Welcome to the 30th installment of Nostalgia Snake, a look at 2000s revivals of 1980s properties, revivals now so old they’re also quite nostalgic (hence, the snake of nostalgia eating itself.) This week, the revamp of the original Masters of the Universe line receives its own revamp, altering the course of its comics tie-in. And if you have any suggestions for the future, let me hear them. Just contact me on Twitter.As covered previously in this column, the 2002 Masters of the Universe nostalgia relaunch in comics differed from the other revamps of that era. While most of these 1980s revival titles were produced by comics pros who grew up with the properties, receiving licenses from corporations that lacked immediate plans for the characters, the Masters of the Universe comic from MV Creations appeared as Mattel was invested in a serious reboot of the franchise. For comics pro and devoted Masters fan Val Staples, this meant creating a comics series that synergized with the newly redesigned toyline and concurrent Cartoon Network series. As a result, the MV Creations comics didn’t revive continuity from any canceled 1980s series, nor did they attempt any radical reinventions of the classic material. The new look and feel had already been decided.Although Mattel had significant expectations for this reboot, the show’s ratings and toy sales were viewed as disappointing. Fans blame this on Cartoon Network continually rescheduling the show, and the spotty distribution the toys received at retail. Mattel attempted to please both older and younger fans (more intricate sculpts for adults and plenty of variants of the main hero and villain for the kids), but didn’t quite capture either audience. That’s not to say the relaunch bombed. In fan circles, the “200x” era is held in high regard, and many kids were exposed to the mythos for the first time via the Cartoon Network series. But in comparison to the heights of Masters’ success in the 1980s, it simply wasn’t in the same league.
Welcome to the 30th installment of Nostalgia Snake, a look at 2000s revivals of 1980s properties, revivals now so old they’re also quite nostalgic (hence, the snake of nostalgia eating itself.) This week, the revamp of the original Masters of the Universe line receives its own revamp, altering the course of its comics tie-in. And if you have any suggestions for the future, let me hear them. Just contact me on Twitter.
As covered previously in this column, the 2002 Masters of the Universe nostalgia relaunch in comics differed from the other revamps of that era. While most of these 1980s revival titles were produced by comics pros who grew up with the properties, receiving licenses from corporations that lacked immediate plans for the characters, the Masters of the Universe comic from MV Creations appeared as Mattel was invested in a serious reboot of the franchise. For comics pro and devoted Masters fan Val Staples, this meant creating a comics series that synergized with the newly redesigned toyline and concurrent Cartoon Network series. As a result, the MV Creations comics didn’t revive continuity from any canceled 1980s series, nor did they attempt any radical reinventions of the classic material. The new look and feel had already been decided.
Although Mattel had significant expectations for this reboot, the show’s ratings and toy sales were viewed as disappointing. Fans blame this on Cartoon Network continually rescheduling the show, and the spotty distribution the toys received at retail. Mattel attempted to please both older and younger fans (more intricate sculpts for adults and plenty of variants of the main hero and villain for the kids), but didn’t quite capture either audience. That’s not to say the relaunch bombed. In fan circles, the “200x” era is held in high regard, and many kids were exposed to the mythos for the first time via the Cartoon Network series. But in comparison to the heights of Masters’ success in the 1980s, it simply wasn’t in the same league.
#2000s #Masters #Universe #Relaunch #Fizzle
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