MICRONAUTS MONDAY: 57 - THE WORLD OF NEVER-SUMMER!

Micronauts vol.1 No.57
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Artist: Butch Guice / Kelly Jones & Sam Grainger
Letterer: Rick Parker
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Ralph Macchio
EIC: Jim Shooter

As we start to wrap this up, we return to the official, crossover-free Micronauts universe for the issue which hit stands at the same time as X-Men/Micronauts No.4. I waited to cover it because it makes mention of Bioship's (fundamentally unnecessary) death in the final issue of the crossover series.

It's also a non-traditional Micronauts story, which our heroes operating largely in the background and an adaptation of an Ojibwe folk tale taking the lead. Before that, though, here's a summary of where we are: As of the previous issue, Rann and Karza had both rejected the Time Travelers' offer of godhood, rejecting the Enigma Force for separate reasons. Karza, knowing that godhood would dim his dreams of conquest, chooses instead merely to become the most brutally evil living being in the Microverse. Good work if you can get it.

Rann abandons his now-pointless meditations and returns to active duty with the Micronauts, discovering to his ... apathy? ... that Marionette and Bug had entered into some sort of relationship. In fact, Rann is just bothered by the changes undertaken by the Micronauts in his absence, which would have been a good character arc in which to indulge, before the series wraps up. We've only got two issues, though, so-o-o-o.

That's where we left off! Where we return to is the World of Never-Summer, a perpetually-frozen planet inhabited by half-animal/human hybrids. There, Ojeeg -- "Hunter, warrior. Cat's eyes." Those last two words were in their own caption and I think they might have been instructions for the colorist which the letterer accidentally wrote out. Get a room, you two!

Ojeeg leads the Wolverine tribe, our first line of defense against Soviet Invasion. He's also effectively leading a scavenger tribe, as the World of Never-Summer is so ice-blasted that food is almost impossible to find. Ojeeb reluctantly leads slaughter and raids on the Beaver Tribe, among others, then returns to his home heavy-hearted with guilt.

And ... scene.

His only ally in his regret is a blind old Shaman who recalls the days of Summer, and points Ojeeb to the top of a mountain where Summer may again be found! Okay! I can't speak to the accuracy of the adaptation here -- I looked around for something resembling this story in Chippewa and Ojibwe folk tale collections, and had trouble finding any reference to "Acroyear" in any of them, so I don't know what Mantlo was thinking.

Speaking of the Micronauts, they're involved in a full-fledged space battle with the heavily armed forces of Commander D'Ark, who I think last showed up in this book about fifty years ago. D'Ark makes for a great combatant for Marionette, whose bloodlust is equal to the Karzaite commander and also been a matter of concern for the recently awakened Rann. "We've always beaten Karza in the past precisely because we were different from him" he explains to his shoulder-mounted pixie pal Fireflyte, "Compassionate where he is cruel, merciful where he is murderous."

As far as Karza goes, the tyrant stands upon the very mountain which the Shaman had described to Ojeeb. There, DeGrayde and his engineers set up the Sun-Cannon ("Sunscope," I guess), the weapon which terminally dehumidified SeaZone. Karza intends to use the world of Never-Summer as an Alderaan, an example to the other worlds of the Microverse to stay under the despot's heel.

Scaling the mountain for the benefit of a surprise attack, the Micronauts end up carving a perfectly usuable path for Ojeeg. Thus, while our heroes dodge enemy fire, Ojeeg literally just walks up to the platform where Karza manipulates the Sunscope.

I mean, it seems to be working well.

Amused at the audience, Karza allows Ojeeg to watch the destruction of his world. Surprisingly, Ojeeg attacks Karza, plummeting over the edge of the platform in the face of a barrage of Karza's nipple-missles, cracking the Sunscope as he lands. While the terrible weapon burns his world before his eyes, Ojeeg makes one final sacrificial play, and pretends to be a wooden shoe. POP. The whole Sunscope perishes in the face of this pyrrhic act of bravery.

And the world goes all Summer again.  ::champagne pop::

PILE ON KARZA!

ON THE WAY OUT, basically the audience is informed that Bioscope died after this issue, and is thereby celebrated with A HUGE PINUP OF HIS GROSS INSIDES! Have fun never sleeping again.

Bioship is really neat ... he is filled with Roboid meat ... we all love you Biii-ooo-shiiiip!