MICRONAUTS MONDAY: 43 - HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN, JIGGETY-JIG!

Micronauts vol.1 No. 43
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Artist: Gil Kane and Danny Bulandi
Letterer: Jim Novak
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Al Milgrom
EIC: Jim Shooter

Mari, Bug and Acroyear are shrinking back to the Microverse, owing to the high-tech weaponry of Doctor Nemesis. The Doctor is also shrinking down to the Microverse, but faster than our heroes, which he mentions in abject panic. "Help me!" he screams, "I'm shrinking faster than you!" to which Bug snaps back, basically, shut up stupid you're going to die and we don't care. Bug is my favorite.

Actually, we're here with my three favorite Micronauts, all things considered. Rann has fallen into some measure of disuse since the first year of the story, and the death of Biotron left him devoid of a traveling companion. Right now, these three have the best potential for richer stories, more closely tied to the central conceit of the book.

As the trio descend on Homeworld, their physical forms begin to materialize on the physical world. Bug asks a pertinent question as to how it is they happened to land right on Homeworld, and Mari suggests that she has a theory that Microversians have homing instincts which bring them home at the right scale. Why Bug didn't end up on Kallikliak and Acroyear didn't end up dead in the vacuum of space where Spartak once stood, I dunno. But at least Marionette having put that much thought into a facet of the book AND elucidating a useful point of fact from it is a step towards expanding her character.

I'm excited, in fact, that Mari is stranded on Homeworld away from her romantic subplot. I'm interested to see where it ends up, even as Rann is stuck in a leadership position with the saddest supporting team in history.

While we're on Homeworld, we catch up with Force Commander (Marionette's tyrannical brother Argon) and his betrothed Slug (former rebellion leader whose body currently houses the cruel Mistress Belladonna). There's not much to catch up on, so let's check in with the other guys.

The Wasp hooks the Micronauts up with the Avengers in order to help them get back to the Microverse, and it is legitimately and unintentionally the funniest scene in the book's history. The quartet of earth-bound Micros are arranged on a table around which Captain America, Iron Man and Thor are seated, looking for all the world like they're playing Heroclix. Also, Iron Man -- who is supposed to be an engineering genius -- is clearly faking his way through the entire meeting. Here's everything he says in the course of the conversation:

"It sounds plausible. Yes, it could be."
"But how will you return home?"
(when asked to build a ship to replace the Endeavor) "My, er, employer, Tony Stark could design one."
"That could do it all right."

I have been in meetings with a thousand guys like that. He has no idea what everyone's talking about, I guarantee it.

"How would you say that this encourages the vertical of our narrative?" 

The Avengers do ferry Rann and crew down to Florida, so they can look for any signs of a functioning Prometheus Pit in the old H.E.L.L. headquarters. While the Homeworld-based contingent of the team reconnoiters with the resistance movement against Argon, the Earth-based heroes unfortunately come up against Phillip Prometheus and Computrex again. The most boring Micronauts versus the most boring Micronauts villains.  

On the other hand ... wow.

The fight goes on for about half of the issue, leaving these Micronauts trapped between the dripping, rotting cyborg corpse of Prometheus and the wall of malevolent computer parts that make up Computrex. For the record, Devil -- going savage -- really wants to eat the rotting parts of Prometheus' body, but Rann dissuades him, and I don't know why. That honestly seems like killing two birds with one stone -- Devil can work out his savage impulses and Prometheus walks with a limp. Works for me.

In the lettercol, one reader pleads for the return of Pat Broderick, and gets burned in return.