Review: Metal Men #11
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Dan Didio
Artist: Shane Davis
Colorist: Jason Wright
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Reviewer: Tony Farina
Summary
The Metal Men are together again, as Nth Metal Man, Gold, and Tina are reunited with Magnus and the rest of the team…but now they’ve got a one-way ticket to the Dark Multiverse—so how will they get out? And to make matters worse, they run into their own worst enemies, and Nth Metal Man’s old friends—Dark Multiverse versions of themselves! Plus, a surprise guest star will appear to help, in this most unlikely of places!
Positives
Metal Men #11 is certainly beautiful. Shane Davis is such a great artist and Jason Wright is an all star colorist. He is just showing off in this issue. While the story runs off the rails, it is a spectacular looking train wreck. Just take a look below. Even out of context, every page in this is worth seeing.
Sure, it feels like DC hijacked DiDio’s final gift, but there is still some of that original story in here. The Metal Men themselves grappling with what it means to be sentient. Does that mean the same thing as being human? That is really the question at the root of this book and these characters. The metal animals really help bring that aspect into sharp focus.
Negatives
Metal Men #11 just makes little sense unless you’ve read a lot of other books. This is a 12 issue series. I may be getting cranky in my old age, but I though a stand alone series could, you know, stand alone. Cramming the whole Death Metal and Dark Universes all into this book just reeks of cashing in. I have not been following those because I don’t think I should have to read every book that comes out to know what is happening in this book. I certainly don’t expect regular readers of Strange Adventures need to read the Metal Men series to know what is going on.
Verdict
Metal Men #11 totally jumped the shark. When I was on issue five I thought that I was upset that this wasn’t going to be a full, on-going series. Now, it seems to have gone a few issues too long. I could be totally wrong that this was the plan all along, but I just don’t see how. Next month, when this finally ends, we shall see.
