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Post by brianf on Feb 4, 2019 4:42:39 GMT -5
Micronauts #42 (1982) Writer - Bill Mantlo Pencils - Gil Kane Inks - Danny Bulanadi Editor - Al Milgrom Cover Art - Gil Kane This issues starts with 6+ pages of mostly mopey flashback on how bummed everyone is. The Micronauts are hanging out near Janet Van Dynes (aka The Wasp) mansion. She's throwing a party and gets attacked by her old villain Doctor Nemesis. Bug has some weird mental power jolt and draws the team into fighting by Wasps side. By the end of the issue Mari and a few other "Nauts appear to be miniaturized - and returned to the microverse? A boring cover & not one of my favorite issues.   |
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Post by brianf on Feb 4, 2019 5:08:23 GMT -5
 Since I don't see myself writing out long reviews anytime soon, lets just keep things short here - something's better than nothing! Micronauts #43 (1982) Writer - Bill Mantlo Breakdowns - Gil Kane Finishes - Danny Bulanadi Editor - Al Milgrom Cover Art - Gil Kane The team is split again - for the first 10 pages we get Mari, Acroyer & Bug on the microverse Homeworld fighting Argon & hooking up with the rebels standing against his tyranny. The rest of the issue is taken up with the other members of the team using the assistance of the Avengers and trekking to Florida & the Prometheus Pit. Beyond the running into the villainy of Computrex the cover spoils the return of (a zombie & goopy looking) Professor Prometheus on the second to last page. This issue feels a bit more solid to me, even though the art looks less and less like Kane in places.   |
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Post by rom on Feb 6, 2019 11:04:53 GMT -5
Stunning art - as always, thanks for the scans. Seeing these really make me wish (again) that this entire series would somehow get reprinted.
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Post by brianf on Feb 7, 2019 2:07:35 GMT -5
 Micronauts #44 (1982) Writer - Bill Mantlo Breakdowns - Gil Kane Finishes - Bulanadi / Potts / Milgrom Editor - Al Milgrom Cover Art - Gil Kane Part 1 - Rann & Devil vs Computrex and Prometheus zombie. Part 2 - Mari / Bug / Acroyer sowing seeds of rebellion Part 3 - back to Florida, Devil gets dark, villains get beat but at a cost. The art looks pretty neat in places, but still a bit uneven due to the round-table inkers.   |
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Post by brutalis on Feb 7, 2019 8:19:07 GMT -5
The Kane art combined with Bulanadi on inks was somewhat reminiscent of the Kane/Nebres John Carter work from years earlier which helped provide Micronauts with a more "fantasy" feeling. Kane provided a very solid baseline in pencils that was nearly overwhelmed by the inks if not for his superior design and figure work. I think this helped Micronauts at the time by giving older and younger readers something to enjoy in the artistry of the comic. If you couldn't have uniquely stylized artists like Golden or Broderick to help sell the series then at least you had solid art from Kane to guarantee the quality and consistency and producing it on schedule!!! For me it was great and part of what kept me on board for the series when it was on the rack.
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Post by brianf on Aug 31, 2019 18:24:51 GMT -5
 Micronauts #45 (1982) Writer - Bill Mantlo Breakdowns - Gil Kane Finishes - Bulanadi Editor - Al Milgrom Cover Art - Gil Kane The villain Arcade uses crazy science trying to capture the X-Men but gets a quartet of Micronauts instead. Transformed into early 80's video games & two toned colored (well, in the 1st half of the issue) our heroes get to battling. Meanwhile back in the Microverse Bug & Acroyer break into the body banks with the help of laser eyed "Neep Knights". While they free some prisoners we see Mari going to confront her brother, who has turned himself in pure energy. Spoiler alert - by the end of the comic Arcade gets defeated. While I'm no fan of how video games were used in comics in the early 80's, over all this is a fun issue. This was Kanes last issue.   |
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Post by brianf on Aug 31, 2019 18:51:18 GMT -5
 Micronauts #46 (1982) Writer - Bill Mantlo Pencils - Luke McDonnell Inks - Bulanadi Editor - Al Milgrom Cover Art - pencils by Ed Hannigan, inks by Al Milgrom A decent issue - the 4 who defeated Arcade suffer as his murderworld at sea crashes into the ocean. Microtron, Nanotron & Devil are seemly drowned while Commander Rann is saved by some weird creatures who confuse him for an Enigma Force time traveler. But for me the more interesting part of the issue is the conversation between the body swapped Slug & Lady Belladonna. There's some brutal flashbacks showing Slugs parents being murdered by Karza in the body banks. The whole body banks thing has always been horrifying to me.  |
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Post by brianf on Sept 2, 2019 16:14:02 GMT -5
 Micronauts #47 (1982) Writer - Bill Mantlo Pencils - Mike Vosburg Inks - Bulanadi Editor - Al Milgrom Cover Art - pencils by Ed Hannigan, inks by Al Milgrom A kind of average issue - the water logged "Nauts 1) find a Biorotron shaped space ship and 2) go into a devil rage. Rann finds out the strange creatures are "psionic vampires" from the Microverse. Meanwhile in the Microverse Bug & Acroyer fight the "Death Squad" to free Prince Pharoid, while Mari runs into Huntarr. A "Lets move some pieces around" kinda issue.   |
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Post by brianf on Sept 3, 2019 1:23:23 GMT -5
 Micronauts #48 (1982) Writer - Bill Mantlo Pencils - Jackson "Butch" Guice Inks - Bulanadi Editor - Al Milgrom Cover Art - pencils by Ed Hannigan, inks by Bulanadi The final solid artist comes aboard as Butch Guice takes over the art duties - While his first issue is a little shaky we get some good looking art from him down the road. If I remember correctly this was the last issue I bought from my local comic shop - or maybe it was the previous one, since Kane had left? After re-reading the series a few times the old memory gets a little wonky on what unmemorable comic I bought 35+ years ago. So Biotron's back - the Bioship introduced last issue gets an idea of who Biotron was when Microtron & Nanotron share their memories of the older robot, effectively killing the other two bots. Once Rann agrees to share his memories too the bioship pretty much becomes Biotron. Okay dokay. Back in the Microverse Mari beats Huntarr, possibly making him an ally. Bug & Acroyer are trapped in the pleasure pits, and it looks like Slug's gonna get her groove back - er, I mean her body. She's gonna get her body back. While it's ok, yeah, this is not one of the most memorable Mirco issues.   |
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Post by profh0011 on Sept 3, 2019 6:09:16 GMT -5
I'd completely forgotten Gil Kane had a brief run on this book. I've always felt he was his own WORST inker. By comparison, the Danny Bulanadi ("Rudy Nebres lite") inks give things an interesting look. Until Butch Guice comes along. His potential-- which was about to EXPLODE in a couple issues-- was almost completely buried and hidden under those inks!
In the long run, MICRONAUTS proved to be a one-note series, as nobody could ever seem to expand beyond the initial story premise. On that scale, it's virtually a 3-act play... and the 3rd act is ABOUT to begin!
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Post by rberman on Sept 4, 2019 12:24:02 GMT -5
Guice did a good job on this series, ranking with Broderick in my mind.
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Post by brianf on Sept 4, 2019 23:40:49 GMT -5
 Micronauts #49 (1982) Writer - Bill Mantlo Pencils - Jackson "Butch" Guice Inks - Bulanadi Editor - Al Milgrom Cover Art - Guice Did ya know these direct to comic shop issues had wrap around covers? Yep! The first 19 (!!) pages of this here comic is Rann and Bioship traveling from earth to the Mircoverse, doing some exploring and running into some Enigma Force dudes. Back in the Microverse we see Argon overseeing an arena battle w/ some Nauts, and once Mari & Huntarr join in the crowd rebels. Its revealed that Argon has been possessed by Karza all along and as Karza stands defiant the Bioship appears and we're getting ready for issue 50. There's some pacing problems here and the return of Karza is been there done that, but some of the art is purty    |
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Post by rberman on Sept 5, 2019 8:04:41 GMT -5
Poor Argon. The plot is repetitive, but the splash page is cool. If only the Micronauts had developed a broader rogue's gallery, maybe they wouldn't have to keep bringing back Darth Vader. I mean Baron Karza. The Star Wars movies appear to have the same problem.
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Post by brutalis on Sept 5, 2019 8:20:19 GMT -5
Poor Argon. The plot is repetitive, but the splash page is cool. If only the Micronauts had developed a broader rogue's gallery, maybe they wouldn't have to keep bringing back Darth Vader. I mean Baron Karza. The Star Wars movies appear to have the same problem. But when your iconic villain is Vader or Karza, most anyone else comes off 2nd, 3rd or 4th rate wannabe villainous like Kylo Ren. |
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Post by rberman on Sept 5, 2019 8:39:18 GMT -5
Poor Argon. The plot is repetitive, but the splash page is cool. If only the Micronauts had developed a broader rogue's gallery, maybe they wouldn't have to keep bringing back Darth Vader. I mean Baron Karza. The Star Wars movies appear to have the same problem. But when your iconic villain is Vader or Karza, most anyone else comes off 2nd, 3rd or 4th rate wannabe villainous like Kylo Ren. It is a challenge. The FF have their Doctor Doom. But also Galactus, Annihilus, Blastaar, Sub-Mariner, etc. X-Men fight plenty of folks besides Magneto. |
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