Well, we're finally into the double digits! This is unquestionably my favorite
newsletter so far, and I hope all of you like it too. It'll be next to impossible
to top next month, but I'll worry about that later. :> Aside from being my
favorite, it's also the largest! I had to break this issue up into 2 parts
due to its size! The file attachment, for those of you that receive it, is
also the largest to date. Unfortunately though, the next chapter of RunJT@aol.com's
'Revamp' storyline isn't in this issue. :< He's told me that next issue's chapter
will be longer to make up for it, though, so that'll definitely be something
to look forward to.
For those of you that are getting this newsletter and have no idea why, chances are someone else signed you up. I've had a bit of a problem with people doing this lately. Send me an e-mail telling me you want to unsubscribe or go to http://www.he-man.org/ctyner/scrolls.html
Remember, if this newsletter is ever going to make it to the triple digits (yikes!), I'm going to need a steady stream of pictures, drawings, sounds, vid caps, fan fic...whatever you can think of! Please keep on sending them to me! My e-mail address is ctyner@awod.com, and thanks in advance!
Also, I'd appreciate it if you'd e-mail me and tell me what you think of the newsletter. Thanks!
[The New Mailing List!]
Thanks to Jason Moore (heman@hypenet.com), there's a real He-Man mailing list called 'Guardians of Greyskull'! The difference between the mailing list and the He-Fans list is that with the mailing list, fans can send to and receive e-mail from a ton of other fans! The mailing list is totally separate from the He-Fans list, but a lot of the He-Fans are on it (including myself).
Here are some more comments on the list from Jason Moore:
I can't wait for the response to this! I know a lot of people are looking for a forum like this. This will be an unmoderated mailing list for the most part, but if there are discussions that do not deal with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, I will be contacting those people and warning them to post only material related to He-Man. Please let me know what ya think, and post this info on your page. If you get reports of any problems, please let me know.
[He-Man FTP Site]
Here's another letter from Jason Moore, founder of the mailing list, about an FTP site for fans of the series.
My provider has given me some FTP space that I can use for the uploading of WAVs, GIFs, JPGs, AVIs, and the like for use with the He-Man mailing list.
Here is the one rule: You must FTP all images, movies or sounds to the following address: ftp.hypenet.com/incoming/
This directory is a write-only directory, meaning that all you can do is upload (no downloading) into this directory. My provider has had some problems with hackers and software-pirating through their FTP server and has been keeping a much tighter reign on FTP sites.
Once you have uploaded your files into the incoming dir, I will take them myself, scan for viruses, and then upload them into a public read-only [meaning you can only download, not upload] directory for everyone to download to their heart's content. This way, it makes it a little safer for everyone that's concerned with viruses. I will be paying close attention to the site so that I can re-upload the files to the public directory as soon as I can [which should never be more than 1 hour from when they were uploaded]. Now, I am asking one favor of all that plan to upload. Please do not flood the ftp site with a million files at once. I'm placing a 10MB limit for now on uploads and I may purchase some more space for the ftp site if everyone follows the rules.
To go to the public directory to download files, point your browser or ftp client to ftp.hypenet.com/pub/
I hope everyone follows the rules so we can keep this ftp site running for everyone.
Again, please do not upload any pirated software to this ftp site and remember, there is a total of 10MB for uploading. Don't over upload. :-)
Thanks a lot everyone, and have fun!!!
Please direct any questions to Jason regarding the FTP site at hemanftp@hypenet.com.
[Magazine Appearances!]
The Masters of the Universe are currently appearing outside the Internet...and
I'm not referring to Ram Man's brief cameo in 'Indian and the Cupboard'. :>
If you can find the October issue of "Tomart's Action Figure Digest", get
it now!!! There's a great pictorial of the majority of the figures. Definitely
worth the price of admission ($5.95)! I'm going to try and scan all the pictures
soon, although I'll probably burn out my scanner's bulb doing it. :>
[If anyone has this issue and has access to a flat-bed scanner, can you please get the Eternia pic for me? My scanner isn't very wide, so it'll be a pain to piece it together. Thanks!]
My He-Man page [http://www.he-man.org/ctyner/index.shtml]
and the He-Fans list are also mentioned in the November issue of "Internet Underground".
BTW, I low-balled the number of He-Fans. I checked recently, and the number
is closer to 435 than 250... Oh well! :>
[Customized Figures]
Have you ever taken a He-Man figure and customized it? Maybe you've altered a figure to make a character from the cartoon series that there wasn't a figure of, or you've changed one to make it look more like its cartoon counterpart?
I'm really interested in seeing any customizations or modifications you may have made. If you don't mind, I'd like to send some pictures of customized figures along with some upcoming newsletters.
If you have any customized figures, please e-mail me and tell me so we can work something out about getting some pictures scanned. Thanks!
[In The Works...On-Line Gaming!]
Jason Short (jcs@sdih.org) is setting up a MUX so He-Fans can role-play on-line. E-mail Jason if you're interested in helping work on it.
Doomhammer (tpage@CapAccess.org) is working with a few friends on setting up a Master of the Universe MUSH, which is similar to a MUD, but emphasizes role-playing.
[Getting In Touch With Mattel and Hallmark]
Here is the snail mail address for Hallmark Entertainment, the company that owns the rights to the cartoon, apparently (Note: last month the addresses for the wrong branches of Hallmark were sent out. Please don't send anything else to them.).
Mattel Toys, Inc.
333 Continental Blvd.
El Segundo, CA 90245-5012
310-252-2000
Consumer Information Line 1-800-524-TOYS
[He-Man/Todd Toys Connection?]
Here's a letter I got from Patric Lewandowski (patric@cloudnet.com) about an interesting rumor:
I heard a rumor that Todd McFarlane is considering making new He-Man toys based upon the originals. I've been doing my part by e-mailing him and bugging him. Just thought you might want to know this.
Todd Toys makes some really high quality toys, so if this is true, it'll definitely be something to look forward to!
[Video Moritorium]
Scott White (scottwhite@mindspring.com) sent me a rather depressing letter regarding the state of He-Man on video.
I just found out that the He-Man and She-Ra videos are in moritorium, which means they won't be released for 7 years. I'm not sure when that date was set for when they released the last batch of videos. This is terrible, but I won't give up hope.
[What is Snow.zip?]
Snow.zip is a WAV file from Scott White (scottwhite@mindspring.com)
from the beginning of "The Region of Ice". I've pkzipped it to conserve a
bit of bandwidth.
*Jaye's She-Ra Page: http://galaxy.neca.com/~phoenix/SheRa/ The first She-Ra page on the WWW! The sister page to mine, of course. :>
NOTE: There's a new URL.
*Erik Christianson's Page: http://www.ns.net/~kaceac/heman.htm Erik's page has a couple of original great original WAV files. He's moving his page to another server, and it'll be better than ever when it's posted! He also made the great MIDI on the He-Fans Archives.
*The He-Fans Archives: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/3624/archive.html This is where I keep all the back issues of the newsletter and the attachments that come with them! For Internet Explorer users, you can listen to Erik Christianson's He-Man MIDI file play in the background!
*Steve Levich's Page: http://www2.fwi.com/~grasshopper/table.html
There are too many features to list here... Pictures, sounds, games... A great site!!! Steve's page was rated 3 out of 4 stars from Excite! Way to go, Steve!
Busta Toons (jamric@globalnet.co.uk) is working on a fantastic page! His page is going to include a massive episode guide, text stories from the British annuals, pictures, and loads of other information! This is going to be a fantastic page when it's completed!
Eduardo Filardo Abaid (efilardo@mail.giga.com) has a great page that's in the works. He has lots of sounds, pictures, and videos that'll soon be available for everyone on the WWW to see!
Bony Fiend (bmchenry@eb.com) is working on a page with an episode guide, pictures, sound files, and other He-Man information.
David Karig (dkarig@clemson.edu)
is a big Skeletor fan that's working on a page devoted to him that should
be up one of these days... :>
[Reviews Needed!]
Busta Toons (jamric@globalnet.co.uk) needs some episodes reviewed for a web page he's working on. He'd really appreciate it if as many people as possible could send reviews so there'll be a bit of variety.
[Blackstar]
Here's some more information on the cartoon 'Blackstar', He-Man's predecessor, from L.E. Bryce (le31718@csun.edu).
First of all, "Blackstar" has never been aired on the Cartoon Network; they seem to have this thing against Filmation cartoons, as you well know by now. As his name might suggest, Blackstar was dark-haired and dark-eyed; in one interview that I read, Filmation president Lou Scheimer is actually quoted as saying that Blackstar was "He-man without the muscles." Blackstar rode a green dragon named Warlock, who was capable of incinerating many evil people in one breath; like Battlecat, Warlock was a useful pet to have around, although she never spoke. The series itself is set on an alien world in a distant, though unspecified future. Blackstar himself was formerly an astronaut who fell through a black hole into an alternate universe--though how he managed to accomplish this feat without being crushed to death or cooked by the tremendous amounts of X-ray radiation given off by black holes was a tiny logic problem never explained by the writers. In any case, as Bill McBee (He-Man FAQ, answer #19) puts it, Blackstar is rescued by a group of little trolls who live in a giant tree. He also encounters sorceresses, shape-shifters, ships that ride the clouds, floating cities, and, of course, dragons. You see, unlike Eternia, Sagar is a world where magic is as commonplace as water. Blackstar's nemesis is an evil warlord/sorcerer who dwells in a forbidding Ice Castle. The Overlord does not have a robotic arm, although he does possess the other half of the Starsword, wherein lies the conflict; one critic actually referred to this fellow as "a talking totem-pole," but then, he had some rather nasty things to say about "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" too,
so I really wouldn't pay much attention to him. It was a really exciting series...a
hidden jewel of the Eighties. At one point, nine of the original thirteen episodes
were released on video, but that was twelve years ago and today it's almost impossible
to find the tapes. But if by some lucky accident you should manage to stumble
across any of them, snap them up and WATCH them! You may never get another such
opportunity.
[The *Real* Sword of Power!]
James "Extendar" Wallen [WALLENJ@coral.indstate.edu] did something that I think is nothing short of incredible. He had his own Sword of Power made!
I'm so excited...I have to tell you this! I was in a sword and weapons shop in Gatlinburg, Tenn. a few months back, and I saw that they can custom make weapons. Well, needless to say, I asked if they could make a certain weapon for me... Flash-forward to yesterday...it arrived, and I am now the proud owner of an actual replica of the Sword of Power! I have it right beside me, and it's beautiful. Ironically, the sword isn't as heavy as I thought it would be. I want to get the Sword of Protection, but I think I will wait a while. I plan to hang them above the mantle above my fireplace.
[He-Man.com]
I found out recently that the domain name 'He-Man.com'
has been registered, although not by Mattel... It's by a company that sells
cigar humidors. Oh well...maybe there'll be an official He-Man page one of
these days. :>
What do all of you think of the original comics that came with
the toys? They were more illustrations for text, with painted pictures. The storyline
was a little different from the later "comic book style" comics, and of course
different from the things done with the cartoon. Any comments?
Last Month's Question
Last month's question asked what band would do a great cover of the He-Man theme song. [I chose They Might Be Giants, btw, which was the most popular response.]
Maybe seeing how He-Man was a gothic show to begin with, why not a heavy metal theme song by Metallica? And for She-Ra, something a little mellower like Boyz II Men?
I think that Phish could do a good job with the theme song. They can really get into the singing, and they'd end up making up a whole new He-Man story in the process.
[A Neat Story...]
Something amazing happened to me on October 27, and I thought I'd share it with all of you. First, though, I need to say a couple of things to set this up...
1) Aside from my He-Man pages, I also have pages for tons of other things,
including my favorite musical artist, "Weird Al" Yankovic.
2) On IRC and Usenet, I've been going by the nickname 'He-Man' for quite some time. I'm frequently posting to alt.music.weird-al and chatting with other fanatics on #weird-al...
Well, after a concert in Jacksonville, Al was giving out autographs. As he
was autographing my poster, I told him that I had a "Weird Al" web page. He said, "Really? What's your name?" I replied, "Adam
Tyner."
And this is the cool part...
He said, "Oh yeah, the He-Man guy!"
I felt like I was going to fall down and die right then. My idol, the person I've looked up to since 1983 (the year his first Album debuted), knew who I was.
That's the highlight of my life so far, and I'm still in shock... BTW, there
were witnesses! Alan "Beast Man" Caudel (XRDV32B@prodigy.com) was there with me, along with a few other people...
I'm guessing that Al heard of me through his drummer, who is a frequent poster to alt.music.weird-al and can be seen a lot on IRC...
Every once in a while I get a great letter about someone's fond memories of He-Man. Here's one from Ben Richard (gwildor@cwconnect.ca):
I've been a fan of He-Man since I was a kid. Well, who hasn't?
When I was a kid, I used to play Dungeons and Dragons, and I had just finished
watching the show when my uncle introduced me to this D&D game... Well, I created
a thief that liked to fiddle with gadgets, and I named this character Gwildor.
I still have the very character. Ask my friends...I've had the nick Gwildor ever
since I was a kid. You can even find me on IRC with the nick Gwildor.
Also, while I was packing for college, I was flipping through some old stuff. I found a sticker album, and being a kid, I collected many. Well, I found my old He-Man sticker album and have every sticker in it. I was so overjoyed to still have it... I'm still sorta upset at my parents for selling all my figures at a garage sale. Doesn't that sound familiar though? Most He-Man fans don't have their figures anymore... Oh well...
[The 'Laser' Figures]
Thanks to Dan Oliviera (S15544MM@umassd.edu), there are now pictures of 2 figures that were only released overseas on the World Wide Web.
"I apologize for the poor quality of the photos, but these are
the two which came out the best. I also copied the back and front of each package.
I don't know if this'll be of any use, but hopefully it'll be helpful."
To see Laser Power He-Man, point your web browser to http://www.he-man.org/ctyner/figures_laser.html
FS: Mint/Near Mint He-Man figures. Tons to choose from...all b/w $15 and $20.E-mail 106047.3065@compuserve.com for more info.
FS: jycpark@sprynet.com: Numerous figures (most are loose and missing accessories) and several vehicles. Prices are very reasonable and trades accepted.
FS: 106356.2114@compuserve.com: 27 He-Man Action figures, 2 tanks, Snake Mountain, the two cats, a bird, and some other stuff.
