Month: December 2020

Micronauts vol 1 #7

July 1979
“Adventure into Fear!”
by Bill Mantlo, Michael Golden and Joe Rubenstein

Cover
Man-Thing is “Guest-Starring” in this issue. He is standing in water holding unconscious Marionette and Rann while the remaining Micronauts are positioned about his feet. While Microtron and Biotron appear to flee, Acroyear wields his energy sword.

PAGES 1-2: The Micronauts and Steve Coffin spend time at Ray Coffin’s fishing cottage in the Everglades.

• This issue takes place in the Everglades.
• Bug and Acroyear spend time with Steve Coffin. Bug is revolted by the idea of fish living in water. They are fishing for food because, as Acroyear explains, Steve would consume a year’s supply of Micronaut food in a day.
• Micronaut food is not compatible with Steve’s biosystem, though.
• Microtron watches original Star Trek on TV. He finds Star Trek exciting and “almost believable”.
• Rann sleeps in his HYBERNATION CAPSULE. Marionette calls it a “horrid coffin”.

PAGES 3-5 (3, 6-7): While watching Rann’s dreams, Biotron recounts the 1000-year journey of the Endeavor and the encounter with the Space Wall and the Enigma Force.

• Biotron is able to show Marionette Rann’s dreams on a screen. Presumably, this is because Biotron is telepathically-linked to Rann.
• Rann’s dreams are in fact memories from his 1000-year voyage in the Endeavor. We see his public farewell by his parents, Dallan and Lady Sepsis as well as Chief Scientist Karza, who we are told tutored Rann from birth. We see Biotron bearing Rann’s greetings to strange alien beings of Quarlos IV (the telepathic image of Rann makes him appear much more like a Time Traveler – something that will be explored in a future issue). Biotron explains that Rann brought a message of peace from Homeworld to each new world. Karza’s ships, however, had subsequently conquered these worlds.
• Biotron expresses his bitterness caused by the futility of their mission. On Homeworld a WARP DRIVE was discovered which enabled vessels to travel across the Microverse in seconds.
• When the Endeavor reached the fringes of the Microverse it met the barrier of the SPACE WALL. It caused the Endeavor to accelerate beyond physical laws and then Rann and Biotron encountered the Enigma Force (Time Travelers). Without spoiling too much at this point, it’s likely that the acceleration of the Endeavor played some causal role in the creation of the Enigma Force. This encounter caused Rann’s and Biotron’s minds to permanently merge (again, I’d argue this is an aspect of the creation of the Enigma Force, too).
• Biotron explains to Marionette that his new awareness of fear caused him to pilot the Endeavor back towards Earth.

PAGES 5-7 (7, 10-11): The Micronauts finish fishing and watch a TV news broadcast about H.E.L.L.

• Microtron has been monitoring the TV broadcasts concerning the Micronauts and H.E.L.L.
• Bug is nearly eaten by a fish.
• Man-Thing watches from a distance. He is drawn towards the cabin by Steve’s grief. Man-Thing has been hanging about the Marvel Universe since his introduction in Savage Tales #1 in May 1971. The title of this issue is drawn from the Man-Thing comic, Adventure into Fear. One of Man-Thing’s “abilities” is to sense emotions.
• H.E.L.L. has been sealed off with some sort of force field.
• The TV reporter interviews Colonel Macey. We’ll see more of him next issue.

PAGES 7-9 (11, 14-15): At the same time in the Microverse.

• Psychophysical probes reveal to Karza’s scientists that Professor Prometheus is a semi-bionic human, surrounded by his own atmosphere and has been driven insane.
• Karza realises that he could MIND-MERGE with Prometheus and travel to Earth. I’m not entirely sure how Karza is even aware of Earth. In issue #4, it was shown that Karza was tracking Shaitan so that he knew when Shaitan returned to the Microverse. Perhaps Karza was monitoring events on Earth?
• Argon and Slug are considered as a trap by rebels. One of the Shadow Priests explains that it does not serve Karza and mentions a final battle that will take place. There will be an important revelation about the nature of the shadow priests in a future issue.
• The Time Traveler invites Ray Coffin to fight for Earth. Next issue we’ll see how Ray returns to Earth.

PAGES 9-17 (15-17, 19, 22-23, 26-27, 30): Man-Thing and the Micronauts fight.

• Marionette fires her LASERSONIC PISTOL at Man-Thing but it has little effect.
• The familiar “Whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing’s touch!” Is used in a wonderful splash page of Marionette shooting at Man-Thing.
• Acroyear’s ENERGY BLADE passes clean through Man-Thing with little damage to the muck monster. Bug’s ROCKET LANCE has hardly any effect either.
• Bug is squashed by the Man-Thing’s hand and begins to burn.
• Marionette uses the exclamation, “Dallan preserve us”, to which Rann responds: “My dad couldn’t even preserve himself, Princess! Karza slew him and my mother!” Rann isn’t relying on anyone else than the Micronauts to act.
• Steve’s plan – involving a swamp buggy – enables him to overcome his fear and this change in emotion confuses Man-Thing.
• Biotron flies the Endeavor’s HYDROCOPTOR and fires a laser blast at Man-Thing so that Microtron can rescue Bug.
• Biotron’s mix of roboid and human consciousness is too alien to attract the attention of Man-Thing. It seems Man-Thing is only aware of Steve.
• Man-Thing hasn’t experienced courage before. Steve’s courage fills Man-Thing with wonder. It is at this joyful moment that Steve, ironically, uses the swamp buggy to slice Man-Thing. Steve tells Bug that he had the impression that Man-Thing committed suicide rather than fight. A few panels later he reconstitutes and watches from afar.
• Acroyear believes that the Man-Thing was a noble foe. It seems unlikely that it’s possible to determine a monster’s motivations based on a couple of minutes of battle.
• The Endeavor has been repaired and powered-up. The Micronauts are going to return to the Microverse to search for Ray Coffin and to fight Karza.

Next issue: “Then Shall Come a Hero!” The final panel of this issue is fabulous! Karza climbs out of the Prometheus Pit. It’s a nightmarish horror scene.

Commentary

• This “filler” issue appears to be set in the Everglades for no other reason than to introduce the Man-Thing. As far as I can tell, this may have been a bit of pre-promotion for the new series of Man-Thing that was launched in November 1979. Man-Thing’s last comic appearance was in 1975.

Micronauts vol 1 #6

June 1979
“The Great Escapes”
by Bill Mantlo, Michael Golden and Joe Rubenstein

Cover
The Micronauts are attacking a Folorida Highway Patrol car. Bug is using his lance to melt through the windshield, Acroyear swings a piece of wreckage, Marionette points a gun at the cop.

PAGES 1-6 (1-3, 5-7): The Micronauts and Steve Coffin escape from H.E.L.L.

• Rann refers to Prometheus’ robots as humanoids. They only appear to operate in Prometheus’ inner lab. The rest of H.E.L.L. is operated by humans.
• Bug reminds us that his homeworld is Kaliklak.
• Rann is unable to communicate with Biotron because a cat has the robot cornered back at the Coffin house.
• Rann is able to hotwire Ray Coffin’s pickup truck.

PAGES 7-8 (10-11): Ray Coffin and Professor Prometheus fall through the Prometheus Pit into the Microverse. Ray encounters the Time Traveler.

• Prometheus and Ray shrink as they fall into the Microverse.
• Ray begins to glow and is transported by a Time Traveler who knows who he is.
• Prometheus acknowledges he has lost his mind.
• A SATELLITE DRONE records Prometheus’ fall and conveys the information to Homeworld.

PAGES 9-10 (14-15): Karza is summoned by the High Shadow Priest who has information about the arrival of Prometheus. Karza launches a fleet of spacecraft.

• The temple of the High Shadow Priest has a stained glass window.
• Karza appears before the High Shadow Priest in his centaur form. He is accompanied by two centaur soldiers.
• The High Shadow Priest is hidden within robes. What we can see of the temple is a mixture of technology and what appears to be primitive furnishings.
• The VIEWSCREEN in the temple shows the size and arrival of Prometheus.
• Karza’s relationship with the High Shadow Priest is antagonistic. He’s clearly not afraid of them and warns the High Priest that he’ll deal with him later.
• Karza uses the phrase “By my armor” to express his surprise.
• Among the fleet of spacecraft sent to intercept Prometheus are rebel Acroyear. Are these Acroyear still subject to the Thoughtwash that Karza removed to punish Shaitan?

PAGES 10-11 (15, 19): Slug rescues Argon and they escape from the Body Banks.

• Slug refers to Argon as FORCE COMMANDER (one of the Micronauts toys). Argon has been, as we know, transformed into a centaur.
• Slug explains that she risked losing her body to an old crone in order to rescue Argon (as we’ll see in a later issue, this isn’t the case).
• Slug uses a DISRUPTOR to melt through walls and open doors. She says she hid it somewhere on her that remained undetected by dog soldiers (again, not actually true).

PAGES 12-16 (21-23, 26-27): The Micronauts return to the Endeavor. On route to Ray Coffin’s fishing hut in the Everglades they are chased by the police.

• Steve connects the Endeavor’s power cables to a fuse box which causes a blackout in the neighbourhood. Steve says it makes him feel like Scotty on Star Trek.
• The next-door-neighbour, Abner Jenkins is particularly upset about the blackout as he wanted to watch the Osmonds.
• We see the same flight controllers from #3 view the Endeavor in flight once again. This time they don’t act on the UFO sighting.
• Florida Highway Patrol observe Steve driving his father’s red pickup and identify it as the one NASA has an all-points-alert on.
• Biotron is able to transmit Rann’s communication to the CB radio in the pickup. Steve uses CB-slang (“county-mounties”).
• The Micronauts attack the pursuing police car. Marionette uses a LASERSONIC PISTOL.
• Biotron is able to jam the police radioes.
• The Micronauts are heading to Ray Coffin’s fishing cabin in the Everglades.

PAGE 17 (30): Karza’s space fleet encounter the giant-sized Prometheus.

• The dog soldiers run BIO-SCANS on Prometheus to show that he is in a state of shock.
• Karza himself is part of the fleet and stands aboard the GALACTIC COMMAND CENTER.
• Karza deduces that Rann has made an alliance with “giants from another universe” (little realising that it’s only a human boy and Muffin the dog). His probes indicate Prometheus was driven insane by his encounter with the Micronauts. (As we know, this isn’t correct. Prometheus’ injuries and his transformation into a cyborg caused his madness.)
• Karza identifies an evil in Prometheus and says that it is very much like his own. (I wonder if by “evil”, Karza is referring to the cyborg aspects of Prometheus. Does Karza associate evil with that which isn’t natural?)

Next issue: “But first… the macabre Man-Thing!”

Commentary

• There’s a lovely sense of camaraderie built in this issue around the character of Bug: Acroyear worries that Bug takes too many risks, there’s banter between Bug and Microtron when Bug pilots the Astrostation.
• Microverse space seems different that our universe’s space. Ray Coffin and Prometheus are able to survive in their space which suggests either that there is oxygen or that beings don’t breathe in the Microverse. Next issue it’s suggested that the great size of Prometheus in the Microverse causes an atmospheric skin to surround him.
• One of the letters in Micromails is from future Marvel writer, Kurt Busiek. He writes about issue #2 and praises aspects of the issue. He picks out things he doesn’t like: the absence of lettering by Tom Orzechowski, the colouring and the representation of buildings and vehicles on Homeworld as looking like toys.
• There’s also a translation of the Homeworld alphabet created by Michael Golden:

Micronauts vol 1 #5

May 1979
“The Prometheus Pit”
by Bill Mantlo, Michael Golden and Joe Rubenstein

Cover
Tiny Micronauts – plus Muffin the dog – defending Steve from a Deathlok-type cyborg at the edge of a circular Prometheus Pit. (It’s a great cover!)

PAGES 1-2: The Micronauts arrive at H.E.L.L.

• The Astrostation has an “ultimate flight-ceiling”: it can’t fly over a wire fence. It does seem that Astrostation isn’t the most appropriate name for the vehicle.
• Acroyear is impervious to electricity as he’s able to rip through an electrified fence.

PAGE 3: Biotron has almost repaired the Endeavor.

• Biotron’s constructed an adaptor to convert Earth’s domestic electricity so that it can be used to power the Endeavor.
• Biotron has hydraulic leg extensions. (Biotron also appears to have a human sense of pride perhaps inherited from Rann).

PAGES 4-7 (6-7, 10-11): Marionette frees Muffin the dog from Ray Coffin’s car and the Micronauts enter the H.E.L.L. building.

• Bug has an unmistakable smell, according to Microtron.
• Dogs are extinct on Homeworld.
• Microtron has long, extendable arms.
• Mantlo pairs Microtron and Acroyear for comedic effect. Acroyear is presented as an emotionless warrior while Microtron has a sense of ironic humour.

PAGES 7-10 (11, 14-16): Professor Prometheus is a crazy cyborg and already knows about the Microverse. Bug defends Steve.

• Prometheus is already aware of the Microverse. He has samples of dead beings from the Microverse in fluid-filled canisters and Acroyears on computer screens (Ray Coffin calls them “print outs”). Presumably, Karza has sent explorers beyond the Spacewall who have died.
• Steve makes the mistake of mentioning Rann.
• The Prometheus Pit was built was built to travel to the “Micro Universes”.
• Prometheus analysed the dead specimens from the Microverse and reveals they are a BIONIC synthesis of man and machine.
• Prometheus was almost killed by COSMIC RAYS when he was aboard Starlab. Remember, cosmic rays are the energy source that transformed the Fantastic Four (as well as Red Ghost and his apes). Prometheus was saved from death by becoming a cyborg. While it’s not explicitly stated, Prometheus has been made stronger by the cosmic rays (later in this issue he withstands blasts from Rann’s gun).
• Prometheus rips off the fake skin covering on his face. That’s always the sign of an insane villain! His plan is to use the technology of the Microverse to transcend what little humanity remains of him and become a god. For the less astute readers, Bug notes the similarity with Karza.
• The security guards are robots.
• Bug defends Steve from Prometheus. It’s a great scene in showcasing Bug’s bravery. He might be wise-cracking but he has a strong sense of morality (this will be explored later on in the series).

PAGES 11-14 (17, 19, 22-23): On Homeworld, the captured rebels are processed into the Body Banks. Prince Argon has been transformed into a centaur but is easily subdued by Baron Karza. Slug is chosen as the next body for Duchess Belladonna.

• The captives for the Body Banks are firstly put through the Purificath Bath and dressed in antiseptic prison uniform.
• We see writing on the walls of the Command Center of the Body Banks. Superficially, it looks similar to Devangari, the alphabet used in languages such as Hindi and Sanskrit.
• In conversation with Duchess Belladonna, Karza explains his construction of Homeworld’s society: one where the rich live in ever-lasting luxury, the middle-class work to earn immortality and the working classes use their wages to gamble in the temples of the Shadow Priests. The poorest end up as dog soldiers or in the Body Banks.
• Prince Argon, Marionette’s brother, has been transformed into a centaur.
• Karza has a personal FORCE-FIELD around him. He is able to fire energy beams from his eyes.
• Slug draws attention to herself and Karza selects her body as the host for Duchess Belladona.

PAGES 15-17 (26-27, 30): The Micronauts come to the rescue. Prometheus and Ray Coffin fall into the Prometheus Pit.

• Marionette rides Muffin to rescue Bug.
• The floor of the laboratory tilts into the Prometheus Pit.
• Bug tells Marionette that Insectivorids can stick to almost anything.
• While Acroyear destroys one of the robots, Microtron uses his extendable arms to save Steve from falling into the pit.
• Ray pulls Prometheus into the pit with him. They shrink to sub-molecular size as they fall.
• The robot guards continue to follow orders: to seize the Micronauts (though I’m not sure how the robots know the team are called this) and throw them into the pit.

Next issue: “The Great Escapes!”

Commentary

• The cyborg character, Professor Prometheus, is inevitably a black character. Arguably, it’s difficult not to see this as a racist trope in the same way as DC’s Cyborg and Marvel’s Deathlok. It’s worth reading this post to see why: Humanity Not Included: DC’s Cyborg and the Mechanization of the Black Body.

Micronauts vol 1 #4

April 1979
“A Hunting We Will Go!”
Bill Mantlo (writer), Michael Golden (artist) and Joe Rubenstein (embellisher)

Cover
Karza facing the reader, blasting rebels. In the background dog soldiers are shooting down unarmed people who are running from them

PAGES 1-6 (1-3, 6-7, 10): Dog soldiers raid the underground and round up the survivors as resources for the Body Banks. One of the rebel leaders, Slug, is taken to the Body Banks.

• The underground resistance to Karza is supplying rebels with LASER-SONICS, according to a dog soldier. The dog soldiers are under orders to kill anyone carrying a weapon and secure the rest for use in the body banks.
• On page 2 there are two PHOBOS, evil versions of Biotron.
• One of the rebels is riding an ULTRASONIC SCOOTER.
• Slug is an “ex-royalist”, not necessarily a royal herself but a supporter of the former aristocracy. She changes clothes to hide from Karza’s troops.
• The poor of Homeworld live underground in the SEWER SECTORS (so they literally are an underground).
• Homeworld itself is described as “a planet where no blade of grass, no tree, no flower grows… a world of cold steel”.
• The military commander in charge of the raid is Major D’ark.
• Karza is able to fire his hands and use them remotely, in this case to strangle Tril, one of the rebels, who poses as Slug in order for the real Slug to escape.

PAGES 6-7 (10-11): On Earth, the damaged Endeavor flies back to Steven Coffin’s house in search of Bug. Aboard, Marionette and Rann argue.

• Microtron is used to point out to the readers that Marionette’s and Rann’s argument is a “lover’s quarrel”.
• The Endeavor’s SOLAR COLLECTORS aren’t working properly.

PAGES 8-12 (14-17, 19): Ray and Steve take the wreckage of a wing-fighter to Professor Prometheus at H.E.L.L. Bug follows.

• Muffin the dog, seemingly dead last issue, is alive and well. Because she was “zapped”, Ray’s taking Muffin with them for examination.
• Bug thinks that the WING-FIGHTER in the shoebox carried by Ray Coffin could be used to return him to the Microverse.
• Bug is surprised that Earth has water.
• Ray’s wife’s name was Elaine. Ray was known as “Orbiting Coffin” and a security guard suggests that Ray is an ex-astronaut who “misses the excitement of the early days”.
• The Institute is actually named Human Engineering Life Laboratories (H.E.L.L.).
• Professor Phillip Prometheus, the head of H.E.L.L. was Ray’s co-pilot on the first Adelphi Mission. His subsequent mission was aboard Starlab and there was an accident which caused him to be posted to administrative duties. (We’ll find out next issue why! Though Ray should have noticed Prometheus’ pupil-less eyes.)

PAGES 13-15 (22-23, 26): The Endeavor returns to Ray Coffin’s house and makes a crash landing.

• Biotron scans for Bug’s brainwaves to locate him.
• The Endeavor’s GYRO-STABILISERS continue to deteriorate rapidly. They have something to do with the vessel’s GUIDANCE SYSTEMS. THRUST UNITS are also used.
• Abner Jenkins, Ray Coffin’s neighbour, sees the Endeavor attempting to get inside the house.
• Biotron is capable of a miscalculation (certainly in piloting the damaged Endeavor).

PAGE 16 (27): Shaitan’s battle cruiser returns to the Microverse. An angry Karza removes the Thoughtwash from the Acroyears.

• Karza is able to project an energy image of himself through micro-space to Shaitan’s battle cruiser.
• Karza has used a THOUGHTWASH on the Acroyears, a form of brainwashing, where they believed that Acroyear was dead and that Shaitan was their prince. Shaitan’s failure in issue #3 causes Karza to remove the Thoughtwash and then remotely pilot the battle-cruiser to their homeworld.

PAGE 17 (30): While the Endeavor is repaired, the Micronauts leave to find Bug.

• The Micronauts use the ASTRO STATION aboard Endeavor to search for Bug.
• Just to emphasise the point for readers who missed it the first time it was said this issue, Biotron explain that his sensors reveal that Marionette and Rann are in love.

Next issue: “The Prometheus Pit!”

Additionally: on page 31 there’s a schematic of the Endeavor, the sort of thing Kirby would present at the back of issues of Fantastic Four. It identifies:

• The BRIDGE detaches and becomes an ASTRO STATION.
• POWER ARMS on each side.
• A GYRO-STABILISER.
• THORIUM GUNS.
• The POD BAY stores a HYDRO-COPTOR.
• The SUSPENDED ANIMATION CHAMBER has been converted to living quarters, library, sick bay, rec room and galley.

We’re also informed that the consciousness of Rann and Biotron have have been made inseparable over the 1000 years that Rann was in suspended animation: “They had become two coequal, coexistent entities!” There’s an explanation of Rann’s mysterious link to the Time Travelers and the Enigma Force and that Karza had allowed the Micronauts to escape so that Rann might lead Karza to the Enigma Force. It’s mentioned that Rann’s return to Homeworld caused ripples of chaos/uncertainty in the cosmos that even the Shadow Priests couldn’t explain.