Generally I have a section every month with a brief introduction to thisissue and the newsletter in general, but I've moved all of this informationinto the newsletter FAQ. If you have any questions or comments, feel freeto e-mail me at ctyner@awod.com. Thanks, and enjoy the newsletter!
[Where Are They Now?]
A lot of people have e-mailed me asking what different people involved withthe Masters of the Universe cartoon are doing now. Pamela King(KING@aiinc.com) sent me some info, straight from the source...LarryDiTillio...
"Paul Dini is still writing cartoons, he loves them dearly. these includeSuperman, Batman, Freakazoid, Tiny Toon Adventures, Ewoks and Droids. Hehas also won three Emmys, two for Tiny Toons, one for Batman. He was alsoa producer on Superman, Batman and Ewoks and Droids.
"Dini is one of those animated writers who is like a living cartoon, muchlike my pal Mark Evanier (who had nothing to do with He Man but he loves tohear his name in print).
"Lou Scheimer was always very nice to me. He was a good guy, a bit cheapbut that was understandable he never had zillion dollar budgets to workwith and he tried to do alot on what he did have. He was the voice of Orkoby the way... After Filmatiomn was bought by a French outfit who onlywanted it's vast cartoon library to make money with overseas, I don't knowwhat Lou did. I have heard rumors he was trying to start up a new cartooncompany but so far only rumors.
"I think I met John Erwin once at the big wrap party for He Man... I haveno idea what happened to him. Writers seldom get to hang out with voiceactors.
"Likewise I don't know what the heck happened to Hal. He might haveretired.???
"Art Nadel (Producer of He Man) who gave me my start in the cartoon bizdied some time back. Indeed Art gave many a toon writer his or her startand we all had a memorial for him at a Japanese restaurant (Art lovedJapanese food) that was very touching. Art had an eye for talented toonwriters and an open pocket for some uh talent-challenged individuals whocouldn't get jobs from anybody but Art. Art once read one of myoverly-ambitious He Man scripts and said to me "Larry, you're living in adream world"... I replied "Art, that's what you pay me for!"...
"Hope this helps....
"Larry D!"
[Laser Power Figures]
I've gotten a little more information on the elusive Laser Power figureswhich were previously thought to only have been released overseas.
Tom Rotter (METLAR@juno.com) says that the figures were also availablethrough a fan club promotion, and that this promotion might have takenplace before the release of the carded figures overseas.
Apparently this promotion wasn't the only way to get the figures in theUnited States. Christopher Kowalski (cdkowalski@webtv.net) e-mailed me,telling me that he ordered the 2 figures from a JCPenney Catalog Store inCrescent City, California.
[Unreleased Figures]
Mattel has been very tight-lipped about prototype figures and figures thatwere planned, but never released. Tom Rotter (METLAR@juno.com) sent me alist of some of these unreleased figures he found in a catalog.
* Cosmic Key (actual size, battery operated)
* Blade figure prototype (with a different face and upperbody)
* Gyrattacker vehicle (about the size of Battleram; can launch attackmodule or use it to launch Twistoid and Rotar)
* Eldor ("the heroic guardian of the Book of the Living Spells")* He-Ro ("the most powerful wizard in the universe! His power staffopens up to reveal his 'magic crystal'.")
* Gigantisaur (a huge brontosaurus; over 3.5 ft. long; swallowsfigures; rears up on his hind legs with the touch of a button; "It's aheroic dinosaur, battle station, and warrior in one!")
* Megator (a giant; 3x the size of a normal He-Man figure; has aspring-action kicking leg and ball and chain; ugly green giant troll monster)
* Tytus (same size as Megator; long, blonde hair; with Body Snatcher weaponwhich fits around other figures' heads and pulls them up; very well detailed)
*The Star Sisters (Starla, Jewelstar, Tallstar, and their bird, Glory)
[Cartoon Network Campaign]
Here's a letter I recently received from Zadoc Angell (angellaz@norwich.net) about a campaign to get He-Man and She-Ra back on the air.
"Do you want He-Man and She-Ra back on TV?
"Of course you do. And now you have a chance to speak up and let yourvoice be heard. Several mailing list members have decided to hold aletter-writing and e-mail-bombing campaign to Cartoon Network to convincethem to air He-Man and She-Ra. Here's how it works: we set a target date(in this case, June 6th), three days before then (June 3rd), each of ussends two written letters to Cartoon Network through the U.S. Post Office,then on June 6th we send three e-mails to Cartoon Network. With enoughHe-Fans (and She-Ra Fans) supporting, we can send a clear message toCartoon Network that we want He-Man and She-Ra back on the air. This willrequire everyone's effort (and this includes those three little letters:Y-O-U!). Here's what YOU can do to help the campaign and gets yourfavorite cartoon series back on the air:
"1) On Tuesday, June 3rd, 1997, send two written letters to the CartoonNetwork through the mail. Their address is:
Cartoon Network
P.O. Box 7555
Atlanta, GA 30357
"2) On Friday, June 6th, 1997, send one e-mail to each of Cartoon Network'son-line addresses. Here they are:
"If everyone participates, we could have quite an impact! I am in theprocess of building a He-Man website, which will have a "CampaignHeadquarters" section. When the page is ready, you'll be notified by theNewsletter. If you have any questions, please contact me at:angellaz@norwich.net. I would be happy to help you understand!"
[He-Man Toothbrush]
A while back I made a list of the most bizarre products to feature a He-Manlicense. Jeromy Crump (crumpj@crystal.k12.mo.us) e-mailed me the poem that the He-Man toothbrush set recites, and I thought I'd print it here...
My name is He-Man. I'm as strong as can be. I brush my teeth with regularity. Once in the morning and once at night, So my teeth will be healthy and bright. You will remember this saying if you rehearse and you will be like the Masters of the Universe.
[A Rumor Dispelled]
Jason Moore (jason@hypenet.com), the administrator of the He-Man mailing list, sent me some disappointing news on the rumor that Todd Toys wouldrelease some new He-Man figures.
"Hey everyone,
"I just returned last night from attending the Motor City Comic Con inDearborn MI, a wonderful comic book/toy/film convention.
"I was able to get ahold of Chet Jaques of McFarlane Toys at aprofessionals only party after the show and asked him about the rumorsof McFarlane Toys considering revamping the He-Man toy line.
"His exact (well almost :-) words were "No way." He basically asked methe question why would they want to pay a liscencing fee to create acharacter with a sword and yello hair when they can make their owncharacters.
"I can see his point, but it's still disappointing to hear. I'd love tosee the toy line re-released. I don't care if there were new revisionsto them or not.
"He did mention that their figure (I'm not sure whether it's beenreleased in stores yet) named ROTARR is a reject character from theoriginal He-Man toy line.
"Well, just thought I'd let everyone know that I heard it for certain."
[More Questions With Larry DiTillio]
Last issue, I included some interviews with people involved with He-Man. Irecently received some more questions and answers with Larry fromRBeiswenge@aol.com.
Q: Why was there only one two-parter in the He-Man series?
A: "When I first wrote HOUSE OF SHOKOTI, it was only one part. Then theycame to me and said, NO WAY we can do this show, it's too expensive, but welove it... However, they said, if you could make it into a two-parter,then we could afford it by amortizing the cost over two episodes. So Iwent back to the script, added a bunch of story material (in essence Iwrote a "first part' that led into my script, which was easier than tryingto just expand it) and that is why House of Shokoti is the only two-parter."
Q: What kind of boneheaded ideas did Mattel try to force upon Filmation atthe start of the series?
A: "Mattel had bonehead ideas, but they COULDN'T FORCE THEM ON US. You see this was one of the first times, a toy company had financed acartoon show (now it's almost an essential part of the industry) and LouScheimer (President of Filmation) made the deal with the express conditionthat while Mattel could "suggest" ideas, they had NO approval over story ORscript. So when Mattel came up with such notions, Lou would smile and say"read the contract"...
"Unhappily, no one has had the brains to make similar deals with toycompanies since.
"About the only nutty idea I remember is when Mattel brought us all in toshow us new toys which they wanted put into the show (they did thisfrequently). One of the toys was kind of a catapult device or vehicle thatshot large balls. Mattel was calling it '"The Ball Buster"... Lou scotchedthat one two seconds after it came out of the toy company exec's mouth.
"Lou would only use toys if he thought they fit with what the show alreadyhad done and was quite adamant in maintaining the show's integrity....
"It was just one of the things I loved about the man.
Q: What are you currently doing? Are you writing for any TV series now?
A: "Not yet. I am actively pursuing work for Xena, Buffy the VampireSlayer and TimeCop while awaiting news of a possible second season of BeastWars."
Q: Did you invent any of the characters that were seen in the He-man cartoons?
A: "WELL YES AND NO. Since He Man was what we call "toy-driven", everycharacter was usually a toy first. We did give them personalities, so youmight call that creating them. On the other hand, there were plenty of oneshot and minor characters in the show we DID create. Granamyr the Dragonwas my creation, for example.
"Also, J. Michael Straczynski wrote He-man episodes as well. He currentlywrites the scripts for Babylon 5. Now isn't that cool? Thanks!
"AND FOR THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF BABYLON 5, I was Story Editor and wroteseven scripts... Isn't that cool?"
I'm Captain of the Royal Guard. Now I plan and practice arms. I've got no time for games or dreams or a joking prince's charm. Still, every time when we need help, our planet's hero hears -- And every time when I search the sky, the falcon -- she appears.
Then it's flashing swords and it's flashing wings And it's lasers flashing power Then he'll flash a smile -- in a flash, they're gone -- With a glorious flashing hour.
My father is the best of men. I'm adopted; that's no shame. Still it's natural -- I want to know of my parents' past and name. But he understands, for he loves more than if I were his born child -- But I think I've dreamed of my mother's face and a falcon calling wild.
And a nowhere wind whips my hair like fire And I wear a feathered cloak. Then my fingers blow on the thermals' flow And I spiral up like smoke.
I know the sword and the flying car, the starship and the gun, And I've traveled worlds and I'm trusted well by the king, though I'm still young. And a prince's laugh doesn't lift my heart -- oh, no! -- nor a hero's smile -- * At least, not as much as a falcon dream and my own past can beguile.
But I command the Royal Guard, And I've got no time for games. I'll find the time and I'll find the truth Of these dreams of wings and flames.
Yes, I'll find the truth and I'll find, in time, Why the falcon calls my name....
* Methinks the lady doth protest too much.... Anyone remember the epwhere she said that if she could find the perfect guy, he'd be asbrave as He-Man and have a sense of humor like Adam's? ** I think itwas the one where Adam and Teela got captured at the Palace by someintergalactic gladiator-slaver, and in a spectacular display of sexism,Adam ended up being the one fighting in the arena? If I remember right,Adam ended up trying to 'just accidentally' slay the monsters; but Teelasaw through this and was impressed that Adam had actually been learningsomething from all that tutoring!
** Which shows a certain amount of bravery on her part, actually....
[Buying, Selling, Trading]
This is sort of the 'classifieds' section of the newsletter. If you areinterested in buying, selling, or trading He-Man or She-Ra items, e-mail meat ctyner@awod.com and I'll put a notice in this section for you.
DISCLAIMER: I'm not responsible for any claims people post.
FS: Lots of He-Man episodes for sale. $1.50 each with a 4 episode minimum. Send e-mail to King@aiinc.com for an episode list. BONUS: Buy at least 15 episodes and get a free copy of The Transformers: The Movie.
FS: Almost all of the figures and a few vehicles and the Slime Pit.E-mail Stephanie Fox-Gandee (gandees@mwr.kic.or.jp) for more info.
Multimedia fans, stay tuned, because Scott's working on a He-Manscreensaver for Windows users!!! :>
[Fan Fiction]
Here's the latest installment of 'Revamp', the fan fiction taking a look atwhat the series might've been like if RunJT@aol.com had his way... For more information on this series, take a look at back issues of the Scrollsof Greyskull (http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/3624/archive.html) or e-mail RunJT@aol.com.
The small boat drifted through the shallow waters of the inlet. With asingle oar a lanky, old man eased the flat bloat to dock. A single cloakedman was passenger on ship almost hidden in the thick ocean fog that wasrolling in. This dilapidated town of structures built on and in the waterserved as trading post, rest and entertainment for weary shipmen sailingthe coast. The strong odor or sea life and musty wood hung in the air.The cloaked figure made his way to a popular drinking hole along the docks. Once inside he removed the cloak to reveal a hideous skull atop a humanoidbody horribly disfigured. His visage alone was enough to clear theestablishment of it's patrons.
"Bring me to the master of this house." The drinks keeper refused. Thehumanoid drew a sword. "I have little patience for such things. Tell theformer warlord to stay in his back room dreaming of past glories. I'm surehe prefers gambling and racketeering to the heat of battle." As he turnedto leave he hesitated a moment. A rear door flew open. "Who are you!"gurgled a voice. A green, fish-like man stood in the door. His eyesbulged. His moist body covered in bumps was mostly concealed by old,rusted armor. His sword was covered with barnacles and clenched betweenhis webbed fingers. "I am Skeletor, and I come offering you a chance toreclaim your status as champion of Eternia."
He-Man, atop the high tower of Greyskull, looked out over the landscape ofthe wastelands of Eternia. Stratos was perched next to him. Thewastelands where void of all life. Deep crevasses were scattered acrossthe rocky and uneven ground. Greyskull stood atop one of the highestpoints of the wastes. The highlands that surrounded thewastes trapped a cloud of dust and dirt that keep the region in aperpetual, dismal light. Adam often wondered what force could have sent somuch debris into the air for so long. Perhaps it occurred in the finalbattle of the great war the Sorceress had told him happened in the wastes.The two were soon joined by Teela and the Sorceress. Teela was wearing astrange red snake armor and had a staff. TheSorceress explained this was worn by female warriors in the days of theAncients. The armor was light and flexible and the staff was a weapon ofoffense and defense. It was a gift to her for taking up a fight to protectGreyskull's power. Adam knew Man-At-Arms wanted Teela to have little to dowith the affairs of Greyskull. The old man himself keephis distance from the Sorceress as if he distrusted her or was frightened.He seemed to want He-Man to stop Skeletor from taking the power but did notAdam to possess it either.
Another watched in the distance. He observed the balance of power thatthis time occurred without his intervention. He is the balance, a forcethese minds cannot understand. His is a never ending mission that oncebrought this world to the brink of destruction and back...
[The Scrolls Of Greyskull: Issue 14 (FAQ)]
Q: What is this newsletter for, exactly? A: 'The Scrolls Of Greyskull' is for fans of He-Man and She-Ra. I try toput in as much information as I can every month.
Q: What's the difference between the text-only list and the attachments list? A: The only difference is that with the attachments list, you'll get apicture, sound file, or other interesting file along with your newsletter.
Q: I keep getting He-Man mail every day and I'd like to unsubscribe. A: Sorry, that's a totally different list.
Q: Wait, I thought this was the He-Man mailing list? A: Nope, there's a difference between this newsletter and the mailing list. To subscribe to the mailing list, e-mail heman-list-request@hypenet.comwith 'Subscribe' in the body. To unsubscribe, e-mailheman-list-request@hypenet.com with 'Unsubscribe' in the body.
Q: I don't want this newsletter. How did you get my address? A: Unfortunately, some people abuse the form on my web page and submitother people's addresses. I apologize that you had to get this newsletter,and e-mail me telling me that you want to unsubscribe. Please don't flameme; it's really not my fault.
Q: You put me on the wrong list. I want/don't want file attachments. A: Sorry if that happened. E-mail me and tell me that I messed up. :)Juno users are automatically put on the text-only list...unless Juno'schanged, it only supports messages 16K in size and under.
Q: Who are these people that sent you these articles? A: Most of them are Internet friends of mine who occassionally send meinteresting mail. Some of it I pull off of Usenet, and other articles Iget from web pages.
Q: How can I send in an article? A: All you have to do is e-mail me at ctyner@awod.com.
Q: I thought this newsletter came out every month. Why is it delayed so much?A: In short, it's because I'm a college student and can't devote as muchtime to the newsletter as I'd like. Sometimes there are other reasons. Ispend a lot of time in Arizona over the summer, so there generally aren'ttoo many newsletters over the summer months.
Q: Why do you keep spelling 'Grayskull' as 'Greyskull'? A: I have no idea. I've done it since Dec. 1995, and I see no reason tostop now. :)
I received this wonderful list of minicomics and brief descriptions of themfrom Keith McCleary (viceroy@vivanet.com), and I thought it was definitelyworthy of being printed in the newsletter.
KEITH'S LIST OF MOTU MINICOMICS:
"He-Man and the Insect People": He-Man, Mekaneck and Buzz-Off must rescueTeela from Beast-Man, who has taken control of the Insect People.Buzz-Off, Mekaneck.
"Rock People to the Rescue": Rokkon and Stonedar fly in to aid anamnesia-striken He-Man who cannot remember whose side he's on. Good art,dumb story. Rokkon, Stonedar.
"The Power of...Point Dread!": Skeletor captures Point Dread with the aidof the Crystal of the Caverns. Realistic art. Skeletor, Beast-Man.
"The Battle of Roboto": Skeletor and Two-Bad take the heart of Man-at-Arm'screation Roboto and attempt to make him an evil warrior. Two-Bad, Roboto.
"The King of the Snake Men": Skeletor releases King Hiss and his Snake-Men. Creepy art, good story. ALL Snake Men. Note: Tung-Lashor and Rattloradmit to working for Hordak in King Hiss' absence.
"Double-Edged Sword": He-Man & Co. save Eternia from giant man-eatingplants created by Skeletor. Kobra Khan.
"The Search for Keldor": I think you know this one already. Interestingbut badly-executed idea, good art. And yes, that is k-el-D-o-r; not B. TheSorceress, King Randor, Clamp Champ, Scare Glow, Ninjor, Faker series2. Note: spelled "Klamp Champ" in this book.
"The Treachery of Modulok!": a escaped prisoner of Skeletor named Modulokjoins forces with Hordak to seek vengeance on his jailer, but is thwartedby He-Man's Thunder Punch. Modulok, Thunder-Punch He-Man.
"Hordak-The Ruthless Leader's Revenge!": Skeletor and the Horde join forcesto tackle He-Man, but end up brawling with each other instead. Hordak.
"The Warrior Machine!": Hordak creates the powerful Dragstor, whichconvinces the powerless Extendar to submit to one of Hordak's experiments,which gives him his extension powers. Extendar, Dragstor.
"Enter...Buzz-Saw Hordak!": Hordak, Mosquitor and Dragstor attack Eternia'scentral tower so that Hordak can gain its secret knowledge and endGrayskull. Hordak enters the tower and comes out as Buzz-Saw Hordak. Goodstory and art. Mosuitor, Buzz-Saw Hordak. Note: Hordak mentions that hehelped build the towers of Eternia before being banished to Etheria. Theplot thickens...
"The Magic Stealer!" Skeletor creates a device that sucks the magic out ofEternia. Realistic art. He-Man, Man-at-Arms. Note: sorceress is simplycalled "the goddess", is dressed like a fully armored Teela, and sends Zoar(just a nice bird) with He-Man to fight Skeletor.
"The Cosmic Key": Cheap story involving movie characters and The EvilCloud, "the most dangerous force in the galaxy". Gwildor, Blade, Saurod.
"The Stench of Evil!": Stinkor creates general havoc and is stopped byMoss-Man. Moss-Man, Stinkor.
"Escape from the Slime Pit!": He-Man becomes a slime zombie to save theRock People from a similiar fate in Hordak's slime pit, and is saved byStonedar's magic Sun Rock. Great, gross art. The Slime Pit.
"He-Man vs. Skeletor in the Temple of Darkness!": Skeletor captures theSorceress and He-Man & Co. must fight their way through an ancient pyramidto save her, encountering whirlwinds, giant clocks and an enormous scarabalong the way. Webstor.
"The Ordeal of Man-E-Faces!": Skeletor turns an aspiring actor into athree-faced menace named Man-E-Faces. Interesting art. Man-E-Faces.Note:The Sorceress appears in Teela's armor, while Teela wears her long?blonde? hair down, and talks about her attraction to Man-E-Faces.
"The Hordes of Hordak": Hordak creates a machine that turns out millions ofHorde Troopers that Sy-Klone helps He-Man destroy. Great art. Horde Trooper.
"The Fastest Draw in the Universe!": He-Man and Orko meet up with Rio-Blastin the desert, and help him fight Kobra Kahn(who is especially evil in thisone) and Beast Man. Rio-Blast. Note: He-Man uses the MegaLaser.
"The Menace of Multi-Bot!": Modulok creates a robot version of himself thatis programmed to destroy He-Man---and ultimately Hordak. Disturbing story,for a He-Man comic. Multi-Bot.
"The Clash of Arms": Fisto is captured by Jitsu, Tri-Klops, Clawful andWebstor, and is forced to compete with Clawful, Jitsu and Whiplash in acontest before Skeletor. Fisto.
"Eye of the Storm": Skeletor creates a fiery storm to destroy Eternia justin time for Snout-Spout, who has been feeling inferior, to come in and savethe day. Snout-Spout.
"Mantenna and the Menace of the Evil Horde": The Horde arrive in aspaceship (?), and a typical battle ensues. Mantenna. Note: In thisall-around weird story, Orko can touch the Sword, Leech only speaks inrhyme, the Fright Zone is on Eternia and Mantenna appears in about twopanels of the whole thing.
"Spikor Strikes": While He-Man beats the heck out of Spikor, Sy-Klone mustnavigate through a series of traps to rescue Teela from Skeletor. Spikor,Sy-Klone. Note: In one panel, Sy-Klone is referred to as "Tornado".
"Leech-the Master of Power Suction Unleashed!": Mer-Man is used as bait forLeech, a power-sucking behemoth of Hordak's who is killing Eternia'ssealife. Leech.
"Slave City!": He-Man decides to aid Princess Rana of Targa (a NativeAmerican stereotype) by going off to find Prince Garn (same) and end theevil deeds of Lodar, the iron-clad leader of a species of purple monsterscalled the Kobolds who have been taking Eternians as slaves. He-Man iscaptured and awakes amnesia-stricken (again), but he eventually comesaround and saves the day. Orko.
[Net Guide]
Here's my attempt at a comprehensive list of He-Man and She-Ra related webpages. If there's something I'm leaving out, please e-mail me so I caninclude it in the next issue.
He-Man/She-Ra On The Internet
The Internet consists of much more than the World Wide Web, so I've decidedto replace the 'Web pages' section of the newsletter with a sectiondetailing the various ways of obtaining He-Man information and such overthe Internet.
