Micronauts: The Classic Mantlo & Golden Year 

It's amazing how they were able to take a licensed title and transform it into a successful run through sheer earnest.

The name Bill Mantlo is all over my childhood. Like a lot of kids of the era, licensed comics were my gateway drug. And he wrote a lot of them.

I loved this series and bought every issue as it was first coming out. I'd already been impressed with Golden's artwork on some projects he did for DC, but The Micronauts was the next step in his evolution. Roughly twelve years later I wound up as a production artist in the Marvel Bullpen, and when legendary artist and art director John Romita Sr. was nearing retirement, Michael Golden was tapped as his replacement. Mike's skills were sharper than ever and his personality made him an instant hit with and perfect fit for the Bullpen. We loved him, both as an artist and as a human being, and I consider working with him on a daily basis to have been one of the great honors of my career. I see him whenever the big NY Comic Con is in swing, and he's just as awesome as ever. A good human being.

It's hard to explain Micronauts in an amazing childhood experience, then finding one of the best comics in the game ABOUT Micronauts had it's own extended storyline. Ahhhhhh. My god it was great.

This was great...Micronauts, Atari Force, Captain Carrot , Groo, Rom...the gems among the ordinary.

The Golden version of #1 is only about a thousand times better than the one they chose. Every Golden cover is one of the best covers ever. What an artist!

As great as these first 12 issues were, the greatest issue of Micronauts and one of the greatest single issues of all-time, is the issue where Acroyear finally goes toe-to-toe with Karza. That was one of the most intense comics I've ever read; huge fight between the two baddest dudes in the book, insane tragedy and sacrifice, that issue was nuts.

I remember being 10 years old and coming back home from a holiday to find four time-traveller figures and a time machine on my bed - my mother had entered me in some local toy shop comp as she knew I loved the comics. The Micronauts was my back-up Star Wars in so many ways and I followed Golden's art for years later.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for putting light on Bill Mantlo's name! He is rarely discussed and deserves the highest praise.

Quite possibly my favorite comic series ever, and the first 12 issues are hands down the best of the series. Perfect blend of character, design, and story.

I had buckets of the toys growing up (sadly, most of them are now gone ... victims of garage sales or basement flooding) and The Micronauts was the first comic to which I had a subscription. Great storytelling. Great art. And I loved how they brought the characters to life. Heck, I used to use plastic straws on my Biotron so his hands could extend hydraulically the way the comic did. Just great stuff.

I loved this series when it came out, and Bug was definitely my favorite character.

One of the all-time classics. I used to run to the store to buy this when it came out, and pore over the Golden art again and again, dreaming I could draw that well. Baron Karza had the potential to be an all-time villain like Thanos and Doom, and the stories were engrossing. I'm really surprised this run is not more sought after in the collectors market as one of the greats.

No lie, these licensed properties were my favorite comics at the time. Shogun Warriors, Micronauts, ROM, Godzilla, etc., but you missed the most amazing one of all! US-1 Electric Trucking. Now that was a weird concept. But hey CB culture still was a thing at the time I guess. I'm sure it's because I had some of the toys to re-enact the battles in the books probably helped. Had a Great Mazinga and a Godzilla from Shogun and several Micronauts, but I never got the ROM doll, unfortunately. Or a talking Alien. Or Kiss dolls. Or the Shogun Rodan. But I'm not bitter. It always amazes me just how much of an effect Bill Mantlo had on my childhood, not that I knew who he was at the time. What happened to him I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I wish he could appreciate that some of his creations are still bringing joy so many years later.

Fun fact: the Micronauts were the predecessor to Takara’s Diaclone line aka the Transformers.

Bill Mantlo had a talent for taking toy characters and investing them with life beyond what the manufacturers ever envisaged. This was the first time I ever saw Michael Golden's artwork and it was a revelation. Later I discovered his work on Mister Miracle for DC, but Micronauts was so energising. Mantlo worked on so many Marvel titles, but, to me, his work in the 70's and 80's was like Marvel's equivalent of what Britain saw of mainstream, family TV shows from the U.S. Especially The Human Fly. Micronauts is awesome, appearing as it did in Britain, in Star Wars Weekly, the comparisons between the two Universes were inevitable, but I enjoyed this far more than Marvel's continuation of Star Wars.

I was twelve years old when this series started. I followed it all just fine. This first year was EPIC. These were also my favorite toys. I still have most of them.

I started collecting alot of these Micronaut comics beforr. ROM Spaceknight is a more personal favorite, but having almost every issue of that series leads to me collecting these books with no regrets.

This comic series meant so much to me when i was a preteen.... i liked the ditko annual as well. Ditko made the micronauts look like actual toys, golden made them appear quite real. Both styles worked very well... Do you think the style of the artwork changed from Joe Rubinstein to Al Milgrom inking them?

Great video! I was 10 in '78 so both the toys and comic hit a sweet spot with me. I share your rose-colored glasses and will defend that hill with you. I love that the art was consistently good throughout the original series and it blows my mind that we almost got Kirby and Perez as well. It breaks my heart that Micronauts is trapped in a licensing mess for all time, I'd love quality reprints, as well as a new toy line based on the series. It's a shame, and an actual crime, what happened to Mantlo, he was such a talented writer. In recent years, his brother and caretaker has told fans that Marvel has been taking care of him in regards to royalties for Rocket Raccoon and others which has helped in his long term care, so that's something.

Thanks for giving me source credit. I used your other sources for my MICRONAUTS article in BACK ISSUE #76. It was my first assignment for the magazine. My 25th article for BACK ISSUE should be out in August or September's #146. I had a lot of fun with MICRONAUTS. Happy days To You and Your Family. James Heath Lantz Freelance Writer Staff Writer for BACK ISSUE magazine 2021 Eisner Award nominee, 2019 winner, "Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism".

Micronauts; or the Argument for Illegally Archiving Comics

First comics I ever bought were off a spinner rack in our neighborhood Óptimo in Brooklyn. Micronauts #1, Power Man and Iron Fist #84 and Marvel Team-Up #78!!!!

Loved this title back then; it bridged my childhood, arriving just when started to feel like I was getting too old to play with my Micronaut toys. But I couldn’t help but make my own Endeavor ship for my toys to fly.

Your self-insert and blatant announcement, "As a kid I thought this was series was awesome, so there!" is about the most honest and forthright statement I've seen in a RU-vid commentary. Neutrality in video essays of this sort is an illusion, but few of us ever admit it. You, sir, have cajones. Also, I had a few of the Micronauts toys as well, and as with nearly all of my possessions at that time, I ended up destroying them over a short period of time. Because the toys were full of many tiny interchangeable parts, this was inevitable.

Growing up in the 70s Micronauts along with Star Wars and BattleStar Galactica were my go to comics!!! Definitely understand the rose colored glasses of childhood!!!

I always wondered why Bill Mantlo left the industry, that's so sad. I loved his run on The Hulk, he established the whole multiple personality aspect of the Hulk's manifestations, and he isn't given the credit he deserves. Peter David did a hundred issues exploring the concepts Mantlo introduced, and which is now the foundation of the character. Granted, Stan Lee envisioned the character as a split personality, but it wasn't until Mantlo that anyone realized how it fundamentally created the Banner/Hulk conflict we take for granted today. He was truly one of the most under-appreciated writers of his era, and I wish him and his family all the best.

Thank you for this! Micronauts was the comic that started me collecting in the late 80’s even though I had the toys as a kid when they first came out. I got off hold of issue #3 from the new voyages out of curiosity to see how Marvel adapted the toys. From there I got the last issue of X-men /Micronauts and then I was hooked and buying all the back issues I could find. So Yes, I am a Uber Fan of the Micronauts! That being said, to all the Marvel Micronauts fans it seems our prayers and tenacity has been rewarded with Omnibuses of Micronauts and Rom the Spaceknight(another favorite of mine) will happen. I just hope that the sales are spectacular so Marvel can fully get these properties from Hasbro and reintegrate these gems fully into the Marvel Universe! Nuff Said!

Dude. Right on. As a kid, I had the exact same experience with Mantlo's Micronauts. Micheal Golden was one of my favorite artists back then, and it hurt pretty bad when he left (and in general how rarely I saw his work in comics). I agree that there was nothing wrong with his work on the first issue. That's just crazy talk. I did like Pat Broderick and Jackson Guice's work on the book, but not so much Gil Kane. Also, thank you for your pronunciation of Acroyear! Not long ago I heard someone saying it as "ACRO-year" and I thought, dear lord, let that not be how that name is supposed to be pronounced.

In 1977 I was 9 y/o we had Star Wars in the theatre and I got Micronauts for Christmas. I bought comics on and and off until 1979 that awesome Micronauts #1 cover and then at the end of 1979 ROM #1 and that stunning Frank Miller cover. It's probably sacrelidge for a male of my age but I loved those first 12 issues of Micronauts much more than Star Wars. I read those 12 issues over and over and always got more meaning each time. I had mail order subscriptions to 4 Marvel titles in 1980 thru whenever the first LCS was established in my Midwest hometown. 3 were by Bill Mantlo (Micronauts, ROM & Incredible Hulk) In Micronauts #7 (Man-Thing cover) my best friend had his letter published. Prior to publication he received a form letter on Marvel Corporate stationary water marked with the cast of heroes. He called me as soon as he got it. We were 11 years old and talk about awesome! Thanks for doing this topic. It makes sense now that Michael Golden turned down an offer from DC to draw the flagship Batman title in order to provide pencils for 'NAM. Golden and Mantlo are at the top of my favorite creators with Byrne. Im always disappointed Mantlo isn't mentioned as one of Marvel's top writers from his era.

Bill Mantlo can world build, nay, universe build like he's filling out a to-do list. Bill's everyday list: 1) Be awesome, be legendary, be gone. Check, check and check. Thanks Bill.

Wow! Poor Bill Mantlo. Those micronauts are some of my proudest possessions. I have t read them probably in well over 30 years, but the memories….

Excellent video. I loved Micronauts like nothing else as a kid starting out in comics and Year 1 is my personal favorite too - thanks to Golden's amazing visuals. It was never as great again after he left, although Pat Broderick came closest in year three.

I simply love Michael Golden's drawings! Nostalgia as you said!

I started collecting at 12, my aunt got me started, I was hooked on marvel instantly, & when Micronaunts hit the stands I was on it got the full series & then some. The title hook me as I was a hugh FF4 fan & Reed Richarsd got me into science. Thanks for this take on them I'm doing valuations on my comics & came back to them I literally had a time warp to the first day I saw the covers & the story line was awesome & easy to follow. I'm a instant subscriber keep up the good work saving a lot of time of rereading. 👍👍

When i was a kid , about 7 or 8 y.o. i think , the ROCKET RACOON comic book shown here on this video was a big-time favorite of mine ... I've never read any MICRONAUTS books , but i have heard many express fandom & i am familiar w "ROCKET" & "ROM" , both stood out among comic books for me in my childhood ... Now , after watching this video I am intrigued enough to be compelled to find some MICRONAUTS stories in some form to read !!! This is an excellent video : conveying the impact this serial & it's writer had on you & explaining the tragic end to the writer's career & more both contribute to the top-quality of this video !!!... Thank you so much for making this !!!...

Very unique colours and designs back in the days. Still unique. Psychedelic.

This was one of the best license comics. It was such a cool, very 70's, scifi series. I still can enjoy the art. I would not mind at all if it got an update or reboot.

Just stumbled upon this video. Thanks for making it. Recently I've really wanted to explore what Micronauts was all about as I was born a few years after it hit the scene. Growing up I wish someone had conveyed this comic book to me like this video has. If I wasn't living overseas now I would purchase the issues off Ebay, but I'll have to wait for another opportunity down the road. It's a shame that it's not apart of any collected editions due to licensing. Perhaps one day that will change. Mantlo's story seems really interesting, and Golden's pencils along with the coloring look fabulous.

The first 12 issues are some of the best comics ever made.

So many names of legends involved in this project, the Micronauts were a favorite of mine.

I came across the Micronauts first as a back-up strip in the UK Star Wars Weekly, and then followed their UK appearances where-ever they went (the "pocket-book" Star Heroes, and then Future Tense weekly, then monthly, if memory serves) before growing-up and the comics boom meant I had money and access to comic-shops where I could buy the US originals as back issues. Like the narrator, I was the right age at the right time, and this series really grabbed my attention - both in terms of the art and the writing. Golden leaving left a definite hole, and it wasn't until Pat Broderick came on board that I felt things started to gel again. I would be very happy to part with some more money for some hardback "remastered" omnibus editions of the whole original series. I never felt the same way about anything else Mantlo did (although I did also follow Rom for quite a while), so the information at the end of this video was quite a shock - what an injustice...

Thank you for putting the info on Bill Mantlo at the end - it's an important part of any story that has him as a creative force. Marvel and IDW came to an agreement and are releasing an Artists Edition "soon": www.idwpublishing.com/product/michael-goldens-micronauts-artists-edition/ I talk to Kelly Jones about his work on Micronauts on my podcast: www.thehyperroom.com/the-kelley-jones-interview/

micronauts was my first series as a kid. i had no idea at the time how spoiled i was! the cinematic scope of the first twelve issues, the delicious chunkiness of golden’ s artwork, i still haven’t fully recovered. now i delight in the current discussions of the mantlo/golden era. thanks for sharing your insight.

As a young kid, Micronauts offered a respite from the superhero stuff that dominated the scene. It was space opera (but without the... uh, outer space). Also loved Dreadstar for the same reason

Bug was in the Guardians of the Galaxy series from Dan Abnett. you can even get him as a Heroclix, and he's a very capable vintage sculpt.

I'll hang out on and defend that hill with you.. As a fan of the toys when I was a kid and a fan of the comic, I LOVED the complexity of Micheal's art. SO much to look at on many many many Re-reads (oops, wore through the paper having reread them so often) Loved the black spots and the sort of.. "Molecule" theme on his energy fields..Fitting in with the idea of "Dark Matter" and "Dark Energy" today.. The only artist that came close to Golden's talent on the series was Butch Guice, but even then, I never felt it fit as well.

Nostalgia or otherwise, this was an excellent series, and I treasure the early run. Funny, I never knew they went direct market only...it would explain why after a while I didn't see the title at the local corner store anymore. I especially loved the crossover story with Man Thing. Golden's art was truly something different, it reminds me of Simonson's early Manhunter work in Detective Comics. Most of these licenced titles (and also including Godzilla and John Carter) were really good reads...maybe a continuation idea for future videos? :) Excellent watch, thanks for putting this one together!

Micronauts was my first and only comics subscription, though I got it right before the series ended.

The scene with Huntarr's family still gives me chills,i can't believe they were able to get all that in there holy crap, it was great.

i loved Micronauts as a kid, I still have the comic books.

The high quality reprint of the first 12 issues (1984) is a regular visit to the Microverse that I cherish. Must say that Acroyear was my favourite character (though they were all important to the book) ; he was able to hold his own with the THING and almost HULK level feats of strength/durability. I was disappointed in later series when they seemed to downgrade his physical abilities.

Self insert : My thoughts exactly. Still Own #1-12 Golden inspired me into a 30 year illustration career.

It's funny that Mantlo and Golden both got notes from the editors. I think that just shows how really ahead of the times their work was. A lot of the other Marvel comics at the time looked like Kirby and sounded like Lee. The early issues really felt like they had the originality and kinetic energy of Star Wars, which kids at the time were eagerly looking for; I know, I was one of them!

My favorite series of all time. An Omnibus would be a Blessing. A Prime Video or HBO Max series would be a Awesome!!

An old favorite. Loved the toys as well. It's a shame these comics as well as Rom aren't reprinted. If I am not mistaken, didn't IDW reprint all of the Marvel issues of Transformers including the issue with Spider-Man?

Bug was roughly based on the Galactic Warrior and Space Glider toy designs, together with inspiration from DC's Forager character.

I love your honesty, more power to you and your beloved Micronauts!

Undoubtedly one of the best written and illustrated story arcs in the history of comic books. Only rivaled by the x-men Jean Grey, daredevil Electra, Thanos and the infinity gauntlet jack Kirby's fourth world and Bernie wrightsons swamp thing. 😝 most honorable mention frank Miller's the dark knight returns.

Excellent video! Least we forget “Godzilla” around that era for Marvel, too!😊 (Ready for “Quantumania”?!😉)

This series was great. I git them as soon as they hit the spinner rack.

As a young kid in the 80s who loved & collected Micronauts comics & toys, I hope you get to see the new, third Antman movie. It’s the closest we’ll get to a Microverse movie.

As much as I love the Micronauts first dozen issues, to dismiss the Star Wars influence on it is almost a disservice. The princess, the two robots, the black-armored bad guy, the Enigma FORCE ... but indeed, he spun original and surpisingly mature content out of those tropes. I remember Baron Karza responding to the reports of bombs going off in the gladiator pits by saying, "Bah, as long as a cell remains I can reconstruct the lot of them." Even as an 8 year old that was one of the most bad-ass villian things I'd ever heard.

Liking the video before clicking play :-)

The great Michael Golden.Somewhere between a Jim Steranko and Neal Adams of the 80s.

I'm a Micheal Golden fan..!!!

I came into Micronauts late-- more specifically, I came on board right when the 2nd series came out in 1984. However, that series inspired me to collect the first series as well. Overall, I find the titles to be rather enjoyable, and more cohesive than Star Wars ever was (as a comic book). Thanks, SBP!👍

This video brought back a lot of great memories, I’m with you and I will defend that hill with you all day long. I enjoyed the series pretty much throughout the run I should say the original run with Bill doing the writing. Also I believe commander ran was a marvel character as well because I don’t remember seeing him in any of the other companies series. Granted I barely glanced at those runs. I felt nothing could compare to a bill Mantlo and those great artist achieved with that series. Great vid have a good one could you please do a concrete video?

I absolutely loved this series. It remains my favorite comic book franchise to this day. I always hold out a sliver of hope that somehow they could join the MCU, especially with the introduction of the Quantum Realm. They could be the next "guardians of the galaxy ' like team, with a great villain, and a war between brothers ( Acroyer and Shaitan)...it could be amazing..

Thank you for this. I love this series and you brought back the good feelings. have you done one for ROM or Shogun Warriors?

I loved these comics and loved the Micronaut series. If they would reissue the toys I would buy up every one of them. IMO they don't make toys this original, or fun anymore.

Hell yeah, love to hear about what you're passionate about.

Fantastic vid, thank you.

Those toys were my early childhood, but I never read the comics. I first got into them when I was about 5 or 6. I. The following years we got Star Wars and many of my friends changed to those toys but I never wanted Star Wars and always got micronauts instead.

We are the Enigma Force!

Had me worried with that post the other day. No need, great as usual. I really enjoy your work.

Wow, this is a very interesting story...🤘🏼💯✔️

Thank you for this video!

only read the first 10 or 11 issues that were awesome

Gawdamn, I love that series sooo much. Thank you for posting this

thank you awesome

I used to have the first issue of THE NEW VOYAGES as a kid...

Is it true due to rights issues with the Micronauts toy line, prevents this series from being reprinted? I am sure if the series were reprinted in trade paperbacks, it would find an audience.

The X-Men crossover is the only exposure I've ever had to Micronauts.

fascinating

I was too young to collect or understand this series when it came out originally. I'm much more familiar with the toy line on which it's based. Side Note: The MICRONAUTS toy line was originally produced in Japan by Takara (Now Takara Tomy) under the name: MICROMAN. This line is part of long series of toy lines that would eventually lead to another Marvel Licensed property: TRANSFORMERS. End of Side Note... LOL

Awesome 👏

George Perez is possibly the greatest comic artist of all time but Goldens work on Micronauts and even Avengers was Godly!!

Rom and Micronauts omnibuses have been announced for early 2024.

Loved it the only thing that rubbed me the wrong way was captain Universe . I collected it all still have it

As Big is vaguely named as a Galactic warrior I guess they changed him enough .. I had a green toy one .. it was Bug to me

Is Commander Rann really a Marvel creation? I've heard Golden say so, but he was pretty obviously based on the figure Space Glider (and, IIRC, Bug *started out* as Galactic Warrior but was later changed so Marvel could retain rights to him).

Marvel has recently announced a Micronauts Omnibus in 2024.

Actually the real artistic stars were artist Pat Broderick and inker Armando Gil. The attention to detail was amazing, and their Baron Karza looked incredible. While I liked Michael Golden's art, people's faces often looked too glossy and doll-like. To each their own.

Soon enough, the stars of Rom, Micronauts, GI Joe, and Transformers, would align again.

Yeah, it was sad this series petered out after about a year.

Bug was vaguely the Galactic Warrior toy which came in green that’s about it

I was 16 or 17 when the Micronauts first came out. I loved the series. The first 12 were the best, I did buy it until like #57? But lost interest mostly because of the departure of artist Michael Golden. Patrick Broderick & Butch Guide and Gil Kane all drew some beautiful comics too. Marvel got the rights back to beable to reprint. Both the Micronauts and Rom Spaceknight. I know they just released a Fasmile of Rom #1. And in Jan 2024 Their doing three Omni? big books of the whole Rom series in three different books. I believe the Micronauts as well in this big book formart too.

I'd love to see a video on ROM Spaceknight too.

I absolutely loved the first issue! But then I was really turned off by sending the Micronauts into the Marvel earth. I hated that idea.