The Metal Men are heroic robots with Responsometers infused into their metallic bodies. Their powers as superheroes go right along with the type of metal they are: the iron guy is strong, the gold guy can stretch and is a leader, the robot made of lead can absorb and block different types of radiation, and the platinum and tin robots can stretch or flatten into fine filaments. They are very campy and very cool all at the same time. Created by Robert Kanigher as a filler story in 1963, they caught on as heroic robots and were given their own comic book series for a time.
What is a robot? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a robot as: "a machine that resembles a living creature in being capable of moving independently (as by walking or rolling on wheels) and performing complex actions (such as grasping and moving objects)." By this definition, I know some human beings who could be called "robots" but the meaning is clear "living machines." That is definitely what Metal Men represent, living machines stuck in a scientific experiment and using it to do good. Each robot has their superpowers as explained by the type of metal. In addition, their individual personalities were mirrored by their metal type dictated by their Responsometer, I suppose that is the 1963 version of a CPU. It is funny looking back at a time before computers, truly hilarious.
The first time the Metal Men appeared is in Showcase #37 this book was created by Robert Kanigher (script) and Ross Andru (pencils). These characters apparently were not immediately integrated into the greater DC Universe until later in the comic series. The comic with a grade (6.5) in Showcase #37 is worth $550 FMV. Furthermore, grade (8.5) has returned a whopper at positive +321.5%. These books are very collectible, especially with CGC grading. In grade (8.0) this book goes for $1150 FMV and further in near mint minus (9.2) the fair market value is $7750 not bad for base metal.
The catalyst for this book is old, very old; back in 2013, Diane Nelson (then head of Warner Bros.' branding for superheroes) mentioned "Metal Men as a possible movie or tv" venture in the future (Source: Hollywood Reporter). Also, a year before that Barry Sonnenfeld was in talks with Warner Bros. to make a live-action film version of the Metal Men. Since then they have appeared in the animated film: Justice League: The New Frontier. Honestly, this particular part of the DC Comics seems to me to be simply too nuanced for a huge effort on their part. Robots have been done to death, almost as much as zombies in Hollywood. I could see them as part of a tv series though not as headliners but as other superheroes; maybe on Titans? Bottom line, do we really need or even want another robot movie?
The Metal Men appeared four times in Showcase until they got their own comic book with Metal Men #1. This is their fifth appearance and was created by Bob Kanigher and Ross Andru the original creators of the Showcase series on Metal Men. The grades (9.6) and (8.5) have a price on average of $5250 and $475 fair market value in those grades.
The Terminator is long gone but these robots are still kicking up profit margins. The grade (9.6) has received a very healthy positive +97.5% return on investment. Further, a grade of (8.5) has returned a modest positive +10.2%. Obviously, these old school robots still compute percentage gains but have had mixed results over the last three years; try to stick to investing in grade (8.0) or above. It might be a long time before we see these particular robots on the big screen but remember metal lasts forever, perhaps the Metal Men will too.
