Issue(s): Machine Man #14
Cover Date: Apr 80
Title: "The man who could walk through walls"
Credits:
Marv Wolfman - Writer
Steve Ditko - Penciler
Steve Ditko - Inker
Mark Gruenwald - Assistant Editor
Marv Wolfman - Editor

Review/plot:
The most frequent complaint in the lettercols about this series are about the depiction of Senator Miles Brickman, with people begging Ditko and Wolfman to tone it down (the second most common request is from people respectfully suggesting that Marvel find someone else to ink Ditko's art). I'm not sure if by this issue they were reacting to that criticism. I guess technically this is a less over the top Brickman.

One of Brickman's aides has a scientist for a brother, and he's working on an experiment that involves siphoning excess mass from other dimensions and saturating a human being with it. That may sound like an insane thing to want to do, but what's interesting is that the theory behind this is soon used in the Handbook explanation for how Henry Pym grows and shrinks without violating the law of conservation of mass. Surely that's assistant editor Mark Gruenwald's hand there.

The experiment has the aide's brother's poor volunteer become super-strong but also completely open to command...

...and the two Senator's aids decide to dress him up in a Machine Man costume and have him commit crimes. And then they decide that they like the money their super-dense Machine Man doppelganger is bringing in so much that they might as well just go into crime and not worry about helping Brickman.

What's hilarious about this is the scientist brother (who seems to be fine above) is later said to be in a coma while all this is going on and the aide is only concerned that he might wake up and tell the police. Nice guy.

It's Dr. Oliver Broadhurst who restores the guy at the end.

In the meantime, Machine Man sensibly surrenders to the police to prove that he isn't responsible for the crimes he's accused of.

And when it's confirmed (the dummies continue to use their fake Machine Man even after they know the original is in jail), he's released and is able to take down the fake.

Senator Brickman continues to demagogue Machine Man throughout it all.

I'm not sure who this guy that wants to stop Brickman is. Maybe he tries to stop Brickman by writing in to Machine Man's lettercol. It doesn't seem to work, friend.

In other news, Maggie Jones is just insane.

Last issue's Kublai Khan story was just boring, but with this one we're in "so bad it's good" territory.

Quality Rating: D+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

D +. I admit, when you generously describe what's good about it, I can grok the +. But man did I miss, until tonight, how hilariously bad this is in so many ways. Lol Kudos for not nitpicking- not only is this issue an argument against writer/editor arrangements, but on reflection Marv is pretty clearly on his way out the door. "An impostor! The person who's been dressing up like me." The doubled dialogue balloon. The random bit where the reporter snaps a pic of Machine Man at Peter's cell window that goes nowhere. MM weighing two thousand pounds and his inability to get leverage- you remember your old pal leverage!- despite those extendable limbs. And so much more.
"The Man Who Could Walk Through Bad Comics!"
But hey, you inspired me to resurrect my blogs. I now know how much work can go into a carefully created comic, but you've given me inspiration for writing humorously about hastily-crafted ones too.