Behold!

Metal Men #47. September 1976

“The ‘X’ Effect”

Cover: Walt Simonson; Editor: Gerry Conway

Writer: Gerry Conway; Penciler/Inker: Walt Simonson

Colorist: Carl Gafford; Letterer: Gaspar Saladino

Assistant Editors: Paul Levitz and Jack C Harris

Robert Kanigher is given a creator credit.

A cadmium robot attacks McMurdo Sound (Antarctica) Army Base but then suddenly disappears! For the next six days the base is attacked by a robot representing a different element:  tungsten, barium and chromium and others.

Searching for the robots, the army finds the Metal Men wandering the polar wilderness, looking for Doc Magnus. The army attacks, thinking the Metal Men to be among the culprits! The army blast the robots’ de-freezing devices on their arms and capture the frozen (or in Mercury’s case, shattered) bodies.

HQ contacts the base and prevents the Metal Men’s destruction. The soldiers thaw out the robots who tell the military why they are in the Antarctic: last issue, Chemo hurled the safe containing Doc’s ten-million-dollar-ransom money into space. Doc’s computer calculated the safe landed somewhere in Antarctica.

As their hovercraft approached McMurdo Sound, the Metal Men and Doc Magnus were shot down and attacked by a giant Liquid Oxygen robot – destroying Tin and kidnapping Magnus! The Metal Men went in pursuit but were captured by the army.

Meanwhile, Doc Magnus confronts his kidnapper – it is Plutonium Man disguised as Doc Magnus! The evil robot explains how he came back to life after his previous battle with the Metal Men – he was able to split himself in two, causing his physical bodies to be below critical mass and reform. One robot retained Plutonium Man’s abilities, the other a drone who could change into any elemental robot. The robot harassed the army base, ensuring the soldiers would blame and attack the Metal Men when they were found!

Because of its rising radiation due to his hatred of Magnus, Plutonium Man unintentionally destroys the cash in the safe!  The Metal Men and the army burst into PM’s hideout and attack! PM turns his drone into Liquid Helium who immediately freezes the soldiers and destroys Platinum. Plutonium Man destroys Lead, as Doc realizes that PM is headed for a chain reaction.

Lead covers the drone and melts it into slag – destroying it in much the same way Platinum destroyed PM back in issue 45. Gold flings Plutonium Man into a glacial fissure that seals itself shut due to PM’s excessive heat. It causes a massive earthquake, crushing the evil robot.

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The letter column contains the mini-soapbox found in all of Conway’s Corner comics in summer/fall of 1976 asking for ideas and suggestions (how I longed for a team-up between Kobra and Kamandi!).

The letters on the Metal Men revival were very positive!

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Hmm, was this a fill-in issue? It filled some of the holes left from the story arc from its final first-run issues. The only thing left was Magnus’ money.

I love the work of Gerry Conway. I do. In this storyline of the Metal Men conflict and eventual rapprochement with the army was excellent; but the Plutonium Man portion was … not. The science was silly and baseless. Oh, I know these are comic books and not a JPL thesis, but Gerry is better than this. PM’s return and his ability to control his drone isn’t even Star Trek-ish mumbo jumbo. Gerry doesn’t just make up science and hope we don’t giggle or roll our eyes.

I love the work of Walt Simonson. I do. Both he and Gerry Conway would be on the first inductees in any Comic Book Hall of Fame – on the first ballot (well, maybe behind Kirby and Kubert, but I think even THEY would agree with that…). But the art here was rough – even for Simonson’s gritty style.  Was this a rushed fill-in issue? Should I ever meet either artist, I … well, I wouldn’t waste my time discussing THIS issue, I would be gushing about the exemplary work they have done elsewhere…

Even Babe Ruth struck out a few times…

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About the author: Michael Curry is the author of the Brave & Bold: From Silent Knight to Dark Knight, The Day John F Kennedy Met the Beatles and the award-winning Abby’s Road, the Long and Winding Road to Adoption and How Facebook, Aquaman and Theodore Roosevelt Helped.  Check his website for more releases! Thanks for reading!