that would also cut off other people, clans, and groups from vital trade and access to aid and supplies and cast them into violence and chaos to survive? Were they all inherently "evil" (since the line between good and evil is very clear cut in the world of MOTU) because they already resided in the dark and therefore evil side of the world, or were the Masters simply not thinking? Did they even care? Was it a sacrifice that MAA and Randor debated but thought had to be made in light of the greater good of keeping Skeletor contained? It makes you think.

I have thought about this since "the begininng" It was a drastic and desperate act, but in the end something that had to be done.

The Dark hemisphere had always been war torn (according to skelly) and if things continued Keldor (as skeletor) with his new found power probably could have united the dark hemisphere and ravaged the entire planet...maybe Kronis saw what Randor and the Sorceress did...and it scared the hell out of him...hence his desire to rise up...before skeletor got too powerful (in terms of influence)

[tenno]

Finally. It still wasn't as good as the regular series because it just didn't have the detailed story. I still don't feel like I really KNOW Trap Jaw, but it was good. Great to see Skeletor really let lose, but I can't tell you how tired I am of seeing him shoot his own henchman. (Tri-Klops in this issue)

[Brad2dbone]

That was the best IOE for sure. I appreciated the other two, even though they left me dissapointed at the end, but not so w/ this one.

The art was the best of the 3. I LOVE how hardcore Kronis is. He's a tough SOB. Even w/one arm gone he kept fighting, and then tried to choke Skelly even as Bonehead dangled him over the edge of the snake's mouth. It was awesome.

Even better was that Skelly was still too tough for him. The cartoon doesn't even come close to portraying how powerful these characters are.

I loved this one. Make more please.

[fball13z]

well worth the money, 10 times better then the other 2 icons, i thought it was great and i loved the ending, i hope Triklops is at least this good!

[BigDaddy Grayskull]

whoa, very good stuff here! hehe im all about the violence, what skelly did to kronis was just brutal, really goes to show ya just how powerful ol' bonehead is
i think thats a good thing too, espeically with all the snakemen hype lately and how king hsss is a huge threat, which i know he is, but it kinda made skelly seem as tho he was less of a threat, at least to me it did, so its kinda nice to see skelly regain some credibility, good job MVC

one thing i found weird which i guess most other have gotten used to since merman which i dint get, is the way the comic "felt" i think this is what ppl were talking about regarding the differences between image and crossgen, the previous issues seemed to feel a bit sturdier, not sure if im making sense, but its justa bit different, not really a problem tho, just something i noticed

anyways, once again, a great issue guys, good work
-BDG

[Talon fighter]

I am disapointed I can not show this comic to my 7 yr old son,way to violent,personally I am not complaining I am very grateful to have a darker Motu but I thought the book was going to be pg-13 and that battle between Kronis and Skeletor was R.He knows I bought him a copy(we buy two of everything motu)but luckily it was his bedtime and my wife would not let me give him the book.If she seen this book she would have freaked out!What do I do now?

[RedBaron]

Originally posted by Talon fighter
I am disapointed I can not show this comic to my 7 yr old son,way to violent,personally I am not complaining I am very grateful to have a darker Motu but I thought the book was going to be pg-13 and that battle between Kronis and Skeletor was R.He knows I bought him a copy(we buy two of everything motu)but luckily it was his bedtime and my wife would not let me give him the book.If she seen this book she would have freaked out!What do I do now?

It is too bad that you cannot show this to your child. Maybe you can show it too him but not the part where Kronis is torn apart. Instead, just describe it to him but not in any great detail?

[Lord Eternos]

That was PG-13 in my opinion. No swearing, no nudity, the only obvious deaths were demons and not humans. the loss of arm and jaw was needed to tell the story.

[Meta Ray Mek]

Okay...

I'm gonna eat serious crow for this, but...

I read this today in the comic store and...

The TrapJaw IoE was suprisingly good.

Granted, I still didn't feel it was worth $5, which I later spent on a dinner; but man. Compared to the garbage that was the last two, this one is a welcome breath of fresh air.

My complains pretty much echo everyone else's sentiments to a degree.

Good jorb.

[HeManOfGreyskull]

You know, I really don't know what to say...while the story was a lot better then the last two IOE's, I really didnt get the feeling that I was reading about the Trap Jaw I know from the cartoon. Kronis seemed to be this masterful war leader, and that's not the impression I get from the cartoon Trap Jaw at all. Mind you, I'm not saying the issue was bad, but I really do wish that more attention would be paid to how the characters act on the cartoon, and that reflected in the comic. Trap Jaw, while dangerous, doesn't strike one as the most intellegent of people, or at least to the point of being able to be a worthy rival to Skeletor. And I agree with above, the disfiguring scene was massively violent, there is no way I'd share that with a younger MOTU fan at all. Which is sad, cause when I was a kid, comics based on properties I watched were cool to me, and I really wish something was out there that the kids could enjoy as much as we adults here do, cause that would bring in new readership, which this industry could really use.

Anyway, much better job this time, but I still have a few reservations.

[RedBaron]

I for one wish that the comic was less like the cartoon. The cartoon is too juvenile for me in that all the villians are boring bufoons for the sake of comic relief. I want the comics more serious

[LordDarkhan]

I agree with Red Baron, im happy the comics are darker and more adult, because at times the cartoons are far too juvinille for me to enjoy.


As far as the violence in the comic. Well i bought one for my 8yo nephew and he delt with it fine. One if your buying the comic for someone younger u need to make sure they understand its not reality. And two in war bad things happen..its a part of life. War/Battles arent something pretty. I think they should be shown as how gruesome they really are. That way its gets thinking twice about it. I didnt see a problem with the violence, and i actually didnt think it was that bad. Just my two cents.

[Mr. Roboto]

I loved this one! Instead of a not-so-competent Trap Jaw, he starts off as what appears to be a good warrior...and even has the nerve to get in Skeletor's face. He was tough without his enhancements. While the MYP Trap Jaw doesn't seem so bright, he was portrayed as a formidable figure in this book, a worthy opponent of He-Man.

The upped violence helped to make Skeletor even more evil.

Thumbs up to the team.

[J500]

Personally, (and I don't mean to open a can of worms here) I think kids shouldn't be sheilded from violence. It's out there in many, many forms and will eventually be thrust upon young people unwillingly. Let kids know about it so they might understand and know how to deal with it. At the start of this past war, I remember lots of parents running around like chickens with their heads cut off saying "what do I tell my kids about this?". Perhaps if they had things like this comic it wouldn't be such a big deal. And besides, kids are always drawn to what they're not supposed to see anyway. Why not LET them see for the purpose of understanding. It's not like it would kill them.

[RadioBoy]

I really enjoyed this issue. Mer-Man's book left a bad taste in my mouth, but this one was good. Maybe it was good because I wasn't expecting much. Whatever. I really enjoyed it.

I like and prefer the darker side of MOTU. I enjoyed seeing Kronis lose an arm & jaw. When I was a kid, I always thought MOTU was along the lines of Conan. I like the fact that this issue showed that war is not pretty. People do get hurt. We first saw something similar in the Shard Of Darkness storyline. I believe Tri-Klops drew blood on He-Man. I was surprised to see that. If anything, it shows just how vile these enemies can be, and just how important the Masters are to the people of Eternia.

I say all this, but I do not have a kid of my own yet. Maybe when I start raising a child, my thoughts will change.

Overall, great issue. Best one yet.

[TED675]

Without a doubt... THE BEST Icons of evil yet. Te opening line... "Your Injury goes deeper than the Bone" AWESOME!!!

[theotherguy]

Originally posted by Razzbel
I hate my comic book shop. He claims that it wasn't released this week and that it was delayed a week. I think he's been delayed a week. I just had to vent.

YOu know my comic shop didnt seem to get the Trapjaw IOE in either. SHe is usually VERY good about keeping stuff back for me, and I know Ive told her proably five times how bad I want trapjaw. BUt it wasnt there yesterday. Im thinking maybe it was delayed. Its not that big of a deal, since I picked one up in another shop the day before, but its the principle of it. Im sure glad I DID get that one in Nashville, otherwise I would have been irate.

I am just waiting now to see if she gets it in next week...

[Penny Dreadful]

I thought this story was pretty darned cool, actually. I imagine because Trapjaw's origin is far too gruesome to ever show up in the cartoon, Mattel allowed more leeway in terms of the story here. The art was nice too. I REALLY enjoyed seeing Kronis reject Skelly's new identity early on (calling him "Skeletor" with the quotes around the name was a great touch.) I also love the irony. In becoming Trap-Jaw, Kronis has also taken on a deformed new identity, much as Keldor had done. I'm sure the irony isn't lost on ol' Skelly (who really showed what an evil psycho "basstid" he can be in this story).

Pennypunk

[Joxer55]

my complaint is the same as someone elses on here i give props to whats been done so far beastman was all around good i loved that guy in merman (cant remember his name) that fought merman and destroyed his kingdom and the trapjaw fight was cool but these stories dont do what promised. Their too short. Id love to see although its prolly not fiscally possible a mini series instead of one shots it would give more info and allow more to be done. i like the stories for what they are but they leave a bad taste in my mouth after im done cuz it barely sates my appetite (spelling?) for more. Val dont think im saying these are bad cuz they arent just that id be nice to see more depth to these characters than what seems like a rushed effort to develop some backstory

[Canada-Man]

I'm gonna have to go pick it up tomorrow.

[Skeletorfan]

Maybe it is just me- the animation was great except for Skeletor- I didnt like his portrayal...the rest was fine except his In my opinion.