Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!
Publisher: Amalgam Comics
Cover Date: April 1996
Cover Price: $1.95
Writer: Gerard Jones
Artist: Jeff Matsuda
When the DC and Marvel Universes merged in Marvel vs DC, a new one was created: the Amalgam Universe. This one-shot combined Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants with the Metal Men.
Erik Magnus and his brother Will Magnus have differing idealogies when it comes to mixing mutants with humans. Armed with magnetic mutants powers and operating under the name Magneto, Eric began to gather a team of mutants together. His brother, Will, took a different approach, creating Sentinels that would hunt down and exterminate all of mutantkind.
Will’s first batch of Sentinels slaughtered Magneto’s original Brotherhood of Mutants. Later, Magneto took some of his brother’s robots and enhanced them with his mutant powers to create the Magnetic Men! Now the war continues between the Magnetic Men (Antimony, Bismuth, Cobalt, Iron and Nickel) and Will’s most powerful Sentinel, Sinistron! And, the fate of thousands of mutants on the island nation of Genosha hangs in the balance.
X-Men fans have seen this battle hundreds of times before. Someone thinks mutants should mix with humans. Someone else thinks they shouldn’t. BAM! Instead battle! But, it’s always fun to see Magneto on the side of good (this was one of the appeals of the Age of Apocalypse). That story slant mixed with the fun of the Metal Men and Jeff Matsuda’s great, dynamic artwork made this an enjoyable read. I wouldn’t mind some more adventures of these magnetic men and their creator.
On Ebay: Amalgam | Gerard Jones | Jeff Matsuda | Magneto | Metal Men
On AtomicAvenue: Amalgam Comics