The Key to Castle Grayskull



The Key to Castle Grayskull is the title of the second issue of the 1982 mini-series published by DC Comics. It is preceded by To Tempt the Gods! and followed by Within these Walls.. Armageddon.

Synopsis
He-Man and Battle Cat seek for one of the amulets in the jungle, where they find a man named Ceril and his tribe. He-Man explains to Battle Cat that he met Ceril when he, as Prince Adam, found Ceril and his people enslaved by the sorcerer Damon. When Adam tried to help the people, Zoar, the Goddess' messenger, approached him and he became He-Man for the first time to defeat Damon. Ceril guides He-Man to where he saw an amulet, but they must face more demons before reaching it inside a cave.

Man-At-Arms, Teela, and Stratos go to the Sea of Blackness to find one of the amulets. They dive underwater, breathing thanks to a potion provided by Tarrak, and reach the city of the Mer-People, the resting place of the amulet. As expected, they find Mer-Man, who wants to keep the amulet for himself. The Heroic Warriors face Mer-Man's soldiers until Skeletor intervenes. Teela refuses to be helped by one such as Skeletor, so he leaves and takes Mer-Man to punish him. While everybody is stunned by Skeletor's appearance, Stratos approaches the altar where the amulet is. Tarrak's breathing potion is about to fade when Stratos reaches the amulet.

After getting the amulets, He-Man and his friends are teleported to another plane where Skeletor orders them to find the Power Sword. They are ambushed by more demons until the arrival of... Zodac!

Characters

 * Heroic Warriors
 * Battle Cat
 * Prince Adam (appears in flashback)/He-Man
 * Man-At-Arms
 * Stratos
 * Teela


 * Allies
 * Ceril (first and only appearance)
 * Goddess
 * King (appears in flashback)
 * Tarrak (mentioned only)
 * Zoar (appears in flashback)
 * Zodac


 * Evil Warriors
 * Mer-Man
 * Skeletor


 * Villains
 * Damon (first appearance)


 * Locations
 * Eternia
 * Sea of Blackness
 * Castle Grayskull (appears on cover, but is only mentioned during story)
 * Royal Palace of Eternia (flashback only)
 * Cavern of Power (mentioned)


 * Races
 * Demons
 * Mer-People


 * Artifacts
 * Power Sword (mentioned)
 * The Talismans Three


 * Vehicles
 * Wind Raider

Behind the Scenes

 * Ceril and his people were created as a way to recoincile the "He-Man from a jungle tribe" with the "Adam becoming He-Man" versions.
 * Mer-Man says "By Serpos!" years before the creation of the character who would use that name. He also mentions that Skeletor is 'but an interloper from the varied plains of the Multiverse'.
 * When Prince Adam is seen in a flashback before he first became He-Man, he is already carrying He-Man's axe and shield.
 * Panel 1 of page 5 shows Prince Adam in a flashback. Panel 2 returns to the present, but He-Man is mistakingly drawn wearing Adam's blue tunic. In the next panel, he is wearing his correct power-vest.

External Link

 * Comic Vine
 * DC Database
 * He-Man.org
 * Vaults of Grayskull