IDW Publishing 2017
Written by Cullen Bunn & Jimmy Johnston
Illustrated by Andrew Griffith & Ron Joseph
Coloured by David Garcia Cruz
Lettered by Tom B. Long
As one universe dies, another is invaded! Microspace — the home of the Micronauts — is collapsing. But Baron Karza has discovered a new universe in which the people of Microspace would thrive, a universe in which he would rule! The first world to be conquered is Earth, and the first enemies to be targeted are the TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE, M.A.S.K., and ROM!
First of all IDW struck gold when they started the Micronauts up then with the whole merging of the Hasbro-verse well it’s only gotten better! Cullen and Jimmy take a track here that spotlights Karza and his egomaniacal nature and the self proclaimed saviour of the Microverse and pit that against the forces of Earth. It directly spirals out of the whole merging of the universes and makes complete and utter sense to me. I like how we get to see the way Karza’s mind works as he goes about his plans to take over the Earth. There’s a brilliance here that is undeniable.
I think that the way the issue is structured is extremely well done and how we get to see Karza think of, assess and deal with potential threats to his plans is great. While at this stage I would probably put the MASK crew at the bottom of the threat totem here only because of their lack of time together and that we saw how Mayhem betrayed him and fractured the team. That they aren’t as used to facing the threats the rest do is plain to see and well represented here.
The large cast of characters that we see throughout this issue might cause some concern among a few people but here their individuality and what makes them iconic shines right on through. Plus the way that humour is injected into the story is well done so we get a nice chuckle along with the inevitable groan when something goes amiss, for the good guys anyway. Also to see Karza and his wife doing the monologuing if you will is typical and in character and is a wonderful tool for us to get the whole oomph behind his reasoning. Twisted and warped as that reasoning may be it’s still there and it’s represented well and we also know the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
The interiors here are good, strong work from everyone involved. The way page layouts are utilised with their angles, perspective and backgrounds are extremely well thought out. The classic comic book feel is awesome here as is all the attention to detail in the linework to the colouring.
This is a five part story and I look forward to seeing how Karza almost succeeds in his nefarious plans to take over the Earth in his misguided attempt to save the Microverse. This creative team has it well and truly under control and moving in the direction that is guaranteed to thrill and excite readers.