Who's Who in the Superman Comics
The Clan MacHinery or Rude Mechanicals
Early in Superman's career, while Jimmy Olsen was still a copy boy, a group of villains called The Clan MacHinery came to town. They were originally Scottish Engineers who got drunk one night and then uploaded their consciousness into robot bodies. It was first intended to be a prank but then they became trapped in the bodies, and since their consciousness was uploaded while drunk, they would be forever loaded. Continually trying to reprogram machinery to rise up against the rest of the world, they attacked Metropolis and when Superman arrived, they distracted him and then escaped.
In the current attempt at continuity the Clan are important because, when they escaped, Jimmy Olsen jumped in their flying vehicle and left with them in order to investigate. When young Olsen did so, he became trapped in their lighthouse and, while trying to escape, he found some radio materials and was able to create a hypersonic signal that he hoped Superman would hear. Unfortunately, it awakened the drunken robots as well though, but Superman arrived just in time, having heard Jimmy's signal, and saved the day. Superman then suggested that perhaps they could install a smaller version of the hypersonics into something smaller, like a watch.
The Clan's actual bodies are currently being stored in cryo-suspension at S.T.A.R. Labs in the hopes that someday scientists might be able to restore them to normal.
First Appearance: Action Comics #852 (September 2007)
Who's Who in the Superman Comics
Introduction
This is a listing of many of the notable characters and a few places that have appeared in the
Superman comics from the 1986 revamp up until around 2008.
NOTE: A new, and more current version of the Who's Who is currently being worked on and can be accessed by clicking here.
Although Superman often appears in other DC Comics, this text's information is limited mainly to what has occurred in the regular Superman comics.
Many thanks to Scotty V, Derrick Lyle Coleman, Dean Vanek, Genevieve Clemens and Benjamin Grose who all helped out at one time or another with writing and updating these Who's Who descriptions.
The listings are displayed as follows:
- Surname, Firstname - Text describing the character, place, object, etc...
Relevant issues of the Superman comics are listed as such:
- SUP = Superman
- MOS = Man of Steel
- AOS = Adventures of Superman
- ACT = Action Comics
- MOT = Man of Tomorrow
The Issue Number for each of these titles is written in this manner: “#000”. (e.g.
SUP #123)
“First Appearance” refers to the issue since 1986 unless otherwise noted.
