BOX ART BY RUDY OBRERO

A page featuring box art from the original MOTU line was added to this website way back in 2009. The images were, unfortunately, of fairly poor quality because I didn't have great source material. I'm therefore very pleased to redo this page with scans of the limited edition Rudy Obrero portfolio which Super7 sold for a short time. Some 'new' images are shown here which didn't feature on this page before.

The box art unashamedly follows the barbarian themes which were established in the early minicomics; in fact I'd go as far as saying the art portrays an even more barbarian world than the Donald Glut and Gary Cohn stories. Even when the themes were softened as the line continued, the box art managed to retain some of the atmosphere of Rudy Obrero's work. This version of Eternia remains a much-loved incarnation of the MOTU story.

He‑Man features prominently in these dramatic images of war-torn Eternia. This isn't a place of cosy Filmation-style morals and sweetness; this is a brutal land on the verge of collapse in which heroes and villains engage in bloodthirsty combat. We have that strange combination of technology and traditional warfare which we have long associated with the Masters of the Universe, but, interestingly, magic doesn't feature in these pictures.

One of the joys of having good quality reproductions of Obrero's artwork is seeing the intricate background details he added. This has been written about on the excellent Battle Ram Blog, so I won't go into much more detail here, but look out for the various shadowy warriors lurking in the smoke and ruins. The falling figure wearing red armour in one of the Wind Raider images is particularly intriguing. To my eyes it looks like Tri‑Klops. The final image is a sketch of the first - a famous Battle Cat image full of fury and drama.