Micronauts Special Edition (1).

This is the first post of a series of five post representing the mythical Original classic saga of the Micronauts.

In next weeks, I will present you one of the best comics ever created by the Great Bill Mantlo and the then new talent Michael Golden.

This special edition from 1983 is a reprint in higher quality paper of the first twelve issues of the first series and it is a rounded and complete story that was followed by a regular series, a second volume and in recent dates, two more series.

Following my comments of the issues compiled in every volume, all the amazing Extras would be posted.

Toys and Mantlo or how the Micronauts came to be.

Micronauts were a line of action figures an toys from Mego at the last years of the 70’s Mantlo found them under the Christmas trees of their fathers as a gift for his child. They were amazing and in his mind he warped a story about this tiny soldiers form a little world.

The idea went straight to the editor and then to Mego. The toy company liked the idea and the comic series were ready to launch. It sould stick to showing the readers the relation between this six inches heroes and the humans. That was something Mantlo and the artist he worked with didn’t like. It didn’t fit with the cosmic proportions of their origin. But that was Mego’s idea and they must stick to it.

Then Mego disappeared and the Micronauts series was free. And they survived. The series were released soon after the first Star Wars movie. You can find similarities between them. But they were inspired, in fact, in the Argonauts.

The impossible background.

This is the difficult part. Mantlo helped in that. In issue three of this Special edition he explains the origin. In Fantastic Four #75, World within Worlds was its title (the concept of Mircronauts). From that story, Mantlo get the idea of the Homeworld, a DNA helix-like were all the Microverse are linked to.

The origin was unearthed in India. Doctor Strange reed a monolith that told the story of Prince Wayfinder from Planet Ithaka (another link to the Greek mythos) almost destroyed by another alien race, the Haamin. A weapon of mighty power, The Sword in the Star, helped him find a place for their people in India, but they were attacked by another menace: Demons.

The sword opened a gate to the Microverse as a flight opportunity. And Wayfinder transforms into the original Time Traveler.

And now for the story.

THE MICRONAUTS #1.

COVER TITLE. Fantastic First Issue

INSIDE TITLE. Homeworld / Homecoming / Escape!

COVER DATE. January 1978

COVER ARTIST. Cockrum / Milgrom

NUMBER OF PAGES. 17

WRITER. Bill Mantlo

PENCILLER. Michael Golden

INKER. Josef Rubinstein

LETTERERES. Tom Orzechowski

COLORIST. Bob Sharen

EDITOR. A.L. Milgrom

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF. Jim Shooter

The one idyllic Homeworld is now the nightmare empire of Baron Karza. He was the lead scientist of the Body Tanks and there he gained first the political power and then the real power of the immortal power of science. He offered immortality to the rich using the bodies of the poor (Nahum appears here too) only the resistance of a rebel group leaded by Prince Argon and Princess Mari stands in Karza’s way.

The Acroyears, a once proud race of warriors (Spartan-like) and the Dog Soldiers (genetically altered praetorian army) reduced them not before the Time Travellers help them giving precious information.

Later, Commander Arcturus Rann returns to Homeworld after a millennia of suspended animation travels through the Microverse, gaining knowledge by a telepathic link with the first Biotron-6000. But the armies of Baron Karza gained a faster travelling means, leaving the Endevour, the space-ship, as a slower carcase.

Rann is attacked and awakes in the jail of Karza. There he meets Acroyear, prince of the aliens of the same name and Bug, a fun release character. Later he rescues Mari, escaping with the aid of the Time Travellers and returning to the Endevour.

The scene reminds those of the Empire Strikes Back with the Imperials following the Millenium Falcon. The Endevour breaks the Spacewall that separates their world from ours. Next chapter would be in our Earth.

THE MICRONAUTS #2.

COVER TITLE. From a war-torn Microverse they fled… to Earth!

INSIDE TITLE. Earth!

COVER DATE. February 1978

COVER ARTIST. Golden / Rubinstein

NUMBER OF PAGES. 17

WRITER. Bill Mantlo

PENCILLER. Michael Golden

INKER. Josef Rubinstein

LETTERERES. Tom Orzechowski

COLORIST. Bob Sharen

EDITOR. A.L. Milgrom

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF. Jim Shooter

They are being followed by a Galactic Cruiser leaded by Shaitan, the albino brother of Acroyear and a warrior of Karza. The Endevour crashes and we discover a backyard where a kid, Steve Coffin has an encounter of the third kind with them.

The issue is a fight involving Shaitan, the micronauts and the boy. The Endevour survives.

THE MICRONAUTS #3.

COVER TITLE. Death Duel at Daytona Beach

INSIDE TITLE. Death Duel at Daytona Beach!

COVER DATE. March 1978

COVER ARTIST. Cockrum / Milgrom

NUMBER OF PAGES. 8

WRITER. Bill Mantlo

PENCILLER. Michael Golden

INKER. Josef Rubinstein

LETTERERES. Tom Orzechowski

COLORIST. Bob Sharen

EDITOR. A.L. Milgrom

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF. Jim Shooter

Ray Coffin find the devastation in the backyard and there a dead body of an Acroyear makes him send it directly to H.E.L.L. a NASA department leaded by an evil scientist. But this would be the story of the next week.

The Amazing Extras.