James Robinson off of He-Man MotU after one issue!

Zhurrie

Wow. http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2012/07/11/announcing-a-new-writer-for-he-man-and-the-masters-of-the-universe This is bizarre for a short mini after one issue that just came out! I hated issue #1 for a number of reasons but I don't think this move is a good sign at all. I'd love to know the full story behind this, hopefully it comes out.

DryBones

Robinson said he wasn't familiar with MotU when he started. Sounds like Giffen is. I wonder who is in charge creatively since there are so many writers that are supposed to be involved with the digital only series.

David_D

Wow. That is messy.

Zhurrie

I don't know, how the hell do you get put on a mini for a pretty big deal and have no history or idea of the material? I mean from reading issue #1 I'd hope he had no clue as that would be a slight reason for that disaster. I heard Robinson has a big Image reveal at SDCC coming up so maybe it is splitsville between him and DC and this was a pre-emptive strike. How bizarre.

mguy1977

It seems big name writers have the JMS problem can't finish an arc if they have too much going on.

Matthew

DarthKramer

I was more surprised that he was on the book to begin with. I didn't buy it and I will buy most anything with his name on it.

JohnathanConstantine

It seems big name writers have the JMS problem can't finish an arc if they have too much going on.

Matthew

Didn't JMS actually write MotU episodes back in the day? I think that is what I heard.

But you shouldn't touch a licensed property unless you have done enough research for it or unless you have a good working history of it to begin with. Seems very strange that they would cut him after a single issue. Though they would have put the comic off until they could get a writer more familiar. Didn't an editor somewhere check this beforehand?

Nick

I don't know, how the hell do you get put on a mini for a pretty big deal and have no history or idea of the material? I mean from reading issue #1 I'd hope he had no clue as that would be a slight reason for that disaster. I heard Robinson has a big Image reveal at SDCC coming up so maybe it is splitsville between him and DC and this was a pre-emptive strike. How bizarre.

To be fair, I think a lot of mainstream creators don't always have a history of the characters they are working on. I know Marvel and DC send the creators of a book a big box of trades and other material to help them learn about the character(s). That being said, I probably wouldn't work on a LEGION book since I've never read it, but if they offered me money I'd be up to learning about them.

Zhurrie

Come on! Almost every writer currently working is the exact age that grew up with He-Man and probably knows it inside and out... throw a stone and hit one that actually knows WTF is up to do the book, it isn't exactly a small license. This kind of thing just cements my decision to never look back on going all indie/c-o for my comics. I have been reading though my massive stack this week and loving almost everything in it with no events/crossovers/reboots/continuity B.S. mucking it up. Just straight up good work done with some actual soul.

Regardless of anyone's familiarity with He-Man, how in the F does anyone think throwing a razor sharp woodsman's ax away for a stick makes any sense? I got the book for free and was so entirely disappointed I gave it back. I just can't agree @Nick, there are more important things than money... like actually caring and doing good work.

David_D

It is embarrassing for a licensed mini to get so bungled that it needs a talent shift by issue #2. Back when Wildstorm was still Wildstorm, from what I heard they did excellent licensed work. I know a lot of people commented on how impressive their video game tie-in comics were, for example. It seems that, by closing Wildstorm (and, I would only guess, making redundant some of the Wildstorm staff) DC is simply not in a position to produce strong licensed work the way they used to.

A strong He-Man book for guys of a certain age (e.g., my own) is a big, meaty softball. Imagine He-Man with the IDW/Andy Schmidt treatment that G.I. Joe got? I would have eaten that up.

And for Robinson to claim ignorance of the material is no excuse. Not only does it make us, as the would-be readers, just wish that they chose one of the many, many creators who grew up with this material for the gig (Tim Seeley immediately comes to mind), but then there is the Internet. Given how much fan-curated information is to be had online, I would imagine a writer could get up to speed in a weekend. People doing work-for-hire gigs probably do that for long-lived superheroes all the time, there is no reason not to do the same for a licensed gig. Especially knowing that the audience will be just as ravenous and on top of things. Even more so, actually, when it comes to a property that hasn't been heard from in awhile.

Torchsong

Agree with David. Not knowing your source material in this day and age is not an excuse. Part and parcel of being a writer is doing your research on areas you're not immediately familiar with. A Netflix account will give you access to the entire show.

Sadly, as the missus and I are both big He-Man fans, I'll likely still pick this up. I really feel for poor Giffen. Seems he's the "firefighter" for books these days. "Hey Keith! So and so celeb artist/writer dropped the ball on this title...come in and do your magic on it, m'kay?"

Zhurrie

For me it is no different than a professor that teaches purely from the book. Are they still conveying the information and can I still learn it? Yes. Is it a great experience that leaves you inspired and filled with insight as if it were taught by someone that is intimately involved with the subject and has devoted part of their life to it? Not even close.

Even like Habibi from Craig Thompson (whom I love) you could tell was just out of his actual realm of knowledge and no amount of research can cover for that. There are so many writers/artists that are familiar with any license/hero/etc. that it just doesn't make sense to have one cram to write for a book.

Torchsong

I think what's really bugging me about this is the missed potential (and I haven't read issue #1 yet because I get my books monthly from DCBS). The overall idea sounded great - Skeletor won. He got all the major Eternians to forget who they were and Adam's got to make the hero's journey to reclaim his destiny - only to have them drop the ball like this.

LibraryBoy

I can only imagine how many well-known writers would have loved to have been handed this property to play with (and, in fact, probably have put together pitches in the past), how disappointed they must have been to see it go to someone other then themselves (even if it did go to a writer with Robinson's pedigree), and how livid they must be to see him now be gone altogether because he admitted that he doesn't know or understand the characters or their world.

Zhurrie

Whoever hit "disagree" to my last post, please enlighten me with what you disagree about there. I'd love to know.

SolitaireRose

One would think that they have an outline for the series before they started work on the book. Without knowing a lot, this is adding another clue to the problems at DC Editorial...

Zhurrie

Don't forget Amy Reeder either, not sure if that ever got brought up or discussed here: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/03/09/amy-reeder-leaves-batwoman-trevor-mccarthy/

Nick

Come on! Almost every writer currently working is the exact age that grew up with He-Man and probably knows it inside and out... throw a stone and hit one that actually knows WTF is up to do the book, it isn't exactly a small license. This kind of thing just cements my decision to never look back on going all indie/c-o for my comics. I have been reading though my massive stack this week and loving almost everything in it with no events/crossovers/reboots/continuity B.S. mucking it up. Just straight up good work done with some actual soul.

Regardless of anyone's familiarity with He-Man, how in the F does anyone think throwing a razor sharp woodsman's ax away for a stick makes any sense? I got the book for free and was so entirely disappointed I gave it back. I just can't agree @Nick, there are more important things than money... like actually caring and doing good work.

I can tell you I'm almost 30 and have absolutely no idea about He-Man. I know he's blonde, and I think he fights skeletons, so not everyone knows it inside and out I'm not sure when it was big, maybe a few years before my time, but if it was really big I'm sure most writers do know about it. ;)

I'm not saying money is everything, but I'm guessing most creators would take most work, even if they weren't steeped in the history prior to working on the book. Also how do you know he doesn't care? Maybe he really tried and just didn't have a good book. I'm not saying this particular one is good or bad, but sometimes stuff just isn't good, doesn't mean he didn't care or try.

chrisw

I can tell you I'm almost 30 and have absolutely no idea about He-Man. I know he's blonde, and I think he fights skeletons, so not everyone knows it inside and out I'm not sure when it was big, maybe a few years before my time, but if it was really big I'm sure most writers do know about it. ;)

You're probably about ten years too young to remember it. I was the perfect age for it, and I remember watching the cartoon and buying the toys, but it certainly hasn't stuck in my consciousness as much as GI Joe or Transformers, so I'm a little surprised when I hear about attempts to revive it.

Mr_Cosmic

He-Man was an obsession for me as a kid. I'm always pumped when something new comes along. I have to admit I'm pretty disappointed that Robinson is off the book already. But, as Shane would say, it could be crap on a cracker and I'd still read it.

BrianBaer

The cartoon was slightly before my time, but I grew up with my brother's action figures.
I always liked the Dolph Lundgren movie better... (cringes for backlash)

Mr_Cosmic

I always liked the Dolph Lundgren movie better... (cringes for backlash)

As a kid I loved it. It didn't matter what was on the the screen because it was called He-Man and that was all that mattered.

I remember walking into the movie theater just as the credits from the previous showing were ending:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6hCCPCkIg4

freaked me out!!! I think that was the first post-credit scene that I ever saw.

JohnathanConstantine

And why isn't he back.

If the ever did another live action MotU movie, wouldn't it be awesome if the first thing Skeletor said would be "I told you that I'd be back" regardless whether it was a reboot or not.

EarthGBilly

I think what's really bugging me about this is the missed potential (and I haven't read issue #1 yet because I get my books monthly from DCBS). The overall idea sounded great - Skeletor won. He got all the major Eternians to forget who they were and Adam's got to make the hero's journey to reclaim his destiny - only to have them drop the ball like this.

Wait... am I wrong, or didn't a recent (well, fairly recent) Thundercats comic basically have the same premise as this series?

Torchsong

EarthGBilly, you're right. It was Thundercats:The Return, if memory serves. I think it was also semi-porn with Wilycat and Kitt being sex-slaves to Mumm-Ra or some crap like that. Full disclosure, I never bought it, so grain of salt to my words...anyone else out there read it and can put it better?

Nick

EarthGBilly, you're right. It was Thundercats:The Return, if memory serves. I think it was also semi-porn with Wilycat and Kitt being sex-slaves to Mumm-Ra or some crap like that. Full disclosure, I never bought it, so grain of salt to my words...anyone else out there read it and can put it better?

Jason Wood of 11 O'Clock Comics was reading this. He said he was reading it to his boys and got to the part and was like WTF!

Paul

I was around 13 when MoTU came out. I can remember reading the 16 page DC preview, and the DC Comics Presents team up with Superman, and none of it grabbed me. Probably most of what killed it for me was calling him He-Man, though I feel the same way about GI Joe and Transformers, which started not that long after this. I had this perception at the time that most licensed comics were lame, and so I avoided them like the plague.

That all said, there's no excuse for not doing research. I agree with David, this project should have been a Tim Seeley book, and I remember saying that when it was first announced. It's basic though. You get handed a project, then you research it. Should be easier than it seems to have been.