MARVEL COMICS: Micronauts

MARVEL UNIVERSE IN THE MEDIA

The Micronauts comic books feature a group of characters based on the Micronauts toy line. The first title was published by Marvel Comics in 1979, with both original characters and characters based on the toys. Marvel published two Micronauts series, mostly written by Bill Mantlo, until 1986, well after the toy line was cancelled in 1980. In the 2000s, Image Comics and Devil's Due Publishing each briefly published their own Micronauts series. Byron Preiss Visual Publications also published three paperback novels based on the Micronauts.

MARVEL HISTORY:
The Micronauts began life as comic book characters thanks to a fortuitous accident on Christmas 1977. Marvel Comics writer Bill Mantlo's son Adam opened a new present, a line of the Mego Corporation's Micronauts action figures. Seeing the toys, Bill Mantlo was instantly struck by inspiration to write their adventures. Convincing then Editor-in-chief Jim Shooter to get the comics license for these toys, Mantlo was hired to script their series. The first series of the Micronauts ran from January 1979 to August 1984 and included 59 issues and two Annuals. The series was written by Bill Mantlo and featured art by Michael Golden, Howard Chaykin, Pat Broderick, Gil Kane, Butch Guice and others. As of #38, the series was no longer available from newsstands and was sold via direct distribution only. In the United Kingdom, The Micronauts was first included as a supporting strip in Marvel UK's Star Wars Weekly comic in January 1979 for several months and then in the first nine issues of Star Heroes Pocketbook (alongside Battlestar Galactica) before joining new Future Tense reprint anthology. Unlike the U.S. version, these strips were printed in black and white. From 1983 to 1984, a Special Edition series was published (#1-#5) that reprinted issues #1-#12 and a back-up feature from #25. In 1984, a four-part miniseries featuring the Micronauts and the X-Men was published, co-written by Mantlo and Chris Claremont and drawn by Butch Guice. The second volume of Micronauts, subtitled The New Voyages, was published from October 1984 to May 1986 and was numbered from #1 - 20. The series was written by Peter Gillis and featured early-career artwork by Kelley Jones. After this series the Marvel-owned license lapsed. From the late 1990s the characters Marionette, Arcturus Rann and Bug (all Marvel properties) have appeared in various Marvel titles (without referencing the Micronauts label). Bug has appeared in a solo one-shot and together with cosmic hero Star-Lord, as part of a new incarnation of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

UNPRODUCED ANIMATED SERIES: 80'S VERSION
Here’s the Micronauts pitch that ALMOST made it to TV. But then Hasbro bought the rights and basically killed the show. It was gonna be sooooo sweet. The story was great, and it would have been a childhood dream come true. Oh well.