The He-Man Effect, written and illustrated by Brian “Box” Brown, explores and explains how corporations have weaponized human psychology by selling their products to children with undeveloped brains and then also leveraging nostalgia later to create a lifelong, multi-generational cycle of consumption.
Now that sounds a touch dower because it can be a serious topic, but the book is still largely entertaining while respecting the gravity of the subject. He-Man specifically comes in when this approach to selling to children was allowed by the Regan-era deregulation of children’s television.
Brown is here to educate, and he does a spectacular job. Drawing a straight line from the very advent of mass media and how it influences human behavior to Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm with He-Man’s impact detailed along the way. This book is well-researched but never bogged down by jargon or overly wordy hyperbole.
Brown trusts his reader and respects their moral compass. He takes the time to outline the intersection of gender, labor, politics, capitalism, and art and provides a clear thesis, with sources cited. A specific example of this is the depiction of how human beings died to produce the Star Wars toys that spawned the industry as we know it today. These toys had to be produced at an unsustainable speed and cost in order to generate the obscene wealth that the industry has since been built on. This is presented soberly and unsensationalized in a way that is respectful and impactful.
It can sound hyperbolic to call this book important, but it really is. If you’re reading this here on AIPT, chances are you have a lifelong connection to some of the art and media you consume. The way nostalgia and brands have been entrenched in our culture is only growing bigger, and it’s important to understand how we got here.
Brown’s black-and-white art is pared-down and efficient. This style is utilized to great success at portraying a wide variety of tones. Brown is able to accurately portray both real, still-living people and cartoon characters in adjacent panels without straying from the book’s overall aesthetic or distracting from the message.
Brown clearly has affection for the He-Man franchise, but he does not let this detract from the facts surrounding the inherently predatory, capitalist reason for its existence. He documents it all in this important text that informs as much as it entertains.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login