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He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Collected Editions) #4
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Vol. 4: What Lies Within
A new adventure begins here! With Eternia still occupied by the Horde, He-Man and King Randor lead a small group of Masters on a quest to find the one object that might free Eternia! Join new writer Dan Abnett as he takes He-Man and the Masters of the Universe into their next great chapter!
Collects HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE #7-12.
Collects HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE #7-12.
144 pages, Paperback
First published March 3, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 30, 2019
You can read the full review over at my blog:
http://sonsofcorax.wordpress.com/2015...
In 2012 we saw the relaunch of the He-Man comics franchise under DC, with a limited series that was also supported by several digital one-shots, most of which have since then been collected into trades. While the relaunch got off to a rough start at first, it quickly picked up steam, leading to DC giving the franchise an ongoing series in mid-2013, a series that culminated a few weeks ago in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #19, though not before we got a new series that took the series forward, He-Man: The Eternity War.
This collection should actually be titled as Volume 2, but DC’s numbering counts the limited-series as volume 1 and volume 2 contains the various origin one-shots that have come out in the last couple years. So everything follows on from there, with Volume 3 containing the first six issues of the ongoing series. In this trade version, collecting issues #7 through #12 of writer Dan Abnett’s run on the title, we find out what happens to our heroes in the wake of the revelations about Despara really being Princess Adora of Eternia, and the fact that with the Sorceress’ death previously, Eternia needs a new guardian. This is where King Randor hits upon the idea of journeying to one of Eternia’s deepest and most mystical realms, and we get a great story about the heroes facing up to some really weird and fantastical challenges.
Note: The trade collection will be released in March this year.
In Keith Giffen’s first arc on the ongoing series, we saw that following the banishment of Skeletor and the death of the Sorceress that the Masters had barely enjoyed any reprieve when Hordak and his armies attacked Eternia. The void left on the world by the death of its greatest mystical defender had left it open to invasion, and so Hordak took advantage of a perfect opportunity for him. And he sent one of his greatest warriors to lead this invasion, Despara, formerly Princess Adora, twin sister to Prince Adam. The first volume ended on a rather somber note for the Masters, even though they had temporarily won against their foe.
That is where Dan Abnett picks up the story and just rolls ahead with it at full-steam. In this new arc, we see that without the guidance of the Sorceress, the Masters are having a really tough time against the vast hordes that Hordak has sent to their world. He-Man and the Masters can only do so much and without possession of Castle Greyskull as a rallying point, their task is all that much harder. And so it is that King Randor puts forth the idea of journeying to the most ancient and mystical depths of Eternia to find a solution to their problem. If the Sorceress can indeed be brought back to the world of the living, then the Masters have a chance, for only the Sorceress truly understands the vast powers of Castle Greyskull.
For my money’s worth, this was an excellent story. Where the first one was often a grim tale told in the typical style of the New 52, Dan takes some care in crafting a tale that is also light-hearted. The narrative points at the heart of the What Lies Within arc are quite grim indeed, especially towards the second half, but there isn’t the same kind of dark tension to the story that could be seen before. And that allows the characters some more breathing room to strike out on their own and really stand out from the rest.
Character relationships are pretty strong in this arc and I think that Dan does a good job of taking old concepts from the franchise’s lore and giving them his own spin. The fate that befalls King Randor is quite tragic indeed, especially given all the development his character saw in the first half of the story and the strengthening of the relationship between him and Adam, despite their differences over their chosen course of action. But at the same time, it also creates some excellent drama and allows Dan to pull a rabbit out of the magic hat. The specific execution I found lacking since there was very little to no setup for it, far as I could tell, but at the same time, it was also a great moment. He definitely turned the status quo on its head with that.
http://sonsofcorax.wordpress.com/2015...
In 2012 we saw the relaunch of the He-Man comics franchise under DC, with a limited series that was also supported by several digital one-shots, most of which have since then been collected into trades. While the relaunch got off to a rough start at first, it quickly picked up steam, leading to DC giving the franchise an ongoing series in mid-2013, a series that culminated a few weeks ago in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #19, though not before we got a new series that took the series forward, He-Man: The Eternity War.
This collection should actually be titled as Volume 2, but DC’s numbering counts the limited-series as volume 1 and volume 2 contains the various origin one-shots that have come out in the last couple years. So everything follows on from there, with Volume 3 containing the first six issues of the ongoing series. In this trade version, collecting issues #7 through #12 of writer Dan Abnett’s run on the title, we find out what happens to our heroes in the wake of the revelations about Despara really being Princess Adora of Eternia, and the fact that with the Sorceress’ death previously, Eternia needs a new guardian. This is where King Randor hits upon the idea of journeying to one of Eternia’s deepest and most mystical realms, and we get a great story about the heroes facing up to some really weird and fantastical challenges.
Note: The trade collection will be released in March this year.
In Keith Giffen’s first arc on the ongoing series, we saw that following the banishment of Skeletor and the death of the Sorceress that the Masters had barely enjoyed any reprieve when Hordak and his armies attacked Eternia. The void left on the world by the death of its greatest mystical defender had left it open to invasion, and so Hordak took advantage of a perfect opportunity for him. And he sent one of his greatest warriors to lead this invasion, Despara, formerly Princess Adora, twin sister to Prince Adam. The first volume ended on a rather somber note for the Masters, even though they had temporarily won against their foe.
That is where Dan Abnett picks up the story and just rolls ahead with it at full-steam. In this new arc, we see that without the guidance of the Sorceress, the Masters are having a really tough time against the vast hordes that Hordak has sent to their world. He-Man and the Masters can only do so much and without possession of Castle Greyskull as a rallying point, their task is all that much harder. And so it is that King Randor puts forth the idea of journeying to the most ancient and mystical depths of Eternia to find a solution to their problem. If the Sorceress can indeed be brought back to the world of the living, then the Masters have a chance, for only the Sorceress truly understands the vast powers of Castle Greyskull.
For my money’s worth, this was an excellent story. Where the first one was often a grim tale told in the typical style of the New 52, Dan takes some care in crafting a tale that is also light-hearted. The narrative points at the heart of the What Lies Within arc are quite grim indeed, especially towards the second half, but there isn’t the same kind of dark tension to the story that could be seen before. And that allows the characters some more breathing room to strike out on their own and really stand out from the rest.
Character relationships are pretty strong in this arc and I think that Dan does a good job of taking old concepts from the franchise’s lore and giving them his own spin. The fate that befalls King Randor is quite tragic indeed, especially given all the development his character saw in the first half of the story and the strengthening of the relationship between him and Adam, despite their differences over their chosen course of action. But at the same time, it also creates some excellent drama and allows Dan to pull a rabbit out of the magic hat. The specific execution I found lacking since there was very little to no setup for it, far as I could tell, but at the same time, it was also a great moment. He definitely turned the status quo on its head with that.
February 18, 2021
I seriously like everything I've ever read by Dan Abnett. I already enjoyed this series alot more than I ever expected but I like it even more now. Abnett brings an epic and mythological scale to the story. Here there is tragedy and hard won triumph by our heroes.
Perhaps most of all though, we got a change in Artist and no longer had to deal with endless Teela fan service. Yes, I know this is He-man where the main character is a massive hunk who goes around shirtless but for gods sake we never saw his ass cheeks every other page. That was endlessly annoying and the change was welcome
Perhaps most of all though, we got a change in Artist and no longer had to deal with endless Teela fan service. Yes, I know this is He-man where the main character is a massive hunk who goes around shirtless but for gods sake we never saw his ass cheeks every other page. That was endlessly annoying and the change was welcome
July 16, 2015
I really am loving what dc has been doing with the he-man comics! There's a hint of the classic characters I have grown up with in this new series! There are many secrets I can't wait to learn!
March 18, 2024
This one picks up immediately after the previous DC vs Masters volume, naturally, and the first few issues are ugly as sin. Very messy, sketchy style of art and I didn't really enjoy it. The rest was much nicer and cleaner. As for the story, it digs deep into the lore. Honestly, the way this one went makes me wish Kevin Smith would've taken more inspo from this volume for Revelation. Digging into Subternia, Zoar, and the prehistory of Eternia (which I learned recently is where the name "Preternia" originated). So far, my biggest complaint, first bits of art aside, is just that He-Man's power seems inconsistent. That's more of a nitpick than the art though. Really excited about the next volume.
January 18, 2018
This was pretty good, but I already knew the big reveal at the end was coming because I mistakenly read the Eternity War series first, not realizing it was a continuation of this series. While I enjoyed the overall plot, it was a bit tedious to read at times because it focuses solely on the group of He-Man, Teela, Moss Man and Randor. The She-Ra, Hordak, and Skeletor stories were left out completely in this volume, though I know they'll be back in the next volume.
The art was good, but inconsistent. Three artists with very different styles is a bit much for one volume.
The art was good, but inconsistent. Three artists with very different styles is a bit much for one volume.
February 15, 2022
The Horde have overtaken Eternia and He-Man, King Randor, Teela, Battle Cat, Moss Man and Stratos enter Subternia on a quest to save the Sorceress. The fate of Man at Arms and all the other Masters remain unknown.
By the end of the quest some will be changed beyond recognition and some will be gone.
Another enjoyable adventure in the Realm of Eternia and good to see Moss Man and Stratos getting some page time.
By the end of the quest some will be changed beyond recognition and some will be gone.
Another enjoyable adventure in the Realm of Eternia and good to see Moss Man and Stratos getting some page time.
August 5, 2017
Wow this was dumb. A big step down from the last volume. Random snake men, revisionist bullshit regarding Randor, Man-At-Arms disappears presumely dead and Teela expresses no concern, terrible dialogue during fights, confusing locations and situations, and where the hell did Teela and co get those flying ships? They came from friggin no where! And that finale.... Its like it was written in a hurry without bothering to tell a decent story. It reminds of those mid 90s Mortal Kombat comics which were muscle-bound fantasy with plot points and dialogue that were too silly even for that type of story.
December 28, 2017
As the Horde takes over Eternia, it is up to the King and He-Man to save their subjects. And they'll need help!
February 21, 2018
The most fun so far from this series.
January 29, 2023
lowkey upset that teela got turned into a snake sorceress but at least she had more clothes on and didn't look like all her poses were traced from pornos.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2016
Reprints He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #7-12 (December 2013-June 2014). Grayskull has fallen and the Masters have been crushed by the invading forces of Hordak. In a desperate attempt by King Randor, He-Man, Teela, Stratos, and Moss Man find themselves travelling into the underworld of Eternia and braving the rings of Subteria to try to bring the Sorceress back…but someone in Randor’s party is a traitor that could deal the crushing blow to the attempt to stop Hordak once and for all.
Written by Dan Abnett, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 4: What Lies Within continues the adaptation of the ’80s Mattel toyline by DC Comics and follows He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 3 (which collected the first six issues of the continuing series).
I grew up with He-Man, and He-Man really, really needed expanding to be a valid title. The authors of the Masters of the Universe comics for DC have a tricky (but fun) assignment of creating a universe that was partially formed in comics and cartoons and giving it volume. This collection provides one of the best examples of how that works.
When He-Man was released in 1982, the storylines were much different. The comics changed with the second wave of toys and became a bit closer to the stories presented in the popular cartoon series. One of the original concepts was that the Sorceress and Teela were the same toy. The Sorceress had a snake garb and you simply removed this to get “Teela”. Later a separate Sorceress was presented in the cartoon and this Sorceress was tied to Zoar (the falcon toy). In this volume, these ideas are merged along with the history of the Snake Men, and Teela smartly has her original “Sorceress” look when she is transformed…it is rather smart writing for a “dumb” toy that has throwbacks for early fans.
In addition to changes like this, you learn “Moss Man” is just a nickname for Kreann’ot N’norosh who is an almost Swamp Thing-esque characters. The story also looks into the past of Eternia with the Snake Man (King Hiss becomes King Hssss but still resembles the toy). It is quite fun for fans…I just wish that they could get more of these links into the series.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is a fun series, but I imagine if you weren’t a fan of He-Man, it might not be very good. The series really banks on fans who are now in their 30’s and 40’s and I don’t know how it will sit with the people who collected the newer incarnations of He-Man. I’ll be continuing with He-Man to see what happens on Eternia, and I hope He-Man has a decent run. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 4: What Lies Within is followed by He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 5: The Blood of Grayskull.
Written by Dan Abnett, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 4: What Lies Within continues the adaptation of the ’80s Mattel toyline by DC Comics and follows He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 3 (which collected the first six issues of the continuing series).
I grew up with He-Man, and He-Man really, really needed expanding to be a valid title. The authors of the Masters of the Universe comics for DC have a tricky (but fun) assignment of creating a universe that was partially formed in comics and cartoons and giving it volume. This collection provides one of the best examples of how that works.
When He-Man was released in 1982, the storylines were much different. The comics changed with the second wave of toys and became a bit closer to the stories presented in the popular cartoon series. One of the original concepts was that the Sorceress and Teela were the same toy. The Sorceress had a snake garb and you simply removed this to get “Teela”. Later a separate Sorceress was presented in the cartoon and this Sorceress was tied to Zoar (the falcon toy). In this volume, these ideas are merged along with the history of the Snake Men, and Teela smartly has her original “Sorceress” look when she is transformed…it is rather smart writing for a “dumb” toy that has throwbacks for early fans.
In addition to changes like this, you learn “Moss Man” is just a nickname for Kreann’ot N’norosh who is an almost Swamp Thing-esque characters. The story also looks into the past of Eternia with the Snake Man (King Hiss becomes King Hssss but still resembles the toy). It is quite fun for fans…I just wish that they could get more of these links into the series.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is a fun series, but I imagine if you weren’t a fan of He-Man, it might not be very good. The series really banks on fans who are now in their 30’s and 40’s and I don’t know how it will sit with the people who collected the newer incarnations of He-Man. I’ll be continuing with He-Man to see what happens on Eternia, and I hope He-Man has a decent run. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 4: What Lies Within is followed by He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 5: The Blood of Grayskull.
July 21, 2015
Super intense. Feels like they are just tearing through the storyline though. Only a handful of heroic characters even still alive at this point. How much longer before everything get rebooted in this reboot?
September 14, 2015
Pointless.. and I am not sure I like this kind of art.. DC has ruined a legendary character like He-Man..
January 29, 2025
King Randor dies during the quest and Teela gets transformed into a snake sorceress? Didn't see that coming. Brutal but I love it so far.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2017
He-Man and friends return from a crossover event to find themselves in a big battle. The good guys are not winning, and are close to losing. They have to get another magic user to help them, and go on a quest to find them. The quest is the interesting part of this book. It opens up the world of Eternia, and its history. The ending could be guessed but was still an interesting twist. A good read.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews