Plastic Man will not die. The pliable hero who has survived the passing of his creator, the demise of his original comic book company and the cancellation of all of his self-titled series to date. Plastic Man was one of the originals, created by Jack Cole for Quality Comics, there was little chance that this superhero was going to be considered a Superman knock-off.
His ability to transform his ductile body into anything and his beginnings a criminal all gave Plas a distinction found in no other series.
A cavalcade of dandy artists have tried to evoke that Cole magic over the decades in the many attempts to restart Plastic Man's career, among them Gil Kane, Ramona Fradon and a personal favorite of mine Joe Staton. Plas is a hero who is fun, but to be successful cannot be treated like a joke.
Now I have to confess that I first encountered Plastic Man in a vintage issue of The Brave and the Bold and to be honest I didn't fully understand the character. I was confuse and thought he was made of plastic, and didn't realize until later that the work "plastic" meant pliable in shape and that the character nearly pre-dates the widespread use of the stuff which has in many ways defined the modern world. I bet I'm not the only one to make that error.
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I've got the first (80 Page Giant) and third (Plastic Man #1) issues you show here. In fact, that first comic reprints the third one. I think my first exposure to the character (aside from seeing an ad for #1 in the '60s) was the '70s DC Special #15, which I re-acquired a few years back. In fact, the reason I bought the 80 pg Giant in 2003/'04 was because it reminded me of the Special.
ReplyDeleteI really like those faux specials DC did for a time, evoking those old comics filled with wonder. I found them irresistible.
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Plastic Man also appeared in Brave and the Bold # 95, and that time he was presented in a serious vein.
DeleteBut what's your opinion on the mid-term results? Should we Europeans hope that Trump is doomed in 2020?
ReplyDeleteAlas while things are better with some controls in other hands, the election pointed to a deep-rooted acceptance of rank racism within the country which saddens me. More when I've processed my thoughts a bit. I would like to think Trump was doomed in two years, but I hold my breath a bit.
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Plas is indeed a fun superhero and yes, I was hoping for a bit better voting results in terms of a condemnation of Trump and all that he hopes for. I just wish Canada wasn't so cold, or I'd move there.
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