Masters of the Universe vs DC #1

Now when I first saw this comic solicited I thought no way will that work but having had the same thoughts on the Star Trek Doctor Who cross over and given how good that comic was, I decided I would take a punt at this one as well which is not been the best idea I've had this year with my comic selections.

Now my background with the Masters of the Universe is the TV show from the 80’s that my son and me sat and watched religiously, well these Masters of the Universe are as far removed from that show as you could possibly get. This is not a bad thing as I understand that to be relevant things need to be shaken up and moved on, but it is a shock when you first start reading the dialogue between the characters especially between Teela and He-Man. There seems to be an underlined sexual tension between the two of them, something that never appeared in the cartoon show so I can only assume to be part of the resent Masters of the Universe comic.

At the start of the comic a mysterious woman is been chased by a group of skull headed rats in New York which sees her take refuge in the home of John Constantine, then you are thrown into what feels like the middle of the story in which Eternia has been taken over by Hordak and the Horde. An act that has now made He-Man and his team rebels which for me is one of the biggest problems with the comic, as this part of the story seemingly ties directly in to the resent Masters of the Universe run. As He-Man and his group talk they reference things that have happened in that series, so if you haven’t read it then it’s difficult to understand or know what they are talking about.

 He-Man and his team attack of a group of Robots where Evil-Lyn is found imprisoned within a high security Transom, think steel cube. Once freed Evil-Lyn explains that Skeletor who is now missing could be the person who tips the balance of the war depending on who he sides with, she knows just where to find him and as Skeletor has a thing for her (I can feel my sons childhood draining away) she can persuade him to help He-man and his group. Back in the DC world the mysterious woman is telling John Constantine and Madame Xanadu that Skeletor walks the earth, something that doesn't surprise Constantine all that much as it’s a name he knows through myth and legend. It seems that magic is a resource just like any other and its in short supply on Eternia, but with earth not having many Mages there is an abundance of magic to draw on and Skeletor wants it all. However Skeletor is not working alone he is aided by Black Alice and to some extent been controlled by what looks like an egg, I hope it’s the same one from the TV show Under the Dome, it will save me several more hours of a TV show that I know I won’t get answers to at the end but I digress.

Skeletor and Alice are holed up in the House of Mystery where Skeletor is more than a little interested in the Justice League, Alice has their images on a laptop I do hope she isn't using Windows 8 as a month in we still cant get used to using it. Skeletor is also not surprised to hear Alice mention the name Constantine, who he also knows from myth and thinks could possibly be an ally. 

Back in Constantine’s home John is telling the mysterious woman he won’t help her only to be knocked across the room for been disrespectful to the warrior queen of Eternia, and as all types of trouble begins to ensue remember the skull headed rats He-Man and his team appear shouting Mom at the woman.

As I indicated at the start of this post this is one cross-over that hasn't hooked me like I hoped it would, despite the idea of magic on Eternia and Earth been a resource that can be exhausted. The inclusion of Justice League Dark (well two of them) is a good fit for this type of story given the magic angle, but as Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman all appear on the cover it’s a little disappointing we don’t see them in the book, but as you know you should never judge a book by its cover (sorry). 

Skeletors costume change also threw me as he now wears the most impractical head gear you have ever seen, think Loki but upside down and you wont be far off the mark.

Setting the story in what I am guessing is the current Masters of the Universe storyline is also a little jarring as you are left with questions that you don’t really need for this story, I have heard good things about the Masters of the Universe book so if you have been reading that then this crossover is for you, if like me you haven’t it may be one to give a miss.