The Masters of the Universe Book (2021)
Author: Simon Beecroft | Page Count: 200
I've owned plenty of DK books over the years, covering various topics and/or franchises. They typically have lots of quality pictures, in an attempt to detract from the shortage of interesting text. And like a lazy student's homework assignment, in some cases the text that is included is regurgitated content with little emphasis on original thinking.
I expected much the same from The MotU Book, but no, it's really quite good! Author Simon Beecroft seems to have actually cared about what he was writing, and has presented the content in a clear and concise manner.
It has some real treasures within its pages that make it feel like it was lovingly curated, as opposed to thrown together like many DK books of the past. It's split into chapters, as you'd expect, and within that framework things roughly follow a chronological order.
Subjects include, but are not limited to:
TIMELINE: self-explanatory. It's a nice way to begin, though.
ORIGINS: Mattel's creation process; a selection of the original toys, vehicles, and playsets; the iconic packaging; the history of the minicomics; etc.
ANIMATION: the classic Filmation TV Series, inc. production sketches, cel art, lay outs, etc; illustrated character profiles; and there's a bunch of 1980s collectibles here, too, most of which I owned back in the day. She-Ra: Princess of Power gets a lengthy dedicated section, too.
- That Grayskull image is the reason I bought the book. -
THE MOTION PICTURE: it would be remiss to not include it, and it has its fans.
TIE-IN BOOKS: DC comics; newspaper strips; and Golden Books Adventures, among others.
RELAUNCH: The New Adventures of He-Man (1990); the 2002 TV Series; Netflix; this section also incudes info on relaunched comic and toy lines, e.g., Super 7 / Origins / Masterverse.
I could detail more, but part of the joy of this kind of book is turning a page and discovering something that you either didn't know about; did know about but had never seen; or something that causes your nostalgia node to swell until it's fit to burst. For the latter reason, in particular, I'll end my ramblings. It's also the reason that I've been pretty vague about things up until now.
It's rare that I agree wholeheartedly with promotional blurb, but on this occasion I feel the claim that it's 'a visual celebration of Masters of the Universe's enduring legacy' is spot-on. It's without a doubt the best DK book that I've ever owned or read. It's staying in my personal collection. 😊
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