DC Comics has finally announced an on-going series for He-Man and The Masters of The Universe, to be penned by Keith Giffen and drawn by Pop Mhan.

“This is fantastic news, something I’ve been waiting for since they announced the mini-series.” ~Shadowhawk

MTV Geek! recently got an exclusive that writer Keith Giffen and artist Pop Mhan would be continuing their work from the current He-Man and The Masters of The Universe limited series with a brand-new ongoing title in April. I’ve been following the current iteration since the first issue was released early last year, penned by James Robinson who was later taken off the project, and so far I’ve been quite happy with how things have been progressing, for the most part. You can read my review of the series here (the review does not cover issue #5 of the limited series, or #8 of the digital series). Here’s the artwork for the first issue of the new series, done by Ed Benes and Terry and Rachel Dodson.

For the unaware, the characters are: He-Man, Despara aka Princess Adora aka She-Ra, Battle Cat, Teela and Man-at-Arms (or Duncan as he is often called).

If I’m honest, I find the artwork to be rather mediocre. For one, I don’t get why the hell Teela is so overly sexualised there. I totally get that this kind of ridiculousness is all the rage at the moment, especially in DC’s New 52 line-up, but I still don’t get it. My usual complaints (and that of most other sensible people) about her pose apply as well. Despara is better in that regard but there is still that unnatural twist in her body. Also, where is Teela’s trademark staff? Then, there is that ridiculous expression on Man-at-Arms’ face. He looks like some sort of a crazy berserker, which is definitely not his thing.

I’m sure the series will be great, given that I’ve been enjoying the recent issues. I just wish that they had gone for better cover art for the new series. Perhaps get Dave Wilkins, who’s done the covers for issues 3-6 of the limited series. Those covers are infinitely better than this one!

If you want to read more of Man-at-Arms, then check out Kyle Higgins’ Masters of the Universe #2 digital one-shot comic. Mike Costa has written the digital one-shots for Battle Cat and Adora/Despara, issues 3 and 8 respectively. Of the three, the Battle Cat issue is definitely the best, with Man-at-Arms coming a close second. I’m still unsure about the Despara issue since I’ve mixed feelings about it. I’d recommend reading all three nonetheless, especially #8 since that one is the prequel to the new series.

Let’s see how it all plays out!

Shadowhawk

Shadowhawk is a regular contributor to TFF. A resident of Dubai, Shadowhawk reads, reads and reads. His opinions are always clear and concise. His articles always worth reading.