Metal Men #6: A Fortune in Lies

Of all the Metal Men to turncoat on Doc Magnus, Tina is the one you’d expect to stay by his side. Not only that but aside from the creepy factor of a robot woman being madly in love with her creator, Tina is arguably the most wholesome of the Metal Men. So when Shane Davis and Dan Didio shake that up it can only have one of 2 outcomes, either A. tragic story that deepens the character or B. A ham-fisted retcon that does disservice to the character. Many internet forums will be ablaze debating which way this lands but as for my 2 cents definitely the former over the latter. The dialogue falls a bit closer to choice B as it’s not handled very smoothly at times, with Christina Novak being exceedingly gutsy to pop off at the mouth like she does to a superpowered robot going through a traumatic event but even with that I think this issue is handled very well.

Even just a look at the main cover sets up a heartbreaking tale to come for shiny ole Tina, all this time she’s wanted nothing more than to be Magnus’s ride or die chick but soon that world comes crashing down around her. There’s not much about this you don’t particularly see coming if we’re being frank but despite that, we still find ourselves rooting for Tina and hoping somehow even with all the deceit being unveiled page after page.

The story is contrasted with some deceptively vivid and gorgeous art despite the grim nature of what we’re seeing Tina go through. Plus when the new subplot of none other than Metal Men archnemesis Chemo is revealed to be “alive” and well causing a Chernobyl like incident in it’s escape, the timing is perfect to illustrate an parallel to Magnus losing control of the Metal Men and their whole world spiraling out of control. Not to mention Chemo’s escape shows how simple yet effective just a couple add ins of good lettering can turn a somewhat vanilla scene into something that’s equal parts hilarious as it is unsettling.

More importantly the issue ends with a reveal we’ve been waiting for but I think I’ve dropped enough spoilers for one review. You’ll just have to see that part for yourself!