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Masters of the Universe Comics Reading Order

Developed to support Mattel’s Masters of the Universe toy line, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series produced by Filmation and first broadcast in syndication from 1983 to 1985, for a total of 130 episodes.

Blending sword-and-sorcery tropes with science-fiction elements, the series is set on the planet Eternia and follows a wandering barbarian named Prince Adam, who transforms into the hero He-Man to battle his enemy Skeletor, who seeks to take over Castle Grayskull. Who controls the ancient Castle Grayskull will become the Master of the Universe.

Since its debut, Masters of the Universe has expanded into a long-running multimedia franchise. Extensions include theatrical and direct-to-video animated series, a live-action feature film (Masters of the Universe, 1987), several television reboots and reinterpretations, and multiple comic book lines. The first one was the now cult minicomics that were put in the original action figures’ packaging. There was a second wave of minicomics produced by DC Comics, and more came later. There was also a newspaper comic strip, a Marvel series, and finally, DC Comics developed a true line of comics during the 2010s, until Netflix relaunched the TV Show and Dark Horse Comics took over the books.

Masters of the Universe Comics Reading Order

Among all of the Masters of the Universe comics, this guide focuses on the one published by DC Comics during the 2010s and the new line at Dark Horse Comics launched in 2021.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe at DC Comics (2012-2020)

In June 2012, DC began publishing a weekly digital-first title, Masters of the Universe, with the first chapter written by Geoff Johns, with art by Howard Porter and John Livesay. At the same time, a six-issue mini-series titled He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was also launched, coming from writers James Robinson and Keith Giffen with art by Philip Tan and Howard Porter.

It found its readers, and a second volume was launched, this time it was an ongoing title, still written by Giffen, who left after the first story arc, and other writers like Dan Abnett, while artist Pop Mhan worked on most of the series. The series concluded after issue #19, but the story continued with the same creative team in He-Man: The Eternity War.

Since DC Comics lost the license to the Masters of the Universe franchise, the following comics will not be republished anytime soon. This includes the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Omnibus, which collected the majority of those stories.

After the conclusion of The Eternity War, the continuity of the He-Man stories changed, meaning what comes next doesn’t take place in the same version of the comic universe. 

First, Masters of the Universe had a crossover with another popular franchise from the 1980s, ThunderCats. Then the story continued in a six-part series that crossed over with the Injustice storyline. And finally, DC Comics said goodbye to the Masters of the Universe with a multiverse story.

Masters of the Universe at Dark Horse Comics (2021-present)

In 2021, Dark Horse Comics took over the Masters of the Universe license to publish a tie-in prequel comic book to the then-new animated series Masters of the Universe Revelation released by Netflix. 

Written by showrunner Kevin Smith and episode writer Tim Sheridan with art by Mindy Lee, this book follows He-Man as he embarks on an epic journey to save Randor and put an end to the chaos. He must face his longtime foes Skeletor and Evil-Lyn, and see Teela take the reins of a powerful legacy.

In 2023, with Tim Seeley becoming the main writer on the Masters of the Universe line based on the Netflix show, Dark Horse Comics started putting out multiple miniseries. It started with the Masterverse, an anthology book in which, to save the life of her champion, the Sorceress must take the Cosmic Enforcer on a tour of the multiverse. Artists like Sergio Aragonés, Kelley Jones, E.J. Su, Eddie Nunez, Victor Santos, Claudia Balboni, David Rubín, Daniel Lopez, and Fico Ossio contributed.

Presented as a “Year One”  story, Forge of Destiny sees He-Man going on a peaceful mission to the island nation of Anwat Gar and soon has to stop a terrifying plan set up by the nefarious Evil-Lyn.

Another prequel story, this one, by writer Tim Sheridan and artist Daniel HDR, takes us to a time when Skeletor was an aspiring mage, hungry for power, who teamed up with the ambitious general Hordak to bring chaos and make a mark on Eternia. 

Writer Tim Seeley and artist Freddie Williams III gave us another crossover between iconic 1980s franchises. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles came across Krang and Shredder making a deal with Skeletor. Things quickly take a turn, and they end up in Eternia!

And now, a new, continuing He-Man series from Tim Seeley and Freddie Williams III, following Teela and Adam’s journey.

The adventure continues…

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