Action Comics #590

When I started this site I thought DC only had the Brave and the Bold and DC Comics Presents as their team-up books where the star was one hero who teamed-up with a different hero each issue.
I forgot that in 1987 Action Comics had been turned into a team-up book for Superman from issues 584 to 599. I guess this was to make up to Superman fans for ending publishing DC Comics Presents with issue #97. Why was the team up version of Action Comics ended even sooner? I can't be certain but I bet it had to do with a new format change. The team-ups ended with issue #599 and after the #600th anniversary issue the book went weekly for about a year.
Anyway I was going through the back issues of some books at my local shop,Comicbook World, and I ran across these issues of Action Comics. Being reminded of this brief part of the books history I eagerly bought this issue. Mainly because I have been craving a Metal Men story for awhile now and I could not pass up this opportunity. So from now overviews and/or reviews of these issues will be included on this site.
The story is called Better Dying Through Chemistry. It is written by John Byrne with art by Mr. Byrne and Dick Giordano. It starts with Clark Kent and Lois Lane interviewing the owner of a chemical plant. They are standing on a walkway over a huge vat of chemicals. He is telling them that they got the chemicals from places where there where industrial accidents and chemical spills.
Suddenly the rail that Clark is leaning on gives way and Clark falls into the chemicals. It happened so fast that he didn't have time to think of a way to save himself without revealing he is Superman. As Clark is taken to a room to wash off the chemicals he feels a tingling sensation. He checked out the chemicals in the vat with his microsopic vision and it didn't show anything that could harm him. He wonders what it could have that he didn't see that is making him tingle.
Here is where the story connects with the Crisis on Infinite Earths mini-series. It seems that on one of the many other Earths Chemo battle the Doom Patrol. He was destroyed by Negative Woman and his chemicals streamed into the ocean. When all of the Earths merged together Chemo was found and assumed to have been part of a chemical spill. He was gathered up and placed inside the vat. There he would have stayed except for Clark's accidental dive into the vat. Now dead skin cells came off of Clark and formed with the chemicals. It imitated his alien skin structure.
Two days later we meet up with Doc Magnus and his Metal Men in a lab not far from Metropolis. Doc seems to be acting very strange. He is rude to Platinum and she storms off. Tin explains to the others in the group that Doc was in sub-level nine. Gold wonders why Doc acts so differently when he works in that level. Suddenly the wall cave in and they see that Chemo, in the shape of Superman, is back and he has Platinum as a hostage.
This was puzzling to me. Two days ago Chemo was starting his transformation. Suddenly he shows up outside of Metal Men's lab and he kidnaps Platinum. There should have been a part of the story that showed how the chemicals in the vat made the vat take the shape of Superman. As Chemo burst forth the Army was alerted and they arrived but even their fire power wasn't enough to stop him. Maybe it would have happened differently but this is an important part of the story that is missing.
Anyway, the Metal Men try to rescue Platinum but Chemo has the powers of Superman and defeats them. He flies off but Superman sees him and tries his own rescue attempt. Meanwhile the Metal Men have joined together and formed into a plane and followed Chemo. When he drops Platinum when Superman attacks him they are there to catch her. Chemo swoops down to go after her but the Metal Men already have her. The now all join together and form a giant robot. Together they can hold their own against Chemo but aren't getting anywhere. Chemo sprays the giant Metal Men robot with a chemical that keeps them from changing shape.
Meanwhile, Superman has inspected Chemo from above with his microscopic vision to find out that Chemo has become a chemical kryptonian. Down on the ground the Mercury doesn't like being told that he can't change his shape. He finds a way out of their chemical encasement. However, since he was the left leg of their giant robot he accidentally sabotaged the others.
Superman has also figured out Chemo's weakness. Since he gets his powers from the sun they have to keep the radiation from the Sun from getting to him. Tin follows what Mercury did and forms a skin tight shield over Chemo. It works but Chemo is able to burst Tin into small pieces and free himself. Seeing where Tin went wrong the other Metal Men join to form a huge dome over Chemo.
His cell structure doesn't store the suns rays so without direct access to the sun he looses his Superman like powers. Superman uses his heat vision to heat up the chemicals. The Metal Men create a hole and as the chemicals become steam Superman forces it out through the hole and ,with his superbreath, out into space where it will crystallize and float away. Then Superman destroys the outer shell of what was Chemo. Afterwards the Metal Men tell Superman not to be sad for Tin's sacrifice as they can gather up his pieces and the Doc can put him back together. However, Doc refuses and storms out. We are told to stay tuned for further developments in the Metal Men story.
It was later explained in a mini-series that the reason for Doc Magnus' behavior is that he put the parts of people he knew into the Metal Men so he could keep them alive. He was feeling bad about this so that is why he refused to put Tin back together again. The responsometers they had before have never existed in this storyline. This plot didn't sit well with their fans and it was explained away. So now the responsometers are back.
In doing a bit of background research on this story I read that the Metal Men may be getting their own movie. It would be like the Men in Black series in its tone. Hopefully it will be a huge hit so you will see more of the Metal Men in cartoons and comic books.