There’s been at least one more explanation of Spidey’s wall-crawling powers. In one comic, he said that the pores of his fingers (and presumably, his feet) act like tiny powerful suction cups.
Of course, this doesn’t explain how he manages to use this power while wearing gloves or boots.
Static charge, Fenris, static charge. 
I always enjoyed the concept of the Metal Men although I’ve never managed to read too many of their original adventures. (I do have a few issues of the New, Hunted Metal Men, but they’re not very good.)
The group still shows up from time to time. Doc Magnus is now a metal robot just like the rest of them – and yes, rjung, the current retcon is that the Metal Men are actually former humans whose minds and personalities have been implanted into robot bodies.
–Cliffy
Fenris:
Now, now…the doctors will come back with your stack of Weisinger/Swan Supermans soon. Try to stay calm.
The fact is that however you explain Superman’s powers (and seriously, is fictional flight really “redefined” by calling it a form of telekinesis?), the objects he routinely lifts are made of real-world materials which would definitely break in two (or more) if someone tried applying enormous upward force at a point no larger than a cross-section of a human being with outstretched arms. It made a lot of sense to explain that there is some form of subconscious telekinesis at work there. And, once that’s in place, it made for a nice “unified theory” of Superman’s powers.
Now, go back and read your beautiful stories in which Superman saves the world from a death-ray from outer space by stretching his indestructable cape over four very high poles to cover the entire Western Hemisphere.
Chaim Mattis Keller
I always liked Mercury – personality, shmersonality, a liquid metal robot was just incredibly cool. (This was eons before Terminator 2.)
Ya know, DC Comics should really sue the T2 boys.
It is copyright infringement.
**
Actually, I’m just fine and enjoying the discussion. Aren’t you? Am I misreading you?
It sounded like you were pretty worked up about the Byrne stuff.
Chaim Mattis Keller
Fenris:
Let me just say that I could read you rant about John Byrne all day. Never fails to make me smile. The man is extremely clueless and FUBAR’d Superman for years. He deserves your (and everyone else’s) ire.
To get back to the OP. Yes, I remember the Metal Men comics. I enjoyed the Tin story in Bizarro Comics that came out a few years ago. Pick it up. Not a bad read.
Wumpus
A Mercury fan ?? There was actually someone who liked him ?? You should have written to their letter section.
Speaking of which, their letter section was rather clever.
As Colibri mentioned, Mercury was shown as being red and someone wrote in to the letters column about that “error” as well as iron being blue. They answered honestly by saying all of the Metal Men would look exactly the same (color-wise) except for Gold and that would make a boring comic book.
Also, tin turning into a powder (or flakes) is an actual phenomenon of that metal. Tin when lowered to a temperature of about 20° F turns into an allotrope known as the “tin pest” or the “tin plague”. The trouble is that in the comic book, it would show Tin doing this as a result of heating. Still, it was interesting that they’d even mention this fact (and used the word ‘allotrope’ too)
Nope. Sorry if it came across that way, it certainly wasn’t intended to.