Polite Dissent

When I started collecting comics, there were two titles that I collected religiously: The X-Men, and The Micronauts. The Micronauts started out as a line of science fiction toys with interchangeable parts, but soon became a comic published by Marvel. I was a big fan of the toys, but the star-faring tales in the comic really fired my imagination. The comic related stories of the Micronauts, heroes from another dimension (the Microverse), who traveled to Earth where they were only six inches tall. It may sound silly in retrospect, but it was handled very well (and I was only eleven at the time).

The Micronauts consisted of: Commander Rann, their leader and possessor of the psychic “Enigma Force”; Marionette, princess of Homeworld and lover of Rann; Acroyear, King of the warrior planet of Sparta; Cecilia, Acroyear’s queen; Bug, insect-like warrior from the planet Kalikak; and the robots Microtron and Biotron.

Since defeating the evil Baron Karza in issue #11, they had been exploring Earth in their ship, the Endeavor.

The series reached its creative peak in issues #26, 27, 28, which featured the Micronauts and S.H.I.E.L.D. battling the combined forces of Hydra and Baron Karza.

 

In Micronauts #26, the Micronauts travel to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier and find themselves in the middle of a Hydra assault. Acroyear and Cecilia aid S.H.I.E.L.D. in combat against Hydra. Bug gets lost in the Helicarrier, and discovers a laboratory devoted to the Microverse. Inside, he discovers Dagon, another Acroyear warrior, and revives him from suspended animation.

Commander Rann and Marionette look for the S.H.I.E.L.D. psychics, who seem to be the root of the disturbance. They find more than they bargain for when they discover that Baron Karza has returned from the dead. Marionette is apparently killed by Karza, but actually returns to the Microverse where she takes command of the rebel forces there.

 

In Micronauts #27, Baron Karza explains his plans, but Shaitan — Acroyear’s evil brother — is not happy that he is being excluded. S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Micronauts determine that Karza’s and Hydra’s plans hinge upon a certain world famous amusement park in Orlando, Florida. They travel there to confront them.

As Acroyear, Cecilia, and Bug aid S.H.I.E.L.D. in fighting Hydra, Commander Rann flies off in search of Baron Karza. Dagon, Microtron and Biotron stay behind guard the ship, but Biotron is slain — apparently by some of Karza’s dog soldiers. Rann confronts Karza, only to be defeated and have the Enigma force ripped from his mind.

 

In Micronauts #28, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the remaining Micronauts make their last stand against Hydra. At the last moment, Shaitan betrays Karza, allowing the rebel fleet from the Microverse to arrive on Earth and save S.H.I.E.L.D. Acroyear confronts Karza, but is not powerful enough to defeat him. He summons the Worldmind, the soul of his planet of Spartak. This act, while granting him great power, also causes the destruction of Spartak. Esmera, queen of the planet Kalikak, attacks Karza with her “suicide sting”, allowing Acroyear an opening to defeat him. The Micronauts and S.H.I.E.L.D. win, but at a high cost: Commander Rann is in a coma, Queen Esmera is dead, and Spartak has been destroyed.

 

The writing by Bill Mantlo is exciting and action packed. Smaller stories that have been building for over a year are successfully merged to form a powerful narrative. The characters are larger than life, but then, so is the conflict. The dialogue is overly dramatic at times, but since when has Nick Fury every talked in a normal manner? The art by Pat Broderick is sometimes busy and the inking can be muddy, but it conveys the excitement and action well.

The covers are thrilling and eye-catching, especially compared to today’s flat poster-like covers. The cover to #26 shows Nick Fury grappling with a Hydra agent in front of a large Hydra Symbol. The Micronauts rush to assist in the foreground, while Baron Karza, eyes glowing red, stands powerfully in the back.

The cover of issue #27 shows Commander Rann and baron Karza locked in combat, with a psychedelic red background that seems to have been drawn on a Spirograph.

Finally, issue #28’s cover shows Karza and Acroyear in combat while the rest of the Micronauts look on. The type on the cover is dramatic as well: This issue: Rann – Doomed! Karza – Defeated! The Planet Spartak Destroyed! Be There!

In addition to the stunning stories and covers, there are some classic ads in these comics. There ads for joke products and magic tricks are well represented, as are the Hostess mini-comic ads; the ones in these issues feature Daredevil and the Human Torch. Charles Atlas has an ad, of course, as does PEZ. On the back covers are ads for Monogram models, LEGO expert sets, “132 Roman Soldiers just $2.98”, and who can forget that you could make money by selling America’s favorite paper: Grit.The in-house ads are for Roger Stern and Frank Miller’s Doctor Strange, and two new comics: Captain Universe, and Dazzler!

Rereading these comics twenty-plus years later, they still hold up well, and are as exciting now as they were then. The.Micronauts had some good stories after this (and more mediocre one), but never again reached the level of epic greatness these issues represented.