METAL MEN 32 (1968)
by Otto Binder & Mike Sekowsky
This is the last Otto Binder story and the debut of Mike Sekowsky; he’ll remain as artist for a while, before becoming both writer and artist for a rather controversial run.
And it’s also the last appearance of Nameless until 1982. (!!!!)
She completely disappears after this story, without ANY explanation given.
The rest of the Metal Men are so jealous of the relationship between Tin and Nameless that they ask Doc Magnus to build them some sexbots Bride Of Frankenstein Metal Girls.
What finally convinces Doc is the possibility of Tina falling in love with a robot and get off his back.
Okay, that’s actually pretty funny.
And so we have the Metal Women!
Also there seems to have been a shortage of parts the last time Doc rebuilt Lead, because he’s significantly shorter than usual.
And obviously Platinum Man is just about as romantic as you would expect. Don’t tell me you didn’t see this twist come from a mile away.
When SUDDEN ALIENS!!! I’ll bet you anything it’s robots again.
Oh hello 1960s sexism, I see you didn’t want the decade to end before saying hi again.
Any chance we can get Mercury Girl to replace her counterpart? Just saying.
Unsurprisingly, considering who programmed them, the Metal Men are equally sexist.
By now you’ve already figured out the gimmick: the Metal Women have the same gimmicky personality of the male counterparts, just slightly exaggerated.
“How dumb can you be?” should be the tagline of the entire series.
Even Nameless has had enough of the Metal Men!!!
I’m still counting this as “alien robots”…
…because the tank was sent by ALIEN ROBOT AMAZONS.
And now, ladies and gentlemen… you’re expecting me to say this is the moment the story goes bonkers, right?
Well… no, the story was already insane. But now it goes fully sexist.
Yes.
NOW.
Yep. “The alien robot amazons send sexy robot Gadget Girl to seduce the Metal Men” is now part of the plot.
But the Metal Men are too much of a gentleman to hit women, even if they are robots.
Including Platinum Man, whose whole deal is that he’s an emotionless robot.
It bears repeating:
The letters page has been repeating over and over again that it’s nearly impossible for Mercury to be frozen solid but it just. Keeps. Happening!!!
What was the point of sending the tank AND the sexy robot if the invaders all have superpowers!?!?
Continuing the theme of “every new version is VASTLY superior to the originals”, the Metal Women save the day!!!
Except Tina, because she’s the only one of the original batch who actually GETS TO DO SOMETHING USEFUL.
Even Nameless is more effective! NAMELESS!!!
The only new robot who is having trouble is Platinum Man, who is stuck in the ground thanks to the gravity beam. It takes ALL the Metal Women to try saving him…
…and failing, resulting in the death of ALL the new gender-bent models.
Tina and Nameless are the only girls surviving.
And so we end with Tina resigned to live the rest of her immortal life in anguish…
…and Mercury hiding his sexbot in the closet.
What can I say about an ending like that?
Metal Men significance: 8/10
Yes, believe it or not this is actually VERY important! We’ll have to wait for 1982 to find out why, in one of the very last pre-Crisis Metal Men stories. 
Silver Age-ness: 20/10
Double the robots, double the insanity. 
Does it stand the test of time? 0/10
Number of elements: 47
Adding the five gender-bent versions.
Planet of evil robots: 15
Issues when not a single Metal Man dies: 13
Interesting letters: readers did NOT like the direction of the book. This will lead to Kanigher to return to the book for a whole 4 new issues, before the status quo is radically changed.
