Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: 12th December 2023

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The first thing you’ll notice with this collection is that this is definitely a smaller tome than some of Dark Horse’s previous Masters of the Universe offerings, clocking in at just 224 pages. This pales in comparison to the unbridled heft of, say, He-Man and She-Ra: A Complete Guide to the Classic Animated Adventures (592 pages), or the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Character Guide and World Compendium (680 pages).  Thankfully, this collection is very much a case of quality over quantity for the most part, and if you’re a fan of the stunning box art that has long been a major selling point of MOTU toys, this is most definitely for you.

As you may have guessed from the title, the book is split between packaging artwork from the Masters of the Universe Origins and Masterverse toy lines, so let’s take a look at each of these lines separately, shall we?

For those unfamiliar with the slightly convoluted world of Masters of the Universe toys, Origins is designed as a nostalgic recreation of the 1980s classic figures in the original 5’5″ scale, albeit with more points of articulation and, curiously, a lot less of the cool features (no head-pumping Kobra Khan goodness here, sadly.) There’s certainly something to be said about embracing the retro aesthetic, and while there’s a little more repainting and reusing of older moulds in the line than I’d perhaps like, these figures are a great way for fans to relive their childhood and, quite possible, pick up figures they weren’t able to get as a youngster.

The artwork is reproduced with the same high level of quality that we’ve all come to expect from a Dark Horse release, and we are also treated to the original pencils for some characters (although frustratingly not all of them, which slightly irked my inner original art fanatic – I’m assuming some of them were created purely digitally.) Some art gets full or double-paged spreads, while some gets resigned to a half-page, usually depending on the significance or “fame” of the character.

While the art is undoubtedly great to look at, the additional info is more than a little sparse. We get a brief line describing each of the characters – “Lurking in the darkest depths of the ocean, Mer-Man awaits Skeletor’s orders to attack Eternia’s surface world”, for example – but no real insight beyond that. Heck, even information about who drew each piece, which feels like a fairly basic component for an art book, is curiously missing.

There are some neat additions though, including the full mini comic for the incredibly difficult to find She-Ra Power Con 2020 exclusive.  The range of art collected is also fairly up to date, featuring box art up to and including Wave 12,  and also incorporating several of the Mattel Creations Exclusive figures such as Fang-or and Lady Slither, both of which boast some truly fantastic art.

The second half of the book is dedicated to the Masterverse toy line, which was launched back in 2021 to coincide with the Masters of the Universe: Revolution animated Netflix series, boasting more “realistic” proportions in a 7” scale, along with higher levels of detail and at least 30 points of articulation. While some collectors will naturally lean towards the figures that remind them of their childhood, the Masterverse line has put out some absolutely stunning toys, and – for my taste, at least – features a noticeable step-up in quality from the Origins box art.  It has also branched out to include Princess of Power and New Eternia figures, and even releases from the divisive 1987 movie!

Unfortunately, while the artwork is once again stunningly recreated, the promised “insights” somehow become even sparser here, with even the brief captions that were provided for the Origins art all but disappearing. As such, this basically becomes a straight-up collection of artwork, which I guess is fine if that’s all you’re looking for, but as above, I’d have preferred a little more information about the artists, the creation of the art, any original sketches, etc.

I do like the fact the Masterverse section not only contains the art from the back of each box, but also the art from the side – a neat marketing addition that has made displaying the (weirdly isometric) boxes a hallmark of a lot of people’s collections. Also, much like the Origins section, the collection of art included here is fairly up to date, including the vast majority of the latest fall 2023 release slate in all their glory.

Ultimately, there’s no disputing that this is a great-looking hardcover art book featuring some impressively recreated images, and would make a great addition to any self-respecting He-Man fan’s coffee table.  That said, it’s hard to overlook the lack of supplementary information – something that has made these Dark Horse hardcover collections absolutely essential purchases over the years. The price point is also perhaps a little high for what you get here ($49.99 for the Regular Edition and $99.99 for a Deluxe Edition that comes with some exclusive prints and a pretty cool looking slipcase), particularly when you compare it to the previous offerings.  Definitely worth a look if you’re a fan of Masters of the Universe and/or fantasy art, but perhaps not quite as essential as some of the books that came before.

Rating: 4/5.

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[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]

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The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson-Adams (aka Ceej)
Article Archive: Ceej Says
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