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| Stephan Pastis |
Stephan Pastis and Will Henry are the author and illustrator of the new middle grade book The Adventures of He-Man and Porter: Skeletor Ate My Homework. It's based on Mattel's Master of the Universe series.
Q: What inspired you to create The Adventures of He-Man and Porter: Skeletor Ate My Homework?
SP: I’m used to creating my own characters and worlds in my kids books, and I was sort of fascinated by the idea of being handed a set of characters and seeing what I could do with them. To me, that felt like a whole new challenge. And as it turned out, Mattel really allowed me to make them my own.
Q: How much leeway were you given with the Masters of the Universe characters as you worked on the book?
SP: A lot! I think the first thing I did was give Skeletor a therapist. The only limitation I bumped up against was when I tried to kill off a character and they told me I couldn’t do that. Insert sad face emoji.
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| Will Henry, photo by Amelia Wilson |
WH: More than expected. The editorial team had a lot of faith in Stephan and me. Although the design and approval process was lengthy there wasn’t much push back. I think they were looking for something playful and fresh but also true to the original material
Q: How would you describe the relationship between Porter and He-Man?
SP: Well, in this case it’s more about the relationship between Porter and He-Man’s alter-ego, Prince Adam. Both Porter and Adam have fathers who don’t really understand them. And on that level, they bonded.
WH: It’s a strong bond, especially with their desire to be acknowledged by their fathers. I also see them as buddies on an adventure, mostly because He-Man may be the most powerful being in Eternia, but also sort of a big kid at heart
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
SP: I want kids to laugh! That’s always job number one for me. And if they can relate to some of Porter’s struggles, that would be a bonus.
WH: Humor comes first, but I also want them to get a feeling of adventure and belonging
Q: What are you working on now?
SP: The 25th Anniversary book for my comic strip, Pearls Before Swine, called Pearls Jubilee. And Book 3 of this He-Man series (Book 2 I finished a bit ago). Oh, and a book tour for this He-Man series to Salt Lake City, Portland, and Berkeley. So many things happening all at once!
WH: Currently, I am finishing the illustrations on the second He-Man and Porter book, but I also just released my latest Wallace the Brave book- All Hands on Deck. Two books in one month is quite busy for me
Q: Anything else we should know?
SP: Just that I think kids will have a lot of fun with these books. Will’s drawings are amazing!
WH: My kids absolutely love this book. And they are a good litmus test because they are quick to tell me when they don’t like something.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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