Original He-Man and Battle Cat Painting by Earl Norem Sells for $32,500 at Heritage

An original 1986 painting of He-Man riding Battle Cat by legendary illustrator Earl Norem has sold for $32,500 at Heritage Auctions. The artwork was created for He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Magazine and appeared as a pull-out poster in Issue #8, the Fall 1986 edition. Heritage Auctions offered the piece Sunday as part of its Masters of the Universe Action Figures & Toys Showcase Auction.

Norem’s painting shows He-Man charging forward on Battle Cat with his battle axe raised and shield in hand. Rising through the mist in the background are the Towers of Eternia, Mattel’s massive late-era Masters of the Universe playset that was being promoted when the artwork originally appeared.

The image was painted in acrylic on illustration board and measures approximately 18 by 16 inches. It is signed “Norem” in the lower right and was sold framed under Plexiglas at roughly 29 by 26.5 inches. Heritage Auctions noted minor handling and edge wear to the illustration board, along with general wear to the frame.

Norem’s work is particularly familiar to longtime He-Man fans. His career stretched across adventure magazines, comics, paperback covers, movie posters, trading cards and toy-related illustration. Heritage Auctions notes that he also worked on properties including Conan the Barbarian, Planet of the Apes, The Silver Surfer and Transformers.

His Masters of the Universe paintings helped give Eternia a larger, more dramatic look beyond the action figures themselves, combining the exaggerated fantasy of the toy line with the style of classic pulp illustration.