Micronauts, Part 6

Micronauts #11 (November 1979) is pretty much the conclusion of the initial adventure, with #12 (December 1979) tying up a few loose ends and setting up future story arcs.

Which is fine, because Bill Mantlo's scripts and Michael Golden's art are all still meshing together to bring us an epic story set in a superbly constructed universe. I'll have to say it one more time--This series is one of the best examples of coherent and intriguing world-building I've ever run across in any fictional universe.

The Acroyears had defeated Karza's forces on their home planet, while Argon had led an apparently successful rebellion on Homeworld. But Karza is still in space with an overwhelming army at his command, holding Rann and Mari prisoner. Argon's forces have pretty much used up their weapons and resources, so are unable to fight back.

Karza had supposedly captured Rann to learn about the Enigma Force, but we now learn that this knowledge is buried in Rann's subconscious. Karza knows this, so holding him prisoner is really just a red herring--a distraction while Karza crushes the rebellion.

And Karza, despite the setbacks he's suffered over the last few issues, does seem to be unbeatable. He smacks down Agron in a hand-to-hand fight and is about to order his troops to slaughter everyone.

But then we finally learn what the Enigma Force is. The Shadow Priests--who had also rebelled against Karza--turn out to be different aspects of Rann, created and split off from him during his 1000 years in suspended animation while he explored the Microverse. 

The meta-physics behind all this are left a bit vague, but it's the sort of thing that makes perfect sense in the context of a Comic Book Universe and the super-science of the Microverse. It's a plot twist that does not at all seem like a cop-out or a dues ex machina because Mantlo has been careful to set up the background for all this gradually throughout the last 10 issues. It's another example of why I think this might be Mantlo's best work in a career full of incredibly fun storytelling.

All the aspects of Rann combine with him to form a powerful personification of the Enigma Force.

Another fight ensues, with Karza coming out on the losing end. He makes a last effort to simply destroy Homeworld (if he can't have it, by golly, nobody can), but the Acroyear fleet shows up in the nick of time to put a stop to that. Karza plunges into a bottomless pit to his apparent death.

And that brings the main story to a very satisfying conclusion. Micronauts #12 is an epilogue, with most of the action involving a formal duel between Acroyear and his traitorous brother Shaitan, which gives us some additional insights into Acroyear's character and ends with Shaitan's death.

We also get indications that Bug is still alive and there's a scene on Earth to give Ray and Steve Coffin a happy ending (a search of the Grand Comics Database doesn't have any future appearances by them other than in a What If?) and set up some future story lines set on Earth.

I do know that Shaitan and Karza are both later resurrected. Remember that I haven't read this particular issues before and the only other issues I have read are the ones I've reviewed in the past: HERE and HERE. I know I missed out on something cool by not getting this series during its original run. On the other hand, this story arc comes to a very satisfying and definite conclusion in regards to the bad guys. Without having read the later stories involving them, I admit to being a bit leery about them returning to life later on. It really is a very over-used trope in both Marvel and DC Comics. On the third hand, though, I trust Bill Mantlo to come up with a good concept for bringing them back. 

The series ran for 59 issues, so, like ROM Space Knight, it's unlikely my finances will allow me to collect the entire run and licencing issues will probably mean reprints are always unlikely. So I may review random issues that I happen to snatch up in the future, but for now we'll be leaving the Microverse behind.

Next week, we'll take a look at a 4-part Batman story from the Bronze Age.