Written by Tim Seeley
Art by Tom Derenick
Published by DC Comics
Tim Seeley highlighted the best of MOTU throughout this series while augmenting the more disparaged aspects of the franchise.
Here, Seeley saved the best for last as he brought about a conclusion that was epic in every sense of the word. Prince Keldor is held captive in Castle Hellskull, and the Anti-Eternians are about have their way with him.
All hope appeared lost until He-Man, Man at Arms, and Orko from the Filmation universe arrived to lend a helping hand, and they brought back up!
He-Man from The Eternity War limited series (2014-2016) with his He-Force in tow!
Wow, I was convinced Seeley forgot all about him since every He-Man had perished in the last issue.
The inclusion of this He-Man worked on a multitude of levels. If you’re not familiar with Eternity War, his bombastic introduction via Tom Derenick’s artwork is a feast for the eyes.
Eternity War He-Man means business, and six others wield the power of Grayskull, who look like variants of the original Mattel action figures such as ‘Thunder Punch’ He-Man. There is also a He-Cringer…Let the awesomeness of that sink in for a moment.
If you are familiar with Eternity War, this is the sequel you have been waiting for! I had to reread the last few issues of that series, and there were several things teased for future adventures that occurred in this series. The explanation of how Eternity War He-Man went unnoticed by Anti He-Man made sense and is equally satisfying regardless of your prior knowledge.
The multi-talented multiverse styling of Tom Derenick is worth the cover price of each issue alone. I thought the previous issue was his best work, well I was wrong. Striking image after striking image burns a hole into your subconscious to leave an indelible impression of all things MOTU. Derenick went nuts here. Anti-He-Man leveled up in a significant way and donned an eerie black version of Frank Langella’s God Skeletor costume from the 1987 movie. We get a cameo from other characters in the film and other funky cool creations such as Battle Panthor. Derenick also made great use of page space, making things appropriately large and small to dramatically enhance the scale and depth of the imagery on display.
Prince Keldor finally realized his destiny, and it’s something I should have seen coming. Still, it was the perfect culmination of his story arc. Anti-He-Man’s final moments are sad once the monstrosity of his being is eroded. Another reveal here left me once again feeling that I should have seen it coming, but didn’t. It brought to light the external and internal motivations fueling the antagonist throughout the series.
Tim Seeley has created a dual masterpiece. Masters of the Multiverse not only stands on its own but has created a new and rich comic book universe. Perhaps, this was the plan all along. The mythology and continuity are not only intact but have been expanded upon to set the stage for new stories. Seeley’s shown that not only does he get MOTU, but he also respects it. If DC Comics pulls the trigger on an ongoing series, I hope Seeley will steer the ship. No matter what happens going forward, Masters of the Multiverse finished on the strongest note imaginable and should make for a great graphic novel.
Rating: A+
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