X-Men and the Micronauts

Previous installments of my Micronauts raeding odyssey can be found here, here, here, here, and here.   In this installment, just before the ultimate chapter of Bill Mantlo's run of the Micronauts, we have a curious animal, a four issue crossover with the X-Men that actually has repercussions in the main book.

1 - The assembled X-Men and Micronauts are bearing down on a shadowy figure in front of them.  I think this cover has a sense of urgency but is also intriguing enough to get someone to pick up the book.  Then again, crossovers weren't as pervasive in the early 1980s as they are now so this was probably a big deal on its own.

The Micronauts have found themselves in an alliance with Baron Karza against an unknown enemy that is ravaging the Microverse.  That's one way to get people's attention.  I don't buy the alliance but we''ll see what happens.  The Micronauts confront the unknown enemy, a man in gold armor, and are defeated.  Baron Karza and Bioship escape.

Meanwhile, at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Kitty Pryde, Nightcrawler, and some of the New Mutants are training when Baron Karza arrives and attacks Professor X, saying he is the source of the chaos in the Microverse.  Karza incapcitates Xavier and hands the New Mutants' asses to them until Storm and the X-Men arrive. 

Karza battles the X-Men.  Karza takes a pounding but uses his flying choke hold on Wolverine.  Kitty tries to phase through Karza but they end up swapping bodies because of his psychic abilities and armor.  Huh.  This is going to get weird.

Bioship shows up and settles things.  Karza almost gives himself away in Kitty's body by calling Lockheed a beast.  Bioship shrinks down the X-Men and whisks them away to the Microverse to help the Micronauts.

So, the creature in the Microverse is an evil aspect of Professor X, right?  Aside from having to swallow the alliance with Karza, this wasn't a bad issue.  It was mostly setup but it was interesting seeing the classic Claremont X-Men again.
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2 - The Micronauts, wearing original X-Men gear, loom over the X-Men.  It's an interesting image.  Side note - Huntarr keeps reminding me of Doctor Zoidberg from Futurama for some reason.  Maybe the lack of mouth.

The Micronauts are trapped in some kind of nightmare realm where they battle their worst fears.  They are all broken and The Entity frees them and makes them his thralls.  He dresses them as the original X-Men and promises to use them to ravage the Microverse AND the Macroverse.

The Bioship arrives in the Microverse with the X-Men on board.  Karza and Wolverine bicker.  Meanwhile, Karza in Kitty Pryde's body is lurking in the background while Kitty's mind is unconscious in Karza's body.

Karza returns to Homeworld to build a new fleet, leaving the X-Men on the Bioship to battle the Entity.  Bioship's link with Rann guides the X-Men to a planet, where they find a duplicate of Xavier's school.  The Entity is revealed as a dark Xavier with the Micronauts in X-Men garb behind him.  The Micronauts defeat the X-Men with The Entity's help and Karza, controlling his armor with Kitty Pryde's mind in it, escapes back to Homeworld.

I don't really see where this is going other than the X-Men and the Micronauts teaming up to settle the Entity's hash.  Jackson Guice does a good job drawing the X-Men, at least.
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3 - The defeated X-Men and Micronauts lie disheveled on the ground with the Entity's image in the background.

The vanquished X-Men and Micronauts battle Karza's Dog Soldiers.  Xavier feels every death back on earth.  The force defeats the Dog Soldiers and the Entity vaporizes Rann for his insolence before recreating him.  Damn.

The Entity destroys the asteroid outpost.  Meanwhile, Kitty gains control of Baron Karza's body.

The Entity puts the moves on Kitty Pryde, not knowing Karza's mind is in her body.  The Micronauts and the rest of the X-Men are tossed in some kind of dungeon.

Back on earth, Xavier is in some kind of trance, attended by the New Mutants.  Xavier goes astral and heads to the astral plane, where he sees the Entity and recognizes his armor as something he forged years earlier.  While the Entity is busy with Xavier, Kitty/Karza stabs him.  Xavier removes the Entity's helmet to find.. himself!

The X-Men and Micronauts wander the Entity's dungeon.  Meanwhile, back on earth, the New Mutants are unaware The Entity now controls Xavier's body.

Well, this has been an interesting crossover but the Micronauts haven't done a hell of a lot.  Let's hope that changes in the final issue.  I'm still impressed with the way Guice draws the X-Men, though.
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4 - The X-Men and the Micronauts battle Professor X on this cover.  This is the best cover in the miniseries.  Did Guice ever have an X-Men run?  He would have nailed it.

The Entity does some rapey things to Dani Moonstar to bend her to his will.  Meanwhile, Kitty has control of Karza's body and goes looking for hers.  Professor X in the Entity's dying body settles everyone down and explains the situation.

The Entity inside Professor X's body uses Cerebro to start wrecking the entire Microverse.  The X-Men and Micronauts board the Bioship to take the fight to Professor X.  Degrayde is killed in the carnage, as well as lots of planets.

The Bioship makes it back through the Spacewall but is dying.  The tiny X-Men and Micronauts battle the New Mutants.  Professor X and the Entity battle over Xavier's body.  Biotron dies as Nightcrawler carries The Entity's dying body away.  Xavier wins the battle and Bioship restores the X-Men to normal size with his dying breath.  Fireflyte sings the Micronauts back to what's left of the Microverse, just in time for Micronauts #58.

The X-Men/Micronauts crossover was okay.  I'm glad I read it for completist's sake but it was mostly a Baron Karza/Professor X story.  The X-Men and Micronauts were just pawns for the most part.  It did advance the plot of the Micronauts, though, with the death of the Bioship and destruction of big chunks of the Microverse.

Now, I'll get back to my regularly scheduled Micronauts reading.