He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #12 Review

Written by: Dan Abnett
Art by: Tom Derenick
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: April 30, 2014

What Lies Within Indeed

The issue opens with He-Man in a world of trouble.  King Hssss and his snake men army are ready to toss him into the Star Seed to claim his power.  Of course he fights back, but unfortunately it's to no avail. Meanwhile, Teela, Moss Man and Stratos try their best to fight the good fight.

When all looks lost, Teela shows again how badass she is.  She hitches a ride with Stratos and attacks Hssss head on.  You'd think the Snake King would be distracted, but he is better than that.  Remember, this plan of his his was in development for eons and won't let anything ruin it, except maybe throwing Teela into the Star Seed? This is not going to work out for one of the sides, but which one?



It's really hard not to spoil the rest, but it is so good and I want you to experience it for yourself.  I will let you know that it changes everything.  It may not end up being a good thing in the long run (I'm a little worried), but that's in the future and right now my jaw is still on the floor.

The issue ends with a cliffhanger that also makes you question everything that just happened and what is to come.  I can't wait for the story to continue.  Unfortunately, the next issue is the beginning of an origins arc so we'll have to wait a little longer to see how this all plays out.  The Horde is on the run, but as He-Man says at the end, "The cost has been terrible". Thankfully, the book is far from being that.

Tom Derenick's art is far from terrible, as well.  To be honest, it's stellar.  Everything jumps off the page and even at it's most frantic is easy to follow.  These two issues have looked so good.

Bits and Pieces:

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #12 is a great end to an increasingly good arc.  Dan Abnett gives the reader plenty of action and a real game changer while Tom Derenick makes it look great.  Any fan of MOTU should already be reading this and those new to it should go back and read from the beginning.  It's simply a blast to read.

9.0/10