The Fun BookA Quick Review of
Micronauts: Wrath of Karza #3Free of any explicit spoilers, but be forewarned some may be implied.
Like a catch phrase, really. If you haven't been reading this mini-series or didn't read its predecessor, simply known as
Micronauts, I'd invite you to at least go read the summary at the top of the
Micronauts Comic Series page in the Vector Sigma Database here on Seibertron to learn a little bit about why this series, to me, was a natural draw as a Transformers fan. I picked it up out of curiosity when it came out and was quickly hooked by the charming characters, fantastical science fiction settings, and briskly moving plot. Having a fresh continuity reboot, helped along in at least some small way by Marvel retaining the rights to the original series' protagonist Arcturus Rann to this day, also helped the book feel very accessible. With that (sales pitch) out of the way, I'll start this quick review by saying that
Wrath of Karza #3 continues with the fun, accessible Micronauts stories that drew me in and is closer to those than the immediate post-
Revolution story that took a few months to find its footing.
The Hasbroverse's Premier Power CoupleKarza's invasion continues, with the book picking up right where the second issue left off in the aftermath of a battle that has separated our tiny heroes. Exactly
when this is going down in the scheme of the overall Hasbro Universe remains a mystery. Or is it? Are these events even really happening? There's an intriguing tinge of doubt to it which had seeds planted back in the fantastic Micronauts
Annual released earlier in the year. It's very likely not a black and white thing, just as Karza continues to be a villain rendered with internal conflict - but only a little. There's not too much worry on his part when it comes to the subjugation of Earth. Instead, it's only when he ponders the fate of his home universe, Microspace, that this conflict and confusion emerges. The parts focusing on Karza never bog down the tone despite the background knowledge that these sections are about a despotic invader.
When the toy box comes to life! Then murders you.Some fun moments are in store that play off elements of the Micronauts toy line as well, with new characters being introduced in a way that plays true to "bringing the toy box to life". This was done in past issues to excellent comedic effect with Acroyear's weeble, a fine weapon, and now Microtron gets in on the action by building some more companions. Each is given just enough characterization in a short stretch to enhance the book in a positive manner which also lends some plausibility to the chances of survival for the book's protagonists.
Half brain, half man, half pig? Maybe Al Gore knows?Through it all, the art will be familiar to many Transformers fans, with Andrew Griffith handling most of the pages. The big splash pages are easy to follow, and the work to blend the organic humanoid characters of Microspace, Earthlings, and robotic characters together is well executed throughout. Pictured somewhat further below in the review is a snippet from the two trippy pages handled by Ron Joseph, though without having read the credits I don't know I would have noticed the change in artists, likely due to David Garcia Cruz's appropriate and varied colors lending a cohesiveness to the book despite a great variety of locales being seen along the way. Tom B. Long's usual tremendous lettering helps give it some easy visual continuity with other books in this universe, so it's nice to see that consistency. Griffith lends a cover as well, with colors by Thomas Deer, and you can see all the covers and credits in our database page for
Wrath of Karza #3.
Verdict
Did I both read it and not read it? No, I read it. A friend on Twitter (and regular
Twincast Podcast listener, if you don't mind the shameless plug) has called
Micronauts "The Fun Book" in the past, and this mini-series is really living up to that title for me. It's a quick read that's also filled with some fun rewards if you've followed the entire series, but there isn't too much here that I think would be over-daunting to new readers - assuming "new reader" means you picked up 1 and 2 of this same mini-series.
If you're here on Seibertron.com for the Transformers there are not many of them in this issue for very long at all, but without saying too much, it looks like that might turn around pretty quickly as we approach the last two issues of the series. If you don't like chocolate in your peanut butter, you'll find this book to be mostly Micronauts peanut butter with only an outer coating of Hasbro Universe chocolate - whether that's a positive to you or not is for you to judge. Personally, I think you should give the first few issues of
Wrath of Karza a shot if you haven't. You might be surprised at how much fun you have!
