One of the first artists I noticed as having a very unique style was Michael Golden. He drew The Micronauts — a title I didn't start reading until later in the run, around issue 24 or 25. Hooked on the concept, I hunted down the back issues, finally picking up the illusive numbers 8 and 12 at Heroes Con back in the 80’s. Those first 12 issues, as told by Bill Mantlo and Golden, tell the saga of the first fall of Baron Karza, and they are awesome.
Micronauts 1-12:
What is impressive to me, is how Golden took concepts given to him by Mattel, and expanded on those ideas. There were the company’s characters - like Baron Karza, Acroyear, Biotron, Microtron - built-in designs that must be humanized to some degree. Then, he created other characters to fill the void of generalized action figures - Galactic Warrior, for example. Galactic Warrior becameBug, a fully realized character from a race of Insectivorids.Then there were original creations, like Commander Arcturus Rann and Princess Mari - designs that seem to have always existed side-by-side with Mattel’s creations.
Around these characters, he designed the Microverse, a fantastic, sci-fi Camelot that had the lush otherworldly feel of seventies fantasy. The battles fought in these settings felt incredibly organic, and I prefer the Microverse opposed to the time the Micronauts spent on Earth. But Golden’s dynamic art always makes it interesting to watch.
Through the saga, the characters are introduced to Professor Prometheus, Man-Thing, Captain Universe and others. The Micronauts are triumphant in issue 11, but I love the final, brutal blood duel between brothers in issue 12 as Golden shows the last violent showdown between Acroyear and his brother Shaitan. The imagery is blunt, memorable. There is a power to the battle that makes you feel the impact of the warhammers each brother dons. To me, it is a befitting cap to Golden’s run on this title.
Avengers Annual 10:
This is still my favorite issue drawn by Golden.
The issue introduces us to Rogue, who has never looked more evil than she does here. It also presents an array of characters in a light I had never seen before. Janet Van Dyne in casual everyday wear. Spider Woman sticking to the police department wall, having a cup of coffee. Iron Man talking on the phone, slipping on his gloves. Casual moments. Characters living in a very lived-in world. Not constant battle imagery, but everyday, walk-of-life stills where the characters are just there, breathing. Not to say the action scenes aren’t great. They’re unbelievable. Captain America getting tossed through a brick wall. Mystique firing her machine gun at Spider Woman as the bullets riddle off of Iron Man’s chest. Scarlet Witch conjuring a giant earth sculpture to smother Pyro’s fiery phoenix. It’s all so inventive.
These are only two of the works Golden has presented us over the years, but they were very influential for me. As I have said, his amoebic style produces a universe that feels alive yet steeped in fantasy. There are other issues of Golden’s that made a major impact on me, but I’ll save those for another post.
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