He-Man/Thundercats

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Collected Editions) #8

by Rob David, Lloyd Goldfine, Freddie E. Williams II (Illustrator)

It's the team-up fans have been waiting three decades to see! Full of the most beloved heroes and hated villains from both classic action franchises, HE-MAN/THUNDERCATS is an astonishing adventure from He-Man's head writer and producers Rob David and Lloyd Goldfine (TMNT: Turtles Forever), stunningly illustrated by Freddie E. Williams II (BATMAN/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES)!

It's called Eternia--the homeworld of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Here, this legendary hero harnesses the Power of Grayskull to protect his planet against the evil forces of Skeletor, the skull-faced embodiment of evil.

But dimensions away, another evil has set its sights on Eternia's champion. The menace of Mumm-Ra is spreading, even as his hated rival, Lion-O, is crowned king of the Thundercats. Mumm-Ra knows only one weapon can stand against Lion-O's unstoppable Sword of Omens: He-Man's Sword of Power. And he and his merciless minions are prepared to take it by any means necessary.

Now the heroes and villains of two of the greatest adventure sagas ever will join forces in a war for the fate of two worlds. Can He-Man and Lion-O, the Masters and the ThunderCats, put aside their differences and stop the combined power of Skeletor and Mumm-Ra? Or will these two champions of all that is good be forced to clash swords themselves? Collects HE-MAN/THUNDERCATS #1-6.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Dc Comics, Science Fiction, Fiction, Comic Book

160 pages, Paperback

Published July 11, 2017

Reviews

[Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

He-Man & Thundercats together! What else do you need?!


This TPB edition collects “He-Man/Thundercats” #1-6, along with a sketch gallery.


Creative Team:

Writers: Rob David & Lloyd Goldfine

Illustrator: Freddie E. Williams II


STRAIGHT TITLE

A thing that I found curious (in a good way) was that when I bought this TPB, it was titled just like I was calling it, I mean since the official name of the franchise of He-Man is Masters of the Universe (MUTO), I was used to see that it was the name for its employing in comic books and other stuff, but since the Filmation animated TV series was titled He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and due being He-Man, the central character, well, in my case (and many others, in my defense), I rarely used Masters of the Universe to refer to this franchise, I just called it “He-Man” refering to the entire franchise.

But, in this crossover with Thundercats, they published it as He-Man/Thundercats, so I liked that, and since I would be one of the few to give i tan importance to that detail, well,...

...thanks for indulge me with a little time in the review to comment it.


BOLD ADVENTURE WITH SHOCKING SURPRISES

So…

Thundercats and He-Man (see, what I mean?) together in the same story?!!!

Oh, yes!

I should have it! And I bought it!

While the climax battle wasn’t anything out of the usually expected in a crossover (or big event) comic book, trust me that the development is absolutelly cool with astonishing artwork and truly bold writing where the authors didn’t hesitate to break the status quo in both series, and even bolder…

…some changes remained at the end of the story!

Since, many time we read shocking surprises but at the end of the tale, everything is back to normal…

…but here wasn’t the case, my fellow 80’s-lovers!

Don’t be afraid that I won’t spoil the surprises!

In this crossover adventure, you read about big changes in the status quo of the the main characters (especially He-Man) and some of those changes are still in effect when the story ended giving field to totally new kind of stories after that.

Definitely, you have writers with guts here!


CATS & MASTERS V. MUMMIES & SKELETONS: DAWN OF THE 80’S

So, what the heck happened in this story?

Well, without spoilers (I already tell you that I won’t do it, geez!)

Mumm-Ra just failed one too more time to the Ancient Spirits of Evil, so they are looking for a new champion of evil…

…so what better option than Skeletor, supreme dark mage of Eternia? Mmh?

Of course, Mumm-Ra doesn’t know that! He thinks that he is just looking for the Sword of Power in possession of Prince Adam to use it against the Thundercats.

But, the tricky part is that Eternia is in a different dimension than Third Earth, and also protected by powerful magic barriers, even making a very teeny-weeny portal would require a massive level of magic power, so…

…when Mumm-Ra (with support of the Ancient Spirits of Evil) opens a portal to bring the whole Third Earth to Eternia’s orbit…!!!

Frack me!!!

The Thundercats and the Masters of the Universe have to face, not only the combined threat of Mumm-Ra and his mutants with Skeletor and his lackeys, but also the enviromental disasters for having Third Earth too close of Eternia’s atmosphere!

The Power of Grayskull is in risk to fall in the worst possible hands!

You’ll feel the magic!

You’ll hear the roar!!

You’ll HAVE THE POWER in this book!!!

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best crossovers in comics. Two of the most powerful swords, in creation and two of the biggest 80s cartoon heroes. I had only one complaint about this miniseries, I wish it was longer. Some of the fights and action seemed a bit rushed, but there were some parts like the swords actually being used like swords. Cutting and slashing weapons.

After his latest failure the Ancient Spirits of Evil get a new offer a champion. Leading to the magic/science world of Eternnia. This is a great crossovers. Well made and adds to the mythology of both heroes. Lion O uses the sword of Omans for a power I have never seen in the cartoon, and He-man learn more of the secrets of Castle Greyskull then he ever know in the original series but was shown in the reboot. Also another of the He-man universe is revealed. All together a awesome mini series. I wish it was 12 issues to make the fights longer.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best comic mini-series I've read (and re-read) in years, a cheesy inter-franchises crossover as so good as unexpected, a nerd wet dream that I was waiting for 30+ years.



If you are a 80s grown up with He-Man, Lion-O & co, kid/teen like me this is just the perfect reading for you, a what-if/sequel of the two iconic pop-culture tv-series, two universes so similar that they match and complement themselves perfectly (just like happened in the amazing Judge Dredd vs. Aliens: Incubus crossover).



And that final "The end?" let this never-grown-up-too-much-kid here really dream about a sequel.

[ScottIsANerd (GrilledCheeseSamurai) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I HAVE THE POOOOOOOOWER!!"

"SWORD OF OMENS GIVE ME SIGHT BEYOND SIGHT...!"

DUDES! I read this months ago and forgot to put on here! I realized this late last night while I was lying in bed waiting for sleep to come. It flabbergasted me so much that I almost got outta bed to boot up the pc to write a review. Thank the gods I'm lazy and just went to sleep instead.

But holy shit, guys! He-Man and the Thundercats TOGETHER! Freaking...TOGETHER! Where was this 30 years ago...!? 12 year old me would have had an aneurysm for certain!

I actually have the individual issues of this! I was in an outta the way comic store and all 6 issues were sitting there for like 12 bucks or something. The cover art drew me in originally and when I saw the price it was a no brainer.

I took my time with them. I allowed myself one issue each night before bed. 6 nights of He-man and Thundercat bliss. It was friggin awesome and each evening I was so happy and excited to have a new chapter to read! I didn't even really care what the story was about - the fact that the art was so much fun and the characters were childhood best friends of mine was more than enough. However, as luck would have it, the story was pretty cool. Mumm-Ra was a bit of a pussy for parts of it - but it all came together really well and overall I was happy as shit to have momentarily re-captured a small but very significant part of my childhood.

5 stars. Hands down...no questions asked.

...I swear, I could hear the theme music to both of these shows playing through my head as I wrote this...

[T.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been waiting quite awhile for the collected edition of this crossover miniseries - He-Man Meets The Thundercats! I read it in one sitting. I really liked it. I was expecting the creators to try to make it all super heavy and serious and dark and "adult," but despite some gore and some choice language here and there, it really manages to capture the flavor of the classic cartoons. Skeletor is a bit baffoonish, most of the name-calling is silly, Lion-O's wisecracks are well-timed and not overdone, the sound effects are terrific, and it's just a lot of FUN! The story isn't anything super duper, and there's probably more battle than character development. But we already know these characters, and seeing them team up feisty Teela and Cheetara, or hardened Man-At-Arms and Panthro, is what put a smile on my face! And I REALLY LOVE the artwork, right down to He-Man's choppy hair-do. I haven't read any of the recent Masters or Thundercats comics, but this reminded me of the good ol' STAR Comics adaptations. Well done and would love to see more!

[Shadowdenizen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a child of the 80s then you no doubt remember He-man and the Thundercats. I was a fan of both, although I had more He-Man toys than Thundercats but probably liked the Thundercats cartoon better.

In any case, this crossover managed to bring the two universes together in a decent way. There was a little more comedy than I would have liked, but that didn't keep the story from having some pretty dramatic and even downright dark moments. The series did seem a little uneven in that in would go from cracking jokes to dark and back again so fast it was hard to figure out what emotion you needed at the time.

Overall the art was exceptional and the story was satisfactory as well. Overall a sound crossover of 80s icons.

[Robert]

I won't rate this because, honestly, it's He-Man meets the Thundercats, but I did enjoy it thoroughly for what it was: a beautifully illustrated, bloody and sassy trip down memory lane, and funnier than it had any right to be.

Highly recommended to anyone who considers themself an 80s kid, or 80s-kid-adjacent.

[Diz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This comic brings together two of the most beloved 80's cartoon characters for a multiversal adventure. The art is quite good, and the characters are treated with respect. However, the story is standard Saturday morning fare, so if you are nostalgic about these characters, you'll enjoy this book, but if you're new to these characters, then you probably won't get much out of it.

[Eldon Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a child of the 80s this brought me back to some great childhood characters. The art was terrific and the story was equally entertaining. It wasn't as captivating as the recent series DC put out during the New 52 but still warrants the 5 star treatment.

[Derek Newman-Stille · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of the recent Masters of the Universe comics have been adding their own twist onto the He-Man narratives and trying to make them more serious, so it is nice to read a comic that brings us into the kitschy, 80s quality of both He-Man and the Thundercats.

I would still like to see a He-Man comic that focusses a bit more on the characters surrounding He-Man, giving us more context and back story for some of the other Masters of the Universe, but I was pleased that this comic allowed us a few glimpses into some of the other Masters and also gave us glimpses of the Thundercats beyond Lion-O.

This comic is a dimension-jumping romp around the multiverse with unlikely team-ups and battles for the fate of the galaxy. Rob David, Lloyd Goldfine and Freddie WIlliams explore the resonances between these two 80s cartoons, focussing on the common elements like magic swords, supporting characters with technical skills, nightmarish enemies, and the simplistic battles of good vs evil.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look, it's a crossover between He-Man and Thundercats. If you don't know exactly what this is going to be just with that info, this might not be the book you're looking for. If you are a fan of those two gloriously dumb 80s toy commer....cartoons, then you will probably love this. The art is epic and sprawling and the story is, honestly, probably the best piece of He-Man fiction I've partaken in. They sprinkle just enough corny garbage to make you feel at home but this ended up being a hell of a lot more interesting than I expected as far as how they tell the story. Slightly darker than the original cartoons but only in the sense that it goes from G to PG13. Regardless, I had a ton of fun with it.

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great comic! FANTASTIC art work supporting an action-packed plot where the two universes are very nicely intertwined. I was positively surprised with how the story developed and I laughed out loud with the humor introduced in several parts. The tone was just perfect: even though the shows were aimed at kids, this comic is more adult but not dark (or at least as dark as some movies based on comic books have been lately). I borrowed a copy of this comic but would gladly buy one just to look at the art work again!

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm surprised a crossover between these franchises didn't happen sooner since they're so similar, even down to the heroes with magic swords. It's not anything amazing, but it is fun to see classic '80's groups getting together to beat up bad guys. Skeletor, as always, is the star.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 1980’s I loved Thundercats. A couple of years ago I rewatched them on Amazon when they had them for free. It was fun.
I am actually a dog person (ThunderDogs?)

[RM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Together for the first. Time. EVER.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

He man and Thundercats join together to fight evil...

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was going to give this 4 stars based on the content alone. Then I thought of how much I thoroughly enjoyed it. The nostalgia factor was at max in this. It captured the pure essence of both universes and aged them so my older self could appreciate them further. That alone was worth the additional star. If you grew up with these classic cartoons like I did and you enjoyed them you will definitely like this book.

[Jorge Figueroa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lo mejor fue el éxito de otros crossovers como TMNT con Ghostbusters o Batman, pero que bueno que DC está complaciendo los deseos de nuestros niños de seis años internos.

Yo amaba He-Man con locura, los Thundercats también fueron uno de mis primeros amores, con una enorme diferencia, ambas propiedades existen para vender juguetes, de los "Amos del universo" tuve casi todo (Sorceress se me escapó, nunca la tenían en existencia) , y para la época de los Thundercats, la situación era otra, sólo tuve a Lion-o, perdón, León-o .

Esta aventura, afortunadamente, sólo necesita revivir tus emociones, es factible que ya la memoria de los nombres de los amos del universo se te escape, y también ocurra lo mismo con los eventos de los Thundercats, no importa, ocurre tangencial a ambas continuidades y se da tiempo de hacerle un guiño al personaje más grande de la casa editora de este comic.

Obviamente, la historia no puede ser de una enorme profundidad y causarte una duda u obligarte a la introspección, no, digo, estas propiedades nacieron para vender juguetes, aún así, es mucho más interesante que el argumento del 90% de los episodios de He-Man, a su vez, el arte dividirá opiniones, yo lo encuentro afortunado, es un estilo ajeno a ambas propiedades, respetando su esencia y haciéndolos reconocibles, eso sí, el grueso de los mutantes y los amos del universo sólo tienen papeles de cameo en splash pages (un punto débil de la versión en TPB)

Me doy cuenta que a los 37 años, a la par de la industria, ya superamos nuestra etapa emo en la que todo debía ser hardcore, y comienzo de nuevo a apreciar las cosas ridículas de los comics y las propiedades que me atraparon, que bueno que hoy ya hay comics tremendamente ridículos y disfrutables como este , no le quita espacios a los que están atrapados en la adolescencia como Pancho Miller

[Παναγιώτα Τσιμπαλίδη · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being an 80's child and a fan of both franchises, this crossover was a real treat for me.

Not just because of the nostalgia, but because I also enjoyed the whole mash-up, story wise. The art was brilliant and the plot quite interesting, though not entirely original. I do feel, however, that it was written with regard to the way both series were written back then, that is simply and straightforward, to be viewed by 10yearolds+, so it gets points for that. Extra bonus points for various trademark Skeletor one-liner insults and subtle 4th-wall-broken commentary.
I even learned a new thing about He-man's lineage, that I was not aware of, so yay for that too.

If you were ever a fan of the Thundercats and/or He-Man series, this is a must-read. If you're too young to remember, I'd still recommend it as an introduction to their ongoing awesomeness.

[Chris Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun crossover! Sure, certain characters automatically find one another for the inevitable melee battle (Teela/Cheetara, Orko/Snarf, and a satisfying Man-at-Arms/Panthro/Tigra to name a few) but a the journey along the way is surprisingly good. I did think some of the narration and characterization a little too snarky: I like a bit of snide narration, but I found some of this off-putting. Skeletor actually lost a little menace to me. Maybe these crossovers show just how assembly-line these toy universes are, but if you grew up with these in your toy chest, you did the mash-ups anyway, right? Check this out to see how yours compares.

[Peekablue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was/am a fan of both TV series and have been following the new MOTU comic book series, so I was excited to see them combined.

The story is very good and I enjoyed the artwork. There's lots of playful banter between the heroes and the bad guys are trying to out-evil each other. Some of the scenes were a little cheesy...particularly those featuring Skeletor and Mumm-Ra. I would have liked to see She-Ra included but with all the other characters, that could have pushed it over the top.

Overall, this was a fun series. I'd like to see more books like this.

[Kai Charles(Fiction State Of Mind) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read. Two of the most popular 80's franchises come together to fight heir mutual enemies. Mummra's spirit bosses are tired of his failures and decide to let Skeletor try his hand at destroying the Thunder Cats. It leads to hopping through different worlds and the ultimate team p between He-Man and Lion-O. The art is fantastic in this trade paperback. There is also some great humor in this story.

[A.j. Garner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved that they linked the two universes so well. I would love if the character interactions were a little less argumentative and more dynamic. However, it was better than most crossovers. If you like either universes, give it a try.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fun and great art.

[Ron Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun crossover. Although I kept waiting for He-Man and Lion-O to lock lips and meow at each other.

[Nate Balcom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two of my favorite TV shows and toy lines from the 1980's together at last... OH YEAH! It was a fun romp through my childhood!

[John Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only beautifully drawn
but written with an affection
for the cartoons that
were much loved staples
of many young nerds lives.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny story. In the early 2000s, when I was in college, WildStorm comics brought ThunderCats back from the dead in a monthly series. Well, a series of mini-series. Each arc ran five issues, and took place here and there across the ThunderCats canon. Yes, I know the canon, because ThunderCats was the first cartoon I remembered watching as a kid. Lion-O is one of my favorite characters, and the Sword of Omen began my lifelong fascination with magical swords. (The sword of my creation, Heritage, bears a not-so-surprising resemblance to Lion-O's blade.)

Anyway. One of those arcs, which was an "elseworlds" (meaning, non-canon) story, was a ThunderCats/Superman crossover. I only bought the first issue, because I thought there was only one issue. I still have the book and can't remember if it ended, or was supposed to continue. Either way, I remember thinking a ThunderCats and Superman crossover was weird, but good-weird. Fun-weird.

I bought HE-MAN/THUNDERCATS at a glance because I thought it was the graphic novel of the Superman/ThunderCats crossover from roughly 15 years ago. It's not. It's a mash-up that makes much more sense, given that ThunderCats and He-Man (Master of the Universe) were on TV at the same time, and watched by many kids, including yours truly. And even thought MotU didn't grab me like ThunderCats did--Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was my next childhood obsession--seeing team-ups such as Lion-O and He-Man, Cheetara and Teela, and Mumm-Ra and Skeletor seemed like a fun romp.

And it is, if you can forgive one grievance: The tone. This book's voice is all over the place. I've watched ThunderCats off and on since high school, when Cartoon Network's Toonami block of cartoons put it back on the air, so I recognized the authenticity of voices for those characters right away. I can't comment on MoTU's because I don't remember enough about it. But characters on both sides occasionally get really, really cheesy.

Now, that would be fine. This is, after all, a mash-up of two of the most objectively cheesy Saturday morning cartoons in the history of forever. But the tone swings between cheesy and serious so often, and at the most inopportune times, that it felt discordant. The Batman/TMNT mash-up from a year or two ago struck a much better balance: Batman was his usual dark, serious self, while each character from on the TMNT side stayed in-character.

That's the trick: Batman's and TMNT's story was both dark and comedic, but not because the characters changed their voices for no reason. This discordance also makes acts of violence, including several instances of bloodshed and Lion-O even being blinded in one eye, an injury that seems to spontaneously heal on its own. (A character did mention treating it, but to my knowledge this never happened. One minute he was bleeding and appeared blind. The next, A-OK.)

None of this is a big deal. My advice is to switch off your brain and enjoy the ride. The team-ups and face-offs here are the stuff of dreams for any kid who watched cartoons in the '80s and/or '90s, especially near the end, when He-Man and Lion-O (What was it with '80s cartoons and hyphenated names?) go on a magical journey via an orb that creates several hilarious what-if (now they've got me doing it) scenarios.

[Philmore Olazo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cats are awesome, not unlike dogs. He-Man has a cat, Lion-O is a cat. You get the idea.

Now on to this story, this is a crossover that brings together two iconic 80s characters: He-Man and Lion-O, along with their respective allies and villains. The story begins with a union of two villains, Skeletor and Mum-Ra the Ever-Living, prompting the heroes to join forces to combat this new threat.

The comic explores the clash and eventual alliance between He-Man and Lion-O, both muscular sword-wielding heroes from their respective franchises. While the plot is straightforward, focusing on the battle between the titular characters followed by their collaboration against the combined forces of Skeletor and Mum-Ra, it effectively captures the essence of what these characters would have done in an animated crossover.

To fully appreciate the story, some basic knowledge of both the "He-Man" and "Thundercats" franchises is recommended, although it doesn't require in-depth familiarity with either series. Overall, "He-Man/Thundercats" delivers an action-packed and nostalgic experience for fans of these beloved 80s heroes.