He-Man and the Masters of the Multiverse #4 – Tim Seeley, Writer; Tom Derenick, Artist; Matt Yackey, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 8/10
Ray: This bizarre miniseries is more enjoyable if you have some knowledge of the various He-Man animated series, but it’s a fun read for just about anyone who likes high fantasy and multiverse theory. After getting a surprising amount of pathos over the death of a He-Man based around action figures, the battle to save the universe from Anti-He-Man takes another strange turn in He-Man and the Masters of the Multiverse #4 – into the realm of Funimation, the candy-colored cel-shared animated series that mainly existed for the characters to teach life lessons to each other.
While they may not seem like a threat, they’ve still managed to capture Keldor and the barbarian He-Man, leaving themselves defenseless when the villain shows up looking for the Star-Seed. That Anti-He-Man has disguised himself as a happy clown only adds to the ridiculousness of everything that’s going on but somehow works with the tone of the story.
A little too much of every issue is devoted to various versions of the same characters fighting over a stone, but this issue finds some new energy with the addition of the Funimation Skeletor. This over-the-top buffoon of a supervillain is obsessed with power to the exclusion of everything else, and charges into the battle like an idiot – making him a perfect distraction for the real villain.
The bigger plot, though, involves how this very real power threatens to rip apart the fragile cartoon world the battle takes place on, and it has very real consequences for one major player who finds history repeating itself. This is an odd comic, combining DC’s multiverse theory with a plot heavily reliant on the multiple versions of an 80s cartoon, but it’s unlike anything else on the stands. Dare I hope the property will be crossing over with the new She-Ra cartoon? Probably not, due to rights issues, but I can dream.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
It’s Filmation, not Funimation. Make sure you know what you are talking about. And also, the He-Man that died wasn’t based on an action figure. It was from the Tappers of Grayskull mobile video game. Your reviews are an insult to all He-Man fans everywhere.