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Dark Horse Brings Back These Vintage MiniComics

Article ImageIf you were an 80s tyke or teenager that tuned into TV, chances are you remember He-Man. TV, toys, lunchboxes, and the list went on. Now Dark Horse takes us back to when the He-Man mini comics were en vogue! In this PREVIEWSworld Exclusive interview, contributing writer Tim Seeley and Dark Horse Comics Editor Daniel Chabon reflect on the He-Man phenomenon, and how they've  contributed to the mix that's now being collected in the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe MiniComic Collection (JUN150035) available in comic shops October 21!

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PREVIEWSworld: Tim, for those not familiar with this collection, what can you say about it now that Dark Horse has solicited it in the June PREVIEWS? What makes this HC so special?

Tim Seeley: Well, it's the first time the pack-in MOTU mini-comics have ever been collected. And, It's All Of Them! And they aren't so mini anymore!

PREVIEWSworld: Daniel, how did this collection finally come together? With the original minicomics previously published by other publishers, was it difficult wrangling the original art to remaster for this collection?

Daniel Chabon: Dark Horse had initially published three Masters of the Universe minicomics, which was the beginning of our relationship with Mattel. Mattel came to us with the proposal to package minicomics in their upcoming line of new Classics action figures, just like they used to do with the eighties action figures. I was excited to be able to edit them and assemble a creative team for the comic because of my nostalgia for the Filmation cartoon and for the action figures.

I had previously worked with Tim Seeley on a comic called The Occultist, and his love for MOTU was pretty well known to me, so we immediately hired him to write the comic. We then spent the next year pitching Mattel to let us do a MOTU art book. As soon as they had signed off on that, we immediately brought back Tim, this time with his brother Steve, which ultimately led to our production of The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Which took nearly one year to complete.

Article ImageWhile working on the art book Tim and Steve introduced me to Val Staples, who is the curator of He-Man.org and an expert on MOTU. Val and I had bounced around the idea of doing a collection of the early minicomics, which expanded into wanting to include the Princess of Power minis and much more. We pitched it to Mattel and DreamWorks and they signed off on the book. Val had a lot of the minis on hand already, but was also able to secure some of the other comics from collectors. He did all the restoration work and was instrumental to the creation of the book.

PREVIEWSworld: Tim, you are one of many writers tied to this book. What work of yours is featured?

Tim Seeley: I wrote the series of minis that were packed with the MOTUC 30th Anniversary celebration figures. As the original MOTU minis were the first comics I ever read, this is coming full circle for me!

PREVIEWSworld: What attracts you to writing about He-Man. Is this a childhood dream come true, as you were a big fan of the TV show?

Tim Seeley: Yeah, for sure! I loved the cartoon, the comics, the storybooks...but most of all I loved the toys. I think the appeal will always be the unlimited imagination represented by those little bits of plastic.

PREVIEWSworld: Have you seen galleys of the new book? Been shown any previews? What is it about this book that makes you "geek"?

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Tim Seeley: Ha, I haven't seen it, but I assure you, that when I do, it 'geek' will not be a strong enough word. The book collects some of the best and craziest of MOTU...short, brilliant, fun little ads in the form of a story that takes us right out of our stupid lives for a while.

PREVIEWSworld: If you had to summarize your thoughts about He-Man as a property, what do you think it had to offer pop culture back in the 80s? Why do you think He-Man was such a success, and how does this book show that to readers?

Tim Seeley: I think MOTU came at a time in American society when we were looking for an escape. There was fear of nuclear war, political unrest, Reaganomics...and MOTU represented this colorful, magical place where evil was easy to spot because it had a yellow skull face and a totally ripped blue body. So, 30 plus years later, we have a new and different reason to want to escape, but in the end, so little has changed.

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