Five more Origins minicomics are featured on this page plus a reprint of a classic Series Two story which was issued with a limited edition Tri-Klops figure.

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.