In tribute to the Vintage toys, each regular Origins figure (i.e. singly released) includes a minicomic. The simple stories are nicely illustrated. As with the original stories, their purpose is to spark young imaginations.
The Origins minicomics lack the depth of the best Vintage stories, but some of them are quite entertaining. More importantly they tend not to have the self-indulgent and labyrinthine plots of the very poor Classics minicomics.
The same minicomic is included with each wave of figures. I’ve not listed by wave because of inconsistent release schedules. The non-US editions don’t have any text. The galleries include these for reference (where available).
Most of the Origins minicomics are shown here, but certain factors make it hard or impractical to obtain all of them, especially the worsening distribution of several figures. This archive therefore remains incomplete.
BEAST BARRAGE
Beast Barrage is a simple story in which Skeletor orders the kidnapping of Prince Adam. The Prince has wandered off for some peace and quiet, much to the annoyance of Teela who admonishes the prince when she finds him.
The minicomic includes a number of themes from earlier Masters of the Universe lore, including the role of Teela as the prince’s guardian, Adam’s ability to transform into He-Man, and Beast Man’s mind-control power.
SUCKER PUNCH
Sucker Punch has Fisto as the protagonist. He is alarmed when He-Man appears in the Land Shark, apparently having switched sides. Fisto is knocked down and captured. Later he realises his attacker is Faker.
Fisto tricks Faker by pretending to yield. That is seemingly the end of the story, but a new theme is introduced. The broken Faker is, it turns out, just one of a horde of duplicate robots under Skeletor’s control.
SNEAK ATTACK
Sneak Attack features Ninjor surrendering himself to Stratos, the ruler of Avion. He claims that Hordak has defeated Skeletor and can only be beaten with the power of the Emerald Staff, an important artefact.
Stratos gives him the staff to defeat Hordak but recognises the deception. With He-Man’s help, the staff is recovered and all their enemies defeated. It’s a nice little story that reveals various hostilities and friendships.
DIMENSIONAL DOOM
Dimensional Doom is one of those Masters of the Universe stories that dabbles in cosmic powers; it’s not a particularly interesting theme. With Skeletor on the brink of becoming all-powerful, He-Man has to intervene.
The most interesting part is Mer-Man’s power over a leviathan; a beast so huge and strong that it crushes the Talon Fighter. Zodac turns up in that unsatisfactory cosmic balance role which never suited the character.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Double Trouble uses a core theme from the Masters of the Universe canon, namely Skeletor’s desire to enter Castle Grayskull and acquire its secrets. He’s caught after using some trickery, but he does acquire a prize.
Two favourite characters, Scare Glow and Trap Jaw, feature in this story. They’re not used particularly well though; they’re presented as easily duped villains who let Orko escape from an apparently unlocked cage.
BATTLE ARMOR REBORN
Battle Armor Reborn is a fun story that features an ambush, a battle and a rescue. Skeletor attacks the king and queen with a battalion of robots. He’s seemingly undefeatable due to his new armour.
He-Man rides to the scene on Battle Cat and fights Skeletor. The story ends abruptly with the demon’s defeat. It works pretty well as a Masters of the Universe tale because it’s a straightforward good-versus-evil battle.
HORDE PLAGUE
Horde Plague features Hordak and fan-favourite Mosquitor. Their evil scheme – to drain the energy from the Eternian citizenry – represents a serious threat. Hordak is shown to be very powerful in this tale.
There is real jeopardy in this story, making it comparable to the best of the Vintage minicomics. The heroes struggle to get the better of Hordak. He-Man almost succumbs himself but wins in the end.
THE TERROR OF TRI-KLOPS!
The Terror of Tri-Klops! was originally released as one of the Series Two minicomics. It was reprinted for the release of a limited edition Origins Tri-Klops figure. It’s a delight to see a new edition of the story.
A summary of the story can be found under the Vintage section of the website, so I’ll avoid repeating myself here. I’ll just say that the portrayal of Tri-Klops as a demon-slaying mercenary is the best version of the character.
ROCK AND A HARD PLACE
Rock and a Hard Place features a plot to acquire the Power Sword. It appears that the scheme’s mastermind is Webstor, not Skeletor. He-Man is trapped and loses his power. As Adam, he implores the Goddess for help.
There’s a neat link back to the Origins story of how Adam inherited an earlier He-Man’s legacy. His ability to lift up a mountain of rock is rather daft. But it’s a fun story which recalls the evil teamwork of the Series One minicomics.
UNDER SIEGE
Under Siege starts with an attack by Hordak and the Evil Horde. He-Man and Skeletor do battle with the invaders – superficially working together but for very different motives. He-Man wisely mistrusts Skeletor in the tale.
He-Man fights with his ‘flying fists’ armoury; Skeletor uses his ‘terror claws’ weapons. The minicomic therefore maintains the tradition of advertising new action figures. It’s a neat story showing three factions in conflict.
CHALLENGE OF JITSU
Challenge of Jitsu has the feel of a traditional MOTU story because it features a braggart of an antagonist who meets his match when fighting He-Man. It’s a fun story which also includes Stratos and Buzz-Off.
The start is daft because the winged warriors recount a destructive force in their kingdoms but have no idea of its nature. And yet they spot Jitsu soon enough with He-Man. It’s a minor complaint about an otherwise good tale.
SUN-MAN RISES
Sun-Man Rises brings Sun-Man to Eternia from his home-world of Trefixa, which sounds like the name of a do-it-yourself shop. The tale is a very poor attempt to wedge a boring non-MOTU character into the canon.
However the first part of the story is rather good because it features Anti-Eternia He-Man. He was created as a character in a German audio play during the Vintage MOTU era. The introduction of Sun-Man ruins the tale.
RENEGADE RAID
Renegade Raid is a cracking tale which features a character named Kol-Darr. The comic came with the exclusive Kol-Darr figure. It’s a longer tale than usual and all the better for it. (Ignore the mistake in the first text box.)
He-Man is misled by the magistrates who rule Caravan City. The truth comes out when he encounters Kol-Darr. The storyline is fresh while relying on familiar MOTU themes of deception and friendship. A good read.
LOST LEGEND
Lost Legend came with the exclusive Wun-Dar figure and features him as the protagonist. This story is deliberately similar to Series One’s He-Man and the Power Sword. The goddess in that tale is named Sharella in this one.
This story is one for longstanding MOTU fans. It features several Easter eggs which relate to early MOTU lore and artwork. It portends the arrival of Skeletor and also adds weight to Moss Man’s importance. It’s a real treat.
NIGHT OF THE LEECH
A great little story which features some favourite Masters of the Universe characters. Leech attacks and captures He-Man in the Swamp of Gangoon. It is left to Snout Spout to rescue He-Man and his friends from the Evil Horde.
The minicomic uses the old theme of turning heroic warriors into evil zombies after dousing them in green slime, although the Slime Pit itself is not featured. It is reminiscent of a Vintage tale called Escape From The Slime Pit!
THE HORRORS OF PIG-HEAD
A weak tale featuring a couple of the unwanted ROTS characters. Banished by Sun-Man’s people, Pig-Head turns up on Eternia and deceives Skeletor into trying to destroy the sun. The Sorceress has no idea what’s going on.
In order to try to incorporate these ROTS characters into the canon, Mattel has granted them powers that exceed those of the MOTU characters. It feels forced and simply doesn’t work. These minicomics are the poorer for it.
MIND OVER MATTER
An attack on the royal palace is thwarted by another boring ROTS character called Digitino. Apparently he has the mental ability to calculate his opponents’ moves before they happen and then counterattack with devastating skill.
These ROTS stories diminish the value of the Masters of the Universe canon. We know the characters’ inclusion is nothing more than virtue-signalling. Mattel made a foolish miscalculation when licensing the ROTS property.
RISE OF THE SNAKEMEN!
If you thought it was odd to put a ROTS character on the cover of a minicomic that was meant to introduce a very important MOTU faction, you would, of course, be absolutely correct. Furthermore, the story seems unfinished.
He-Man is poisoned. The Goddess cannot cure him, but apparently the molecule-manipulating Bolt-Man can manage it. His seemingly unlimited powers also allow him to detect hidden Snakemen. It’s a very weak story.
TRIAL OF GRIZZLOR
An odd story in which Adora wakes up with no memory and is soon pursued by Grizzlor. Her allies in the escape plan are killed. It’s all a test created by Hordak, so it’s not clear if any of it is supposed to be real or imagined.
Adora finally causes Grizzlor to run off by making him gaze upon his own reflection. It’s apparently the only way to defeat this slayer of entire races. The minicomic came with the standard – but still exclusive – version of Grizzlor.
HOARD OF FROG MONGER
He-Man is sent below Castle Grayskull to find Frog Monger, a former sorcerer-prince who possesses a magic key. He-Man needs the key to enter King Randor’s mind. The king is tormented psychically by a dragon-snake.
After banishing the creature, He-Man allows Frog Monger to return to his hoard of gold inside the fortress. It’s a busy story because it combines Randor’s predicament with the titular character’s backstory, but it’s quite good.
SERPENT’S SIEGE
A story about the young King Randor trying to gain allies and establish himself as a worthy ruler. He is guided by the character named Slamurai. A battle ensues in which Randor protects a castle by outwitting some enemies.
The main problem is that the Snake Men are led by an infected Teela. She was not born when Randor gained the throne. There’s also a time-travel aspect which doesn’t make sense if Randor is a strong king in the present.
CRISIS AT THE MULTI-CORE!
This minicomic is derived from a MOTU graphic novel in which attacks on different realities played out. The writer of that convoluted story designed a concept character called He-Skeletor, who was released with this minicomic.
Admittedly, the concept of different dimensions was there from the start of the Masters of the Universe, but in a basic form. These new adaptations are too clever for their own good, so they end up muddled and incoherent.
VIPER’S VICE
Snake Face fancies his chances at being a ruler and turns King Randor and King Hiss to stone. He then summons a Medusa-like snake goddess who builds an army and offers an all-powerful artefact. He-Man steps in to stop him.
Magical objects have been a regular theme in MOTU stories from the very first vintage minicomic. This story is in keeping with those ideas. It’s just factions battling each other for power. MOTU tales don’t need anything else.
THE BONES BENEATH
This is a very good and fascinating minicomic. It came with a two-pack (Skeleton Warriors) which I think is the first time that’s happened in this line. It is about a new character, Garrick, who appeared unnamed in Serpent’s Siege.
There are grammar mistakes and artwork curiosities. Garrick, when alive, is seen in the Skeleton Warrior armour. In his resurrected form, as Cada-Var, he looks rather like Demo-Man in some images. Skeletor is unusually strategic.
THE FADING FORTRESS
An entertaining tale in which Man-at-Arms and one of his guards search for a magical fortress in order to prevent the Snake Men using it as a source of power. The fortress appears and disappears a bit like Point Dread.
Skeletor and Spikor observe from afar and hope to use the magic for themselves. The story introduces a basilisk named Coil who is apparently the mother of the Snake Men. Sssqueeze has the role of raising an army.
THE FACES WITHIN
A sequel of sorts to The Ordeal of Man-E-Faces! from Series Two, The Faces Within presents the main character with the chance to reverse Skeletor’s spell. Aware of the consequences, Man-E-Faces rejects the opportunity.
The premise is sound but, as has become typical with the Origins minicomics, the execution is contradictory and muddled. The writers are trying to squeeze far too much complicated world-building canon into six small pages.