Watch out for that tsunami of Reagan-era pop culture icons. Top Cow just announced that its new Battle of the Planets comic garnered over 150,000 pre-orders (four different covers including efforts by Alex Ross and J. Scott Campbell certainly didn't hurt), and Dreamwave Productions' Transformers comic also debuted strongly (see 'Retro Rules April') as did Image's revival of G.I. Joe. Now comes word that Mattel has licensed a He-Man & the Masters of the Universe comic as well as notification that a new He-Man cartoon series will debut on the Cartoon Network in August. Of course Mattel is also reviving the He-Man toy line (see 'Mattel Plays It Close To The Vest'), which should be out in time to support the He-Man cartoon series, which joins the daily Toonami block in November.
The Cartoon
The new He-Man cartoon series debuts on the Cartoon Network with a special 90-minute extravaganza that will be broadcast on Friday, August 16 at 4 p.m.(Eastern & Pacific). A new series of 26 half-hour episodes will then start airing on Fridays on the Cartoon Network. The He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series will join the daily Toonami Block in November. Art from the new series released by the Cartoon Network indicates that Mattel has backed away from what had been an ambitious plan to redesign the He-Man character in a 'more contemporary way that is more anime in style' (see 'He-Man Returns Anime Style') The He-Man in the designs released by the Cartoon Network appears to be the same old muscle-bound mesomorph that we remember from the Reagan era. Obviously the powers that be at Mattel have adjusted their relaunch of He-Man to adapt to the strong wave of nostalgia that has gripped fans, who might not relish a major makeover of their childhood hero.
The Comic Book
Several strange circumstance surround the comic license that Mattel granted to MV Creations, the most obvious of which is the fact that the license is 'non-exclusive.' Mattel is obviously hedging its bets with MV Creations, which so far has never published a comic (that we know of). Val Staples, who heads MV Creations, is the colorist and co-creator of Tales of the Realm, but that is published by Funk-O-Tron, not MV Creations. Perhaps what qualifies Staples more than anything else is the fact that he owns and operates He-Man.org, one of the key He-Man websites. Still, if this nostalgia boom lasts and titles like the Transformers, Battle of the Planets, and Thundercats continue to maintain six-figure circulation numbers, it will be interesting to see if MV Creations will be able to 'hang' with its high-powered competition.
