You remember what came before “TheDas Buch des Bösen”?
“Masters of the Universe – Die Giganten des Universums“, hopefully you got it, the book is out of print and only occasionally available in comic shops!
The reason is obvious, the book is really good!
Of course, when I asked questions about this book, I asked if the giants will get another edition and I’m sure you’re glad to hear their answer. There is reason to hope 🙂

Retrofabrik:
The licences are issued by Mattel on a temporary basis and unfortunately this licence has already expired. However, we are currently receiving so many enquiries about this that we are wondering whether another edition might be feasible. We are currently very busy with the new volumes and have not yet been able to discuss this with Mattel. But it cannot be ruled out.

Standard Version – Das Buch des Bösen – Masters of the Universe

Let’s see if we have just as good a book in front of us with the next throw of the Retro Factory.

MASTERS of the Universe РVOLUME 1 РDas Buch des B̦sen

Now Retrofabrik has made good on its promise and published the first volume of a seven-part series featuring the 21 Ehapa comics from 1987-89.

Back then, MATTEL was still interested in selling as many toys from the series as possible and this series was part of the sales strategy.
Today MATTEL does everything to sell as few as possible, how times change.

So back to the topic; Retrofabrik has made good on its promise and the first volume is now available.

The content

The first thing I noticed is the table of contents, there you will find the index of all seven volumes. So you know what to look forward to AND you can search all the books for content from the entire series.
I think that’s good.

Background material – which I always look forward to – is also available again. But “only” in volumes 2, 3,5 and 7.

Esteban Maroto

However, in volume 1 Karsten Klintzsch tells about the collaboration on the cover with one of the original artists, Esteban Maroto.

I don’t want to spoil your reading pleasure, but you quickly get the impression that the work was not always without problems.

We’re talking about comics that are 32 years old. It’s like STAR WARS, the people who worked on these series back then are now old and slowly but surely dying off. With them, background stories are lost forever. Unfortunately, Retrofabrik did not exist earlier.
But on a happier note, the comics that will outlive us all and Retrofrabrik has played its part.

In this book you will find comics 1-3.
The game posters can be found at the end of the book.

Restoration of the comics

In the introduction it is mentioned that they took more care to protect the original than they did with the Giants. Whereas with Giants they did that very well for my taste.

But it should be mentioned that Retrofabrik changed the font. Ehapa had used something arial-like, unlike Interpart, and Retrofabrik replaced it with a more handwritten-looking font. Very much in the style of Interpart.
I like the new font better, but it has changed that Ehapa vintage touch. Although I like it better this way, I still think it’s a massive intrusion. It looks better now, but different!
I have uploaded a page for you to compare in the collection database. Form your own opinion, I would also be interested in what you think. I like the new font better.
But as always, that’s a matter of taste.

When I asked, Retrofabrik commented:

For us, it’s a matter of not only bringing back and preserving the old, it’s also important to us to create added value. We always thought that the lettering did not match the unique illustrations and have improved them. …. We wanted to give the illustrations a further touch in the direction of comics and we don’t think it has diluted the original, but rather enriched it. That’s also what the feedback says. There were only positive voices about it here.

As I said, I think it’s better too.

What I really find a pity is the lack of the old product images in the competitions and advertisements. But Retrofabrik doesn’t have a licence for that.

Limited Edition – Das Buch des Bösen – Masters of the Universe

Last but not least, it should be mentioned that there are two versions of the book. The standard version and the “limited edition” version that was only available at Retrofabrik itself and is limited to 333 copies. The limited edition version was of course sold out immediately. If you would like to have a limited edition version in the future, you should sign up for the Retrofabrik newsletter.
The standard version, on the other hand, will be printed as long as there is demand!

Retro Factory:
The first volume and all further volumes are not limited and will be available as long as there is demand. Only the cover variants are limited to 333 copies per cover and will also continue in this way.

It should also be mentioned that the format of “Giants of the Universe” and “The Book of Evil” is identical. That means they also look good next to each other on the shelf.
Hopefully it will stay that way throughout the series. There are always very clever people in various companies who change the format and/or design in the middle of a series, much to the delight of the customers (sarcasm over).
With Retrofrabrik, I trust that they are smarter and it won’t happen!

Can I recommend the book?

Absolutely!!!!
Anyone who likes MotU comics will want to have this book with them! 🙂 .

COMPETITION

In collaboration with Retrofabrik you can win a book of the standard edition of the Buch des Bösen!

All you have to do is the following:
Create a short cut in your COLLECTORBASE.net account that shows all Masters of the Universe books and comics. Sort by

> object type
> Publisher
> series
> serial number
> name

The aim is that you create a link with which you can display all MotU comics and books in a meaningful way in the object overview.
You will find everything you need to know in our tutorials.