Metal Men #33 (of 56)
Recipe To Kill a Robot
September 1st, 1968
The Metal Men are on the run from the law. Finally cornered, Lead molds himself into a giant barrier, sacrificing himself so the rest of the team can escape. The police officers open fire on Lead. Using grappling hooks, the police officers begin to scale Lead, never ceasing their attack upon him. Platinum doubles back and nets the police officers, dragging them off Lead, and bringing them back to the ground. Suddenly, an enormous fly appears, and begins to attack the police. As it crushes police cruisers, and entangles officers in it's sticky emissions, the creature identifies itself as "Fferka".
Platinum spreads herself into wire to bind Fferka's limbs, giving Lead the opportunity to pound the creature to death. Upon Fferka's death, it's giant corpse bursts open, releasing a swarm of flies, which all begin growing to enormous size. Lead and Platinum retreat in the face of the insect horde. Regrouping with the other Metal Men, they do their best to stay out of sight and avoid the police patrols. The team is pulled off the street by Colonel David Magnus, the brother of the Metal Men's creator, Doctor William Magnus. Colonel Magnus ferries the team to the United States Army Special Services building.
En Route, they are attacked by a giant fly. The creature reveals that it has traveled to Earth from the doomed planet Ffeexa. Their world's food supply has been exhausted, and thus, they have sent out scouts to raid other worlds for their resources. Colonel Magnus is able to outmaneuver the Ffeexan, and arrive safely at their destination. There, the Metal Men race to their inventor, Doctor Magnus, still comatose from a recent laboratory accident. Colonel Magnus deactivates the Metal Men, with a device given to him by his brother. The Colonel's mind returns to the events that lead them to this dilemma.
His brother had just finished upgrading the power of the Metal Men, when a loose connection in his laboratory equipment electrocuted him. Colonel Magnus was left in charge of the Metal Men. The team were sent out to aid local firefighters in containing a tenement blaze. The Metal Men, however, had not yet adjusted to their power upgrade, and ended up making the situation worse. An attempt to aid the police in stopping some fleeing criminals ended just as badly. The Metal Men were regarded as renegades, and soon found themselves fleeing from the law.
Colonel Magnus reactivates the Metal Men, to deal with the threat from the Ffeexan invaders. In thwarting the invasion, the Metal Men hope to restore their good name. Iron, Lead, Tin and Mercury are immediately entangled in the Ffeexan's sticky emissions. Grabbing a downed power line, Platinum and Gold use the conductive quality of their bodies to channel lethal amounts of electricity into the Ffeexans. Though the aliens are all slain, and the city saved, the police still surround the Metal Men, and level their weapons on them. Back at headquarters, Colonel Magnus grows concerned when he doesn't hear back from the Metal Men.