Review: Metal Men #12 (Final Issue)
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer:Â Dan Didio
Artist:Â Shane Davis
Colorist:Â Jason Wright
Letterer:Â Travis Lanham
Reviewer:Â Tony Farina
Summary
It’s the final issue in this epic adventure with Doc Magnus and the Metal Men! Is there more for the Metal Men out there in the world that can give them purpose? And what’s the fate of Nth Metal Man, belonging neither on his world nor ours? Everything will be answered, including some unanswered questions Tina has for Magnus!
Positives
Metal Men #12 once again features magic artwork by Shane Davis and colors by Jason Wright. I think Wright is setting himself up for a colorist Eisner nomination for his work in this book. Even when the story took some left turns (more on that in the next section) Wright and Davis locked the art down. It is just glorious. The attention to detail is stunning. Just look:
NegativesÂ
Metal Men #12 fittingly has a few Deus Ex Machinas in it. That term means God out of the Machine, so a story about a man playing God with machines should be filled them. However, good stories should not have them. The whole series, since issue 7, has been unraveling and this was really the final, Nth metal nail in the Nth Metal, dark universe, the dog can save us all because he has always been the thing designed to save us all coffin. Sorry for the run-on it was intentional. People keep popping in and out of this book who have no business being here and it all serves some greater purpose in the DC Universe. It seems pretty outlandish and reeks of corporate overreach. Yikes, I guess I really am bugged.
Verdict
Metal Men #12 was simply a tale of two stories. The first six issues were about what it means to be human and what it means to love. Magnus and Tina were the stars, the rest of the team had a lot to do. This was a great book. Then, DiDio left, thing at DC took a turn and so did this book. Maybe, it was always supposed to end like this and I am just upset because this was not the book I thought it would be. We may never know. For now, I would say reading DiDio’s final work at DC is worth your time, but just take it all with a grain of salt. I do love the final page. That is what I was hoping for the whole time.
