Writer – Jack Kirby
Artist – Jack Kirby
Inker – Mike Royer
Colours – Petra Goldberg
Letters – Mike Royer

Machine Man is on trial for his life in front of a congressional committee. Literally. Because he does not have a lawyer, his trial is halted until he can get one, though he does make a positive impression while there and as he leaves the building to those who await him outside.  On the way home, X-51 and Dr. Spaulding are attacked by a robot named Paratron and unlike Ten-For, he is dealt with quickly and efficiently.  Spending the night at Dr. Spaulding’s house to await the trial Machine Man awakens to find Spaulding kidnapped and a set of instructions on what to do and where to go to get him back.  Unbeknownst to him, it is a trap of sorts as he too is kidnapped causing him to miss his hearing and Colonel Kragg is assigned to bring him in no matter how it happens. Compared to some of the previous books in the series, this was a pretty slow-burning issue with not a lot going on whatsoever, at least when it comes to anything exciting.  There is a wee little bit of action as X-51 and Spaulding are attacked on the road home by some guy who made a robot in his garage, but other than that, everything else is of the verbal kind which does two things.  The first is a little more characterization which is a good thing as readers learn a little more of Colonel Kragg, of the man, what makes him tick and just why it is that he is so concerned about Machine Man.  The second is the furtherance of the main plot that Kirby introduced in the first issue of the title which is X-51’s quest to be more human while also dealing with mankind and all the foibles and emotions that they have. If there is one thing to be said of this book, it is the fact that Kirby can juggle multiple things without losing sight of the objective. The art is beautiful of course; all thanks to Kirby and his prolific pencil but it would have been nice if a little more happened to keep readers not necessarily interested, but at least on the edge of their seats a little.

2.5 out of 5