Masters Of The Universe: The Origin of Skeletor #1
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Artist: Frazer Irving
Cover: Frazer Irving
The man who would become Skeletor was the first born son of King Miro. However, due to him being a half breed, he was denied the throne which went to his brother. Joshua Fialkov takes us through the last few moments of Keldor’s life, as he has betrayed his brother, King Randor, and brought war to Eternia. In these final moments, Fialkov delivers a very creepy story filled with flashbacks and a depth of character revelation that was surprising. Especially when you consider the light hearted type of villain Skeletor was when he was introduced in the animated series.
The story itself does seem a bit rushed at times since this is a one-shot, and that is probably its only shortcoming. Fialkov still manages to hit most of the important parts of the origin and makes Keldor/Skeletor a more credible villain. The connection to Hordak and the family relation to Prince Adam/He-Man help to strengthen this story, as well. It’s the few minor questions that don’t get answered that are a bit annoying, and make you wonder why this couldn’t have at least been either a mini or just wrapped up in two issues.
The mood and tone are definitely heightened by Irving’s artwork as Fialkov’s more mature take on this character takes place. From that very strong opening sequence to the the appearance of Hordak, you will be quite satisfied from start to finish. The transition of the flashbacks to the present were seamless, and were even better when meshed together in the same panel. Hordak’s new character design was something of a surprise, as he looked more like a monster than what fans are use to.
Masters of the Universe: The Origin of Skeletor is a great companion issue to the regular series DC has been putting out recently. Fialkov makes Skeletor actually seem “evil” here, and not just some guy with a grudge against the hero who just fumbles along. There’s a reason here for his betrayal, and th0ugh we’re only given part of it, it’s enough to make this one solid issue. Definitely a must have for fans of the Masters of the Universe franchise indeed.
Infinite Speech
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