Review Fix Exclusive: Randall Lobb Talks ‘Power Of GraySkull” and More

Review Fix chats with “Power of GraySkull” co-director Randall Lobb, who discusses the documentary and what the He-Man fanbase can do to make it a reality.

About The Power of Grayskull:

The makers of “Turtle Power” and “Nintendo Quest” have teamed together to bring you the definitive He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Documentary “POWER OF GRAYSKULL: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe”, with the help of fans. This will be the DEFINITIVE documentary, made for fans, by fans, and through the Kickstarter campaign – with fans, and has MASTERS on board from all eras to be involved.

For more on the documentary, click here. 

Review Fix: Why does He-Man still matter?

Randall Lobb: This would be a great question to ask Sony, producers Devon Franklin and Steve Tisch, Mattel or DC, because they’re ALL doing business, or trying to do business with this great franchise.

He-Man matters because people still care about the character, the world in which he lives and the stories that are told about him. This is one of the key touchstones of the 80s, a pure blast of nostalgia for millions of kids, who have now grown up and want to share the character with their own kids.

And He-Man matters historically because of Lou Scheimer’s approach to the animated series, giving kids storylines that sometimes dealt with complex aspects of morality, which can be tricky, but kids who watched the series took away that messaging and He-Man exists for them as a really positive influence.

Review Fix: How has He-Man affected your life?

Lobb: Well, look what I’m doing! I’m spending who knows how long over the next year or so talking to people about He-Man, researching, thinking, analyzing and digging into the franchise in any number of ways to make this documentary. There’s a direct impact there for sure.

Looking back, however, the character wasn’t really targeted at me like it was targeting at Rob and Isaac. I’m much more interested in the phenomenon, the impact and the foundational elements that go into such an enormously successful pop culture icon. This is how I approached the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for Turtle Power as well. I start outside and work my way in.

Review Fix: How do you think it stacks up with other popular ’80s cartoons?

Lobb: I think it’s influential in many ways. Sure, the main character can be said to be influenced by Star Wars and Conan the Barbarian, but the huge cast of wacky characters that became action figures and key elements of toy sets seem to lead directly to some of the wild mutants we saw with the TMNT a few years later. For many kids, He-Man defined toys, defined their TV choices, and probably should be credited for setting the stage for much of what we think of as 80s kid culture.

Review Fix: What do you want to learn about the franchise through this documentary?

Lobb: We don’t have time to list it all. I’m enormously curious, going into every interview from a wide perspective to pick up as much as I can in the discussion. As such, I tend to pull out intricate details of an IP’s history that might otherwise be missed. I love the surprising connection, and the more of those we dig up, the more I’ll like it. Building context for the franchise, seeing how all the disparate creators and artists came together to create something they could never have imagined in its finished form, that’s all gold for me.

Review Fix: What did you learn from “Nintendo Quest” and how will it affect this documentary?

Lobb: I learned about Rob. Now I know him and we’ll be making a documentary together!

Review Fix: Why is your Kickstarter special?

Lobb: I’m sure EVERYBODY thinks their Kickstarter campaign is special, and hey, they’re right. We’re not competing with anyone and, in reality, our project is special to us simply because it’s ours… However, there is something about our project that may not be true for every other one.

We’re asking for an amount of money that will absolutely not cover the costs of this documentary. We’ll have just enough to get production started, but then our real work begins, and we’re going to have to find a way to finish and market and distribute the final film. People who come in and support us now are actually helping us by throwing us into the deep end, and once we’re there, we’ve really have to swim. And for me, that’s a great place to be. We’ll have no choice but to give 100% in everything we do to make sure our supporters get their money’s worth.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Lobb: Oh, this is a tough one.

FauxPop Media is already working on A Riddle of Steel: The Definitive History of Conan the Barbarian, A Gamer’s Journey: The Definitive History of Shenmue, Lost Worlds: The Definitive History of William Stout and a few other projects I don’t want to name just yet. Sekrits!

We’ve got several more in development and, well, I’m scared to discuss you how many projects are on the wish list.

And, I guess there are all the non-documentary projects, the pitches, the original series ideas, the podcasts and-

See what I mean?

So. Many. Things.