Well, here's issue 20, the first Scrolls of 1998! There's a lot of stuffthis month, including what's probably the best file attachment -ever- andthe return of Revamp!
If you'd like to unsubscribe, e-mail ctyner@cs.clemson.edu with Unsubscribe in the subject of your message.
Also, if you're a new subscriber and would like previous issues, take alook at http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/3624/archive.html for
back issues. This site may move sometime soon, depending on how things go
with GeoCities. Those pop-up banners are giving me a headache. :)
As always, I'm always interested in hearing from you. E-mail me atctyner@awod.com with your comments, suggestions, and content!
See you next month,
-Adam
[Space Ghost]
A lot of you have probably seen the less-than-kind words Space Ghost had tosay about He-Man on my web page. Well, wasn't I surprised to hear aSkeletor impression on Space Ghost: Coast To Coast?
On the episode
with Mike Judge (1/9/98), Mike and Zorak are fighting, andMike, in his best
Skeletor, says, "The Power Scepter is mine
now, Beast Man!"
After hearing this, I sent a letter to the He-Man mailing list, hopingsomeone recorded it. Although several people sent me copies (thanksguys!), the one attached with this letter was graciously recorded by ScottWhite. Thanks Scott, and I hope you all enjoy it!
Aside
from "Space Ghost", the unreleased (well, at
least in the U.S.) Tytusand Megator were mentioned in the international section
of Tomart's ActionFigure Digest #48. There's a picture of the 2 figures,
as well as a coupleof regular figures to show the vast difference in size.
I've always been interested in seeing the figures people have customized.I'm strongly considering running a contest soon! Let me know if you thinkthis is a good idea. :) Anyway, here's a letter fromandymunteanu@hotmail.com with some ideas for you prospective customizers:
"I've got some cool ideas how could Karg, Batros, and Queen Marlena bemade. For example Karg: A Mer-Man or Grizzlor figure, if Grizzlor, hisupper half of the "fur" to
be painted in white, erase the horde sign of hisboots, give him a complete
black Jitsu armor, and paint the rest of hisclothes. Most important, cut
his palm off and put a hook instead of it.If the figure would be Mer-Man,
everything, would be the same. Well,almost... you'd need to stick something
on his head... To make a QueenMarlena toy, it would be easier than to make
Stinkor figure was. Just takea Teela figure and give it the dress. Easy,
eh?"
If you customize any figures, *please* e-mail me some pictures! :)Anything I receive will be sent along with future newsletters.
Preternia- At the dawn of time on the planet Preternia there existed apowerful being who was the manifestation of chaos. Chaos was the power inthis savage world of fantastic beasts, a turbulent landscape andtreacherous atmosphere. The being reviled in the disorder andunpredictability of his world. When he entered the physical realm toexperience it more fully, Megator was born. Slowly sentient being began torise up for the prehistoric world, and the most powerful of the them wouldchallenge the Megator for his control. Megator, now susceptible to harm inhis physical form was slain, and his destroyers became vessels for hispower. The used it to halt entropy on their bodies and bring order tonature and beast. It was the sentient beings that they sought control overthough, and they would seek to obtain it. The age of Preternia ended andEternia had begun.
The Ancients- As the years past the new rulers became known as theAncients. They brought the people together into a society and value wasplaced on keeping order at all cost. The Ancients bent the peoplesperceptions to suit there goals. Free will and thought slowly eroded overtime. Those who rebelled were plucked from society in an attempt todomesticate the people. The order succeeded, while the causes oftechnology and magic were advanced by the Ancients. Countless generationslived mindless under the order of the Ancients until the arrival of a otherworldly prophet.
Zodac and the Fall of Tri-Klops - The Cosmic Being known as Zodac appearedto the Ancients in their court and told them the influence of Megator wasnot dead. In actuality, two Chaos beings were present and working throughtwo men both with the potential to topple the Ancients rule. Zodac's powerwas recognized as legitimate. They then realized that they had beenbetrayed by one of there own, the Ancient Tri-Klops. He was the watchguard of the Ancients whose three sights saw though space/matter, the mind,and time had not warned them of the coming conflict. Tri-Klops wasstripped of sight and powers, except eternal life, and exiled into thecruel world outside the Ancients society. Next the remaining Ancientsbegan work to preserve their power.
The Snake Men- The masses who did not summit to the Ancients rule insociety became slaves and trench workers known as the Snake Men, twisted inform and set apart from the others. Megator found new life in a deceitfulSnake Man named Hiss. Hiss had planned to incite revolt and use it tobecome the new ruler of Eternia, betraying his people once he had no longeruse for them. Megator's spirit thrived in him and the revolt sparked agreat war between the Snake Men and the Ancient's society. Wishing not tosuccumb to the same fate Megator once did when he was slain they put theirplan to action.
The Departure of the Ancients -Tytus was a pawn of the Ancients given powerto protect their order when they left our realm. The power, knowledge, andlife essences of the Ancients left our dimension, locked away until theconflict was ended and their cause was victorious. The Sorceress and herdescendants were entrusted to guard the vault andits key as well prepare the way for the return. The subjects of theAncients were no longer under complete control and found a new state ofmind, freedom. Many were frightened of their new freedom and sided withTytus in war against the Snake Men. Others simply went mad, killing anddestroying anything or anyone. For the first time they were not shelteredfrom the world around them or themselves. Chaos had broken free once again.
Chaos Returns -With the chaos of the Great War as his fuel, Megator wasborn again into Eternia. He brought with him the Chaos beasts who joinedthe war to destroy all traces of order. The second half of Zodac'sprediction was about to reach fruition. A being of great light and hopeappeared to a young wizard who had been searching for meaning after hisworld went astray. The wizard was He-Ro and his name would come to meanone of valor and nobility for the deeds he would perform. The being wasthe Warrior Goddess, and although she was of chaos she opposed both theAncients and Megator . She believed that man was noble and good at hiscore trapped in the body of an animal and its instincts. The Goddesswanted man to choose good, not to be forced orfrightened into it. Megator and his chaos beasts symbolized that man was asavage imprisoned by the Ancients society and the Goddess's notions of goodand evil. He-Ro lead a small band to try to end the war and banish bothTytus and Megator.
Eldor's Book- Eldor was a scholar that traveled with He-Ro. He carriedwith him a book in which he recorded the wisdom and history of his planetfor future generations. He hoped that the future could learn from themistakes of the past. The book of Eldor was intended to help man alwaysmove forward. His life was changed while experimenting with the livingspells, he evoked Zodac. The cosmic being told Eldor that his book wasuseless. Zodac knew that while a man could learn, the human race neverwould. Each generation would have to discover the truths for themselvesand therefore the cycle would repeat it self over and over, never toadvance. Distraught, Eldor sealed himself and his book in a mystic toweroutside the timestream were he could observe whether his philosophy orZodiac's was true.
The End of the Great War- The turning point of the war was when Tytus hadencountered the Warrior Goddess. Tytus had managed to convince the Goddessthat their agendas were the same and their two sides should unite againstMegator. The Goddess was lead to believe that order was the only way thatgood could be achieved. Together they captured all but one of the chaosbeasts and imprisoned them in the dungeons ofGrayskull. Afterwards, Tytus thought that he would need no help from theGoddess to regain control of the people and betrayed her. She was confinedto a crystal cell on the far reaches of the planet. Outraged He-Rolaunched an attach on Grayskull. Tytus called his armies to guard him andthe Snake Men followed to try to gain an upper hand. Eternia's most gruesome battle ensued as thousands fought the final battlearound the stronghold. Then from deep within the ground the most powerfulweapon Eternia has ever known was ignited. The explosion killed alloutside the castles and created enormous tracts of dead land. Falloutkilled even more and created violent weather patterns. Megator and Tytuswere both vanquished. Traces of the a world that once was were buriedalong the countless dead.
A New Age- There were survivors. From the survivors a new world grew upfrom the shards of the old one. Many groups still craved order so theyappointed the most powerful among them to rule as kings. They chose toforget what was and their children grew up with no knowledge of the past.Grayskull also survived. And the Sorceress inside would begin a plot thatwould not bear it's fruit until hundreds of years later.
[More He-Man Ideas]
The letters keep coming in about how He-Man should be redone. Here's aletter from Contagon@aol.com:
My own feelings on the revamp of Masters of the Universe are to combine thecomic book origins, and the television show, but to definitely keep itserious. Also, I think that it would be better to keep the tone of it onthe fantasy side, and less on the science side. The original stories, andI mean ORIGINAL, as in the first comic books to come with the toys, wasless mechanical and technological, and more magic and mysticism.
He-Man, or rather Adam, was given to a jungle tribe to be raised afterHordak attempted to kidnap him and Adora. (This helps tie in the Princessof Power storyline, which would be introduced after the MOTU storyline isconcrete.) When Zoar the falcon comes to the jungle, it is sign that Adammust start the journey to Grayskull and to his destiny. On the way, he saves Teela from Beast Man and Mer-man, who are much moreferal and serious than in the cartoon. She decides to travel with him toGrayskull, which is a mysterious castle that has existed for centuries. Noone knows what Grayskull stands for, or where it came from, but many arescared of it, and think it is the cause of all the horrible things thathave begun to occur. Actually, it is Skeletor, who, after many years inseclusion after being abandoned by Hordak, has begun a reign of terror.
During the journey, Adam has a dream, and secretly meets the Sorceress, whocan leave Grayskull in both human and falcon form, who bestows the sword tohim.
Battle Cat is just that-- he cannot change into Cringer, and appears whenAdam becomes He-Man. He isn't magical though, he just follows Adam aroundand waits for the transformation to appear. He can't talk, either.
Evil-Lyn was created by Skeletor because he desires Teela for his wife, andwhen he cannot have her, he makes Evil-Lyn in Teela's image. But Evil-Lynhas her own agenda, and Skeletor cannot control her the way he hadoriginally planned.
Adam is still a prince, but finds it hard to adjust to life in the palaceafter he is introduced to his birth mother and father. He loves them, butyearns for life in the jungle where he was raised.
Man-At-Arms is a scientist that raised Teela from birth. He accompaniesAdam and Teela when they go the Eternia Palace.
Most of the costumes I've actually drawn for the characters. They aren'tthat far from the originals. I'm hoping to get them on the web soon, andmaybe even a few stories, too.
Just wanted to say great newsletter and keep up the good work....A couplethings
for all your newsletter subscribers-for all those people who want torevamp
He-Man and change his look this and change Skeletor's look or makeMan-at
Arms this and that, let me remind you what made He-Man and She-Ragreat,
it wasn't the great plots or historical context, but the simplethings.
The hero saving the person or persons in distress, the fight ofgood versus
evil, and the fact that despite the presence of evil, goodpeople were
there to help the weak. Now this may sound sappy or sentimental(hell
it does to me) but it's true. Am I saying He-Man was perfect? Ofcourse
not ! The new He-Man series should have more imaginable plots, makeSkeletor
more powerful and dangerous along the lines of Darth Vader (thoughhe
should keep the sense of humor), and have He-Man visit undiscoveredareas
of Eternia or teaming up with She-Ra. Snake Mountain should be mademore
intimidating (how many times did He-Man or She-Ra just charge intoSnake
Mountain? ) and Skeletor should have some type of army, like imperialtroops
of some sort. But most important, Skeletor should be made much morepowerful,
though obviously not as strong as He-Man. Other than that, theyshould
not change the series one bit. Maybe a few changes in clothes andappearances,
but that's it and let me tell youwhy. Who of all the He-Man fans watched
Thunderpunch He-Man or He-Man 2000? No one. You know why? They were crap
and the changes I read offnewsletter 19 are heading in that direction.
No offense to anybody, I thinkit’s great that people like you share a
great interest for He-Man. But thechanges most are proposing will turn
He-Man into some X-men/PowerRangers/Star Wars cartoon. The best He-Man
episode in myopinion was the Secret of the Sword and the best of the
rest were when heand Skeletor did battle one-on-one and fought almost
evenly. No specialplots or graphics, just entertaining dialogue and a
good plot. ChangingBeast-Man and Mer-Man or Evil-Lyn or Teela is not
going to do $hit. Thewhole point of Masters of the Universe was always
He-Man and Skeletor andthen later She-Ra. Characters define the cartoon.
On another note, I thinkthey should make the entire Masters of the Universe
cast more powerful soif Eternia would happen to fight earth, Eternia
would win. that makes thecartoon more interesting because people will
view Skeletor as this darkunstoppable villain who onlyHe-Man and She-Ra
can stop. He should have a powerful army and a deadlyarsenal of resources.
The best suggestion I read from the last newsletterwas the introduction
of people conquered by Skeletor who have to obey him.We got a taste of
this in that one episode when the dark moon was fightingthe bright moon
and Skeletor was trying toprovoke a war. Skeletor should be made more
of a dictator/sorcerer kindalike Hordak was.....On the last note, I just
wanna add that remember whatmade the Masters of the Universe great and
think of what all this new junkwould do to it.
[MOTU Trivia]
Here's another set of trivia questions from Scott White:
(1)
On what planet does Prince Adam's sister live?
(2)
What wizard had a crush on Teela and kidnapped her to try to make herhis
woman?
(3)
Name two episodes that Cringer performed an act of bravery in.
(4)
Orko has another robe which he sleeps in. What color is it?
(5)
Name the only two part He-Man episode ever made.
(6)
Name the Evil Sorceress from the two part He-Man episode.
(7)
What was Skeletor's cat's name?
(8)
Name the cosmic enforcer who travels the galaxy.
(9)
What forest is Castle Grayskull located near?
(10) In what episode did Queen Marlena hint that she knew Prince Adam'ssecret of being He-Man?
As usual, the answers will be printed next month. This isn't a contest, soplease don't e-mail me your answers. :) Anyway, here are the answers tolast month's questions:
(1)
Q: What color is Evil-Lyn's hair?
A: White
(2)
Q: Who is Teela's mother?
A: The Sorceress of Grayskull
(3)
Q: What planet did Queen Marlena come from?
A: Earth
(4)
Q: Who does Orko have a crush on?
A: Dree Elle
(5)
Q: What is Orko's home world called?
A: Trolla
(6)
Q: What planet did Roboto come from?
A: Robotica
(7)
Q: Who is the oldest tree on Eternia?
A: Sky Tree
(8)
Q: What color is the Sorceress' hair?
A: Red
(9)
Q: Skeletor used to be the pupil of what evil villain?
A: Hordak
(10) Q: What gives the Bird People of Avion their powers?
A: The Egg of Avion
[Merging Old And New]
Matthew "Faker" Martin
(mlmartin@coe.edu) is always sending very informative articles to the He-Man mailing list, which I'll occassionallyput in the newsletter. Here is the first of two messages he posted, andthe second will appear next issue.
Here's another article/fanfic in my continuing quest to fix andunify MotU continuity. This one deals with what may the biggest gap of all--the big difference in the early Mattel mythos regarding the Sorceress/Goddess, Castle Grayskull, and the Sword(s) of Power.
This is quite long, so it's split into two parts--the main narration whichattempts to fill in the gaps, and the appendices addressing specificproblem points.
In the wake of the Horde War, the Sorceress found herself faced with a problem. Grayskull was, for once, vulnerable; the wounds inflictedon Eternia had done much harm to the fortress's power and to her ownabilities. In addition, while the Sword of Protection posed no threat toEternia--not until some link was found with the other dimension that theAncients had bound its power to--the Sword of Power, which was in many waysthe mightier of the two, remained a potent artifact for good or for evil.
The Ancients had promised a Hero, one who would wield the Sword and defendGrayskull and Eternia, but that Hero might also be a long time in coming.If some sorcerer were to attack Eternia before then, the castle might verywell be breached and the Sword of Power taken. That fear was underscoredon a dark night two years later, when Zanthor stole the Golden Disks ofKnowledge from Castle Grayskull.
In the wake of that tragedy, the Sorceress realized what she had to do.The spell she had to weave took days to cast, but in the end, it succeeded.
To protect Eternia, the Sword of Power was split, sundered dowm themiddle. While each half was potent, neither possessed even half of theoriginal weapon's might--and more important, neither half could be used toenter Castle Grayskull or tap the citadel's power.
That was the easy part. The second part of the spell was the hardest thing the Sorceress had done since giving her daughter up to herold friend Duncan. At that sunset, fourteen years before He-Man's name waseven whispered among the folk of Eternia, Castle Grayskull, home ofEternia's power, honor, wisdom, and magic, was sealed.
The Sorceress took a small portion of Grayskull's power with her, enablingher to live outside the castle. That power was placed in the Cavern ofPower just outside Eternos, although it was always restless there. Thefalcon side of the Sorceress's nature was also split off into Zoar thefalcon, giving the Sorceress a scout and herald. Taking up a suit of snakearmor she had found in Grayskull in order to protect herself, the Sorceressprepared to watch and wait.
Fourteen long years passed. Eternia gradually healed itself, the Hordeforgotten due to the Sorceress's magic. Grayskull was similarly forgotten,becoming a subject of legend, and those few who saw the Sorceress thoughtthat they were glimpsing a goddess. The Sorceress eventually adopted thatname as a psuedonym until her rightful place could be retaken.
Then, fourteen years later, the event that the Sorceress had long dreadedoccured. Skeletor, who had taken the title of the Lord of Destruction,returned to Eternia in pursuit of rulership and the power of Grayskull.
The Hero of Eternia was needed--and was found in the most unlikely place.Prince Adam, son of Randor and Marlena, was the chosen one. Exactly howthis was discerned has been lost to the mists of time, but in the end, Adambecame He-Man. However, the choice was not certain at first--Adam was arowdy, self-indulgent, hedonistic youth with a bloodthirsty streak. Thus,the 'Goddess' kept the power of the sword from him until the truth of thematter was made clear.
It bears noting that He-Man was much weaker now than he later became. Not only was Adam lacking experience, but He-Man's power was limited to the magic contained in the Cavern of Power. Additionally, the only way Adam could become He-Man was by entering the Cavern, somethingthat could be a great weakness. While the Power Vest was able to boostHe-Man's strength anddefenses through its use of the Widget's magicminerals, He-Man remained little match for Skeletor.
The opening battles of the war for Eternia have been chronicled elsewhere (the first two years of mini-comics, and the DC comics--they workbest if placed in that order). At the end, all seemed lost as Skeletorreunified the Power Sword, but Zoar and He-Man worked together to subduethe evil one. While Skeletor and Beast-Man eventually escaped from theSorceress's prison, the encounter was still counted a victory. Grayskullwas reopened, Zoar and the Goddess were reunified, and the Sorceress tookher throne again. The Power Sword remained one, and the Sorceress hadfinally found someone worthy of wielding it--Prince Adam, He-Man.
From here, of course, the stage is set for a reasonably smooth transition into the cartoon series.
[Classifieds]
I don't take responsibility for any claims made in this section. If you'dlike to place an ad (for free, of course), e-mail me a *short* ad (3 linesmax).
- I am looking for a Moss Man action figure in any condition. Pleasecontact Justin at stinsully@aol.com
- I'm looking for loose but in good shape figures(hopefully complete). Sorceress, Rotar, Twistoid, Saurod, and Blade. I have a Landshark andRoton vehicle for trade or sell. E-mail me at mjnavarro@juno.com
-
Looking for any loose figures & a
mostly complete Eternia - e-mailFractalCFS@aol.com
- Want to get a Beast Man, loose, accessories not required. E-mailbenandjoann@wwd.net
- Lots of He-Man figures in good condition - want to trade (trades ONLY)for Transformers. E-mail rinkevr@epix.net
