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DC Metal Men

• Published: 12 May 2025 • • Last updated: 12 May 2025 • • Written: 12 May 2025 •

I've been vaguely aware of DC's Metal Men for a few years (and by a few, I mean probably 3 at best) now. I'm definitely not the right age to be an OG fan; I was born over 40 years after the release of the first Metal Men cameo, and not a lot of "big" things have been done with the team since their main run fizzled out sometime in the 70s or 80s.

Nevertheless, this team of android heroes has fascinated me more and more since I seriously sat down to do some investigation. I'll admit; if I weren't interested in the history of alchemy and chemistry, or the team were themed around anything but the metals of antiquity (with the exception of platinum, of course), I'm almost certain I'd give them no second thought. Even with the convenient coincidence of my interests and the comics' theme, the nonsensical plots and ridiculous character dynamics (which persist despite the equally-infuriating lack of personality amongst anyone but Tin, Mercury, and Platinum) tries my patience. Really, if it hadn't been been for the person behind Comics Archeology, an avid reader with infinitely more passion for comics than I do, I'm not sure I'd even be making this post. (You can jump straight to the Archeologist's Metal Men retrospective page by clicking HERE).

The Archeologist probably has the most comprehensive documentation of Metal Men comics and specials that doesn't come straight from DC themselves. The retrospective also considerably more accessible than your typical archive, with a bit of flair in every post. I appreciate the complaining and exasperation that comes through in the posts every time somtething that breaks continuity, or is just plain stupid happens (and in the Metal Men verse, that kind of crap happens a lot). So even if you, unlike me, can stomach nonsensical storylines and grating narratives with ease, I still strongly suggest checking out the retrospective.

At one point, I left a comment for the Archeologist suggesting a look at the five shorts that DC released sometime in 2011 that, despite shooting for a more overtly comedic tone, somehow managed to be more cohesive and satisfying than the original comics. AND the other characters got personalities. Wow!

If you're wondering, here are the links:

There's really no defined chronological order to these shorts, save for "Will Magnus Constructs the Metal Men," which makes sense to watch first, but doing so is by no means critical.

Also, the Archeologist said that a review of the shorts as a collective is possible. Any review or acknowledgement is already a big service, so obviously I intend to apply no pressure. But I'm still holding out hope.