Wrath of Karza issue 1

	; Everything I've done, I've done for you.
Publisher	IDW Publishing
First published	April 26, 2017
Cover date	April 2017
Written by	Cullen Bunn and Jimmy Johnston
Art by	Andrew Griffith (pg 1-15, 17-20) and Ron Joseph (pg 4-5, 10-11, 16)
Colors by	David Garcia Cruz
Letters by	Tom B. Long
Editor	David Hedgecock
Continuity	IDW continuity
Chronology	Current era (2017)

The forces of Microspace descend on Earth after Baron Karza does the unthinkable to save his people.

Synopsis[edit | edit source]

On the hunt for an illicit stash of Ore-13–courtesy of one of Brad Turner's old business connections—the M.A.S.K. team makes a brief stopover in the sleepy town of Ferren Woods, Kentucky. Their quest is fruitless, but when team member Gloria Baker spies an unusually large "insect", the team discovers that their Masks have stopped working, immobilizing their vehicles...

In Microspace, Baron Karza and Shazraella reflect on all that has transpired since Karza returned to his dimension after his first visit to Earth. Though the Ministry of Science has been crushed, the entropy cloud has continued to grow in the years since Karza’s first trip into the heart of the storm, destroying more and more worlds as it expands. Shazraella not-so-subtly suggests that Karza return to Earth: not as a tyrant, but as a conqueror , with the intent of rebuilding Earth into a refuge for the doomed inhabitants of Microspace. Though initially reluctant–wondering if he has finally crossed the line into despotism–Shazraella’s words galvanize her husband, and Karza finds his resolve...

In Scotland, Scarlett, Rock 'n Roll, Snake Eyes, and Skywarp investigate a rural cottage infested by Dire Wraiths. Though Skywarp arrives to help, they’re intercepted by a mysterious portal and a diminutive craft that disgorges a platoon of Microspace warriors, overwhelming the ex-Decepticon and forcing him into stasis.

As he strategizes the vanguard invasion from Microspace, Karza muses on his experiences within the heart of the entropy cloud and the years spent out of sync with the rest of his universe. Over the course of his long life within the space-time anomaly, Karza stumbled on the cause of the threat: the enigmatic Time Travelers, who had tried and failed to Enerchange with time itself. Eventually, Karza stumbled on the secret within the entropy cloud: a secret, he muses, that will lead him back to Earth.

In Monument Valley, Optimus Prime, Jazz, and Arcee arrive at the former resting site of Autobot City to investigate a recent spacebridge fluctuation in the area. A repentant Optimus muses that if it weren’t for his annexation of Earth into the Council of Worlds, the crisis might never had occurred at all, a notion Jazz tries to disabuse his leader of. Arcee and Jazz argue as Prime realizes that their trip might have been in vain… but he’s interrupted from his philosophizing when a gigantic Baron Karza, wearing the Enerchanged body of Micronus Prime, makes short work of Prime's comrades before crushing the Autobot leader underfoot!

Karza reflects on the enigmatic mechanical giant within the heart of their dying universe. Karza remembers his time within Micronus Prime’s colossal body, learning secrets undreamt of by his kind. It wasn’t until Karza finally enerchanged with the Prime himself that he finally understood the workings behind Micronus’ spacebridge: the key that unlocked a doorway to another world. But this power comes with a price—Karza can feel himself slipping away every time he merges with the body of his creator. But his taste of power has left him wanting more, and as Karza musters his army he notes that there’s only one last loose end to tie up: getting rid of the heroic Micronauts once and for all!

Featured characters[edit | edit source]

Characters in italic text appear only in flashbacks.
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Others

Acroyear (14)
Phenolo-Phi (27)
Biotron (28)
Microtron (29)
Oziron Rael (30)
Larissa (31)

G.I. Joe

Snake Eyes (10)
Scarlett (11)
Rock 'n Roll (15)
Skywarp (16)

M.A.S.K.

Optimus Prime (13)
Arcee (22)
Jazz (23)

"Old Mitch" (6)
Baron Daegon (9)
Rom (12)
Dire Wraiths (17)
Time Travelers (21)
Micronus Prime (24)

Notes[edit | edit source]

Continuity notes[edit | edit source]

Brad Turner's connections to the drug trade were established in M.A.S.K. #3.
Julio notes that a search for Ore-13 went poorly for M.A.S.K. in Barbados, referring to their confrontation with Miles Mayhem in M.A.S.K. #1. He also quotes Admiral Ackbar's famous line, "It's a trap", just like he did several times in that issue.
Karza previously made a trip to Earth as part of the original Revolution crossover, where he worked alongside Miles Mayhem as one of his main collaborators. Karza remembers his defeat at the hands of the protagonists of that crossover.
Shazraella and Karza remember the latter's battle against Baron Daegon, which occurred in Micronauts #6. Shazraella notes that this battle was enough to crush the Ministry of Science, which was the main good(-ish) faction in the Micronauts universe.
Karza remembers being lost for years within the entropy cloud, as he related to the Micronauts in Revolution #3.
Micronus Prime was established as the creator of Microspace in 2016's Micronauts: Revolution one-shot issue, leading into the Revolution crossover where the heroes used his spacebridge to travel to Earth.
Monument Valley was the resting place of Metrotitan, temporary base of Autobot City, and the site of the last big battle of the IDW universe: the big crossover dustup in Revolution. The leftover crater was created during this battle as Metrotitan transformed into his spaceship configuration and lifted off.
Arcee recalls her and Jazz's battle in Portland, which occurred in Revolution #1.
Karza has apparently gleaned some of Micronus's own knowledge from his repeated enerchanges with the Cybertronian; he notes that Micronus was apparently a god among "his people", but later "abandoned" them. This certainly fits with what we learned from Sentinel Prime in The Transformers #57; according to Sentinel, Micronus Prime ruled over Prion's colony world of Mini-Cons for some time before leaving via spacebridge and (presumably) creating Microspace.

Micronauts references[edit | edit source]

The Microspace ship that attacks the G.I. Joe crew is the Sharkos from the original toyline. Its barely-glimpsed crew can be seen to include a Kronus, an Antron, a Repto, and a first-generation Acroyear.
One of the many alternate versions of Baron Karza glimpsed on page is based on the original 1970s toy.

Transformers references[edit | edit source]

When Karza first arrives on Earth, Optimus swears by the Celestial Spires, a popular exclamation in the original UK Transformers comic.

Errors[edit | edit source]

Julio Lopez's Jackhammer is mislabeled as the Rhino.
The discussion of Rock 'n Roll's shotgun seems pretty confused: the dialogue seems to be saying it's a regular shotgun, despite it being clearly established as a Cybertronian laser weapon back in G.I. Joe #1, and on top of that it's drawn as his machine gun from the first half of that issue!
As the Autobots discuss their culpability in the Revolution crossover, Arcee says Optimus has been infected by the "terrain taint". Given's Jazz's shock, it's likely supposed to read "Terran taint".

Other notes[edit | edit source]

Given that M.A.S.K. have already had their first confrontation with Miles Mayhem, but are still operating together, Wrath of Karza must take place in between issues #5 and #7 of that series, meaning that "Brad Turner" would actually be the shapeshifter Zartan — though no allusion to that fact is made here.

Covers (5)[edit | edit source]

Regular cover: Baron Karza sits on his throne, by Alex Ronald.
Subscription cover: Karza surrounded by mechanics, by Michael Golden.
Retailer incentive cover A: Larissa and Phen, by Valentina Pinto.
Retailer incentive cover B: Baron Karza, by Paul Pope and Lovern Kindzierski.
Retailer incentive cover C: Colorless version of subscription cover, by Michael Golden.