In the beginning was… Mego, and they made toys. They bought the rights to an awesome line and dubbed them The Micronauts. The first figure I bought was Time Traveler. He was released in different colors (I had the transparent blue one.) and came with the Ultronic Scooter. They had a very successful run, and as legend goes:

Marvel Comics writer Bill Mantlo’s son opened a new present, a line of the Mego’s Micronauts action figures. Bill Mantlo was instantly struck by inspiration to write their adventures. Convincing his editor-in-chief, Jim Shooter, to get the comics license for the toys, Mantlo was hired to script their series.”

“The Microverse – a subatomic solar system ruled by the tyrannical BARON KARZA! Aboard the starship ENDEAVOR, six intrepid fugitives flee the despots PHOTON PATROL by warping through SPACEWALL, a barrier on the fringe of the Microverse…a barrier never before broken!”

Comic cover

The Micronauts #1

Commander Arcturus Rann / Space Glider / Time Traveler: Son of Lord Dallan and Lady Sepsis.
He was the first micronaut launched from Homeworld aboard the HMS Endeavor with his helmsman/companion Biotron on a voyage that spanned 1,000 years. His mission was to explore the microverse. A chance encounter with the Enigma Force changed Rann. He returned to Homeworld and found his parents dead, and the world under the rule of the evil Baron Karza. Rann met and joined together with a small group of rebels.

Princess Mari / Marionette: Daughter of the family placed in power (then killed) by Baron Karza. Marionette uses her gymnastic abilities to fight against Karza. Joined by her tutor, Microtron, she joined Rann in fighting the dictator Karza. During the course of the rebellion, she fell in love with Commander Rann.

Prince Argon: Marionette’s brother and fellow rebel. During the fight against Karza, Argon sustained near fatal injuries, causing him to require the replacement of approximately half of his body. Given a robotic horse body, he became a cyborg centaur.

The Mighty Acroyear: Chosen warrior from Spartak. Betrayed by his brother, he was fighting in the arena of death when he encountered, and joined, Commander Rann’s rebels. To drive Karza’a forces from his home world, Acroyear merged with the Worldmind (an energy source described as the very soul of Spartak) and joined with the Enigma force to defeat the Baron. Acroyear is an extremely skilled fighter.

Bug: An insectivorid from the world Kaliklak; Betrayed by his father, he joined Rann in fighting against Karza. He uses a rocket lance and despite his sense of humor, he is a very cunning warrior. He lost his lover Jasmine in an encounter with the Psycho-Man.

Biotron: A large roboid companion, his telepathic connection with Rann formed his personality. He befriends Princess Mari’s tutor, Microtron. Later in the run, he was destroyed.

Microtron: Princess Mari’s tutor/companion.

Later in the series they were joined by other warriors.

Huntarr: A product of the body banks that is able to alter his body into any conceivable type of weapon.

Devil: A crimson furred, fun-loving native from Tropica that becomes more animalistic the longer he is away from his home dimension.

During the run of their comics, the Micronauts met several heroes, and villians such as The Fantastic Four, The X-Men, Captain Universe, Man-Thing, Ant-Man, The Avengers, The Beyonder, Plant-Man, Psycho-Man, Dr. Doom, and more.

Baron Karza: Formerly Chief Scientist Karza. Of course, we all know how a thirst for power changes a person. He brought into power a figurehead royal family. After 1,000 years of rule, Karza decided he no longer needed any of the royals and killed them. The deceased royals’ children survived and rebelled against the Baron.

This is by no means a complete in depth review, just a simple highlight, nor is it the end of the story; but rumor has it that Bug was seen in the company of the latest incarnation of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Another actual piece of gossip that came out sometime last year is that J.J. Abrams will be producing a Micronauts movie.

I’m fortunate to be allowed to participate on this site and show some love to a mostly forgotten comic book. Well, that’s it people; that’s a short look into the Microverse, and if you would like to learn more, then you can try this link. You may also check with your local comic store, I’m pretty sure they’ll have something for you. If you would like some Micronaut skins/meshes, you can check out some of Tommyboy’s stuff here.

Thank you for reading, and I’ll look forward to another visit with you here at… FRP2.

Chuckles