Thursday, October 20, 2011

Notes #1 - Brave New Eternia or Etherian Epitaphs


  
Abstract


The first episode of any storyline is always a bit tricky because the writer is tasked with the job of having to either introduce and/or re-introduce a whole new set of characters. Granted, you may know the He-Man and She-Ra of Filmation or M.Y.P., but the reader is not totally familiar with the writer's interpretation of these characters. The initial hope and intent was to make the cast more three dimensional by giving them real life problems, such as Man-At-Arms being in a wheel chair, or Mekaneck and Ram Man being deceased, which are all the harsh realities of war. A special note, even though a character has passed on that does not necessarily mean they won't pop up again, which is a lovely fail-safe when writing about a magical world!


Cast of Characters
  

Adam
Adora / She-Ra
Azrog
Beast Man
Bow
Catra
Count Marzo
Duncan / Man-At-Arms
Evil-Lyn
Glimmer
The Goddess
Grizzlor
Hordak
Horde Troopers
Keldor / Skeletor
King Hiss
King Randor
Leech
Mantenna
Modulok
Mer-Man
Oo-Larr, the Jungle He-Man
Queen Angella
Queen Marlena
Ram Man
Scorpia
Shadow Beasts
Shadow Weaver
The Sorceress / Zoar / Teela'Na
Spidersaur
Spydra
Squange
Stratos
Swift Wind
Teela


MOTU References


  • The Spidersaur appeared twice in the classic He-Man series, in "The Curse of the Spellstone" and "Double Edged Sword," but the initial inspiration to use the beast came from remembering it appearing in the background of the US - RCA/Columbia VHS from Vol. 1.
  • The Crystal of Allanar was seen in another personal favorite of mine, "Origin of the Sorceress."
  • The Creeping Horak was also used in "The Curse of the Spellstone," which is also one of my personal favorites.
  • Duncan telling Teela he was turned into a Snake Man twice is a reference to the never produced, but infamous comic rendition of "Captured," which would have been episode 40 of the M.Y.P. reboot.
  • Azrog and Spydra appeared in "The Return of Orko's Uncle," which admittingly isn't the best episode from the classic series, yet I've always loved those two particular characters.
  • As a huge fan of Evil-Lyn, I always loathed how her final battle between Count Marzo ended in the 200x series episode "History," which inspired her line about "knowing her place."
  • The Trollan that I never call by name is Squange, who appeared in "Orko's New Friend," and like the others, I just really enjoyed that episode because of the character Jawbreaker, which has absolutely nothing to do with the story.
  • Modulok's gatemaker is of course a nod to a huge fan favorite, and one that I personally love, She-Ra's "Gateway to Trouble."
  • Though not a favorite, I needed a plot device; thus, the use of the Moonstone from the She-Ra episode, "Glimmer's Story."


Non-MOTU References


  • The first half of the title from this episode is taken from Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World."

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