She-Ra's
origin is told, along with a few twists. The Sorceress is troubled
by a nightmare of Hordak disappearing through a dimensional portal
with a kidnapped infant, as a helpless Man-At-Arms looks on in
despair. Frightened awake, the Sorceress is astonished by a vision
of a glowing sword, which beckons her to a long-unopened portal
within Castle Grayskull. Summoning He-Man, the Sorceress sends
Eternia’s champion through the portal, to find the child,
taken so long ago, with only the Sword of Power to guide him in
his quest. Meanwhile, in the Dark Forest, Princess Adora, astride
her talking steed Spirit, is fleeing from a horrid army of cat-like
goblins, lead by their ferocious feline commander, Catra. Taking
refuge within the Crystal Castle, Adora is subjected to threats
and insults from the cruel cat-woman, who vows to oust the princess,
and gain control over all Etheria, with the power of her evil
shield. Adora is rattled, but trusts in the power of her own magic
shield to keep her safe. When power blasts from Catra’s shield
threaten to shake the castle apart, Adora rushes to the roof,
and, invoking the power of a greater good through her shield,
suddenly is aware of what she must do to save the day. Unsheathing
a golden sword, Adora holds it high, and says the words that transform
her into She-Ra. Flying on her winged unicorn Swift Wind, the
mighty She-Ra looses a bolt of magic energies from her sword,
transforming the Dark Forest into a beautiful glen, and changing
Catra’s goblin lackeys back into gentle forest creatures.
Catra counterattacks, using her shield to create a wild tornado,
which envelops and holds She-Ra and Swift Wind, leaving Catra
free to plunder the Crystal Castle at her leisure. Just then,
who should drop in but He-Man, who falls through the Sorceress’
portal, right on top of Catra. Catra drops her shield, and She-Ra
is freed. As She-Ra swoops from the sky to attack Catra and her
"ally," her sword begins to glow strangely. He-Man’s
sword is affected, too, flying from his hand. The two swords cross
triumphantly in mid-air, in a burst of fiery magical energy. Catra,
overwhelmed by the obvious power of goodness, grabs her shield
and flees. He-Man and She-Ra are left alone to puzzle over what
just happened. The Sorceress emerges from a vision in the face
of She-Ra’s shield, and as she joyously embraces the perplexed
duo, explains about the long-ago kidnapping, and that this glad
reunion re-affirms that the power of good will always triumph.
She finishes by saying, "He-Man, meet your sister -- She-Ra!"
"Secret of the Sword" tells the tale much better, but
for many this was their first glimpse into the world of Etheria.
One of only two She-Ra minicomics to feature characters from the
Masters of The Universe line (Horde Troopers appear briefly in
"Where Hope Has Gone"), a link between the two lines
is quickly established, then just as quickly ignored. Oh well...
Note:
There are 2 different versions of this minicomic out there. The
cover of the standard edition depicts a drawing of She-Ra holding
her sword aloft, encircled by a spiral of magic energies. "The
Story of She-Ra" is written in yellow at her feet. The alternate
edition, which appeared as a special insert in the Spring 1985
issue of Barbie Magazine, accompanying a full-page Mattel ad for
the upcoming Princess of Power toyline, has a painted cover, with
a scene of She-Ra flying Swift Wind across the outline of an Etherian
Moon. An early edition "Princess of Power" logo appears
beneath them. The cover isn't the only change, though: Hordak
refers to himself as "Ruthless Leader of the Renegade Horde,"
where the standard edition has been changed to read the "Evil
Horde," as it should be. The back cover of the book, rather
than advertising the toyline, features an offer for a free Princess
of Power poster.
