Issue(s): Machine Man #7, Machine Man #8, Machine Man #9
Cover Date: Oct-Dec 78
Title: "With a nation against him!" / "Super-escape" / "In final battle!"
Credits:
Jack Kirby - Writer
Jack Kirby - Penciler
Michael W. Royer - Inker

Review/plot:
Machine Man is brought before a Congressional Committee to determine if the order to decommission him should continue.

He does well at the preliminary hearing and is remanded to psychiatrist Peter Spaulding's custody. He also does well at the post-hearing press conference (stopping a pick-pocket in the crowd), and things are looking good for him.

On their way home, they run into a guy with a remote controlled robot looking for fame.

Machine Man incinerates the robot.

The next day, however, Machine Man wakes up to learn that Spaulding has been kidnapped. The kidnappers really want him, so he follows the instructions in the ransom note and submits himself to the kidnappers, which makes him miss the next day's Congressional hearing. The kidnappers are part of The Corporation.

Machine Man manages to get free and goes on a rampage in the Corporation's underground base. But the bigwigs leave, setting off a nuclear blast to cover their tracks and take out Machine Man.

However, he survives by creating his own silo to hide in.

Throughout all this, Colonel Kragg has been becoming convinced that Machine Man really isn't such a bad guy, so when Machine Man returns to the army base, Kragg is happy to see him.

But the Corporation isn't ready to give up, so they send another man, Konik, after him.

Konik, however, fails in his attempt.

These issues aren't as visually interesting as the previous Machine Man arc, but it is interesting to see the development of The Corporation. I like the "we'll keep spending until he's ours" approach.

Truthfully, there isn't a lot here, and it's up to later writers to tie together the Corporation introduced here with "Kligger" from Kirby's Cap run and make a real story out of it.

Kirby will leave this series (and Marvel) after these issues, and the story will get picked up in Hulk. The Machine Man series is actually cancelled and then revived almost a year later with Steve Ditko.

Curtiss Jackson, the Corporation bigwig in this story, later becomes the Power Broker.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - first Curtiss Jackson

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

The pick-up game of baseball with the soldiers is slightly tasks are comedic fun, and exactly what I think Jack meant to distinguish this title with: sci-fi-informed human interaction!
That's also the quality lost in the revival. The secret identity never grabbed me like weird electro-eyes Aaron snarkily meeting regular folk-even if they are uniformly too impressed with his wondrousness IMO.
You're right that this arc's not as visually captivating, though, as the initial one.
I almost never have a contribution for chronological placement. Sorry!

Slightly awkward comedic fun, that should've read.
Darn you, Auto Incorrect!

“My skin may be harder than yours congressman” Due to the fact that politicians spew so many lies and are focused on club agenda as opposed to serving an office causes this syndrome.