We are still a few months away from the release of the highly anticipated reboot of He-Man, lead by Kevin Smith. Master of the Universe: Revelation is set to debut on Netflix later in 2021, but for those that are excited for a return to Eternia, Dark Horse Comics is teaming up with Mattel for a four-issue prequel to the upcoming animated series. The first issue will be available on July 7th. The official description for the comic reads as follows.
Following a vicious Orlax attack on his father King Randor, He-Man learns that the creature is linked to the origin of the Sword of Power. To save Randor and put an end to the chaos, He-Man must embark on a journey that pits him against his longtime foes Skeletor and Evil-Lyn, and sees Teela take the reins of a powerful legacy.
Masters of the Universe first launched nearly 40 years ago primarily as an action figure toy line. Each action figure came with with a comic book to enable children to further explore the world of Eternia. The partnership with Dark Horse is a return to the roots of setting up the upcoming Masters of the Universe: Revelation TV series with an epic world-shattering comic book tale.
The Netflix series is said to be a much darker version of Masters of the Universe. &Despite the change in tone from a comedic cartoon to a darker anime-style series, showrunner Kevin Smith has stated that the character designs have not changed much from their original interpretations.
Masters of the Universe: Revelation will pick up directly where the original ’80s cartoon left off. Netflix has had success rebooting old ’80s cartoon classics. Last year Netflix launched the first of three Transformers miniseries, with the last installment still to come later in 2021. Netflix is rumored to be also working on a Thundercats series for the streaming service as well.
Kevin Smith has assembled a mighty impressive voice cast for Masters of the Universe: Revelation. The biggest name to sign on would have to be Mark Hamill, who is coming out of voice acting retirement to portray the villainous Skeletor. Hamill famously voiced the Joker inBatman: the animated series in the ’90s. Masters of the Universe: Revelation will also reunite Hamill with Kevin Conroy, his voice co-star from Batman: the animated series. Conroy will be voicing Mer-Man for the upcoming animated series, he and Hamill will be joined by an all-star cast. Sarah Michelle Gellar (Teela), Lena Headey(Evil-Lyn), Phil LaMarr (He-Ro), Henry Rollins (Tri-Klops), Diedrich Bader (Trap Jaw), Justin Long (Roberto), Jason Mewes (Stinkor) and Griffin Newman (Orko).
Revelation will be the fourth cartoon based on Masters of the Universe, which typically revolves around Prince Adam using the Sword of Power to turn into He-Man as he fights against Skeletor and his army on Eternia. Sadly, it does not look like the upcoming cartoon or comic will be part of the same universe as Netflix’s other original Masters of the Universe property, She-Ra and the Princess of Power. The first issue of Masters of the Universe: Revelation will be in comic book stores on July 7, 2021, followed by additional issues on August 11, September 9 and October 13, 2021.