They’re back for the fourth time and are now part of what’s called the Hasbroverse alongside the Transformers, ROM the Spaceknight, GI Joe and MASK. What I’d give to read the original Marvel run of about five years. Micronauts was a rarity in that a licensed product (a toy) had a well-thought-out plot with characters who weren’t confined to the action figures’ capabilities. I don’t think it had any effect on sales since Mego went under in 1982, the comic went on until 1985 via Secret Wars II. Even to this day, some elements have remained part of the Marvel universe: Bug was a member of The Guardians of the Galaxy; Captain Universe’s power has been known to help Spider-Man; they teamed up with SHIELD, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four to defeat joint enemies.
Anyway, IDW has gone back to the drawing board trying to incorporate the key characters in the toy line to make a space opera. After six issues, writer Cullen Bunn is slowly getting there as we’re trying to understand the mystery behind the Microverse unraveling (their universe) and what does it have to do with the main character Oz, last of the Pharoids.
All the other “toy” characters are present with Oz (pharoid); a woman who’s a space glider, another woman with forcefields representing the galactic warrior, Oz’s first mate Microtron, a Biotron he uses to protect himself and Acroyers are now genetically modified soldiers. I’m hoping they’ll eventually get to Earth to play on the key element to the Micronauts’ premise, a Land of the Giants type of scenario.
It’s sadly not a comic for new readers due to the toys being out of circulation for 30 years.
Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti’s creator-owned character debuts with Aftershock instead of the usual Image which is a surprise to me. Then again, I don’t know all the details on how to get a title with the latter and the “why” to their decision.
Regardless, they’ve written a pretty interesting plot involving Dru Dragowski. She’s 19, obsessed with comic books and wants to find the “magic” formula to transform herself into a genuine superhero. As you’ll see, Dru’s schemes often go badly when trying to replicate the origins of Batman and Spider-Man. Near the end of the first six issues, she goes for broke which ends the first arc in suspense. I’m really stoked about what Conner and Palmiotti plan next.
Even though Dru and her world were created by the duo, they only do the writing and covers. The extremely talented Raphael de la Torre provides the main art. I highly recommend the first trade paperback of Super Zero.
My final review is also a strong recommendation despite this only having four issues, two a year is all the team of Dorison and the Dodsons will release. They said they’re following the European model to keep up the quality. I have to grudgingly agree it’s working.
Red One is set in an alternative universe where it’s early 1977. On America’s West Coast, there’s a vigilante called the Carpenter killing people involved in the porn industry (Van Nuys, CA?). Indirectly backing these actions is a TV evangelist named Jacky Core running for governor of California…and she’s winning. The Soviet Union fears this cultural shift will cause the upcoming SALT II talks with President Jimmy Carter to collapse because California is hosting. Their solution? Send in operative Vera who will become America’s new superhero a la Batman.
It’s not terribly serious but it’s not for children due to the more adult themes, Vera’s alter ego gets a job as a gopher for a porn director. The art really sells it. The Dodsons’ action and style keep Red One at a cheesecake level so anyone expecting “more” will be disappointed. For me, it’s an odd trip back into America’s weird history during the Seventies. There was a time when X-rated movies bordered on having what you could say was “respectability” or they were semi-mainstream via Beyond the Green Door and Deep Throat.