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He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Minicomic Collection Volume 1
THE MOST POWERFUL STORIES IN THE UNIVERSE! The toy juggernaut Masters of the Universe and its subsequent action figure lines featured memorable pack-in minicomics that aided in playtime for children across the world. This two volume digital collection features sixty-eight US releases, including all minicomics from the eighties Masters of the Universe line, the eighties Princess of Power line, and the eighties and nineties He-Man line, plus an introduction to the minicomics in the current Masters of the Universe Classics toy line. Relive the illustrated adventures that fueled your imagination!
- GenresComicsTvGraphic Novels
1232 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 3, 2015
44 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Donald F. Glut
236 books49 followersDONALD F. GLUT has been professionally active in both the entertainment and publishing industries since 1966.
Born in Pecos, Texas, Don grew up in Chicago, IL. At age nine, already bitten by the film-making “bug,” he made Diplodocus at Large, the first of 41 amateur movies featuring dinosaurs, human monsters (Frankenstein’s Monster, Teenage Werewolf, etc.) and superheroes (Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, etc.) Some of these films made during the late 1960s (e.g., Spy Smasher vs. the Purple Monster) were eventually shown in theatres and on TV.
Moving to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California, Don professionally entered show business as an “extra” (a POW) in the movie Von Ryan’s Express (1965), the first of several such “roles.” He began his professional writing career in 1966, writing articles for and finally editing the magazine Modern Monsters. In 1967, after graduating from the University of Southern California with a BA degree (for Cinema) in Letters, Arts and Sciences, Don worked as a musician, singer and songwriter in The Penny Arkade, a rock band produced by “Monkee” Michael Nesmith. Shortly after that he briefly furthered his acting career, having a speaking role in a national television commercial starring Dick Clark.
However, most of Don’s professional life has been as a freelance writer. To date he has authored numerous motion picture and television scripts (Shazam!, Land of the Lost, and animation, e.g., Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends, Transformers, G.I.Joe, Duck Tales, Jonny Quest, X-Men, others), comic-book scripts (Captain America, Tarzan, etc., including creating for Gold Key Dagar the Invincible, The Occult Files of Dr. Spektor and Tragg and the Sky Gods), more than 35 novels and nonfiction books, also numerous short stories, articles, songs, album-liner notes, etc. The Dinosaur Dictionary (1972) and Dinosaurs: The Encyclopedia (1997), two of Don’s many non-fiction books about dinosaurs, both were listed by the American Library Association among the best reference books of their years of publication. With The Dinosaur Dictionary Don created the much-imitated book format based upon an alphabetical listing of dinosaur names. Perhaps Don is best known for his novelization of the movie The Empire Strikes Back (1980), the nation’s No. 1 bestseller for almost two months, which to date (still in print) has sold over 3.5 million copies. In 1982 he created characters and back story for Mattel’s “Masters of the Universe” toy line. Among his more recent books is Chomper, an entry in the popular “Dinotopia” series.
Don produced, wrote and directed various videos (including the documentaries Dinosaur Movies and Hollywood Goes Ape! and the music-video compilation Dinosaur Tracks®), theatre and movie projects. He has worked as a consultant on numerous other video, film and TV projects, and was “Dinosaur Consultant” on Roger Corman’s movie Carnosaur (1993).
In 1990, Don and Pete Von Sholly founded Fossil Records, which has already produced a half dozen albums. These include Dinosaur Tracks®, More Dinosaur Tracks® and Dinosaur Tracks® Again, featuring paleontology-related rock music written mostly by Don (Dinodon Music/BMI), performed by Don and Pete (as the Iridium Band).
More recently, Don became president of Frontline Entertainment (www.frontlinefilms.com), for which he wrote, directed and co-produced the comedy/fantasy motion picture Dinosaur Valley Girls™, which has already achieved “cult movie” status, and Before La Brea, a documentary commissioned by the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries in Los Angeles. In 2000, he was commissioned by Irena Belle Productions to direct the movie The Vampire Hunters Club, featuring an all-star genre cast.
Born in Pecos, Texas, Don grew up in Chicago, IL. At age nine, already bitten by the film-making “bug,” he made Diplodocus at Large, the first of 41 amateur movies featuring dinosaurs, human monsters (Frankenstein’s Monster, Teenage Werewolf, etc.) and superheroes (Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, etc.) Some of these films made during the late 1960s (e.g., Spy Smasher vs. the Purple Monster) were eventually shown in theatres and on TV.
Moving to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California, Don professionally entered show business as an “extra” (a POW) in the movie Von Ryan’s Express (1965), the first of several such “roles.” He began his professional writing career in 1966, writing articles for and finally editing the magazine Modern Monsters. In 1967, after graduating from the University of Southern California with a BA degree (for Cinema) in Letters, Arts and Sciences, Don worked as a musician, singer and songwriter in The Penny Arkade, a rock band produced by “Monkee” Michael Nesmith. Shortly after that he briefly furthered his acting career, having a speaking role in a national television commercial starring Dick Clark.
However, most of Don’s professional life has been as a freelance writer. To date he has authored numerous motion picture and television scripts (Shazam!, Land of the Lost, and animation, e.g., Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends, Transformers, G.I.Joe, Duck Tales, Jonny Quest, X-Men, others), comic-book scripts (Captain America, Tarzan, etc., including creating for Gold Key Dagar the Invincible, The Occult Files of Dr. Spektor and Tragg and the Sky Gods), more than 35 novels and nonfiction books, also numerous short stories, articles, songs, album-liner notes, etc. The Dinosaur Dictionary (1972) and Dinosaurs: The Encyclopedia (1997), two of Don’s many non-fiction books about dinosaurs, both were listed by the American Library Association among the best reference books of their years of publication. With The Dinosaur Dictionary Don created the much-imitated book format based upon an alphabetical listing of dinosaur names. Perhaps Don is best known for his novelization of the movie The Empire Strikes Back (1980), the nation’s No. 1 bestseller for almost two months, which to date (still in print) has sold over 3.5 million copies. In 1982 he created characters and back story for Mattel’s “Masters of the Universe” toy line. Among his more recent books is Chomper, an entry in the popular “Dinotopia” series.
Don produced, wrote and directed various videos (including the documentaries Dinosaur Movies and Hollywood Goes Ape! and the music-video compilation Dinosaur Tracks®), theatre and movie projects. He has worked as a consultant on numerous other video, film and TV projects, and was “Dinosaur Consultant” on Roger Corman’s movie Carnosaur (1993).
In 1990, Don and Pete Von Sholly founded Fossil Records, which has already produced a half dozen albums. These include Dinosaur Tracks®, More Dinosaur Tracks® and Dinosaur Tracks® Again, featuring paleontology-related rock music written mostly by Don (Dinodon Music/BMI), performed by Don and Pete (as the Iridium Band).
More recently, Don became president of Frontline Entertainment (www.frontlinefilms.com), for which he wrote, directed and co-produced the comedy/fantasy motion picture Dinosaur Valley Girls™, which has already achieved “cult movie” status, and Before La Brea, a documentary commissioned by the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries in Los Angeles. In 2000, he was commissioned by Irena Belle Productions to direct the movie The Vampire Hunters Club, featuring an all-star genre cast.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 3, 2020
The Masters of the Universe toy line was an imaginative mix of fantasy and science fiction, with wildly unique character designs. While the premise has a clear delineation between good and evil (“these guys fight those guys”), it was thought that kids could benefit from a bit more backstory. Knowing more about the characters and the setting they lived in would provide inspiration for children to come up with their own stories, and thus the bonus pack-in mini comics were born.
While the comics were quickly produced and tended to have simplistic, linear plots much like the subsequent Filmation cartoon, they have their own charm. Many of the people that worked on the mini comics were either established pros doing some quick work on the side for extra money, or newcomers who later went on to greater success and fame. It was also interesting to see how the Masters of the Universe setting developed over time. Backstories change, characters are given different roles, etc.
First of a two-volume series, this book was clearly assembled with care. The artwork is presented in a larger format than originally used, allowing the readers to see both fine details and artistic goofs. Footnotes are sprinkled throughout the book, drawing attention to trivia, errors, first appearances, and other interesting aspects of the comics. There are also a number of interviews with members of the shifting teams behind their creation.
All in all, this is a fun look at a part of many kids’ childhoods. The comics were marketing instruments thrown together in haste, but the characters and stories are enjoyable and nostalgia-filled. It’s also an interesting look at the early work of a number of comic creators who would go on to bigger and better things.
While the comics were quickly produced and tended to have simplistic, linear plots much like the subsequent Filmation cartoon, they have their own charm. Many of the people that worked on the mini comics were either established pros doing some quick work on the side for extra money, or newcomers who later went on to greater success and fame. It was also interesting to see how the Masters of the Universe setting developed over time. Backstories change, characters are given different roles, etc.
First of a two-volume series, this book was clearly assembled with care. The artwork is presented in a larger format than originally used, allowing the readers to see both fine details and artistic goofs. Footnotes are sprinkled throughout the book, drawing attention to trivia, errors, first appearances, and other interesting aspects of the comics. There are also a number of interviews with members of the shifting teams behind their creation.
All in all, this is a fun look at a part of many kids’ childhoods. The comics were marketing instruments thrown together in haste, but the characters and stories are enjoyable and nostalgia-filled. It’s also an interesting look at the early work of a number of comic creators who would go on to bigger and better things.
January 2, 2024
Nice collection of Masters of the Universe Mini Comics. Being an avid child collector of the figures I personally wanted to see if I remembered any of these tales upon reading, sadly I did not. Excellent 80's era sword & sorcery illustrations accompanied by pulp tales introducing the characters. The interviews to the comic creators is a nice touch, but the creators mostly have little recollection of working on these. As was the grind of working on pulp comics in the 80's. Great display of how "Slosh" work to creators became an avid and ongoing mythos to fans.
August 5, 2025
Fun and nostalgic
Remember collecting these fun toys and comics at the tender age of 6! Still have some of these figures on my shelf with horror and star wars toys. Will never be another franchise like it
Remember collecting these fun toys and comics at the tender age of 6! Still have some of these figures on my shelf with horror and star wars toys. Will never be another franchise like it
May 20, 2019
File this under "memories I didn't know I had." I grew up playing with my cousin's mid-eighties action figures, all of them without context. He had an enormous mix of Masters of the Universe and Ninja Turtles, and not much else, so I never know which characters belong to which franchise, nor their names, backstories, etc. This led to much invention and creativity, which I credit to some extent with my having become a writer years later.
These mythology-establishing minicomics are NOT great comics. In fact, they're often the opposite, but there's an oddly appealing campiness and silliness to their faux-Moorcock sword-and-sci-fi trappings. You can tell the authors had read all the Elric novels (a favorite series of mine) and were riffing on them, probably after getting incredibly high. Nostalgia to the max.
These mythology-establishing minicomics are NOT great comics. In fact, they're often the opposite, but there's an oddly appealing campiness and silliness to their faux-Moorcock sword-and-sci-fi trappings. You can tell the authors had read all the Elric novels (a favorite series of mine) and were riffing on them, probably after getting incredibly high. Nostalgia to the max.
November 2, 2020
Nostalgia.
I grew up playing with the toys and watching the cartoons. I remembered very little about the comics.
Surprisingly, the first four comics were the best, even though they don't at all fit into the later continuity of the cartoon. They have a Conan/Sword-and-sorcery vibe set in a post-apocalypric world where technology is the remnant of an ancient civilization and He-man is a barbarian warrior. No Prince Adam altar ego. Also the original Skeletor illustrations by Alfredo Alceda are downright creepy!
The quality took a downturn about 10 comics in when it becomes clear that each issue only exists to introduce a new toy, and design and naming discontinuities abound. Also in the early comics everyone talks in a high-fantasy archaic style which later gives way to modern slang.
I grew up playing with the toys and watching the cartoons. I remembered very little about the comics.
Surprisingly, the first four comics were the best, even though they don't at all fit into the later continuity of the cartoon. They have a Conan/Sword-and-sorcery vibe set in a post-apocalypric world where technology is the remnant of an ancient civilization and He-man is a barbarian warrior. No Prince Adam altar ego. Also the original Skeletor illustrations by Alfredo Alceda are downright creepy!
The quality took a downturn about 10 comics in when it becomes clear that each issue only exists to introduce a new toy, and design and naming discontinuities abound. Also in the early comics everyone talks in a high-fantasy archaic style which later gives way to modern slang.
April 13, 2019
This gigantic digital collection of the He-Man & the Masters of the Universe mini-comics is bursting with zany fun and charm. The art and stories are very up and down with some by comics greats like Alfredo Alcala and a very young Bruce Timm. The storyline was being shaped and establishing as the toyline went on so there are contradictions and differences between the mini-comics, the cartoon series, and the action figures themselves but it all adds up to some exciting 80's action.
July 17, 2023
The production value of this book is top notch and the included interviews are definitely worth a read. This is definitely a niche product but it definitely has good nostalgia appeal even if the stories are incredibly repetitive. Which is natural as they were designed to sell toys and had a formula that needed to be followed. Enjoyable.
February 5, 2017
Great stuff! Brings back a lot of memories. Had a whole bunch of those mini-comics back in my childhood. Good to see them all collected in 2 volumes now. The book is also peppered with interviews with the folks who worked on the comics. Will please fans of MOTU for sure.
January 21, 2020
Nostalgia only gets you so far. The decline in the quality of the art over time is interesting and some more background on what ws happening with the publication including which companies were involved would have been a good inclusion.
August 2, 2021
This was an amazing trip down memory lane. There's some real sketchy stories in here, commercially driven to sell kids on must have toys. Having owned a lot of them, it was cool to see them all in action again. Highly recommended to fans of the original show and toys.
September 23, 2017
Most of these...have not aged well. Still quite enjoyable to come across ones I remember. Used to keep a whole little box of them and reread them all the time.
January 16, 2018
Just a wonderful call back to my childhood. Yes the stories are simple but the art is nice and I got to read most of these with my 4 yo daughter and she loved them. Looking forward to volume 2.
November 24, 2020
The best stories are the ones before and after they tried to clone the animated series. Love all of the footnotes and interviews.
August 19, 2021
Awesome and.......
......very nostalgic. This brought back a lot of memories. I see give this collection five *****'s!!!! Cannot wait to move on to the other collections! 😀
......very nostalgic. This brought back a lot of memories. I see give this collection five *****'s!!!! Cannot wait to move on to the other collections! 😀
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews