Issue(s): Micronauts #43
Cover Date: Jul 82
Title: "Home again, home again, jiggety-jig"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo - Writer
Gil Kane - Penciler
Dan Bulanadi - Inker
Ann Nocenti - Assistant Editor
Al Milgrom - Editor

Review/plot:
Often with guest appearances, the main cast and the guest star just sort of part ways at the end of the issue even though one could help the other if they'd just stick around. We saw it as recently as issue #40, where the Micronauts left the Baxter Building without just waiting a while for Mr. Fantastic to come home (and not long after that, ironically, the FF contacted Ant-Man because they needed access to the Microverse). So it was nice to see that the Micronauts did stay with the Wasp after the end of last issue, and she's brought them to the Avengers.

By "the Micronauts" i'm talking about the group that didn't get zapped with Dr. Nemesis' shrink ray. The ones that did arrive on Homeworld and meet up with the rebellion. Dr. Nemesis himself continues to shrink, seemingly out of existence.

But back to the guys on Earth. Despite what i said above, the Avengers don't really have any great solutions for getting the team home.

Henry Pym is unavailable. Thor is unable to use his abilities to breach the Microverse's Spacewall.

Iron Man is drunk, solemnly nodding along with all the insane things that are being said and saying "Sure, sure, that makes sense."

Ultimately the Avengers don't do more than give them a lift to the ruins of the Human Engineering Life Laboratory (HELL) where the Prometheus Pit is located. And they don't even see the Micronauts to the pit, which is too bad because it's currently guarded by the intelligent computer Computrex and his zombie Professor Prometheus.

And with the Micronauts just needing to get past Prometheus to leave Earth and head back to the Microverse, my project loses sight of them for a while. At least until the next Great Backissue Add. But these Micronauts comics really are among Mantlo's better works. I've said that about a few books (ROM around this same time, and the great build-up to Hulk #300) but to be fair to me, Mantlo wrote a lot of comics, so he can afford to have several "better works". Another point is that i often heard that the Micronauts were among Mantlo's better works and many years ago i tried the first twelve issues, with the Michael Golden artwork. And they were pretty good. But not enough to make me delve into the series any further since the Micronauts aren't really core to my project here. So i really just kept adding more Micronauts books where there were guest appearances or significant events. But with the books i've added later in the series, i've realized Mantlo's craft improves and his development of these characters and their interactions gets even better as the series goes on. Even while he's simultaneously not doing such great stuff on Spectacular Spider-Man. So one day i really will come back and add the rest of this to the project. But for now, time to move forward and so we'll leave these little guys behind and check back in on them with X-Men and the Micronauts and then Peter Gillis' series.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This shouldn't take place long after last issue, and definitely before any other Wasp appearances.

References:

• Prince Pharoid's aide Margrace tells the returning Micronauts that Pharoid and Lady Slug were captured in Micronauts #38, and that Slug is seemingly now going to marry Force Commander (it's really Duchess Belladonna in Slug's body, thanks to the Body Banks).
  
• The Micronauts tell the Avengers about the attack from the Acroyears in Micronauts #39, their encounter with Antron Hordes at the Baxter Building in Micronauts #40, and their visit to Liddleville and meeting with Dr. Doom in Micronauts #41. Iron Man is impressed with the fact that they survived an encounter with Doom, but the Wasp has downplayed the incident due to his diminutive size.
  
• The Avengers are unable to bring in Henry Pym due to the events of Avengers #213. Unlike the Fantastic Four, they don't think to contact Scott Lang instead.
  
• Commander Rann thinks Thor is unable to penetrate the Microverse's spacewall barrier thanks to the fact that he and Dr. Strange strengthened it in Micronauts #35 while merged together as Captain Universe.
  
• In the ruins of HELL, Microtron notes that it was one of two places on Earth that felt the full wrath of Baron Karza. He attacked HELL in Micronauts #8. The other time was his attack on SHIELD in Micronauts #28-29, which is also when Microtron's friend, Biotron, died.
  
• Professor Prometheus died in Micronauts annual #2. The narration boxes for these recent references and some explanatory footnotes are done in a silly way with various editors "sitting in" for each other. A nod to the fact that the book is footnote heavy, i guess.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

The title "Home again, home again, jiggety-jig" is a line from the nursery rhyme "To Market, To Market." Probably by coincidence, the same line was also used in the first "Blade Runner" movie that year (1982). Considering all our modern electronic diversions, I often wonder how much attention nursery rhymes even get from children nowadays, or will in the near future.

My favorite Bill Mantlo contribution to the Marvel Universe was probably Cloak and Dagger" but some of these Micronauts stories were pretty good too. Never gave Micronauts or Rom: Spaceknight much of a chance at the time until the Micronauts/Liddleville x-over came along. At first I wondered, why was Liddleville built to the exact same scale as the Micronauts? Just a convenient story contrivance perhaps, but maybe it's partly because of Doom's previous experiences dealing with the Microverse, starting way back in "The Micro-World of Doctor Doom" from Fantastic Four #16.