Also, maybe you are already working in it, but a Steve Ditko biographic novel follow up to your great Jack and Stan work would be cool: "Ditko Shrugged." Maybe interview Robyn Snyder and Ditko's nephew for more insight into him?
Just an interesting factoid: Baron Karza was a play on the name Azrak-Hamway which was Mego’s biggest competition for superhero licenses under their Remco brand. The electronic Spider-Man toy being just one example. Azrak was the last name of one of the company founders, and it was apparently a shot at him specifically. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azrak-Hamway
I can remember when I first read this story as a black and white reprint back up story in Star Wars Weekly in the UK. Steve Coffin would make me think of an American horse racing jockey who was around at the time; Steve Cauthen.
I was a ten-year old kid when this came out. I already had a few of the Micronaut toys. This was the first issue I saw on the grocery store spinner. This is what really drew me into comics in general. It would be a few months before I finally picked up issue #1, since I didn't have a comic store in the small town I lived in.
Micronauts comics always seemed to fare SO much better than the other licensed comics. Yeah, as a kid I picked up G.I. Joe, Transformers, even Robotix. And I liked them well enough. But when I stumbled across back issues of Micronauts, I was blown away by how good it was. The first dozen or so issues in particular. I then also went seeking ROM, since Bill Mantlo worked on both. But it just wasn't Micronauts. I also picked up the paperback Time Traveler Trilogy by Steve Lyons and the IDW series and enjoyed those as well. Maybe because the toys themselves didn't have an inherent backstory, it allows writers more leeway.
Tom, I'm so glad you ate doing this Micronauts Monday, as I recall being disappointed when Ed and Jim just didn't seem to get The Micronauts on that one Cartoonist Kayfabe episide from months ago ( or was it last year?). I can tell you as a Bronze Age kid who bought Micronauts no 1 off the spinner rack at my local Seven-Eleven, it was an amazing comic... especially because it was in the tradition of Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica, yet also its own thing. And actually I think Micronauts no. 1-12 are better than Star Wars--the comic adaptation. A few points and questions. If you have never seen the 1972 ecolgical sci fi film Silent Running starring Bruce Dern, go track it down. I think Dern's character in that film might have influenced Mantlo's creation of Arcturus Rann. And I agree that a Micronauts film or streaming show would be great ... especially if it adhered closely to issues no. 1-12. Disney should just buy the rights to The Micronauts from Hasbro outright. I don't know if you bothered to see Ant-Man and The Wasp Quantumania or not, but that brought us pseudo-Micronauts with the characters Jentorra (who is actually from Marvel Comics as Jarella's niece), who served as a stand in for Lady Slug and/or Princess Mari; the telepath Quaz, who was a stand in for Arcturus Rann and/or Time Traveler; the warrior Xolum, who was a stand in for Acroyear, and the comic relief character Veb, who basically took the place of Bug, but wasn't really too much like Bug. The group was called "The Freedom Fighters" ( I wonder how DC Comics felt about that?) Instead of The Micronauts, and got about 20 minutes or less of screen time. Oh, and Kang was the Baron Karza replacement. Anyway, who would you cast for a Micronauts film? Also, will Micronauts Mondays be covering just the first 12 issues or the complete run? Also, you might want to delve into other influences on the series ...I think the idea of the Body Banks might have come from sci fi writer Larry Nivens' works; and as Mantlo started building out the Microverse he went with a lot of Alex Raymond tropes from classic Flash Gordon. Also to be considered is how Cosmic Marvel stories by Jim Starlin might have impacted Micronauts...is Baron Karza a reflection of Thanos, Darkseid, Dr. Doom, Ming the Merciless, etc ? And before Mucronauts you had Don McGregor's Killravaven/ War of the Worlds stories abd diverse cast of characters rhat might have been an influence on Mantlo's Micronauts as well.
It took me a while to get into this series back when it came out, since despite the cool ideas, it wasn't a superhero comic and the toyline was dissappointingly unconnected mostly. But I always love shrinking heroes, with Planet of the Giants, Ant-man, the Atom, Shrinking Violet and especially back the Doll Man thanks to all of his reprints, yardsale comics and his then new team series. I was always frustrated as a kid that no one came out with a 3 3/4 figure for any of them, since they could have been perfectly in scale for the real world.
Also, maybe you are already working in it, but a Steve Ditko biographic novel follow up to your great Jack and Stan work would be cool: "Ditko Shrugged." Maybe interview Robyn Snyder and Ditko's nephew for more insight into him?
Just an interesting factoid: Baron Karza was a play on the name Azrak-Hamway which was Mego’s biggest competition for superhero licenses under their Remco brand. The electronic Spider-Man toy being just one example. Azrak was the last name of one of the company founders, and it was apparently a shot at him specifically. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azrak-Hamway
these books were written and drawn very good this truly brings back so many good memories. Thanks for the upload.
When I would mow the lawn as a kid, I often fantasized about this issue!
Me too!
Great commentary! It hadn't occurred to me that Karza's body banks were a dark reflection of the toys' interchangeable parts.
I can remember when I first read this story as a black and white reprint back up story in Star Wars Weekly in the UK. Steve Coffin would make me think of an American horse racing jockey who was around at the time; Steve Cauthen.
Golden really story boards a comic like few others .. it feels like a movie already .. it’s pretty epic
I was a ten-year old kid when this came out. I already had a few of the Micronaut toys. This was the first issue I saw on the grocery store spinner. This is what really drew me into comics in general. It would be a few months before I finally picked up issue #1, since I didn't have a comic store in the small town I lived in.
Micronauts comics always seemed to fare SO much better than the other licensed comics. Yeah, as a kid I picked up G.I. Joe, Transformers, even Robotix. And I liked them well enough. But when I stumbled across back issues of Micronauts, I was blown away by how good it was. The first dozen or so issues in particular. I then also went seeking ROM, since Bill Mantlo worked on both. But it just wasn't Micronauts.
I also picked up the paperback Time Traveler Trilogy by Steve Lyons and the IDW series and enjoyed those as well. Maybe because the toys themselves didn't have an inherent backstory, it allows writers more leeway.
I didn’t know about the Time Traveler Trilogy. Thanks for the recommendation.
One of my favorite comics AND toys. But I absolutely DO NOT want a cinematic version. Perfect as they are.
1:35 I had that Spider-Man toy when I was a kid
Tom, I'm so glad you ate doing this Micronauts Monday, as I recall being disappointed when Ed and Jim just didn't seem to get The Micronauts on that one Cartoonist Kayfabe episide from months ago ( or was it last year?). I can tell you as a Bronze Age kid who bought Micronauts no 1 off the spinner rack at my local Seven-Eleven, it was an amazing comic... especially because it was in the tradition of Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica, yet also its own thing. And actually I think Micronauts no. 1-12 are better than Star Wars--the comic adaptation.
A few points and questions. If you have never seen the 1972 ecolgical sci fi film Silent Running starring Bruce Dern, go track it down. I think Dern's character in that film might have influenced Mantlo's creation of Arcturus Rann. And I agree that a Micronauts film or streaming show would be great ... especially if it adhered closely to issues no. 1-12. Disney should just buy the rights to The Micronauts from Hasbro outright.
I don't know if you bothered to see Ant-Man and The Wasp Quantumania or not, but that brought us pseudo-Micronauts with the characters Jentorra (who is actually from Marvel Comics as Jarella's niece), who served as a stand in for Lady Slug and/or Princess Mari; the telepath Quaz, who was a stand in for Arcturus Rann and/or Time Traveler; the warrior Xolum, who was a stand in for Acroyear, and the comic relief character Veb, who basically took the place of Bug, but wasn't really too much like Bug. The group was called "The Freedom Fighters" ( I wonder how DC Comics felt about that?) Instead of The Micronauts, and got about 20 minutes or less of screen time. Oh, and Kang was the Baron Karza replacement.
Anyway, who would you cast for a Micronauts film?
Also, will Micronauts Mondays be covering just the first 12 issues or the complete run?
Also, you might want to delve into other influences on the series ...I think the idea of the Body Banks might have come from sci fi writer Larry Nivens' works; and as Mantlo started building out the Microverse he went with a lot of Alex Raymond tropes from classic Flash Gordon. Also to be considered is how Cosmic Marvel stories by Jim Starlin might have impacted Micronauts...is Baron Karza a reflection of Thanos, Darkseid, Dr. Doom, Ming the Merciless, etc ?
And before Mucronauts you had Don McGregor's Killravaven/ War of the Worlds stories abd diverse cast of characters rhat might have been an influence on Mantlo's Micronauts as well.
It took me a while to get into this series back when it came out, since despite the cool ideas, it wasn't a superhero comic and the toyline was dissappointingly unconnected mostly. But I always love shrinking heroes, with Planet of the Giants, Ant-man, the Atom, Shrinking Violet and especially back the Doll Man thanks to all of his reprints, yardsale comics and his then new team series. I was always frustrated as a kid that no one came out with a 3 3/4 figure for any of them, since they could have been perfectly in scale for the real world.
Awesome adventure I wonder what happened to the dog I'll have to look at my back issues
Did these guys work on Toystory or Small Soldiers?