26: Micronauts: The Outer Limits

Micronauts: The New Voyages #5 (1985)

Pencils: Kelley Jones
Inks: Pat Redding

Following the peril and deathtraps of the opening issues, the Micronauts take advantage of the hospitality of small, friendly, shapeshifting aliens (known as the Children of the Dreaming Star) they met on the mirror world. 

Jones draws fantastic alien tech.

The impossible science of the Microverse bothered Gillis; Homeworld looks like a model of a molecule, with dowels connecting spheres. So who exactly made this crazy thing became a driving force of the storyline. Here the big cosmic revelation is that from a distance, their galaxy resembles a DNA spiral. Overall this issue is a welcome respite with nice, gentle character building. Each of the Micronauts bear emotional scars from their long battles, and must learn how to live again in times of peace.

Micronauts: The New Voyages #6 (1985)

Pencils: Kelley Jones
Inks: Bruce Patterson

Bill Mantlo established a love triangle of sorts between Rann, Mari and Bug. When Rann turned his back on fighting Karza, a vengeful Mari sought consolation with Bug. Now Rann and Mari are beginning to patch up their differences, Bug soon finds himself relegated to the proverbial third wheel, so decides to sneak off home to Kaliklak. His traveling companion is Solitaire, a shapeshifter he's just met, taking the form of a green skinned Mari. She's rather mysterious and their playful banter is the most interesting part of this issue.

On his travels Bug frets about his fellow Micronauts' ability to cope without him, imagining increasingly ridiculous scenarios of them being captured by their new alien friends, or even a resurrected Baron Karza. These take up much of the issue, and although amusing, they're essentially pointless dream sequences. New Voyages is a heavy series, so this is as light and inessential as it got.

This fantasy sequence may be poking fun at Swords of the Swashbucklers.

Micronauts: The New Voyages #7 (1985)

Pencils: Rod Whigham
Inks: Ian Akin, Brian Garvey

While #6's breather felt like filler, this actually is a fill in, centering on Acroyear, whose New Voyages role thus far has been reduced to stoic warrior king turned serene wisdom dispensing priest. Acroyear was always a favourite of mine, with his cool attitude and even cooler armour. This issue is largely a flashback, with a framing sequence where he imagines a conversation with his pregnant wife Cicilia, whom he had to leave behind after being exiled by his people. He recounts a morality tale about an old friend who defied a despot she owed a blood oath to, and paid the ultimate price. Although fairly inconsequential, Acroyear's self examination pays off eventually, and it's interesting to explore the often contrary notions of honour and love that envelop his warrior people's society.

Cool space battles from guest artist Whigham.

Micronauts: The New Voyages #8 (1985)

Pencils: Kelley Jones
Inks: Bruce Patterson

The Micronauts' radiation exposure early in the series finally catches up with them, as four of them lie in their deathbeds, watched over by a helpless immune Huntarr. The Micros salvation comes from an unlikely source: an egg that the sentient asteroid left behind hatches an albino alien scorpion, which injects higher knowledge into Huntarr, turning him into amorphous oozing orange flesh. In an enjoyably bizarre scene, somehow his blanketed gooey mass rewrites his teammates' genetics and they're reborn in whole forms.

Cool sci-fi shenanigans, with the spotlight on the underrated Huntarr. In the original series he was a minor villain turned hanger on, but Gillis brings real depth and humanity to his monstrous form, focusing on his survivor's guilt and feelings of inadequacy, alongside such legendary heroes.