DC’s Metal Men concept has always been bursting with under-utilized potential. DC Co-Publisher Dan Didio has written the property numerous times serving as the writer in projects like “Wednesday Comics.” This time Dr. Will Magnus and his team of robotic, element-based superheroes are back for an entirely new chapter in The DC Universe. The series is based around Nth Metal and the addition of The Dark Multiverse first exposed to readers in “Dark Nights: Metal.” Didio is being joined by artist Shane Davis for the series which sees the creator credited as a storyteller. Davis previously worked on “Superman: Earth One” and other DC Properties. The publisher has also curiously positioned the new “Metal Men” comic book as a 12-issue maxi-series as opposed to a mini-series or shorter-lived ongoing series. Will Didio and Davis find a clear progression to reboot the “Metal Men” for a new era or are the “Metal Men” still behind the times?
Written by Dan Didio and Shane Davis
Penciled by Shane Davis
Inked by Michelle Delecki
Colored by Jason Wright
Lettered by Travis LanhamThe Metal Men are back! And back and back and back again, as we take a deep look into Doc Magnus’ lab as he experiments with what it means to be sentient. Meanwhile, a mysterious liquid Nth metal has appeared in the science site at Challengers Mountain that appears to have come through from the Dark Multiverse…
“Metal Men” #1 is a lonely first issue. Didio chooses to spend a lot of the issue isolating Magnus from his creations and other people. Magnus spends a majority of the screen time ruminating on his past mistakes instead of seeing a path forward. It is interesting to figure out exactly where Magnus went wrong with his crime-fighting team of superheroes. However, some of the simplistic story mechanics in the first issue could have been used to build a stronger sense of mystery to the property. Writer Jonathan Hickman is having a great time disorienting readers in his current take on the “X-Men” franchise with collaborators Pepe Larraz and R.B. Silva. “Metal Men” plays with some of the same ideas of obfuscation and isolation but quickly provides readers with most of the answers.
One Davis-drawn page featuring what looks to be a new creation from Magnus does evoke that interesting sense of wonder. Also, Didio quickly shifts gears at the end of the first issue and promises a much different structure in future issues. Will Magnus comes off as likable in this first chapter but hearing so much about his mistakes and self-pity becomes exhausting by the last few pages. Another interesting choice from Didio and Davis is the lack of humor in the issue. The two creators opt-out of giving Magnus a self-loathing style of humor that could have released some of the tension from prior moments. When Peter Parker is down on his luck creators use humor to bring out unexpected story directions in Spider-Man comics.
Davis draws the Metal Men with a truly ambitious and interesting visual direction. Davis captures really expressive movement from the characters and is able to draw the more precise visual direction of robots with a huge amount of detail. While there can be inconsistencies with the way Davis draws human figures, his style works much better in the context of robots. Davis can use panel layouts that are more conventional but his staging and positioning of the camera for the panels are worth your attention. One visual aspect of the series that doesn’t quite capture the right note from a visual standpoint is the final page. The last panel changes the direction and tone of “Metal Men” but is too small to get the impact Davis and Didio were hoping for.
All the sequences with the Metal Men are interesting from a visual perspective. The way Davis depicts the physicality and powers of the robots is fascinating. The way the elements can contort their bodies adds a layer of intrigue to the ominous aspects of the story. Seeing Davis depict different incarnations of the title characters so differently also shows his ability as an artist. Lots of the scenes in the issue carry a fair amount of tension and brooding that Davis evokes naturally. Davis brings a level of charisma to the issue and competent pencils that can accel in the context of the robots. With the tone of the series already changing I look forward to seeing future issues adapt to the altered tone.
“Metal Men” #1 is brooding, slow and calculated. The debut features a decompressed script with little in the way of surprise. The most interesting aspects of the series are the ties to recent continuity that are divulged in the solicitation material. Didio and Davis still craft a forgettable, back-to-basics approach for the property. The issue is missing a sense of magic or surprise that previous incarnations of the property have brought. The abrupt last page offers an interesting glimpse into the future but also closes out the title with little development in the plot. The early pages evoke a sense of melodrama that borders on parody. However, the promise of different subsequent issues and visual depictions of the “Metal Men” hint that this debut could just be a slow start for the maxi-series.
Final Verdict: 6.3 – “Metal Men” #1 is a decompressed first issue that isn’t able to deliver on the best aspects of the franchise.
