Automan

AUTOMAN

Real Name: Robot #32198

Class: Robot

Occupation: Robot

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: Ilda (wife)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Robot Tech University, 21st century

First Appearance: Tales of the Unexpected #91 (October-November, 1965)

Powers: Automan had a degree of invulnerability, superhuman strength, could shoot laser beams from his eyes and was an excellent combatant. His body was equipped with a film recorder, a radar-scanner and a parachute.

History: Automan was built by Professor Miller Sterling and was the first graduate of Robot Tech. After graduating he took a number of odd jobs for Miller.

(DC Comics Presents #33) - <2092> Automan was handed down to Miller Sterling’s great-great granddaughter Stella Sterling as her bodyguard. Alien Corvans attacked them twice, but Automan repelled them, and they assumed they wanted to kidnap Stella. They hired P.I. Star Hawkins and his robot assistant Ilda to investigate, and Ilda was instantly infatuated with Automan. Corvans attacked the company, but were fought off. Star took Sterling to his safe house, while Automan and Ilda investigated the Corvus Loga Import Co. of New City. Ilda wanted to impress Automan, but her bungling let the criminal Corvans they found escape, and she worried that she’d blown it with him. The Corvans attacked Star and Sterling, but Automan and Ilda came to their rescue, and the villains were handed over to the N.S.C. The Corvans weren’t actually after Sterling, they wanted Automan, who was composed of manganese;, rare in the 21^st century, to construct a doomsday weapon. Head, leader of the Corvans was galactic enemy number one, and his capture netted Star a 250,000,000 credit reward. For their heroism Ilda and Automan won special dispensation, and the right to independent lives. Star and Sterling opened up the Hawkins-Sterling Academy of Robot-Detection, with classes taught by Automan and Ilda, who’d life-paired.

(Enginehead #2 (fb)) - Automan, going under the alias Otto, told his creator he missed female companionship, but his creator refused to entertaining the idea of making him an anatomically correct male being.

(Enginehead #1) - The Mechanic's life fell apart, and he realized he was not alone, that the whole world was crumbling. With his cyborg assistant Grease Monkey he recruited Brainstorm, Doctor Cyber, Rosie of the Demolition Team, Prof. Hamilton, and Automan, who'd traveled from the future to the present day, telling them they could change the world if they let him use the unie spark they each possessed to create the gestalt robot Enginehead. Automan demanded to be made the primary mind of the gestalt entity. He planned on recruiting Tin of the Metal Men, who was impressed with what he was offering, but admitted he was too scared to participate. Grease Monkey chose Jackhammer as a substitute, saving him from a suicide attempo before locking him into the sixth cylinder of the machine that would create Enginehead. The Mechanic activated the machine, creating Enginehead from his recruits' sacrifice, and Grease Monkey praised him as a great man.

Comments: Created by Bob Haney & Lee Elias.

Automan received a profile in Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #2.