With
the cartoon coming to an end, and what seems to be the end
of the toy line outside of exclusives that we all hope will
happen, the new Masters of the Universe comic
has also come to a close.
Everyone at MVCreations is extremely grateful
to have been involved, and they thank you all for your support.
You can now order the last few issues and exclusives from
Graham Crackers comics. Please
click here to find out more info on:
Masters of the Universe Volume 3, Issue 7 - Regular cover
Masters of the Universe Volume 3, Issue 7 - He-Man.org cover
Masters of the Universe Volume 3, Issue 8 - Regular cover
Masters of the Universe Volume 3, Issue 8 - He-Man.org cover
Masters of the Universe Volume 3, Issue 8 - Graham Crackers
cover
We
now turn our focus to the upcoming 6" statue series from
the Four Horsemen that will feature a number
of fan favorite characters that never made it into action-figure
form.
Please see the November 22nd press release for more info!
More
auction goodness - Four Horsemen donations.
The Four Horsemen have donated a number of bronzed 2-up Micro-Busts
that had been sitting in storage at their studio for some
time.
These one-of-a-kind test castings are pretty slick! We hope
you might check them out.
These auctions feature most of the remaining studio items
of MVCreations
and personal possessions of Val Staples.
There are some super rare items in this auction, some of which
you'll never see again once the bidding is done. Additional items are still to come (like Snake Teelas
and more)
The auctions are to raise money for MVCreations who have found
themselves in irreversible debt brought on from the bankruptcy
of CrossGen Comics. MVCreations has been
responsible for the new Masters of the Universe
comic, developing and maintaining He-Man.org
and operating the He-Store which offered
an inexpensive alternative to finding some of the MOTU merchandise
fans were looking for.
MV's primarily goal is to pay off all creators who have worked
with MVCreations to produce the Masters of the Universe comic
book and more.
Their ultimate hope is to avoid bankruptcy.
You can read more about it in the November 22nd press release
here on the main page.
Please
click here to view more rare collectibles in this huge auction
item by item!
All items started with extremely low opening bids... a 1.00
to be exact!
We
thank you for your interest in these auctions, and appreciate
all bids placed!
Thank you again for your support! We here at MV are extremely
grateful for all you have done to help.
December
9
Thanks to everyone who ordered from the He-Store before
its closing, we raised a little over 15,000.00 in store
purchases and donations.
We'll have a more accurate count when the smoke has
cleared and we know exactly how much of the purchases
went to shipping costs for store orders. We should have
that up around the holidays after we get the studio
closed and everything moved/shipped out which has been
hectic.
This money has already been received by a number of
hard working creators. And more will be on the way once
the next bi-weekly store deposit has been made.
Thank
you to everyone who has given their hard earned money
to us in the way of a donation or a He-Store
purchase.
And thank you to all the online sites who have run our
press release and asked for donations and store purchases.
Thanks
to Nathan Baertch (Baena on the forums
and one of the cover artists on the MOTU comic) who
helped to create the graphic to the right to help track
the progress of fan donations and store purchases.
Thank
you to everyone who has helped out.
We are extremely thankful of the funds you have all
helped us to raise to pay towards the creator debt CrossGen
comics left us.
- Val Staples
November
24
Finnkino
(Finnish movie company) is going to release the new Masters
of the Universe cartoon series (or at least some
of it) on DVD. The first three discs are coming for sale in
early December. Each DVD is composed of 3 episodes. DVD #1: He-Man 1 - Alku
Alku - Osa I (The Beginning, part 1)
Alku - Osa II (The Beginning, part 2)
Alku - Osa III (The Beginning, part 3) DVD #2: He-Man 2 - Adamin Rohkeus
Adamin Rohkeus (The Courage of Adam)
Ilmasota (Sky War)
Hirviö Syvyyksistä (The Deep End) DVD #3: He-Man 3 - Oppitunnit
Oppitunnit (Lessons)
Seireenin Laulu (Siren´s Song)
Veriside (The Ties That Bind)
No word if it will contain English audio tracks. Click
here for details (If you read Finnish, that is)
Thanks to He-Fans Scarra Twisti and Jukka Issakainen for that
info!
We've
got two bits of news for you today.
The first is great. The Four Horsemen have something fantastic
coming for fans.
The second is not so great. MVCreations is in desperate need
of your help.
First,
the good news directly from the Four
Horsemen:
The
Four Horsemen and NECA officially announce plans for a 6-inch
scale cold-cast Masters of the Universe figure line
The MotU legions have spoken and, as we've always tried our
best to do in the past, we've listened to you and here's our
response:
"You wanted 'em - you've got 'em."
Whether the Masters of the Universe action figure line is
actually dead or not, for months now MotU fans have been without
any new figures to finish out their collections. Being fans
of MotU ourselves, we know exactly what you're all going through.
We've heard your cries of anguish and we now heed your call.
Four Horsemen Studios and NECA would like to officially and
proudly announce their upcoming line of collectable 6-inch
scale cold-cast figures!
Masters of the Universe fans have been suggesting this solution
to their current dilemma time and again through letters, posts
on message-boards and e-mails, and we think it's a fantastic
idea.
The 6-inch scale cold-cast figures will be fully painted,
non-articulated micro-statues that will come with all of their
originally intended accessories, and a base - the color of
which will designate the faction of that character (purple
for Skeletor's minions, red for Hordak's horde, green for
King Hsss's troops, etc., etc.).
We're going to attempt to use some sort of clam-shell or blister-card/box
type of packaging so those wishing to display them alongside
their unopened MotU action figures will be able to do so.
Here's the deal. You won't be seeing tons of strange variants
of the two main characters. You won't be seeing day-glow orange
& fluorescent green versions of your favorite characters
unless they were originally intended to have those colors.
You won't be seeing sculptures in which what is supposed to
be a ten-foot tall monstrosity is somehow towered-over by
a six-foot tall hero.
What you will see, in at least the first two waves, are characters
that you've been waiting to see since the new Masters of the
Universe action figure line launched back in 2001. All with
paint schemes and accessories that you want to see, and in
scales that are proportionate to each character!
The first wave of 6-inch scale cold-cast figures will consist
of only two characters in order to get the first wave out
quickly. Our plan is to then have three figures in each consecutive
wave thereafter. We already have the first two cold-cast figures
finished and are now working on the second wave.
We¹re not going to reveal who the characters in the first
two waves are just yet, but we will tell you that none of
those five characters have been seen in 6-inch figure form
since waaaay back in the eighties!
News identifying the characters, images and the release of
this first wave is going to come fast and furious, so get
ready. We expect to release the names and images of most of
the first two waves near the beginning of the year, with the
first wave of MotU 6-inch scale cold-cast figures to ship
very soon thereafter.
We know what you¹re probably thinking, "Great, a
fully painted, 6-inch scale, cold-cast MotU figure line, with
the bases? How much am I going to have to shell out for these?
50 or 75 bucks a pop?" Not even close.
Believe it or not, we¹re trying our darndest to get the
price at or below $20.00 each. We're still working out all
of the logistics, so depending on how the packaging/shipping
issues go, it could be slightly more than that, but rest assured
that we are trying. How is this possible? We have no idea,
but the guys over at NECA are crunching the numbers, and things
are looking good.
From the minds of MotU fans and onto the shelves of collectors
world-wide. None of this would be at all possible without
the support that all of you MotU fans have given us. Don't
give up all hope just yet. You never know what the future
may hold. And we're still listening.
And
now for the bad news, which directly affects the He-Stores chances
of ever offering these to fans at low prices.
This is coming directly from Val Staples, who runs MVCreations
and He-Man.org:
MVCreations
is facing bankruptcy
For
over two years we worked to give you all a comic we hoped
you would enjoy and a website with the resources you could
use to relive your memories, communicate with fellow fans,
and stay on top of MOTU developments.
We
care a great deal about Masters of the Universe, this website,
and all of the comic projects we worked on. We faced a lot
of challenges in giving you the story and the characters you
wanted to see. We had to fight to get news on the new brand
for almost three years (which is kind of sad that we had to
do that when you think about it). We weren't always happy,
but we still worked around the obstacles and kept moving forward.
But
a few things have happened that have essentially ruined our
little studio.
About a year and a half ago, we moved from Image Comics to
CrossGen Entertainment to publish our books. At the time,
it seemed like the smart move. CrossGen had proven to be on
the up-and-up, we had friends there who were very happy, and
they had a lot of programs in place to reach younger readers
which was something we always wanted to do. Of course, what
we didn't know is that they were sailing a ship that was taking
on water at an alarming rate. And none of us had any way of
knowing.
When
payments never came, we complained, fought and eventually
sued. And by the time the smoke cleared, CrossGen went bankrupt
right after defaulting on a settlement agreement we had reached.
This put their debt to us at almost 60,000.00. This was a
crushing blow that crippled our income and our ability to
publish comics.
Determined
to move forward, we did the smart and responsible thing. We
dropped all titles that were not performing well. We dropped
all plans to publish new titles that we either had in the
works or were in discussions to create. And we budgeted carefully
so we could continue to publish our two top comics: Masters
of the Universe and SpookShow International.
The
core MV studio made the switch to freelance graphic design,
as we knew those two comic titles couldn't make enough money
to pay for the people who worked in our offices or help to
pay back the debt CrossGen left us. Still, despite putting
the best foot forward and working hard to keep that income
coming, we had very little luck in finding work in today's
tough economy. For an entire year instead of whittling away
at the debt CrossGen left us, we found ourselves moving further
into debt just trying to stay alive. It felt like a row of
dominos had been started and we couldn't stop them.
We
were dealt another blow earlier in the year when the details
of MOTU character usage rights became clear. Despite our initial
discussions prior to getting the license and an understanding
of where we were going to go with the story and characters,
we suddenly faced not only not being able to bring back fan
favorite characters not yet seen, but also not being able
to even create new characters and places. Imagine telling
a story where you cannot travel to any new places on Eternia,
encounter any new characters important or merely background
filler. We ultimately had to scrap six issues worth of story
and almost two issues of art for the Volume 3 we wanted to
do. This pushed our creator debt even further into the ground
along along with our now growing studio debt.
Today,
we find ourselves facing a debt of a little over 140,000.00
Not a huge debt as far as most companies are concerned. But
for a little studio like ours, it's a monstrous amount of
money that we have no way of paying in any relatively short
amount of time.
During
the past few months, MV's operations have almost been completely
shut down. Everyone who worked in the studio except myself
has moved on to a new job or a new career path. Even the He-Store
depends on the time generously donated by fans like yourself
to help pack and ship product. I will be moving the studio
to a much smaller and more manageable location to help offset
expenses even further.
Myself and the artists across the world who work with me are
still engaged in as much work as we can find to help raise
money. But it's nearly impossible to achieve our original
goal of getting out of this mountain we were placed under.
I
hate asking anyone to help rescue us from what has happened.
But I have no other alternative than to turn to my friends
and fellow fans for your support. I don't know if raising
such a large amount of money is even possible. I'm hoping
maybe, with your help, we might be able to at least pay off
most or all of the creator portion of the debt (which is about
88,000.00). Then, I might be able to find a way to make payments
on the other debts I owe. Or, if I can find no other alternative,
file for personal bankruptcy without inconveniencing any of
the other hard working creators who helped MV along the way
to give you the comics we hoped you enjoyed. If anyone has
to go down with the ship, it should be me. But I don't want
to see the other people who contributed suffer.
We
never expected to get hit with these kinds of problems along
the way. And I apologize for groveling before you, begging
for your help. I know that many of you have your own debts
that need your attention and, even if you want to help, it's
very hard for you to do so.
But I hope that if you've enjoyed the comic and/or He-Man.org
these past few years you will consider helping us out by doing
one of three things: - Making a purchase at the He-Store. http://mvcreations.safeshopper.com/
While the He-store link is gone from the top of the main page,
it will still be active for a short while longer. After that,
the He-Store will close its doors. We hope it will return
to offer you the Four Horsemen 6" statues for a low cost.
But unless we tackle this debt, we will never be able to offer
the store again.
Please bear in mind if many of you graciously make a purchase,
it may take us longer than usual to send out the items simply
due to the magnitude of orders placed. Our apologies in advance
if this is the case.
We have also added items like the hardcover trades and original
Volume 3 promo poster for those interested. - Making a donation via PayPal.
If you are interested in making a PayPal donation, you can
do so by clicking on the link below.
- Making a check/money order/cashier's check donation
via mail.
If you are interested in making one of those types of donations,
you can do so by mailing your donation directly to the studio:
MVCreations
1316 Jefferson Street
Lynchburg, VA 24504
That address will be good through the end of December. After
that, we will have moved to a new location.
Once
again, my apologies for burdening you with this kind of request.
But this is my last option. I held out for as long as I could
so I wouldn't inconvenience anyone else. I've sold almost
everything I own and have slept in the studio floor without
a place to live for as long as I can remember just to offset
costs. But it hasn't been enough.
I
thank you all for reading this and considering a purchase/donation
to help out. We could have never done any of this without
all of you, and I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to
have done as much as I have with MOTU. I hope you all feel
MV worked to include you in everything we did with the comic
and He-Man.org. Thanks again.
November
15
Will
there be more toys? It's still hard to say.
But a Mattel
representative (verified by the Four
Horsemen) posted some info (before
the thread was purged) about the future of the new
MOTU line at Toy
Mania.com. Mattel is apparently still trying to find
a way to do the Collector's line while keeping it financially
viable for everyone involved.
Several exclusives are apparently in the work as well. We'll
post more info as it becomes available.
Originally
the statues from NECA
and the Four
Horsemen were each going to contain a different fragment
that all fit together to form a Castle Grayskull
door scene. But that was later changed due to casting complications
that would prevent the fragments from going together correctly.
Ever since, fans of the statues have wondered how and if the
door would be available.
Well, wonder no more. The Four Horsemen have
announced that the door will be contained in its completeness
with the upcoming Sorceress statue! Check
out the following thread for more info!
The
second
She-ra: Princess of Power DVD set is available in France.
It is composed of 6 DVDs containing a total of 24 episodes.
Unfortunately there is no English audio tracks; only French.
You can find out more info at Manga
Distribution.
Thanks to He-Fan Patrick Tara for that info!
October
18
The buzz about the He-Man movie is in full
swing. Countless websites are running articles about the possible
movie. This includes IMDB.com,
which is not an official site and fans upload much of the
information found there.
The newest rumors are about casting options for He-Man
and Skeletor. He-Man.org could easily post these rumors.
But when it comes to movies, things can go back and forth
for years before anything definite develops. So, we'll only
be posting confirmed news about the movie as it becomes available.
If you don't see it here, then it's just another Hollywood
rumor.
And while we enjoy the rumors as much as you (because sometimes
rumors turn into fact), we only want to stick to the facts
at hand. He-Man.org has spoken with Fox 2000
and Mattel
about the movie. Right now, the movie is still in the very
early stages and has not been green lit for production. But
that could change in the next few months, and we'll definitely
keep you informed!
We've
been told that John Woo has a lot of confidence
in Adam Rifkin, who's been picked to adapt
the screen play.
Like many fans, we are skeptical. But in all fairness, everyone
deserves the benefit of a doubt. And if the movie goes into
production, we can't wait to see what Adam
has in store!
October
4
Jon Woo to direct a He-Man movie?
It's the rumor that refuses to die, which is good. As reported
by Variety
and then on Super
Hero Hype:
Fox 2000 has set John Woo ("Paycheck") to direct
and produce He-Man, a live-action film based
on the characters in Mattel's
"Masters of the Universe" line
of action figures. Adam Rifkin will adapt
the screenplay.
What does this mean? Well, currently not much. The Adam Rifkin
info is new. He doesn't seem to fit the bill as a MOTU movie
writer given his past history of movie credits as a writer
found on Internet
Movie Database. That has us worried, if
this is all true.
We've been hearing variations on this rumor for a little over
three years now, online and in private.
All we can say is that:
We
hope it does happen!
It
better not a repeat of the 1987 movie!
Given
Mattel's track record with fans, we hope John Woo and Fox
contacts He-Man.org for consultation and conceptual design
work to insure they tap into what will make fans support
this film!
