Review – Masters of the Universe: Forge of Destiny #4 (Dark Horse Comics)

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Tim Seeley
Artwork: Eddie Nunez
Colours: Brad Simpson
Lettering: AndWorld Design
Release Date: 20th December 2023

Dark Horse’s “He Man: Year One” miniseries comes to an end this week, and creators Tim Seeley and Eddie Nunez stick the landing with absolute confidence, delivering an action-packed final issue loaded with drama, colour and plenty of fan service. At the conclusion of the previous chapter, we saw Skeletor gaining the near-limitless power of the Phlogista, joining forces with the (mistakenly) grieving Queen of Anwat Gar in her attempt to wreak revenge on King Randor and his diplomatic caravan. And this final instalment brings that conflict to a head while simultaneously tying up all the loose plot threads than have been dangled along the way.

As I think I’ve said in all of my reviews of this series so far, this may very well be the best Masters of the Universe comic series that Dark Horse has ever published, and it succeeds in a lot of ways by virtue of its simplicity. This isn’t some planet-spanning Masterversal epic, or a sprawling anthology packed with standalone stories. No, this is just a straight-up MOTU series with a simple threat, some strong character work, and plenty of action thrown in for good measure.

That said, it does feel at times like one of the classic 200x cartoon episodes where they throw in a fairly unnecessary armour change for He-Man and Skeletor just so that they can add another toy to the line. Thankfully, Nunez and colourist Brad Simpson deliver these “costume changes” with a real flair, and the whole sequence with both He-Man and Skeletor drawing from the power of the Phlogista, resulting in some colourful, dynamic and sometimes outlandish costume changes, is a ton of fun.

Oh, and as you can clearly see from the cover, we also get the long-awaited unveiling of Dash-Shel as Sy-Klone in his traditional costume. For a character that has had a plethora of different origin stories over the years, from augmented acrobat to cyborg athlete to reclusive guardian, I love the way Seeley has blended a lot of these aspects together here into what is, for my money, the best version of the “Heroic Fist-Flinging Tornado” so far.

His unique powers and the way he obtains them also makes him feel like a bit of a big deal, which is fantastic. He-Man does a great job of cementing that significance too, making him seem like a bigtime player rather than just a colourful action figure with an admittedly rather cool twirling feature. And, as you might expect, series artist Eddie Nunez does a fantastic job with this introduction, particularly the panel where young Dash unveils his new name.

On a related note, I’d like to officially start a petition for Eddie Nunez to illustrate each and every new MOTU comic from here on out. That’s not to diminish any of the other talented artists who have worked on this storied franchise over the years, but there’s just something about Nunez’s style that does a perfect job of capturing the bright, cartoony origins of the source material while giving it a dynamic, modern twist. It also works extremely well in stories set in the Revolution era, as he echoes that striking aesthetic beautifully.

Speaking of Revolution, it’s also worth pointing out that the sub-plot with Teela and Prince Adam here is really well done, showing the tensions that arose between the two following the arrival of He-Man, and sowing a lot of the storyline seeds that would eventually result in her (somewhat divisive) reaction at the beginning of the Netflix Revolution series when she discovers that she has been lied to by literally everyone she trusts in the world. Cool stuff by Seeley here.

Honestly, I don’t know what else needs to be said at this point. If you’re a He-Man fan, this should be viewed as an absolutely essential purchase, as it most likely captures everything you love about the fan-favourite toy and cartoon franchise. Highly, highly recommended.

Rating: 4/5.

[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]