Masters of the Universe: Genesis #1 reaches comic shops today, August 5. It is the first issue of a twelve-issue Dark Horse series that goes back to the beginning of Eternia and retells the origins of the cast one arc at a time, and it opens with the one every MOTU reader wants first: Skeletor.
The issue runs 32 pages in full colour at $4.99, rated 14+, with the main cover by Mark Buckingham (product code 3019-408) and a variant by Lee Bermejo (3019-420). The opening arc is written by Rich Douek, drawn by Gavin Smith, coloured by Fabi Marques and lettered by AndWorld Design. Dark Horse’s solicitation frames issue #1 around a power-hungry demon-mage set on taking Castle Grayskull and making himself Master of the Universe, which is a notably harder read of the character than the Keldor-to-Skeletor version most fans carry around.
Only the first three issues have been solicited so far, so the Skeletor arc is the whole of what is currently on the schedule. Dark Horse has said future arcs will bring in Cavan Scott, Nick Roche, John Harris Dunning, Giovanna La Pietra and Tiffany Smith, without attaching issue numbers or dates to any of them. That is a rotating writer bench across twelve issues rather than a single authored run, which is worth knowing before you commit to the whole series.
Genesis expands on the ongoing Masters of the Universe series Dark Horse launched in 2025, but it is built as a jumping-on point rather than a continuation. If you have not been reading the ongoing, this is the issue to start with. Five preview pages are up on Dark Horse’s own product page.
Where to get it
Your local shop first, always. If they are out, or if you are not near one, MyComicShop has both covers of issue #1 at cover price and ships worldwide. Worth knowing before you click: their series page shows a “0 of 3 in stock” counter that refers to the whole run, not to issue #1, which is in stock on both covers.
Our catalogue entries are live too: the issue page for Genesis #1 and the Genesis series page carry the covers, credits and buying options. We covered the series announcement on July 28 when Dark Horse first laid out the twelve-issue plan.
Sources
- Masters of the Universe: Genesis #1 product page, Dark Horse Comics
- Dark Horse Comics Presents Masters of the Universe: Genesis, launch announcement
Cover art: Dark Horse Comics. Main cover by Mark Buckingham, variant cover by Lee Bermejo.
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