Martinex1: We are back with our second installment of "The Brave Or The Bold," and we are headed back into space for this face-off. But this time we have a challenge between two teams forged by Marvel in the 1970s...The Micronauts and The Guardians of the Galaxy! (Okay, I admit I hedged a little bit as some of the GOTG crowd were first introduced in 1969 by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan, but you get the idea).
The teams though significantly different have some striking similarities. Both bronze age versions consist primarily of six members; five male characters and one female. They specifically protect their region - our solar system and the Microverse. The leader in both teams is an exploring astronaut of sorts who because of outdated technology arrives at their respective destinations 1000 years later than expected and is preceded by more advanced spaceships. Vance Astro and Commander Arcturus Rann share that tragedy. Their teammates are denizens of specific worlds with the Guardians the last survivors of our surrounding planet colonies and the Micronauts are from "planets" on their interconnected strand of worlds.
Readers are treated to the stoic mystic warrior Yondu or the stoic monarch warrior Acroyear. And there is the fiery headed and spirited Nikki or the fiery and spirited princess Mari. The Micronauts have a couple of robots Biotron and Microtron (who are probably more akin to the Star Wars droids), and the Guardians have the rather robotic crystalline officer Martinex (very much unlike your author today).The Micros hailed from Spartak, Kaliklak and Homeworld, while the Guardians came from Jupiter, Mercury, and Pluto.
The Guardians have a limited villain class and their most memorable enemies have been Korvac and the Badoon. The Micronauts have traipsed into the Marvel landscape but their main antagonist is the megalomaniac Baron Karza. They sometimes get help from the mysterious Time Travelers, while Vance Astro and the gang rely on the "one who knows," Starhawk.
I believe that Bill Mantlo, the Micronauts comic creator, cobbled together a bunch of influences and inspirations to create the conflicts and characters in those books. They were based on the toy line after all, and like he did for ROM Mantlo created a complex world and series of threats for the heroes. I enjoyed these stories immensely. The Michael Golden art in the early issues was top notch.
The Guardians of the Galaxy has gone through some iterations over the years; the more recent team of Starlord, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, and Gamora made it to the big screen.
I rabidly collected both team's appearances. Personally I really liked the Bug and Acroyear friendship, but I also enjoyed the mystery of Starhawk and the suit that Vance could never remove. Despite their similarities, I never was distracted by it as I felt both had solid motivations and characterizations with some crazy stories throughout.
There is much to say about these characters and their adventures, so I turn the discussion over to you. What do you think about these teams? Do you have a favorite character or storyline? How do you rate them in the pantheon of Marvel collectives? Which spacefaring (or inner-spacefaring) group is your favorite? Did you read and collect their books back in the day? Do the more modern versions live up to expectations? And are the original stories unique enough to recommend? What say you BITBA readers? Don't be shy ... it is the Brave or the Bold after all.
