Stephan Pastis & Will Henry | Skeletor Ate My Homework | Comic Crusaders Podcast #752

WEEEEPAAAA! Somebody alert Man-At-Arms because the defenses of Castle Grayskull may have been compromised by the most terrifying force ever unleashed upon childhood: unfinished homework.

Comic Crusaders welcomes #1 New York Times bestselling author-artist Stephan Pastis and award-winning cartoonist Will Henry for a nostalgia-powered conversation about The Adventures of He-Man and Porter #1: Skeletor Ate My Homework, the first installment in a new illustrated middle-grade series from Mattel Press.

Pastis knows a thing or two about turning chaos into comedy. After attending UCLA Law School and beginning a legal career, he broke into syndicated cartooning with Pearls Before Swine, the long-running strip starring Rat, Pig, Goat, and one dangerously committed army of pun-loving crocodiles. He later moved into middle-grade fiction with Timmy Failure, transforming an inept young detective and his polar-bear partner into an international publishing success.

Henry brings his own beautifully mischievous understanding of childhood to the collaboration. Through Wallace the Brave and Ordinary Bill, he has built worlds where curiosity still pulls kids outdoors, friendships become adventures, and imagination can transform an ordinary neighborhood into unexplored territory. His expressive cartooning becomes a natural fit for Porter Avery, a boy whose ability to believe in heroes may be more powerful than anyone on Eternia realizes.

Skeletor Ate My Homework begins in Fort Lauderdale, where Porter should be preparing for a math test. Naturally, he is doing almost anything else. When an encounter with a magical prop once used by his late mother sends him into Eternia, Porter lands in the middle of a conflict involving the Sword of Power, Castle Grayskull, He-Man, Teela, Orko, Skeletor, and several creatures that consider visiting children a potential menu item.

The setup delivers the kind of comedy promised by the title, especially when Skeletor becomes convinced that “Homework” is the code name for Grayskull’s defense strategy. Pastis gives Eternia’s most famous bonehead a voice loaded with vanity, rage, office politics, therapy complaints, and the managerial temperament of a boss whose entire staff has already updated their résumés.

Beneath the punch lines, Pastis and Henry build a surprisingly tender story. Porter and Prince Adam share the pain of feeling misunderstood by their fathers. Porter’s friendship with Teela grows from the loss of their mothers. Orko’s endless mistakes conceal his fear that nobody considers him useful. Even Roboto, a character supposedly without feelings, displays compassion through his effort to understand Porter’s homesickness.

Imagination supplies the bridge connecting every layer. Porter does not merely recognize Eternia because he owns the toys. His belief gives those objects meaning, and that meaning can affect the world around him. The story treats childhood imagination as a legitimate creative force rather than something kids must abandon on their way toward adulthood.

During this Comic Crusaders conversation, Pastis and Henry discuss entering a mythology loved across generations, finding humor without disrespecting the source, creating Porter, illustrating comedy and danger on the same page, and collaborating as two cartoonists accustomed to controlling every part of their own work.

They also explore the emotional relationships beneath the adventure, the challenge of introducing Masters of the Universe to young readers, and the wonderfully bizarre experience of writing and drawing a Skeletor who thinks homework could conquer Eternia.

The Adventures of He-Man and Porter #1: Skeletor Ate My Homework is written by Stephan Pastis, illustrated by Will Henry, and published by Mattel Press. The 192-page book is scheduled for release September 1, 2026, with a list price of $14.99 and a recommended reading age of 8-12. Preorder and find additional information through Simon & Schuster.

Watch the full interview and discover what happened when two acclaimed cartoonists grabbed the Power Sword, entered Eternia, and gave He-Man a new partner whose greatest superpower may be believing that impossible things are real.

Like, comment, subscribe, and share the episode with every defender of Eternia in your kingdom!

Follow Stephan on Instagram: @stephanpastis
Follow Will on Instagram: @mrwillhenry

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Host: Al Mega

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Edited/Produced/Directed by Al Mega