Any fans of the Micronauts?

[The Shadow]

I just picked up the first volume's 1-20 in NM condition for $15.00 and know almost nothing about the series. I'm a mark for older comics in great shape for a decent price and these fit the bill.

I know the Micronauts are based on a toy line from Japan and it was HUGE for a while in the late 70's and early 80's. The comics even outlasted the toy line.

Anyone read them? I can get some more from the run good and cheap too (and in great shape!) but are they worth it?

Any recommendations on arcs etc.?

As a side not I also picked up all the Batman and the Outsiders issues drawn by Alan Davis (but one because it was in horrible shape) also quite cheap.

[benday-dot]

Back when this series first came out on the spinner racks I was pretty excited about the whole thing, having also been a collector of the toys which preceded the comic. I was a pretty big fan of Michael Golden (the principal artist of the early issues) back then too, though today he doesn't especially excite me.

I stuck with the series faithfully through the first 11 issues, this is the rather spectacular and epic sequence leading up to the vanquishing of Baron Karza. I looked at these books again about a year ago, and thought that they still had something to recommend them. The art and script are pretty decent, and I've always had a weakness, whether appearing in comic book or film, of the theme of miniature people ensconced in a world of the looming and large. Give me Ant Man, Atom, Lilliputins, or Micronauts and I'll probably pay attention.

My personal favourite issue was #7, which featured the Man-Thing. I would also buy almost any comic which featured the shaggy moss beast dating back to earliest Gerber days.

I dropped the series after 11, because it just seemed to lose focus and die on me. Also not being rich I found the true masterpieces like Miller's still classic Daredevil run necessarily edging out the lesser lights in competition for my 5.00 a week comic spending money.

[Allan Harvey]

I loved Micronauts! There was a time when I gave up collecting comics regularly, except for two: one of those was Micronauts. Mantlo's scripts were always solidly entertaining, but it's the artwork that really marks the book out. Michael Golden was followed by Howard Chaykin, who was followed by Pat Broderick, who was followed by Gil Kane, who was followed by Jackson Guice. Add to that a couple of Annuals drawn by Steve Ditko, and that's a pretty stellar lineup of artistic talent.

I especially loved the Broderick and Kane runs. If you can buy them cheap, so much the better.

[Aaron King]

Scott Tipton's Comics 101 had an excellent look back in part one (http://www.comics101.com/comics101//?mode=project&action=view&project=Comics%20101&chapter=91), part two (http://www.comics101.com/comics101//?mode=project&action=view&project=Comics%20101&chapter=92), and part three (http://www.comics101.com/comics101//?mode=project&action=view&project=Comics%20101&chapter=93) of his "They Came From Inner Space" series of articles. He runs a great site in general.

[matt levin]

I really enjoyed the first 20 issues (or so) and, as posted previously, felt the series begin to drag and dull out soon there-in or there-after. My favorite cover was the one with the boy, the lawn mower, and Micronauts scattering for safety! A good solid revolution story with remarkably well developed characters, especially considering their toy source, that eventually lost steam and my readership. But oh those first few issues are nice!

Matt

[benday-dot]

I was just looking at some of those old Micronaut covers again. Check out the boy from the cover of issue #5. Could you not cut and paste him onto the cover of some House of Mystery number, and have your self a decent Bernie Wrighston drawn child? Michael Golden and BW seemed to have a great deal in common stylistically.

http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/2514/400/2514_4_05.jpg

PS... I recall being both most fascinated and frightened by the Prometheus Pit as a kid.

[Green Lantern wannabe]

I have the series in NM condition, but I don't know if I want to keep it or sell it.

[Roquefort Raider]

As stated above, the first 11 issues by Mantlo and Golden are classic material. They should be known and treasured by all comic-book lovers.

The run illustrated by Chaykin must have had the worst art ever from that otherwise very talented artist; maybe he had tight deadlines or something. Broderick later restored a more pleasant look, but by then Mantlo's plots were either getting repetitive (let's defeat baron Karza again!) or formulaic (let's have... a QUEST!)

The rest of the series was a long and usually unsuccessful attempt at recreating the glory of the original issues. The cool characters we started with were either killed (Biotron, Jasmine), aged (Rann), turned into milksops (Acroyear) or into harpies (Mari); new characters with all the appeal of a wet potato chip were forced on us instead (Devil, the pink and beer-bellied hedonist; Nanotron, the 1950s housewife robot; Pharoid, the guy who wears a vacuum cleaner bag on his head). The only good addition was Huntarr, and that happened very late in the game.

There were a few high points here and there, though: like in issue #50 where, realizing that the cast was absolutely god-awful, Mantlo decided to kill half of it. That surely showed that the resurrected Baron Karza meant business. The new storyline that started there, with art by Jackson Guice, was a step in the right direction but it was at best another attempt to re-do the 11 original issues.

The second volume, "Micronauts: the new voyages", at least attempted something different. It was a bit of a blend between 2001: a space odyssey and Jack Kirby's Celestials. That one is easily found in quarter bins and is worth a look.

[The Shadow]

WOW... THANKS GUYS!

I honestly didn't expect very many responses and wasn't expecting the detail I got! Much appreciated!!! After reading this I called the comic store and told him I would take the rest of the run off his hands.

I won't get it for a few weeks though.

A few more questions: What number were Chaykin's issues, Kane's issues and Guice's issues? DAMN that is a great lineup.
I know there were a few regular Marvel U crossovers... other than Ant Man (was that Scott Lang or Hank Pym?) and Man-Thing were there any others?

EDITED: I seem to recall, many years ago now, there being a larger price tag for the early issues. Were they more valuable and have just dropped as interest dropped off or am I imagining this?

Thanks to Aaron King for the great links!!!

[Roquefort Raider]

Golden issues: 1-11, then covers all the way through #24.

Chaykin issues: 12-18

Broderick issues: 19- 34

Val Mayerik: issue 35

Keith Giffen: issue 36

Greg Laroque: issue 37

At issue 38, Micronauts went direct-sales only; that translated as more pages and no ads. But the plot was basically the Micronauts wandering aimlessly on Earth trying to find a way back to the Microverse, undergoing the loss of their ship (and commander's Rann self-respect. And then his youth. Because it was a trend to make Rann as old and useless as possible).

Issue 38 had a story drawn by Gil Kane, WITHOUT Bulanadi's inks.

Issues 39- 45 were drawn by Kane.

Issues 46-48 were by... I can't recall. I think Ed Hannigan was there.

Issues 49-50 were drawn bu Jackson Guice. They put an end to the aimlessness of the series and started a new Baron Karza war. (Half of the cast died in issue 50!)

Issues 51-58 described the new Karza war, and crossed over with the X-Men/Micronauts miniseries (four issues), also drawn by Jackson Guice.

Issue 59, the last of the first series, was the only one not written by Bill Mantlo, who had gone on to Swords of the Swashbucklers; Peter Gillis took over, starting the storyline featured in volume two, "New voyages".

There were also two annuals, drawn by the legendary Steve Ditko. The first was a collection of vignettes about the Micronauts and pretty interesting too, but the second one was a silly story about robotic toys.

There you are! For my money, the best runs were 1-11, followed by 49-59; then the Broderick run and finally the Kane ones.


Edited for completeness: I really should stress that I consider "The new voyages" as the second best Micronauts storyline!

[The Shadow]

There you are!
I snipped it for ease.

But thank you very much!

I haven't had a chance to dig into them yet but am looking forward to it now that I know a little more.

[jam]

I agree that Michael Golden's run was great. Be nice to see that in a TP.

Would be nice to see an Essentials.

But I guess the copyright issues would be too great. (Oh for an Essential ROM) ..

[The Shadow]

Would be nice to see an Essentials.

Why would you want an Essentials when the actual issues are so darn cheap???

[hondobrode]

Micronauts is one of my favorite titles of all time !

It's Bill Mantlo's best work ever (high praise indeed) and yes, a hugely talented artistic roster. I had totally forgotten Chaykin worked on the title. Loved Golden (permanently set his career high and reputation), Broderick was doing some of his best work, Ditko was great as was Kane. Young Jackson "Butch" Guice and Kelley Jones both had some of their earliest work here towards the end.

BTW, there was a second series, Micronauts the New Voyages, written by Peter Gillis. I think it lasted about a dozen issues. There was also a great 4 issue X-Men/Micronauts mini.

[jam]

Why would you want an Essentials when the actual issues are so darn cheap???

Because I'm stupid?

[Neptunicus]

I'm in agreement that 1-11 and 50 onward (till the end) are the best runs in the series. The rest aren't horrible though the majority are merely mediocre. The second Marvel run, in my opinion never really worked at all. It seemed that they started off with the idea of making The Micronauts world weary and jaded and then deviated from that and started introducing these weird elements like the character Scion. That whole arc was pretty lame. They also had this Rann as Jesus/Savior metaphor going on which to the best of my memory never got satisfactorily concluded.

Just my two cents.

[The Shadow]

Because I'm stupid?

LOL
Who am I to argue? ;)

Thanks guys!

[david r]

I picked up #2 in 1978. I was hooked from that moment on. For the first few years of my comics collecting, Micronauts was my favorite book over X-Men, Avengers, Hulk, etc. That should tell you how much I adored those characters.

I've read all these posts, and like everyone else, the first 11 issues are pure comics GOLD! (I would also include #12, as an epilogue to the Baron Karza Saga and also by the Mantlo/Golden team.)

After #12, the quality definitely goes down. It seemed following the Baron Karza saga, Marvel never knew what to do with the Micronauts. But from #13-35, it is still good reading. I remember somewhere in the 20s, 30s the Micronauts go exploring some of their Micro-worlds, (including Devil's intro) and I felt that was close to the glory of the first 12 issues.

At least for me, after #35, it all started to feel anticlimactic, as the Micronauts are once again on the run. It just eventually ran out of steam. I stopped buying at #50. Which should tell you how far they had fallen in my view, by then.

I would say this. I'm not ashamed to admit that the final issue of the Micronauts, #20 of Volume Two, really and truly made me cry. The "final fate" of the Micronauts was incredibly well-done and one of the best, emotional send-offs for any team I've read.

[Roquefort Raider]

I would say this. I'm not ashamed to admit that the final issue of the Micronauts, #20 of Volume Two, really and truly made me cry. The "final fate" of the Micronauts was incredibly well-done and one of the best, emotional send-offs for any team I've read.

It was as heroic a send-off as anyone could have asked for, but it made any kind of new series difficult (although a few Micronauts have been seen since in a few of Peter David's books)...

[Aetherus]

Which is the issue that Acroyear "brands" himself? For some reason, that particular issue sticks out in my memory...

[Jake Lockley]

Which is the issue that Acroyear "brands" himself? For some reason, that particular issue sticks out in my memory...

I recently re-read the series, and I think that was issue 30.

[dan bailey]

Why would you want an Essentials when the actual issues are so darn cheap???

Probably that wouldn't prevent Marvel from trying one, y'know. Didn't they recently bring out Omega the Unknown collected in (color, I presume) trade? I was able to get all those originals for maybe $5, tops, within the last year or two, without even bothering to bargain-hunt.

(BTW, wasn't that release sort of tied to the somewhat-trumpeted news of Jonathan Lethem of Fortress of Solitude fame writing a revival of the character? Yet another hotshot "outsider" who apparently couldn't get within a year of a deadline if his life depended on it, though certainly other factors could be at work here. A pox on all their houses, regardless.)

[The Shadow]

Hey guys... just finished reading the whole series (haven't read the two annuals yet) but you pretty much nailed a lot of the highlights.

1-10 were awesome. There were some great issues later on though... and I did enjoy the Fantastic Four issues.

It was also great to see some amazing artists too!

What's Michael Golden doing now? Is he even still alive? I also heard that Mantlo was sick or ill or something and out of comics. anyone know why? I'll Wiki it later.

[Paradox]

As you'll find out, Bill got into an accident (car hit him while he was rollerblading) and is more or less brain damaged. One of the biggest tragedies in comics (although it did happen after he'd already left comics). :frown:

My info's old, but wasn't Golden Marvel's art director for a while recently? HIs style seemed to change somewhat over the years, and I liked his early work far better. I always thought his work on Micronauts was wonderful, and apt because everyone kind of looked like an action-figure. :biggrin:

[david r]

Michael Golden was Marvel art director in the late 1990s. But he was gone when Joe Quesada took over in 2000. Since then, Michael Golden does the occasional cover, and does lots of art commissions.

The Shadow, glad you liked the series. It's one of my all-time favorites! Who were your favorite Micronauts??

[Paradox]

I could have sworn he had some position under Quesada just before I left comics in '04. But then, the ol' brain box is getting old and I've been wrong about stuff lately more than I'd care to admit sometimes. :wink:

[Rob Allen]

Michael Golden was involved in a bit of controversy last year. People who had paid him for art commissions were unhappy with how long it was taking, and then were unhappy with what he delivered. He did resolve the situation to everyone's satisfaction, but it was an episode I'd wager he doesn't want to repeat. The details can be found here (http://ohdannyboy.blogspot.com/search/label/goldengate) (read from the bottom up to get the story in the right order).

[Babylon23]

Micronauts was one of the first non-reprint Marvel books that I read. My first issue was the Man-Thing guest appearance.

I think everybody's already done a nice job of summing up the series high and low points, and I agree that Chaykin's art wasn't his best. I really loved the Pat Broderick art, though, and you can't go wrong with Gil Kane and Jackson Guice.

I'm also a big fan of the New Voyages. Kelly Jones produced some very good art for this series, and the stories took a major cosmic bent that I enjoyed immensely at the time.

I have to agree with David R. The final issue of New Voyages is an incredibly emotional send-off for the team.