This is easily my least favorite Micronauts comic so far. While I love Steve Ditko on Doctor Strange and Spider-Man, his art seems out of place here. The three stories are acceptable but not exceptional. The Bug and Acroyear story is by far my favorite.
Michael Golden was sorely missed in this volume. It felt like Ditko was phoning it in, for the most part. Mantlo's dialogue couldn't save the uninspired plots. The King Size Annual felt like DVD extras for the first year of Micronauts, somewhat interesting but ultimately non-essential.
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13 - Michael Golden is back on cover chores in this one. Bug is locked in combat with a few other Insectivorids with others looking on in the background. Great stuff.
Bug wakes up on Kaliklak and runs into his old mentor. Wartstaff, an old enemy has taken over the old gang and Bug's not having it. Bug overthrows Warstaff, his father, with some help. Meanwhile, Rann is recovering and itching to return to adventuring.
I was prepared not to like Howard Chaykin on art duties but Howie did an admirable job filling Michael Golden's shoes with Al Milgrom on inks.
Mantlo used this opportunity to flesh out Bug's background, revealing how he ended up in the pleasure pits way back in Micronauts #1.
I can't help but feel something is going to happen with Prince Argon. He sure seems like he's up to something. I'm also wondering what's going to come of the Microverse artifacts on earth. For a bronze age comic, there's a hell of a lot of forward planning in The Micronauts.
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Bug's revolution is in full swing in this one. Wartstaff is presumably killed and the governor is deposed. Meanwhile, Rann, Microtron, Biotron, and Marionette set a course for parts unknown and are reunited with Acroyear and Cilicia.
Back on Earth, a SHIELD agent takes the Microverse relics to one of earth's foremost minds, Reed Richards! Since the crossover with the Fantastic Four against Psycho-Man is one of the reasons I wanted to read The Micronauts, I'm pretty excited.
Mantlo's writing manages to be emotional but still action packed. I can't say enough good things about it.
I don't know what happened since the last issue but Chaykin doing layouts and Milgrom doing everything else didn't really work for me. Bug was fine but a lot of the other figures looked squat. The layouts were great so I'm laying the blame on Al Milgrom. We'll see how next issue goes.
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The reunited Micronauts encounter a massive ship and decide to board it, only to be overrun by Antrons. Meanwhile, on earth, the Fantastic Four and Agent M talk about someone from the Microverse that has invaded the Baxter Building, stealing something. Reed, Sue, and Ben head to the Microverse, sending the Human Torch to Florida to investigate HELL.
Back in the Microverse, Microtron is killed and the Micronauts are captured by Psycho-Man, setting the stage for the next couple issues.
I sure didn't expect Microtron to die but I guess one sass-mouthed robot is enough and Biotron is a better character. The Micronauts sure don't take it easy.
The art is better since the last issue. Maybe Al Milgrom is more comfortable with the characters. I wonder how long before Jackson Guice becomes the regular artist.
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The Micronauts are thralls of Psycho-Man and his mood altering gizmo, sending them into fits of fear, doubt, and hate. Eventually, they get their shit together, just in time for the Fantastic Four to show up to help.
The team of Chaykin and Milgrom is getting better after some bumps in the road. The Micronauts team feels a little bloated, making me think either Jasmine or Cilicia is going to leave soon. Poor Microtron, though.
Acroyear tying Mr. Fantastic in knots may have been my favorite part of the issue.
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17 - Psycho-Man has some weird stuff going on on this cover, while the Micronauts and the Fantastic Four are held captive. Not my favorite cover but it still has a lot of interesting things going on.
After the Human Torch nearly burns off all the oxygen in Psycho-Man's ship, Biotron is torn apart and everyone else is held captive until the Fantastic Four and the Micronauts put their differences aside and launch a counter attack.
In the end, Psycho-Man is defeated, but not without a terrible price. Jasmine is killed and Psycho-Man lives to fight another day. At least Biotron and Microtron are back to normal at the end, however.
The art team of Chaykin and Milgrom continues to get better together but there were still a few panels I found problematic.
Side note: Bug and Acroyear are my favorite Micronauts by far.
After the Human Torch nearly burns off all the oxygen in Psycho-Man's ship, Biotron is torn apart and everyone else is held captive until the Fantastic Four and the Micronauts put their differences aside and launch a counter attack.
In the end, Psycho-Man is defeated, but not without a terrible price. Jasmine is killed and Psycho-Man lives to fight another day. At least Biotron and Microtron are back to normal at the end, however.
The art team of Chaykin and Milgrom continues to get better together but there were still a few panels I found problematic.
Side note: Bug and Acroyear are my favorite Micronauts by far.
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The Micronauts escape Psycho-Man's clutches and themselves on an unknown world with titanic vegetation. They wander to a mis-sized house and battle the denizens, robot-like dolls. Yep, they're in a doll house on earth.
This one had a lot of emotional content. Bug buries Jasmine and mourns for her and for himself. The dollhouse reminds me of a creepy Doctor Who episode and the godlike child manipulating things reminds me of Kate's House.
One thing I haven't mentioned is that Marionette is written a lot stronger than most female characters of the time period, forcing Rann to treat her as an equal.
The next couple issues promise more amusing and probably terrifying adventures on Earth. I cheated and looked ahead a bit. It looks like Pat Broderick will be the new artist soon. I liked his work quite a bit on Captain Atom so I'm looking forward to it.
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Bug, on his own, discovers a barn and meets Odd John, a crazy scientist with an eye toward insect evolution. The remaining Micronauts eventually track down Odd John, only to go up against a horde of mutant insects, led by a mutant Bug. Things look grim as Odd John takes control...
This was another fun tale of the Micronauts venturing into the regular Marvel universe, complete with humorous misunderstandings. Bug getting mutated and evil wasn't so humorous. We'll see what happens next issue.
Pat Broderick's art is a welcome breath of fresh air after Howie Chaykin and Al Milgrom playing tug of war for page after page.
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Marionette uses a hammer to knock Odd John out and get the other Micronauts back into the game. Meanwhile, the mutant bugs, our Bug included, are on a rampage and wind up at a supermarket. Fortunately, Ant-Man is on the scene to lend the heroes a helping hand.
Bill Mantlo's writing doesn't get praised enough for my liking, a great blend of humor, drama, and action. Microtron and Biotron had some great lines in this one. Ant-Man's size reduction gas saves the day in this one, restoring Bug and the insects to normal. I didn't know Pym Particles could do that but whatever. I'm also digging Pat Broderick's art.
And thus concludes the Micronauts comics I bought on eBay. Fear not, however. I've since bought twenty-something more issues, plus X-Men vs. Micronauts, so I'll be tackling those in large installments in the near future. Until then, farewell, Micronuts!
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