Issue(s): Machine Man #12
Cover Date: Dec 79
Title: "Where walk the gods!"
Credits:
Marv Wolfman - Writer
Steve Ditko - Penciler
Steve Ditko - Inker
Mark Gruenwald - Assistant Editor
Marv Wolfman - Editor

Review/plot:
For the first two issues of Steve Ditko's run on Machine Man, i've been looking at the differences between this version and Jack Kirby's. But this issue is different. This reads like it was based on a leftover Kirby plot.

After thwarting no less than three violent crimes in a row (he must have wandered into Robocop's Detroit)...

...Machine Man gets mad at humanity and discharges a wave of electricity while he is ranting.

The electricity somehow super-evolves some humans into godlike creatures...

..who then set about to judging Machine Man. They ultimately find him worthy when he realizes that he is no better than any other person.

They then all fly off into space and i'd like to imagine that they become 2001 style New Seeds.

Actually, per Michael's comment, these guys will appear again as the Ethicals. A note in the lettercol to issue #16 says:

...assistant editor Mark Gruenwald has already been hard at work, pondering how best to use our five new cosmic busy-bodies. (He's dubbed them "The Ethicals," in case you're interested.)

The supernatural elements let us see a little more of the Dr. Strange Ditko than Machine Man usually allows.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

The evolved humans, later called the Ethicals, show up as prisoners of the Stranger in Quasar 14-15.

There actually was a professional wrestler at the time called Killer Khan. He was mostly known for supposedly breaking Andre the Giant's leg.

Considering all the debate about morality and ethics in this issue, I'd say that Ditko was responsible for much more of the writing than usual here.