Review – He-Man & The Masters of the Multiverse #4 (DC)

Publisher: DC
Writer: Tim Seeley
Artwork: Tom Derenick
Colours: Matt Yackey
Lettering: Saida Temofonte
Release Date: 19th February 2020

We’re past the midway point of Tim Seeley and Tom Derenick’s blindingly ambitious He-Man and the Masters of the Multiverse miniseries, and the creative team are showing absolutely no signs of taking their foot off the gas.

To fill you in on where we are, a particularly evil version of He-Man has managed to obtain the power to traverse dimensions, and is hopping from universe to universe, killing their various He-Men and snatching up their Power Swords to add to his own power. However, as seemingly unstoppable as he may be, his only weakness may be the Skeletor (or Keldor, rather) from his own universe. After all, if He-Man manages to continually overcome Skeletor time and time again in every other reality, why wouldn’t the opposite be true for the versions from the universe where their roles are reversed?

Okay, so the story is admittedly pretty wild, but it’s never nonsensical, with a baked-in logic that keeps the pages turning and the blend of excitement and anticipation rolling from start to finish. It’s packed with nods, winks and allusions to previous stories and versions, and perhaps more than anything else he’s done in the past (which is definitely saying something) this feels like Tim Seeley’s ultimate love letter to the He-Man Universe.

This latest chapter sees Keldor and the Dolph Lungdren movie He-Man (yeah, you heard me) following their adversary into the world of the classic ‘80s cartoon, and trying to cut through the endless morals and ‘teaching moments’ long enough to concoct a plan to bring Anti-He-Man down once and for all.

One thing’s for sure, if you’re going to pay homage to the iconic Filmation He-Man Universe, you damn sure better make sure it looks the part. Thankfully, both Derenick and Matt Yackey seem to share Seeley’s affinity for the source material, and put together a brilliantly authentic comic book version of the classic cartoon, from the designs of the characters themselves to that oh-so-distinctive colour palette.

What’s particularly impressive is the way the creative team manage to differentiate the various version of He-Man from each other. Not just physically – although Derenick and Yackey deserve a huge amount of credit for melding so many distinct artistic styles into a single comic – but also in terms of their personality, with the He-Men running the gamut from jaded and cynical to wide-eyed and naïve.

The final pages give a significant hint that the story is heading in exactly the direction we’re all thinking it will, but knowing Seeley, I would imagine that he has something special in store for the remaining two issues. While he’s certainly not a writer who employs shocks for the sake it, neither is he one who likes to take the straightforward path to the next storyline beat, and I absolutely can’t wait to see what happens next issue in yet another iconic version of Eternia.

Simply put, this is pure, unadulterated fan service from start to finish, and I absolutely love it. If you’re a fan of He-Man in his many and varied forms, you really owe it to yourself to pick this one up.

Rating: 4/5.

[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]