Iron was my favorite Metal Man when I was a kid, mainly because I thought he looked really cool. A close second was Mercury, though. I liked his appearance as well - he was pretty distinct facially. I also got a kick out of his hot temper and snotty attitude, which hid a fierce loyalty to his team.
The Metal Men were awesome fun.
ReplyDeleteI like this cover; good job and nice pairing.
The Metal Men would make a great splash, I think, in live action. They could be the DCEU's answer to the Guardians of the Galaxy: a group with which most of the public is unfamiliar, but has a dynamic that resonates with audiences, along with VFX to grab people's attention and create a strong first impression. (The VFX budget would be too high, I suspect, for a TV series, even in the Titanverse.)
ReplyDeleteAnd of course it would make sense that Mercury's personality would be mercurial; I think that was deliberate, in the same way that Tin is timid and Platinum is glamorous (though of course in Mercury's case there's a pun involved). Using the properties of the individual metals as the basis for the characters' personalities was a clever idea that, I think, made the group the success it was.
And, you know, I'm a little surprised that you've never pitted the Metal Men against Magneto. He certainly would present a special challenge for them!
The Metal Men would give Magneto more of a run for his money than you might expect: although iron is magnetic, gold, lead, tin and platinum are not, while mercury is only very weakly magnetic. So to a large extent the team wouldn't be disabled by his powers.
ReplyDeleteMake it a Block Buster Night! Please Be Kind and Rewind.
ReplyDeleteJim Aparo cover, and a Metal Men team-up, with Blockbuster as the villain.
ReplyDeleteThis MUST have been a The Brave and the Bold cover, with Batman in place of Moon Knight.
I started reading DC Comics in 1974. Aparo formed my idea of what Batman looks like, just as Curt Swan formed my idea of what Superman looks like, and Dick Dillin for the JLA as a team. ^_^
Wasn't this originally a Batman/Plastic Man team-up in Silver Age B&B? With the Java look-alike turning out to be some kind of android?
ReplyDelete@Dr. OTR: Magneto has shown some ability to affect non-ferrous metals, rather like an electromagnet more than a regular magnet.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous: that's what makes him a far worthier foe of the Metal Men. They were always the most fun taking on other robots (far less obedient-to-the-Three Laws).
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