Ménage Á Pop is a three times a week intimate discussion between two people and a piece of pop culture.

Prior to Bronson Pinchott’s filmography, MEGO was one of the biggest toy companies in the world. Best known for their cross-continuity of super hero dolls, they also ventured into the realm of Sci-Fi spectacle with THE MICRONAUTS. Comprised of numerous figures, vehicles and accessories, the francise soon expanded into a comic book set in the microscopic middle of the mighty Marvel Universe. So peer into the fine print and see how these denizens of inner-space impacted Brent Simon’s outer world.

Today’s guest BRENT SIMONS is the screenwriter of Dreamworks, animated feature film MEGAMIND, currently streaming on AMAZON PRIME, and HBO MAX. You can follow Brent on TWITTER @BrentSimons.

POP NOTES

The MICRONAUTS toy-line debuted in 1976 consisting of repackaged figures imported from Japan’s MICROMAN and HENSHIN CYBORG lines. These lines were created by Takara , a famous toy manufacturer whose output of robot toys would become the basis for Hasbro’s inaugural TRANSFORMERS line.
The original back story for Takara’s MICROMAN proposed the figures were alien refugees from the planet of Micro Earth. Now stranded on our world, they actually disguised themselves as action figures, shattering the fourth wall of paranoid 6 year-olds everywhere.
While the majority of the line consisted of pre-existing toys, Mego did design a few of the figures themselves. Most notable were the ALIENS, a line of insectoid creatures composed of plastic compared to the die-cast build of the imported characters. These figures featured interchangeable weapon attachments as well as glow in the dark, rubber brains.
Marvel’s first MICRONAUTS series debuted with a cover date of January 1979. The series ran for 59 issues, concluding in August of 1984. This series was almost immediately followed by MICRONAUTS: THE NEW ADVENTURES, a two year series that ran for 20 issues.
Comic writer Bill Mantlo first brought the MICRONAUTS to MARVEL’s attention after his son received a few of the figures for Christmas. Once MARVEL purchased the license, Mantlo teamed with artist Michale Golden to develop the cast and world. Bill Mantlo would later bring another action figure into the MARVEL universe via the ongoing series ROM: THE SPACE-KNIGHT.
Beginning with issue #38, MICRONAUTS became one of three MARVEL titles to be exclusively distributed to specialty stores and comic book shops. This was MARVEL’s first real experimentation with “direct market” distribution which included a heavier paper sock and more adult storylines. The other two titles of this initial wave were MOON KNIGHT and KA-ZAR.
The fan-favorite character Bug was based initially on the equally popular Galactic Warrior action figure in the MICRONAUTS toyline.
While MARVEL no longer retains publishing rights to the MICRONAUTS franchise, certain elements introduced to the series remain cannon in the current Marvel universe. This includes the characters Acturus, Marionette and Bug as well as the series setting of the Microverse. While the Microverse still exists, it must be referenced by other names, as demonstrated through the MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE’s Quantum Realm.

Tune back Friday when Brent spins a record with only 14 hours to save the Earth.

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MUSIC FEATURED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:

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