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SPOILERS for #17
Well we have certainly come along way since 1997 huh guys? IIRC that was when Adam or Matt first posted this image and we started to talk about Mini comic Power of Grayskull The legend begins?
So many years later and we have learned a lot about this abandoned, legendary "Pre-Eternia" saga! Seams like every couple years we learn a new shocking revelation that shifts everything we think we know...In recent years we have seen all the stages of Eldor's prototype and cardback. We learned the Snake-Men and Horde might have started as one and the same thing, perhaps a "dino-reptillian kingdom"? Especially exciting is that "the unnamed One" Whom King hiss served could be HORDAK?!?!?! 3:50 mark. Talk about a paradigm shift! But I'm jumping ahead. Lets go back to the beginning, a tribal boy named Gray who was lured into a cave...Keep in mind that's Gray, as in GRAYSKULL. Presumably that was was shortened for his bio, perhaps to add a sense of mystery or impending destiny? In a sense, this is the original King of Castle Grayskull, at least that was the implication. The physical pperance and role of the mentor (working name) Eldor, one can't help but see an Arthurian like character. A boy who would be the future King. What did he acomplish that day in the cave? Pulling a Sword from a stone? Or perhaps a staff from a Gem? So fun to speculate! Given what little we know about 1987 version of Keldor, one might assume he was to be the Mordred of this story. Consider that when reading recent issues of DC's comic...The potential of the original is amazing to me. It's a shame MVCreations didn't get that change to run with this and do something more in line with what was originally happened...Look at the nuts and bolts of what a writer has to work with:
Ancient wizards in The prehistoric setting, who built Grayskull before the Great Wars.
Ancient technology more powerful then modern stuff (Like Point Dread and the Talon Fighter)
Titanic giants and god like beasts including bionic dinosaurs.
The reptilian Snakemen invaders from other worlds. Possibly, considering Zillora, might they be returning to a world they left?
Possible origin of the Horde and it's ruthless leader. (Former Ancient/Wizard/Eldor and secret unnamed one whom Hiss served?)
The origins of the Sword of Power (Most likely AFTER Hordak was banished to Etheria where he originally came from...)
Keldor's secret origin...
Time Travel.
Gwildor presumably being an ancient/"wizard"
The coming of the sorceress to Eternia...
The exodus of Zodac, once leader of and last remaining member of The Council and who summoned The Sorceress.
The ancient Lords of Destruction entombed in the newly constructed Snake Mountain (thank you Golden Disks of knowledge...)
All this action centered around the gigantic Three Towers of Eternia!
Least we forget The Star Seed, the formation of Eternia it self at the center of the universe, The Energy Beast that ruled the world near the dawn of time and how the ancient ancestors freed Eternia, tamed the world, discovered all the secrets of the universe through sorcery and science and that built the Hall of Wisdom to store that knowledge thus creating utopia that the evil inhabitants of Eternia's counterpart planet (Infinita and/or Etheria?) Lusted for and infiltrated Eternian society.
Best of all, that isn't "My Canon" or anything I made up my self...That is all actual 1980's canon, with only a extremely small dose of assumption and a LOT of detective work. I didn't have to ignore anything to FORCE continuity. It's there if you are paying attention, imperfect and confusing it may be given the alternating terms for essentially the same things. There is a sense of epic adventures that no other version of ancient Eternia has come CLOSE to capturing that is implied in the original material. Though, perhaps that is the secret, that it's implied. The Clone Wars, Boba Fett and Mandalorians fueled the imagination where as the prequel trilogy fell flat just like these comics are doing now. Though even there the disappointment is born from Lucas ignoring his OWN story he had previously established. That's the problem with not knowing where you have been, you can't know where your going, and even if you do, you tend to take a few wrong paths along the way because you weren't paying attention.
Keep in mind we are talking about what? Handful of bios, six packaging art and five mini comics compared to a half hour of television, a few flashbacks and references in the MYP series and twice as many comic DURING this preternian era and IDK how many modern Bios. And the original is still better? Perhaps that is because PoG was steeped in the lore as established by the foundational mini comics, expanded upon by Filmation's series bible, hinted at in dozens of Filmation's episodes and was to be codified, redefined and explored by something that ALMOST came to be. I really wish I had a Cosmic Key to travel back in time, and a Book of Living Spells I could open up to "change it". :-( The post 2000 material is wholesale reinvention. It isn't a retcon, but a reboot followed by reboot and now here we are, a 3rd reboot. What is this Legion of Superheroes? I know that technically speaking DC and the Bios are running concurrent and independent of one anther's continuity, so that might not be completely accurate, but That's another strength of the original PoG had over modern variations, it was going to unite everything under a single continuity across all media! No more conflicting story content from one media to the next. When you pay attention, you can see those threads coming together in the 1987 materials...
Most importantly, The original He-Ro aptly named pledged allegiance to the gun show daily , better yet, he actually stood for something! DC's murderous, psychopathic He-Man and friends do not!
Vlad Anti-Hero The Impaler from opposite Eternia? What is he decorating for Halloween?
This panel isn't just a slap in the face to this character, it's skull ****ing him. Which is more disturbing, that mental picture or the actual picture approved by Mattel...
For ten years now, I like talked on the idea of father and son. It mirrors Randor and Adam. Grayskull and Grayskull Jr. defending The Council against their enemies. Arthur and Uther. I've argued that could fit AROUND and expand from the existing 1987 bio and assorted lore. If King Grayskull was king of Grayskull Tower that would explain why it existed before Castle Grayskull and give Tytus something to build. I'm glad that made it into the MOTUC mini comic at least before He-Ro was murdered by Hordak. I like that in these comics that King grayskull forged the TWIN swords him self. "It's just a sword" line from MYP always bothered me. That he forged them in the firs of creation is reminiscent of the ONE good idea that came from Justin Mark's Grayskull movie script. However, strange as it may sound to say, that the sword was forged to be a weapon bothers me. I always liked that the most powerful man in the universe never used his sword to kill. It showed a strength of CHARACTER that he was reserved in using his powers. Why would these characters NEED to kill anyway? He-Man was always good at capturing his enemies, He-Ro could literally transform the enemies weapons to pudding and banish them to timeless voids. This then makes them BLOOD LUSTING MURDERERS who clearly enjoy killing. That's not a "He-Ro" that is a VILLAIN! Besides. that THIS SWORD isn't a tool to kill, but a symbol of power, and even a KEY to the castle, well it makes it UNIQUE and unlike any other property.
When is a sword, not a sword? When it's He-Man's.
I'm really sad that people are enjoying that. Normally, I'd think "To each their own..." but that has never, before now, been what MOTU has is about! I don't think it should be. Before now MOTU, no matter the interpretation or media, was an IP that was always safe for five year olds. Now it isn't. That isn't what grown up looks like BTW. That's what a troubled 13 year old's notebook looks like. This isn't "cool" or "mature" it's disturbing because MOTU isn't Conan and it isn't Game of Thrones, but is a children story...Thous properties exist if you'd like to enjoy them. I certainly do. MOTU doesn't have to be them, it isn't them! It never has been before now...Why change that? (I guess, this is how some people felt about NA in 1989?)
Take the above image, Put Barny in his place. Now try Mighty Max or Batman or Superman. I really wish people would stop and analyze what little we do know about what PoG was, especially if they seek to reinvent it. Same is true for MOTU in general, or anything for that matter. If I dissembled a toaster, put it back together without knowing how to, and then tried to make toast, I'm pretty sure I'd get burned. I'm not saying there isn't room for improvement or alterations. That would be ludicrous. Tytus literally building Castle Grayskull instead of Castle Grayskull being the Hall of Wisdom transformed is a fun idea. Though even that misses the whole point about Gray's transforming powers, and all that stuff about "living spells" and how that ties to to The Elders and The Castle being transformed from one thing to another...Throwing away what LITTLE story there seams lazy and a little egotistical to me. If it ain't broken don't fix it. All MOTU has EVER needed was for someone to continue it, to add to it. Changing it is just driving people away and with such a small fan base, how is that a good thing?
I never thought Mattel could make MOTU into something I could not support, yet I'm seriously considering not buying the next issue.
A He-Ro I don't needs. A MOTU comic I don't want?!?!?!
Now does that sound like me?
Well we have certainly come along way since 1997 huh guys? IIRC that was when Adam or Matt first posted this image and we started to talk about Mini comic Power of Grayskull The legend begins?
So many years later and we have learned a lot about this abandoned, legendary "Pre-Eternia" saga! Seams like every couple years we learn a new shocking revelation that shifts everything we think we know...In recent years we have seen all the stages of Eldor's prototype and cardback. We learned the Snake-Men and Horde might have started as one and the same thing, perhaps a "dino-reptillian kingdom"? Especially exciting is that "the unnamed One" Whom King hiss served could be HORDAK?!?!?! 3:50 mark. Talk about a paradigm shift! But I'm jumping ahead. Lets go back to the beginning, a tribal boy named Gray who was lured into a cave...Keep in mind that's Gray, as in GRAYSKULL. Presumably that was was shortened for his bio, perhaps to add a sense of mystery or impending destiny? In a sense, this is the original King of Castle Grayskull, at least that was the implication. The physical pperance and role of the mentor (working name) Eldor, one can't help but see an Arthurian like character. A boy who would be the future King. What did he acomplish that day in the cave? Pulling a Sword from a stone? Or perhaps a staff from a Gem? So fun to speculate! Given what little we know about 1987 version of Keldor, one might assume he was to be the Mordred of this story. Consider that when reading recent issues of DC's comic...The potential of the original is amazing to me. It's a shame MVCreations didn't get that change to run with this and do something more in line with what was originally happened...Look at the nuts and bolts of what a writer has to work with:
Ancient wizards in The prehistoric setting, who built Grayskull before the Great Wars.
Ancient technology more powerful then modern stuff (Like Point Dread and the Talon Fighter)
Titanic giants and god like beasts including bionic dinosaurs.
The reptilian Snakemen invaders from other worlds. Possibly, considering Zillora, might they be returning to a world they left?
Possible origin of the Horde and it's ruthless leader. (Former Ancient/Wizard/Eldor and secret unnamed one whom Hiss served?)
The origins of the Sword of Power (Most likely AFTER Hordak was banished to Etheria where he originally came from...)
Keldor's secret origin...
Time Travel.
Gwildor presumably being an ancient/"wizard"
The coming of the sorceress to Eternia...
The exodus of Zodac, once leader of and last remaining member of The Council and who summoned The Sorceress.
The ancient Lords of Destruction entombed in the newly constructed Snake Mountain (thank you Golden Disks of knowledge...)
All this action centered around the gigantic Three Towers of Eternia!
Least we forget The Star Seed, the formation of Eternia it self at the center of the universe, The Energy Beast that ruled the world near the dawn of time and how the ancient ancestors freed Eternia, tamed the world, discovered all the secrets of the universe through sorcery and science and that built the Hall of Wisdom to store that knowledge thus creating utopia that the evil inhabitants of Eternia's counterpart planet (Infinita and/or Etheria?) Lusted for and infiltrated Eternian society.
Best of all, that isn't "My Canon" or anything I made up my self...That is all actual 1980's canon, with only a extremely small dose of assumption and a LOT of detective work. I didn't have to ignore anything to FORCE continuity. It's there if you are paying attention, imperfect and confusing it may be given the alternating terms for essentially the same things. There is a sense of epic adventures that no other version of ancient Eternia has come CLOSE to capturing that is implied in the original material. Though, perhaps that is the secret, that it's implied. The Clone Wars, Boba Fett and Mandalorians fueled the imagination where as the prequel trilogy fell flat just like these comics are doing now. Though even there the disappointment is born from Lucas ignoring his OWN story he had previously established. That's the problem with not knowing where you have been, you can't know where your going, and even if you do, you tend to take a few wrong paths along the way because you weren't paying attention.
Keep in mind we are talking about what? Handful of bios, six packaging art and five mini comics compared to a half hour of television, a few flashbacks and references in the MYP series and twice as many comic DURING this preternian era and IDK how many modern Bios. And the original is still better? Perhaps that is because PoG was steeped in the lore as established by the foundational mini comics, expanded upon by Filmation's series bible, hinted at in dozens of Filmation's episodes and was to be codified, redefined and explored by something that ALMOST came to be. I really wish I had a Cosmic Key to travel back in time, and a Book of Living Spells I could open up to "change it". :-( The post 2000 material is wholesale reinvention. It isn't a retcon, but a reboot followed by reboot and now here we are, a 3rd reboot. What is this Legion of Superheroes? I know that technically speaking DC and the Bios are running concurrent and independent of one anther's continuity, so that might not be completely accurate, but That's another strength of the original PoG had over modern variations, it was going to unite everything under a single continuity across all media! No more conflicting story content from one media to the next. When you pay attention, you can see those threads coming together in the 1987 materials...
Most importantly, The original He-Ro aptly named pledged allegiance to the gun show daily , better yet, he actually stood for something! DC's murderous, psychopathic He-Man and friends do not!
By placing one hand on his heart, flexing the other arm into a muscle and incanting, "Magic and strength…tempered by heart!" Gray causes an amazing transformation to occur, becoming the He-Ro of Grayskull and announcing, "I stand for Peace!"
This panel isn't just a slap in the face to this character, it's skull ****ing him. Which is more disturbing, that mental picture or the actual picture approved by Mattel...
For ten years now, I like talked on the idea of father and son. It mirrors Randor and Adam. Grayskull and Grayskull Jr. defending The Council against their enemies. Arthur and Uther. I've argued that could fit AROUND and expand from the existing 1987 bio and assorted lore. If King Grayskull was king of Grayskull Tower that would explain why it existed before Castle Grayskull and give Tytus something to build. I'm glad that made it into the MOTUC mini comic at least before He-Ro was murdered by Hordak. I like that in these comics that King grayskull forged the TWIN swords him self. "It's just a sword" line from MYP always bothered me. That he forged them in the firs of creation is reminiscent of the ONE good idea that came from Justin Mark's Grayskull movie script. However, strange as it may sound to say, that the sword was forged to be a weapon bothers me. I always liked that the most powerful man in the universe never used his sword to kill. It showed a strength of CHARACTER that he was reserved in using his powers. Why would these characters NEED to kill anyway? He-Man was always good at capturing his enemies, He-Ro could literally transform the enemies weapons to pudding and banish them to timeless voids. This then makes them BLOOD LUSTING MURDERERS who clearly enjoy killing. That's not a "He-Ro" that is a VILLAIN! Besides. that THIS SWORD isn't a tool to kill, but a symbol of power, and even a KEY to the castle, well it makes it UNIQUE and unlike any other property.
When is a sword, not a sword? When it's He-Man's.
I'm really sad that people are enjoying that. Normally, I'd think "To each their own..." but that has never, before now, been what MOTU has is about! I don't think it should be. Before now MOTU, no matter the interpretation or media, was an IP that was always safe for five year olds. Now it isn't. That isn't what grown up looks like BTW. That's what a troubled 13 year old's notebook looks like. This isn't "cool" or "mature" it's disturbing because MOTU isn't Conan and it isn't Game of Thrones, but is a children story...Thous properties exist if you'd like to enjoy them. I certainly do. MOTU doesn't have to be them, it isn't them! It never has been before now...Why change that? (I guess, this is how some people felt about NA in 1989?)
Take the above image, Put Barny in his place. Now try Mighty Max or Batman or Superman. I really wish people would stop and analyze what little we do know about what PoG was, especially if they seek to reinvent it. Same is true for MOTU in general, or anything for that matter. If I dissembled a toaster, put it back together without knowing how to, and then tried to make toast, I'm pretty sure I'd get burned. I'm not saying there isn't room for improvement or alterations. That would be ludicrous. Tytus literally building Castle Grayskull instead of Castle Grayskull being the Hall of Wisdom transformed is a fun idea. Though even that misses the whole point about Gray's transforming powers, and all that stuff about "living spells" and how that ties to to The Elders and The Castle being transformed from one thing to another...Throwing away what LITTLE story there seams lazy and a little egotistical to me. If it ain't broken don't fix it. All MOTU has EVER needed was for someone to continue it, to add to it. Changing it is just driving people away and with such a small fan base, how is that a good thing?
I never thought Mattel could make MOTU into something I could not support, yet I'm seriously considering not buying the next issue.
A He-Ro I don't needs. A MOTU comic I don't want?!?!?!
Now does that sound like me?
It doesn't feel like they know or understand the basic principles of MOTU history, much less it's esoteric lore that even the semi hardcore collectors are seemingly unaware of. MOTU can be confusing for people who don't know everything...
LOL) How/why he isn't trapped/banished like the other Snakemen really needs to be explained. What is most annoying about these damn comics, is when you know TOO MUCH MOTU history these comics don't just do shock value stuff, but assumes you know "the basics" which is why when they change something so basic, I get frustrated. Are they trying to appeal to the casual or hardcore fan? It feels like both and not well enough for either IMO.
Story begins with Scrollos and Songster arguing continuity. One of them says "well The Sorceress said this" the other responding "Well that's not how I herd it from Zodac!" :P
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