For the most part, they didn’t look that much like the toy line whose name they carried. The Vader-like villain Baron Karza did. Eventually, writer Bill Mantlo and artist Michael Golden identified which Micronauts matched which toy, but by then it didn’t matter. From the first issue of The Micronauts, Marvel had another hit on their hands, aided by Golden’s art that defined the book for its first year. Though superficially following in the footsteps of Star Wars, this book carved its own path in the subatomic Microverse before spilling out into the rest of the Marvel Universe.
Like ROM Spaceknight, it had a lasting impact on continuity. Energies from the Microverse (translated to film as the Quantum Realm) created the recurring character Captain Universe. Mantlo realized the Fantastic Four already had an enemy from a similar place and folded Psycho Man into the story. The Galactic Warrior “Bug” journeyed to the macroverse a couple of decades later and joined the modern Guardians of the Galaxy. With a gender change and a merge with another Marvel cosmic character, you can see Bug’s presence as Mantis (Pom Klemeroff). It’s a nod and it’s close enough.
The Micronauts even helped build the direct market for comics. Along with Moon Knight and Ka-Zar the Savage, it sold to the Direct Market while the rest of Marvel’s books were still on what we called “newsstands.” Eventually sales faltered and it wasn’t worth it to Marvel to continue licensing the title, though technically the comic book outlasted the toy line and even the American toy company Mego. Both Devil’s Due Comics and IDW Publishing revived The Micronauts, both again echoing ideas that Mantlo and Golden had established in the late 70s.
I speculated a couple of days ago that with Hasbro striking a deal for ROM to return to Marvel, The Micronauts couldn’t be far behind. But it was only an educated hope. Here we are. These long out of print books will be gathered in an omnibus edition, and in addition to Golden’s incredible artistic run, you’ll see giants like Howard Chaykin, Pat Broderick, and Steve Ditko contributing to the mythos.
How good is Golden’s work? Even when these properties were in limbo, IDW was able to license an oversized Artist’s Edition of The Micronauts to showcase how stunning it is.
Forget that its origins lie in a toy line. At least the first year of The Micronauts is one of the best comics runs Marvel has produced. The rest of the years? Still pretty danged fun. Get ready to journey to inner space.
From Marvel:
Earlier this week, Marvel Comics proudly announced an exciting new collaboration with Hasbro, a global leader in play, that would result in new collections of Rom the Spaceknight’s beloved comic book adventures. Today, Marvel is thrilled to reveal that another popular toy-originating comic book series will receive the same treatment: THE MICRONAUTS!
From out of the Microverse, it’s the Omnibus you thought could never happen! The subatomic superstars headlined a long-running series packed with rich world-building, fascinating mythology and big-scale, sci-fi excellence! With the series set in the main Marvel Comics universe, the Micronauts joined forces with the X-Men and the Fantastic Four and dared to go up against the likes of Doctor Doom, Arcade, and other iconic Marvel super villains. Like ROM, these exemplary comic book classics were written by industry legend Bill Mantlo and will be reprinted for the first time ever in MICRONAUTS: THE ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS OMNIBUS, on sale April 2024. In anticipation for this long-awaited collection, fans can also pick up a facsimile edition of the Micronauts’ comic book debut, 1979’s MICRONAUTS #1, this September!
MICRONAUTS: THE ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS OMNIBUS VOL. 1 will collect THE MICRONAUTS (1979) #1-29 & ANNUAL (1979) #1-2 and material from MICRONAUTS SPECIAL EDITION (1983) #1-5. Helmed by writer Bill Mantlo, the Micronauts brought together the subatomic heroes of Homeworld and the Marvel Universe. Mantlo’s rich character mythology and groundbreaking artwork by Michael Golden made the series an instant classic. In Micronauts, Commander Rann, Princess Mari, Biotron, Acroyear and Bug traverse the universe aboard the microship Endeavor as they struggle to free Homeworld from the tyrannical Baron Karza. Their exploits also bring them to Earth where our micro-sized heroes encounter big-time heroes and villains including the Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom, S.H.I.E.L.D., Captain Universe and Man-Thing. This Omnibus edition presents a stunning restoration, complete with letters pages and a host of bonus material, including house ads, original artwork and more.
MICRONAUTS #1 FACSIMILE EDITION boldly re-presents MICRONAUTS (1979) #1, one of the all-time great Marvel comic books, in its original form, ads and all! They came from inner space! Explorer Arcturus Rann! Freedom-fighting princess Marionette! The armored warrior Acroyear! Fun-loving thief Bug! The robots Microton and Biotron! They are the greatest heroes of the Microverse! But after 1,000 years in suspended animation, Rann has returned to a Homeworld vastly changed from the one he knew — and Mari’s family was killed in the coup d’état that saw Baron Karza rise to power. Now, together with their allies, they begin their epic quest to free Homeworld from the tyrannical Karza’s iron grip in the first chapter of an acclaimed comic-book space opera from the legendary creative pairing of Bill Mantlo and Michael Golden!
Check out the covers now, including a wide variety of Direct Market Exclusive Variant Covers from industry legends! Experience these beloved and rare stories all over again or for the very first time when MICRONAUTS #1 FACSIMILE EDITION hits stands in September, and when MICRONAUTS: THE ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS OMNIBUS arrives next year!
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In addition to running Fanboy Planet, Derek has written for ActionAce, Daily Radar, Once Upon A Dime, and The Wave. He has contributed stories to Arcana Comics (The Greatest American Hero) and Monsterverse Comics (Bela Lugosi's Tales from the Grave). He has performed with ComedySportz and Silicon Valley Shakespeare, though relocated to Hollywood to... work in an office? If you ever played Eric's Ultimate Solitaire on the Macintosh, it was Derek's voice as The Weasel that urged you to play longer. You can buy his book "I Was Flesh Gordon" on the Amazon link at the right. Email him at [email protected].
