With a Nation Against Him!

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MACHINE MAN — Issue no. 7, July 1978

Book: Machine Man

Issue No.: 7

Published: July 25, 1978

Title: “With a Nation Against Him!”

Cover Price: 35¢

Format: Original paper copy

The title of this story is “With a Nation Against Him!” But it seems more like there’s only one guy against him (him being the star of this title, Machine Man), a congressman named Brickman. Brickman is spearheading a show trial to determine whether Machine Man (who is, as his name suggests, a sentient humanoid robot) should be destroyed. He’s a robot superhero — of course he shouldn’t be destroyed. But many people fear Machine Man because they don’t understand him, so Brickman is hoping to make Machine Man a scapegoat.

This plot point is, sadly, still relevant today, as we have politicians in the modern-day United States trying to make scapegoats of immigrants, women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community (to name a few).

In a nice bit of supporting character growth, Colonel Kragg, who has hated and hunted Machine Man in the past, has come to respect the robot. Brickman comes to Kragg fishing for info he can use against Machine Man at trial, but Kragg wants no part of it.

A panel from this issue showing Machine Man kicking (or maybe blasting) another robot into a tree. Machine Man says, “I hope his operator gets the idea and gives up this fool’s game!” Sound effect for the kick is “spong!” Sound effect when the robot hits the tree is “kkrakk!”

An android on trial to prove his humanity is a setup ripe with dramatic possibilities. (It’s the plot of one of the best Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes.) But the trial doesn’t happen, at least not in this issue. First, a weird guy uses a remote-controlled robot to attack Machine Man and his pal/advocate Spalding. Machine Man makes quick work of that robot. Then some mobsters kidnap Spalding and demand Machine Man surrender to them in exchange for Spalding’s life. The mobsters want to build their own Machine Man-like robots, presumably to do crimes for them.

Maybe these mobsters have some genius scientists on their payroll, because I have to assume that creating a sentient robot in 1978, even if you had Machine Man for reference, would be challenging. But maybe we’ll find out more about the mob’s plan next issue.

Next time — I close out my look at Marvel’s July 1978 books with the Defenders!

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