A huge salute to the heroes of the Microverse, by guest columnist Chris Ryall… By CHRIS RYALL With Marvel’s announcement earlier this week about the coming Rom Omnibus series, fans of Marvel’s other big “toy-based, never-collected comic series written by Bill Mantlo,” Micronauts, expected similar news to follow shortly. At the same time, no one wanted to get their hopes up after all this time only to see them dashed on Microverse rocks. But their optimism (and extreme patience) was awarded by similar, and similarly welcome, news in the form of Marvel’s announcement that yes, indeed, omnibus collections of Micronauts are also on the way. Which means it’s time to follow the announcement news with a look at 13 of the best covers the series put forth. Like my piece detailing 13 FAR-OUT ROM COVERS, it’s a challenging task to narrow the list to only 13. This is, after all, the series that was drawn first by Michael Golden at his peak, and then followed with issues by Pat Broderick, Gil Kane, Butch Guice, and Kelley Jones, among other esteemed artists. The omnibus collections will be the place to find all the covers, which include series Volume 1’s 59 regular issues and two annuals; Volume 2’s 20 issues; and a 4-issue X-Men/Micronauts miniseries, too. I selected my 13 not only from all three series but also chose a couple additional standout covers, too. And much like with Rom, it’s a struggle not to pick every Michael Golden cover. They’re all so good. But I wanted to spread the choices around a bit (but just a bit) so I went with some that, while maybe not better or more memorable than Golden’s covers, they at least stand out for different reasons. So let’s get started: — Micronauts #1. It would feel wrong to start with anything other than the first issue in the series. While it’s not my favorite, it’s pretty hard to deny the power this Dave Cockrum image held over any kid who saw it. Because chances are that kid, even if they weren’t aware of the toys, had Star Wars fresh in the head: Star Wars debuted only a year before Micronauts, and it’s undeniable how Darth Vader-like Baron Karza appears on this cover. — Micronauts #2. This cover, far more than Issue #1’s cover art, immediately...