Masters of the Universe: Dude, Where's My Talisman?

Masters of the Universe (Vol. 1) #2
“The Key to Castle Grayskull”
Writer: Paul Kupperberg
Penciler: George Tuska
Inker: Alfredo Alcala
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Editor: Dave Manak
Released: Oct. 14, 1982

With one talisman having conveniently landed with Stratos at the end of last issue, He-Man and Battle Cat embark on a journey through the jungle in hot pursuit of the stolen Cosmic Star Cluster. They meet up with a guy named Ceril, who, along with his tribe, became allies of the king and He-Man when Prince Adam had himself an origin in their midst.

In a montage, we see the prince stumble upon a Speedo-clad demon named Damon who had enslaved Ceril's village. The timely appearance of a falcon dispatched by the Goddess grants Prince Adam the powers of He-Man, and he defeats the foe.

Ceril and his men just happen to have spotted where the menagerie of monsters from last issue deposited the star talisman, and they help He-Man and Battle Cat fight their way to it. He-Man is able to pierce the mystical defenses thanks to his “power vest” – I didn't know his not-shirt had a name, but it's good to realize it wasn't supposed to function as some kind of armor – but when he grasps the talisman, he and Battle Cat disappear in a burst of energy.

Meanwhile, Man-At-Arms, Teela and Stratos are pursuing the third talisman in the Sea of Blackness, a place so cold Teela has on her classic costume which, this being Eternia, still does not include pants. They've tracked the sea talisman with a crystal bestowed upon them by the wizard Tarrak, who also provided them potions to allow them to breathe underwater for an hour.

They descend into the depths and find the talisman guarded by Mer-Man and his mer-friends. Rather than step aside so they can fulfill their mission on Skeletor's behalf, Mer-Man aims to acquire the pieces of the power sword (aka the key to Castle Grayskull) for himself. Skeletor intervenes and teleports Mer-Man away for punishment (or “damnation” as he terms it in this comic based on a children's toy line), but lets the other mer-folk press their attack when Teela stubbornly refuses his help.

With the water-breathing potions running out, Stratos stumbles to the fish talisman and the trio find themselves transported to another dimension, where He-Man and Battle Cat ended up after acquiring their prize.

Skeletor reminds them he'll kill the Goddess if they don't cooperate and so they do, pressing on into their psychedelic surroundings before coming to blows with another army of demons and monsters. A cloaked figure watches from somewhere, musing about how he's been pulling the strings and will soon begin his role in... whatever this is.

The heroes battle through the waves of monsters until finally, Zodac makes like Metron and swoops in on his techno-magic chair to shed some light on what's really going on... next issue.

It would have been cool to see some other Masters of the Universe characters in place of Ceril and his generic warrior dudes or the colorful array of demons. But, if Wikipedia is to be believed, every character in the Masters of the Universe line by 1982 had already appeared in the series.

I assume the hooded figure was Zodac, because he was really the only one not accounted for at that point. If not, I figure it will be a character we never see again, rather than, say, King Hiss or Hordak, later additions to the line. Maybe Rokkon or Stonedar?

While this story has the feel of straightforward quest for magic McGuffins, there is an element of mystery as the demon hordes keep interfering with the heroes' efforts. As He-Man and company muse more than once, why would Skeletor be hurling obstacles at them as they attempt to do his bidding, at least until they can rescue the Goddess? Is she perhaps pulling the strings while Skeletor thinks she's his captive? Or is Zodac playing cosmic chess here? What does he look like under that helmet?

That has me looking forward to the third and final issue, even beyond my nostalgia-fueled curiosity about this series.