Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

This book starts off with an introduction from Alan Oppenheimer, the actor behind the voices of Skeletor, Cringer, Battle Cat, Man-at-Arms, Mer-Man, and other characters from the 1980s cartoon. And it just gets better from there.THE TEXT: Besides the mandatory explanation about the history and development of the property, you also get interviews with the people who realised it in terms of conceptual character designs, cartoons, comic books, story books, magazines, the 1987 live-action film, the new tablet game, and, of course, the toys at every stage of the development from rough sketches to final products from the 1980s, the 1990s, and the New Millennium.THE ART: Character development, marketing images, lush packaging artwork, posters, blueprints, documentation, cartoon model sheets, a couple of larger fold-out sections, and your very own "animation cell." The book features all kinds of artwork from all the eras and incarnations listed above. While they couldn’t possibly include everything in this book, they’ve included more than any other book I’ve ever seen on the subject before, and enough to give you plenty of insight on the 35-year history of the brand (early work and designs can be traced back to 1980), with a look at possible future diversions. I’ve got to admit, though, I’m not entirely keen on many of those newest re-imaginings, which would look pretty cool on their own, but are too wild a departure from what has gone before to look truly “MOTU,” in my eyes.OVERALL: This is an excellent book, and a must-have for any fan of Masters of the Universe. It’s absolutely packed with the kind of art that thrilled many of us as kids, and can elicit some strong nostalgia now we’re (ostensibly) adults. Considering how large and full of neat-o stuff this book is, the price is lower than I expected. I noticed a couple of minor mistakes (for example, an excerpt from the mini-comic “The Search for Keldor” is mislabelled as coming from “The Ultimate Battleground”), but for the most part, the information in the book is not only accurate but also interesting, with a lot of rare and never-before-seen details to flesh out the background of the property. Such as you can find out what links the original Filmation cartoon to Matt Groening, creator of “The Simpsons” and “Futurama” – and it won’t be what you expect!

Such a fantastic book, researched and written with care and enthusiasm. Even the most hardened MOTU fan will find something here that he or she has never seen before, as the writers had access to archival material and also the personal collections of various fans. The first section about the initial idea and designs for the toy range was particularly fascinating, seeing He-Man and the other characters develop and change.As an illustration nerd, I loved the artwork chosen in the book, from packaging designs to promotional posters. The book also covers the later attempts to reboot the series, as well as some eye-opening material on the live-action feature film and how the initial concepts - which were closer in look to the toys and cartoon - were darkened down and reimagined for the grittier look of the film. It was also an unexpected joy to receive a mini animation cell hidden inside the book! This, along with the fold-out pages and the high quality of the reproductions and the paper stock, make this a lovely gift for any big kid.I would have preferred fewer, longer interviews with the creators; the interviews that are in the book are short so you only get an overview of the work an individual writer or artist did, rather than anything in depth; perhaps that is something for a follow-up volume! She-Ra features a few times in the book too, of course, and it would be lovely to see that range of toys get a similar art book... although perhaps there isn't the interest, or the variety of material available, to make that a reality. The publishers Dark Horse are planning to reprint all the mini-comics that appeared with He-Man and She-Ra toys in a book scheduled for release in autumn 2015 at over 1000 pages(!) so there is certainly a market for He-Man nostalgia!

This is a terrific book! It's 320 pages of information and art work on 'He-Man and the Masters of the Universe'. For fans of the toys and / or the animated shows, this is real treat.It's a hardback book, full of glossy prints. It explains the conception of the main characters - which were originally designed to be nothing more than toy figures for boys - and how, as ideas progressed, the franchise evolved first into a comic book series and then a cartoon show. This show, which aired for the first time in the mid-1980's, was a phenomenal success - and the toy-line was a $billion industry. Unfortunately, the MOTU died away in the late 1980's ... only really being resurrected with some degree of success in 2002 - with a re-made animated show and a new toy-line. Later, the 'Classics' line of figures was released, as well as a new comic book series by DC Comics.This book explores the 'art' of MOTU. And much of it is fantastic ... some of the drawings - e.g. of He-Man defending Castle Grayskull from Skeletor - are awesome, providing iconic fantasy imagery.For fans of the show, this is a great item. I was especially fascinated by the early concept art (it's amazing to see how both He-Man and Skeletor were first envisaged). This is a high-quality book, providing detailed information. Thoroughly recommended.

Me gustó mucho el libro. Algo incompletoPero excelente material

Recomendo para todos os fãs de MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE.Excelente item de colecionador, Cujo livro retrata toda a trajetória em varias, é tapas da criação do personagem HE - MAN e OS MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE.E de seus criadores.O livro é ótimo, acabamento de primeira qualidade com varias ilustrações.Como o material é em inglês. é único problema para que não sabe o idioma, mas é bom para quem está iniciando um estudo para a prender outra língua.

Amazing artwork and super duper awesome pictures and stories.Highly recommended for any art buffs and fantasy enthusiasts.Plus He Man was a big part of my childhood. Masters of the Universe !My 3 best Amazon purchases:- Icon by Frank Frazetta- Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein- Great Fighter Jets of the Galaxy 1 by Tim Gibson

Ce version anglophone est légèrement différente de la Française et pour moi qui possède les deux versions, je puis vous dire qu'elles se complètent toutes les deux ! Idéal pour les fans des Maîtres de l'univers, ce livre les ravira !

Premetto col dire che questo libro è enorme! Un bel tomo dal peso notevole e dai contenuti fantastici! Se siete appassionati di Masters of the Universe (se state leggendo immagino lo siate) non potete perdervelo. Il titolo potrebbe trarre in inganno “the art of He-man...” poiché il volume contiene sia le illustrazioni e gli artwork legati alla linea di giocattoli degli anni 80 sia una quantità di materiale interessante incredibile come news, bozzetti preparatori antecedenti l’uscita nei negozi dei pupazzetti, storia del cartone animato e rivisitazioni del brand. Inutile dire che ve lo consiglio e straconsiglio, bellissimo!Unica pecca un danno (accorto mentre leggevo) sicuramente causato da un colpo in magazzino o durante il trasporto. Non è la prima volta che mi capita con libri cartonati purtroppo. Amazon dovrebbe fare più attenzione considerando che uno paga anche il servizio prime. 5 stelle al libro 1 al corriere.