More Magneto + More Metal Men = The Magnetic Men Featuring Magneto

The Magnetic Men Featuring Magneto #1
“Born Again!”
Writer: Tom Peyer
Penciler: Barry Kitson
Inker: Dan Panosian
Colorist: Matt Webb
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Letters: Comicraft/KF & EM
Editor: Mark Bernardo
Cover: Kitson and Panosian
Published by: Marvel
Released: April 2, 1997

Another return from the first Amalgam wave, this one starts with Magneto living up to his principles by disbanding the team he created.

As you might recall, Eric Magnus (Magneto + Will Magnus + maybe a little Metamorpho?) built the Magnetic Men using his villainous brother Will's technology and based them on the slain members of his Brotherhood of Mutants. His goal was to make sure no more mutants died in the fight to save their species, so he led the team of Cobalt (Gold + Mastermind), Nickel (Quicksilver + Mercury), Iron (Iron + Unus the Untouchable), Antimony (Platinum + Scarlet Witch) and Bismuth (Tin + Toad) into battle instead. But wouldn't you know, he started to care about them too.

Sometime between “Magneto and the Magnetic Men #1” and this issue, the robots were destroyed, disabled or outright killed by a villain known as the Impossible Mod (I'm guessing... Impossible Man and Mad Mod, who I did not know existed outside of “Teen Titans Go”). Magneto is being assisted by Mister Mastermind (Mister Mind + Mastermind), to whom he announces the robots will never have to be rebuilt again. Then he revives the 'bots and tells them they're officially retired.

Magneto can't bear the idea of more living beings dying for his cause, and, although the Magnetic Men think they've kept it a secret, their creator realizes they're sentient. Mister Mastermind uses his illusion-casting powers to make them look human and then gives them each an identity to adopt, many of which sound familiar.

Bismuth is the most obvious, as street musician Snapper Jones, a combination of perennial DC and Marvel sidekicks Snapper Carr and Rick Jones. Cobalt is financier Lucius Richmond, who I'm guessing is a mash-up of Batman associate Lucius Fox and Defender Nighthawk, aka Kyle Richmond? Wait, does this mean he took Hawkhawk's place?

Iron is to be John Henry Steele, who seems to be a combo of John Henry Irons, also known as Steel, and … himself?

Nickel becomes fine arts photographer Lance Vale, which could be a reference to Vicki Vale, but that pulls another piece from the sadly unseen Offending Society. And Antimony is supermodel Debbi Walker, who I'm guessing is part Patsy “Hellcat” Walker and somebody from DC?

The Marvel Fandom wiki came through and gave me a checkmark on my guesses for Cobalt and Bismuth. As for the ones I missed, Nickel is a mix of Vicki Vale and Lance Bannon, a rival photographer to Peter Parker. Antimony's alter ego is indeed part Hellcat and part... Debbi Anderson, whose first appearance was in DC's “Date with Debbi” #1 from 1969.

I couldn't find a definitive answer on Iron, so... 2.5 out of 5?

Magneto boots them out and goes to take down his brother solo. The Magnetic Men embark on their new lives in London, only to run afoul of a new group of amalgamated robotic ruffians, who are at least partially recognizable to me. They're the Sinister Society, a combination of, according to Fandom, the Sinister Six and the Secret Society of Super-Villains. We'll go from top to bottom on the cover, with my guesses and Fandom's answers:

Black Vulture – I'm guessing the Vulture and Black Condor? (Bingo.)

Vance Cosmic – Vance “Justice” Astro and Cosmic Boy, neither of whom is villainous or a bruiser? (Yes.)

Deathborg – Deathlok and Cyborg? (Not quite. Cyborg-87, a character I had never heard of until now, probably because he only had one appearance.)

Kultron – Ultron and, um, a guy named Kevin? (Nope, Kobra. The “K” should have been the giveaway.)

Soniklaw – Klaw and Sonar, a villain I hadn't heard of before Chris Armstrong brought him up on an Unspoken Issues episode focusing on Amalgam titles? (Surprisingly, yes.)

The Sinister Society defeat the Magnetic Men rather quickly, causing the magnetometer beacon Magneto carries to go off just as he's attacking his brother's stronghold on Krakoa the Living Dinosuar Island. The bad Magnus and his Sentinel squeeze Jocasta, last seen in JLX #1, decide to vamoose.

We meet the leaders of the Sinister Society: Quasimodox, a combination of Quasimodo and Vril Dox II,* and Chemodam, a mix of Chemo and M.O.D.A.M.** They plan to use the Magnetic Men's magnetometers to transfer their consciousnesses into human bodies, rather than the mechanical monstrosities Magneto's brother left them as. But Magneto busts in, shares an uncomfortable – for this reader anyway – moment with Antimony, then proceeds to lead his team in kicking the Sinister Society's collective keesters.

But when he learns that they are victims of his brother, Magneto spares the Society, then invites them to join the pursuit of his sibling. When they arrive at the island, it's cleared of flora, fauna and everything else. But Magneto still considers the experience a victory, since he recognized that Will wasn't just evil to mutants but also other sentient robots.

It's a little confusing – maybe not as much as my synopsis – but I like the overall idea. Unlike the Marvel-only Magneto, this one is not so blinded by his cause and righteous anger that he can't recognize his own shortcomings. As with many Amalgam issues, there's a lot being put into this single issue, even if it is a follow-up to a title from the original wave. The battles with the Sinister Society were quick, with little opportunity to do anything with those characters. The Magnetic Men trying to adapt to life as humans has potential, which for all I know may have been explored by DC with the Metal Men at some point.

Kitson's art isn't as dynamic as Jeff Matsuda's, but it's clean and classic and gives us some nice visuals with this large, sentient robotic cast.

I'm still weirded out by the mixture of Will Magnus' dynamic with Platinum and Magneto being, as far as we knew at that time, Scarlet Witch's father. Ew.

The letters page in this one is a misfire, with a fictional reader becoming so upset at the news that the previous series was canceled that he's threatening suicide, only to decide life's worth living because this issue is on the way. I'm sure no one intended to make light of actual people feeling suicidal, but the joke doesn't land. Other letters suggesting a series of comics where Amalgam characters are split into two separate heroes or relating how a “League of United Nations” translator averted world war by using dialogue from a previous issue are better efforts. And there is some more world-building as editors reveal Magneto's first appearance was in “Unexpected Suspense” #82 as MagneMorpho.

Best Amalgam: Clearly some of the Sinister Society ingredients flew over my head, but I appreciated that each was based on a famous fictional metal from Marvel or DC: Soniklaw, vibranium; Kultron, adamantium; Vance Cosmic, inertron; Deathborg, promethium; and Black Vulture, Nth metal. No, wait, that says Ninth Metal. Well, I'm sure it was at least partially Nth metal. The point is, they took some obscure amalgams and overlaid them with a solid, Easter eggy theme. I approve, which I'm sure means a great deal to Mr. Peyer.

(Honorable mention to the twice-referenced-but-never-seen Detective Dinosaur, who I'm assuming is a part Detective Chimp, part Devil Dinosaur.)

Most Confusing Amalgam: Mister Mastermind. Actually, he was a contender for Best Amalgam, because he was an unexpected combo with a cool name. This dubious honor could easily go to the Magnetic Men's alter egos, making them double or quadruple amalgams. But Mastermind was also part of the template for Cobalt supposedly. And slotting him here gives me a chance to acknowledge this weird dude, who is also confusing because he somehow seems immune from Magneto's softening heart. Or maybe all those times he called him “worm” were just to make sure we got the reference to Mr. Mind.

* - My guess was Quasimodo and M.O.D.O.K., but that's a combination of two Marvel characters
and we're more than 20 years from Infinity Warps at this point.

** - The lady M.O.D.O.K.