The Metal Master exists and will destroy the world! To stop him, the Man of Bronze and his daring friends launch a search for the source of his amazing power — and find themselves trapped on a sandy deserted island with the Metal Master himself!
Hidalgo Trading Co – Chuck Welch – Flearun
I’ve always felt there was an undiscovered ghostwriter lurking beneath this one, because the ending just doesn’t fit in with Dent and there are a number of style schisms. I suspect Dent heavily rewrote it, especially the character dialog. That aside I like this tale and especially Punning Parker, which is definitely Dent.
This is an old fave of mine – in the 1970s when I was still a kid it was the first DS novel I ever read.
The Metal Master started with an intriguing mystery and some great characters, but almost too many as it became cumbersome to try and keep all the double crossing straight! Punning’s identity was apparent from early on, but he was still a fun touch and worked well in the story – I liked Doc investigating drug running, very modern! The Metal Master device was interesting, and it’s unknown qualities kept it a dangerous mystery throughout the book… But ultimately the whole thing seemed reminiscent of the Red Snow. Overall, a very serviceable Doc story, but doesn’t quite reach “classic” status.