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He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Collected Editions) #6
He-Man: The Eternity War, Vol. 1
The war to end all wars has begun in Eternia! Hordak and the villainous Dark Horde have taken over Castle Grayskull and plan to use it as a weapon to terrorize and rule the universe. However, a resistance is building led by She-Ra, The Sorceress Teela and the benevolent warrior He-Man! To what lengths will the Masters of the Universe go to reclaim their kingdom? What sacrifices must He-Man make to salvage his family legacy? Don't miss a moment of this epic new MOTU series!
Collects He-Man The Eternity War #1-6.
Collects He-Man The Eternity War #1-6.
144 pages, Paperback
First published October 13, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 9, 2017
A profoundly moving meditation on grief, sacrifice, and the meaning of family in the context of a multigenerational immigration saga.
I’m kidding. It’s a f#@&ing He-Man and She-Ra comic. They punch bad guys. There’s magic. Skeletor shows up. The world is in peril. And there’s some existential angst.
Worth a read if you’re jonesing for some old school hack and slashery gussied up with some philosophical trappings and meta multiverse pictures of Skeletor.
I’m kidding. It’s a f#@&ing He-Man and She-Ra comic. They punch bad guys. There’s magic. Skeletor shows up. The world is in peril. And there’s some existential angst.
Worth a read if you’re jonesing for some old school hack and slashery gussied up with some philosophical trappings and meta multiverse pictures of Skeletor.
October 2, 2025
Surprisingly, this is a well-written story, definitely far superior to anything found on the cartoon. Hordak has invaded Eternia and He-Man and She-Ra have gathered the resistance forces to fight back. Pop Mhan's art has gotten a LOT better since his work from the late 90's/ early 00's.
November 19, 2016
DNF....not what I was expecting.
September 16, 2017
Wow this was actually pretty good, & o really enjoyed it. Definitely gonna pick up Vol. 2.
February 28, 2016
Reprints He-Man: The Eternity War #1-6 (February 2015-July 2015). Hordak has overtaken Eternia and captured the power of Castle Grayskull. Now, He-Man, She-Ra, and Teela who has taken the form of the Sorceress are leading a desperate battle to stop Hordak. Hordak has a desire for the missing power of Grayskull. He wants the Eye of Chaos and the Eye of Chrono and the power they can bring him. He-Man and She-Ra set out on a quest to find Chaos and Chrono first…and could find an unlikely ally in Skeletor.
He-Man: The Eternity War—Volume 1 collects the first six issues of the continuing He-Man comic written by Rob David and Dan Abnett. The series is a continuation from the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series and follows He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 5: The Blood of Grayskull while also tying into the events of DC Universe vs. The Masters of the Universe.
The DC He-Man series has just been fun. He-Man is in reality largely untapped despite having a thirty year history. He-Man’s origin and background were quite flimsy since they were constructed around mini-comics and children’s cartoons. In this series and the volume before, the writers try to give real substance to the toy without offending fans of the classics.
The series remembers it has to be fun. It incorporates lots of characters and different storylines. Characters are hacked to pieces and slashed apart in some shocking moments, but they are smart enough not to just eliminate the main characters that people love. A great example of this appears in this volume. Skeletor returns (after the events of DC Universe vs. The Masters of the Universe) and reveals he’s been bouncing through realities…which includes everything from the classic Filmation series, to toys, to even video games…and they manage to do it all in one panel.
I do like the character designs for the series. Once again, He-Man was pretty ridiculous at its core, but Pop Mhan and Tom Derenick have managed to come up with some impressive and more practical character designs. It is also fun to see more of Hordak’s agents (plus getting him out of that stupid robot thing).
He-Man: The Eternity War—Volume 1 is a fun continuation to a series which has been surprisingly entertaining. I am bias to He-Man and his friends due to a childhood of adventures, but this seems to enhance the adventures instead of hurting them. I doubt that someone not familiar with He-Man would enjoy this series, but you never know…the volume leaves you wanting He-Man: The Eternity War—Volume 2.
He-Man: The Eternity War—Volume 1 collects the first six issues of the continuing He-Man comic written by Rob David and Dan Abnett. The series is a continuation from the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series and follows He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 5: The Blood of Grayskull while also tying into the events of DC Universe vs. The Masters of the Universe.
The DC He-Man series has just been fun. He-Man is in reality largely untapped despite having a thirty year history. He-Man’s origin and background were quite flimsy since they were constructed around mini-comics and children’s cartoons. In this series and the volume before, the writers try to give real substance to the toy without offending fans of the classics.
The series remembers it has to be fun. It incorporates lots of characters and different storylines. Characters are hacked to pieces and slashed apart in some shocking moments, but they are smart enough not to just eliminate the main characters that people love. A great example of this appears in this volume. Skeletor returns (after the events of DC Universe vs. The Masters of the Universe) and reveals he’s been bouncing through realities…which includes everything from the classic Filmation series, to toys, to even video games…and they manage to do it all in one panel.
I do like the character designs for the series. Once again, He-Man was pretty ridiculous at its core, but Pop Mhan and Tom Derenick have managed to come up with some impressive and more practical character designs. It is also fun to see more of Hordak’s agents (plus getting him out of that stupid robot thing).
He-Man: The Eternity War—Volume 1 is a fun continuation to a series which has been surprisingly entertaining. I am bias to He-Man and his friends due to a childhood of adventures, but this seems to enhance the adventures instead of hurting them. I doubt that someone not familiar with He-Man would enjoy this series, but you never know…the volume leaves you wanting He-Man: The Eternity War—Volume 2.
December 29, 2016
What is it about nostalgia that makes folks pick up old pieces of work that should really be left alone? Not everything that we've enjoyed in the past, when our minds is not as grizzled or matured or tempered with experience the way it is now, is really as good as it was the first time we encountered it. This should be a universally known fact. However what is also universally true is people cannot resist the call at another go for that lost feeling of wonder. Corporate marketing is one of the first to know this, and is ruthless at exploiting this trait.
Almost every child my generation knows about He-Man, given the lack of choices we have in choosing which cartoons we had to watch. Good thing too, because He-Man wasn't horrible, but then now that I write this, I'd find it hard to admit which of the cartoons I did watch sucked. He-Man was entertaining, had a mythology that was easy to follow, has colourful characters that had plenty of adventures, and boy was it exciting. So it goes.
Literally 30 years later (minus several years, let's not worry about precision here), I find that DC has taken the He-Man property and, as it quite the trend nowadays, 'given it new lease in life'. Dan Abnett, a writer of some reputation (although I can't really place him in my mind just this second), has been tasked to revamp the story, and give it the grit and veneer of complexity that characterizes a modern take of anything old school. And it worked.
This volume is actually a continuation from a series of stories started by Abnett earlier, where He-Man and all his allies lost their memories in an unexplained universal reboot apparently engineered by Skeletor. Apparently the harmless sidekick Orko, the floaty handkerchief with eyes, was the traitor that allowed this state to happen. The bad guys remembered the old days when the Masters of the Universe routinely kicked their butts, and during Adam's quest for recollection, they never fail to point out how low Adam has supposedly fallen from his earlier lofty positions. Also changed was She-Ra, who is now a general of evil fighting alongside the bad guys.
The Eternity War is the final cycle for this rebooted universe, and things have moved further along from Abnett's earlier stories. So in this arc, She-Ra now fights for good, the old Sorceress is dead and has been succeeded by Teela, who leads the army of Snake-Men, which was traditionally He-Man's foes (I don't know how this happened - I read the reboot arc, and now this one. I don't know how they got from that to this state). Hordak, the guy who supposedly pulled the strings in the back and the real bad guy behind Skeletor, dies and has been taken over by Skeletor. Through some mumbo-jumbo about the magic juice from Castle Grayskull, Skeletor is now embued with the power of Grayskull the same way as He-Man is, and meets his arch-enemy for a final showdown. No prizes for guessing who wins.
Which brings me to what I really want to say. After all the excitement of seeing my old friends again, the fond memories of characters that used to occupy my childhood fantasy adventures (and a character whose action figure I used to own! Actually I owned several He-Man action figures), after all the dust has settled, what have we got on our hands? That's the most powerful thought I had when I finished the entire Eternity War story arc. If you strip everything away, what do you have?
After the final analysis, the answer, for me, was really nothing at all. It wasn't even a competent story, because it was so convoluted especially the part about the magic of Grayskull somehow having the blood of the Adam's lineage somewhere in its bowels that can be transfused into anyone willing to receive it. The part about how Adam was actually devoured by Hsss and how that turned into a fight in Adam's consciousness to regain control of his body. It was an exercise to shoehorn what was already there into a story that made sense, and in my opinion didn't quite succeed.
It was good to see He-Man and the gang again. But I'm forty years old next year, and this work, more than anything else, made me realize just how silly it has been reading this work. There's a bit of magic, then, when people read Batman stories for 30 years and not be reminded how old they are, despite Batman being around since before they were born.
So then. What is it about nostalgia that makes folks pick up old pieces of work that should really be left alone?
Almost every child my generation knows about He-Man, given the lack of choices we have in choosing which cartoons we had to watch. Good thing too, because He-Man wasn't horrible, but then now that I write this, I'd find it hard to admit which of the cartoons I did watch sucked. He-Man was entertaining, had a mythology that was easy to follow, has colourful characters that had plenty of adventures, and boy was it exciting. So it goes.
Literally 30 years later (minus several years, let's not worry about precision here), I find that DC has taken the He-Man property and, as it quite the trend nowadays, 'given it new lease in life'. Dan Abnett, a writer of some reputation (although I can't really place him in my mind just this second), has been tasked to revamp the story, and give it the grit and veneer of complexity that characterizes a modern take of anything old school. And it worked.
This volume is actually a continuation from a series of stories started by Abnett earlier, where He-Man and all his allies lost their memories in an unexplained universal reboot apparently engineered by Skeletor. Apparently the harmless sidekick Orko, the floaty handkerchief with eyes, was the traitor that allowed this state to happen. The bad guys remembered the old days when the Masters of the Universe routinely kicked their butts, and during Adam's quest for recollection, they never fail to point out how low Adam has supposedly fallen from his earlier lofty positions. Also changed was She-Ra, who is now a general of evil fighting alongside the bad guys.
The Eternity War is the final cycle for this rebooted universe, and things have moved further along from Abnett's earlier stories. So in this arc, She-Ra now fights for good, the old Sorceress is dead and has been succeeded by Teela, who leads the army of Snake-Men, which was traditionally He-Man's foes (I don't know how this happened - I read the reboot arc, and now this one. I don't know how they got from that to this state). Hordak, the guy who supposedly pulled the strings in the back and the real bad guy behind Skeletor, dies and has been taken over by Skeletor. Through some mumbo-jumbo about the magic juice from Castle Grayskull, Skeletor is now embued with the power of Grayskull the same way as He-Man is, and meets his arch-enemy for a final showdown. No prizes for guessing who wins.
Which brings me to what I really want to say. After all the excitement of seeing my old friends again, the fond memories of characters that used to occupy my childhood fantasy adventures (and a character whose action figure I used to own! Actually I owned several He-Man action figures), after all the dust has settled, what have we got on our hands? That's the most powerful thought I had when I finished the entire Eternity War story arc. If you strip everything away, what do you have?
After the final analysis, the answer, for me, was really nothing at all. It wasn't even a competent story, because it was so convoluted especially the part about the magic of Grayskull somehow having the blood of the Adam's lineage somewhere in its bowels that can be transfused into anyone willing to receive it. The part about how Adam was actually devoured by Hsss and how that turned into a fight in Adam's consciousness to regain control of his body. It was an exercise to shoehorn what was already there into a story that made sense, and in my opinion didn't quite succeed.
It was good to see He-Man and the gang again. But I'm forty years old next year, and this work, more than anything else, made me realize just how silly it has been reading this work. There's a bit of magic, then, when people read Batman stories for 30 years and not be reminded how old they are, despite Batman being around since before they were born.
So then. What is it about nostalgia that makes folks pick up old pieces of work that should really be left alone?
April 1, 2021
I had to take a little time to think this one over.
This is a very good story. First the positives.
Dan Abnett is a talented writer and the art is stunning. The gangs all here. From Adam to Adora and Cringer to Spirit. The volumes are shoddily labelled as this is the end of the saga and I thought it was the beginning. A clearer labelling of the six volumes of the DC He Man stories would be better. This doesn’t take in crossover either. Though great and every bit as detailed as Crisis On Infinite Earths or the like this book is extremely heavy on exposition and it doesn’t get a great deal of time to breathe.
As it moves on it gets more and more convoluted to the degree it’s easy to miss something there’s so much to take in. For a He Man and She Ra story it requires way too much focus. Still great but that’s my reason for the low rating.
This is a very good story. First the positives.
Dan Abnett is a talented writer and the art is stunning. The gangs all here. From Adam to Adora and Cringer to Spirit. The volumes are shoddily labelled as this is the end of the saga and I thought it was the beginning. A clearer labelling of the six volumes of the DC He Man stories would be better. This doesn’t take in crossover either. Though great and every bit as detailed as Crisis On Infinite Earths or the like this book is extremely heavy on exposition and it doesn’t get a great deal of time to breathe.
As it moves on it gets more and more convoluted to the degree it’s easy to miss something there’s so much to take in. For a He Man and She Ra story it requires way too much focus. Still great but that’s my reason for the low rating.
March 3, 2020
I have missed several volumes of the DC MOTU series so I am a tiny bit lost as to what has happened leading up to this volume but it still is worth the read.
I have issues with it (the eyes of Grayskull seems like a needlessly convoluted addition to the power/mystery of Grayskull in my opinion) but overall it was a fun read.
I am kind of surprised that Mattel is allowing such a violent/dark MOTU story. I know there were a lot of limitations of what could be written in the MOTU universe around the time of the 2002 toyline/comics/animated series. It seems they have lightened up a bit.
I have issues with it (the eyes of Grayskull seems like a needlessly convoluted addition to the power/mystery of Grayskull in my opinion) but overall it was a fun read.
I am kind of surprised that Mattel is allowing such a violent/dark MOTU story. I know there were a lot of limitations of what could be written in the MOTU universe around the time of the 2002 toyline/comics/animated series. It seems they have lightened up a bit.
September 7, 2023
I couldn't put this down. I didn't expect to become as obsessed with it as I am. There are all the key elements of the story I'm familiar with from the cartoon...but different enough that I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next.
The artwork is fantastic as well. I love the way the panels are drawn and put together. I really felt like I could see the movement, like I was watching a movie.
Loved everything about this.
The artwork is fantastic as well. I love the way the panels are drawn and put together. I really felt like I could see the movement, like I was watching a movie.
Loved everything about this.
April 27, 2020
Outstanding graphics..storyline and off course my favorite childhood hero
August 6, 2021
Excellent!
Five *****'s for absolutely everything! Storyline, graphics, characters, etc. 1000 percent satisfied with this graphic novel. Very much like the more "adult" MOTU!
Five *****'s for absolutely everything! Storyline, graphics, characters, etc. 1000 percent satisfied with this graphic novel. Very much like the more "adult" MOTU!
April 15, 2022
A reasonably entertaining volume of He-Man, picking up plot threads from earlier volumes and bringing them together.
July 18, 2022
¡Qué bueno regresar a Eternia! Me ha gustado reecontrarme con He-Man y She-Ra y ver como ha evolucionado el universo de los Master del Universo, así como la trama en la que se encuetra en esta obra
November 30, 2022
He-Man gets all mopey, She-Ra gets all heroey. Teela is all greeny and snakey and everyone else does very little.
December 21, 2022
Edge of the seat, epic world building, cunning and action packed! :D
April 28, 2016
How to make a five year old cool. Buy a load of He-Man DVD's his Dad used to enjoy then let him watch them (whilst you let the inner child out by watching the action figures on ebay...)
I read the individual comics in this series rather than the paperback.
It took me a while to get used to the look and feel of this book, I guess the 'Mattell' imagery is a little ingrained in me. However the colourful world of Eternia is on every page. Although this Eternia is much darker in tone the world is recognisable as the Eternia you may remember from your youth.
He-Man is much more 'macho' and more of a warrior, rather than a friendly, camp strongman. I love the new Teela - if I am being honest she always got on my nerves as a kid (I'm an Evil-Lyn kind of man)_ and that hasn't changed rewatching these with the little one in adulthood. In this book Teela is also the Sorceress and ruler of the Snake People, I appreciate the darker tone in this book of a world at war with the fate of the universe at stake. The early three way dance between Hordak, He-Man and Skeletor is awesome and I loved the representation of Skeletor (including some very trippy scenes were Skeletor imagines himself in an alternative universe....)
I read the individual comics in this series rather than the paperback.
It took me a while to get used to the look and feel of this book, I guess the 'Mattell' imagery is a little ingrained in me. However the colourful world of Eternia is on every page. Although this Eternia is much darker in tone the world is recognisable as the Eternia you may remember from your youth.
He-Man is much more 'macho' and more of a warrior, rather than a friendly, camp strongman. I love the new Teela - if I am being honest she always got on my nerves as a kid (I'm an Evil-Lyn kind of man)_ and that hasn't changed rewatching these with the little one in adulthood. In this book Teela is also the Sorceress and ruler of the Snake People, I appreciate the darker tone in this book of a world at war with the fate of the universe at stake. The early three way dance between Hordak, He-Man and Skeletor is awesome and I loved the representation of Skeletor (including some very trippy scenes were Skeletor imagines himself in an alternative universe....)
December 27, 2015
Those four stars are incredibly deceiving.
This series starts out strong. I enjoyed the first issue, and absolutely *loved* the second issue. It was the only issue since this DC relaunch in 2013 where it actually felt like the author or artist remembered what it was like to actually play with these characters back in the day.
I love the art, and I own almost every other He-Man printed comic... so I stick with this title. The four star rating here mostly represents how much I enjoyed the first two issues. The book falls apart fast for me after that. It's practically unbearable.
This series starts out strong. I enjoyed the first issue, and absolutely *loved* the second issue. It was the only issue since this DC relaunch in 2013 where it actually felt like the author or artist remembered what it was like to actually play with these characters back in the day.
I love the art, and I own almost every other He-Man printed comic... so I stick with this title. The four star rating here mostly represents how much I enjoyed the first two issues. The book falls apart fast for me after that. It's practically unbearable.
December 12, 2016
Well this was not what I expected at all, it certainly was not the He-Man of my childhood when I watched the cartoons. But...that was not a bad thing in this instance! The story and action is a lot darker than anything I remember, but the story is incredibly interesting and I think the relationships depicted are definitely complex. The art work is absolutely stunning and I love the design of both He-Man and She-Ra and Swift Wind is absolutely stunning! Overall a surprising but good read and I will be picking up the next trade when I see it.
December 7, 2015
This a much darker He-Man than the cartoon of my childhood. I like it. While it is volume 1 it starts in the middle of a story line. He-Man, She-Ra and crew are in loosing a war. They have there there forces in Skeletor's castle. Hodrak has Grayskull. Skeletor is missing. Then the violence and bloodshed begins. Good times.
April 24, 2016
As a fan of He-Man as a kid this collection of the first 6 comics in the He-Man:Eternity Wars series brought a smile to my face. Well written and lovely illustrated I couldnt ask for more. A blast from the past brought into the present
March 16, 2016
The eternity war is looking to be very exciting! Can't wait to see the next book! I hope he artwork gets a little better.
April 12, 2017
I realized pretty quickly that I was reading this volume out of order. Apparently it picks up where the previous He-Man series left off (which I haven't read). Despite that, I didn't feel lost when reading it but curious about how the current status quo came to be. The writing and art were both top notch. I wasn't crazy about He-Man's character design but it wasn't bad either. In this volume he is now the King, so I will admit the updated look fits that role better. I'll see how this concludes in volume two and then go back to check out what I missed prior to Eternity War.
April 23, 2017
He-Man is known for his transformative phrase “by the Power of Grayskull”, but in He-Man: The Eternity War Vol 1, He-Man has to face the idea that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Prince Adam has been in He-Man form for a long time, believing that he needs the power to be able to protect Eternia from the threat posed by the Horde, but there is a danger in constantly wielding power and the new Sorceress, Teela reveals to He-Man that his power will eventually corrupt him and will usher in the destruction of Eternia as he tries to enforce control over the realm.
He-Man: The Eternity War Vol 1 explores the dangers of power during a rebellion and the alluring desire to control things to prevent harm coming to one's friends.
He-Man: The Eternity War Vol 1 explores the dangers of power during a rebellion and the alluring desire to control things to prevent harm coming to one's friends.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews