Micronauts #2
Published and © by Marvel and © Mego, February 1979
Title: “Earth!”
Synopsis: Fleeing through a breech in the Spacewall, the renegade Micronauts find themselves facing greater peril … on Earth!
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Penciler: Michael Golden
Inker: Joe Rubinstein
Review: Following a debut that was both derivative and underdeveloped (see review), writer Bill Mantlo settles in for a stronger second issue. Battle lines are made clear and a change of setting to Earth literally supersizes the action. Characterization is also improved as the Micronauts start getting to know one another. The art, by the regular team of Michael Golden and Joe Rubinstein, is again quite good, though not as polished as the previous outing. Odd coloring choices, by future Raw editor Françoise Mouly, also undermine the finished look. Still, a strong second issue for a series loaded with promise.
Grade: A-
Second opinion: “Micronauts #2 has… a script by Mantlo that, while reminiscent of ‘Land of the Giants,’ ‘Star Wars’ and the Fourth World saga, is still developing points of interest.” – Martin Lock, BEM #22, January 1970 … “The concept that those toys were actually living, breathing beings fighting for their independence fit perfectly with my young imagination.” – Martin Arlt, Comic Effect #33, February-March 2003 … Recommended by The Slings & Arrows Comic Guide (second edition), 2003.
Cool factor: Nobody does back story for toys quite like Bill Mantlo.
Notable: This issue also includes a Time Traveler pinup and an ad for the Micronauts, both by Michael Golden.
Collector’s note: According to the Grand Comics Database, there is a Whitman variant of this issue.
Character quotable: “What am I going to tell Dad?!” – Steve Coffin, a young boy who gets a crash course in Micronaut relations
Editor’s note: This review was originally published by Sequential Reaction (v1) on March 28, 2016.
