Review: Plastic Man #1 (of 6)
This is what I get for opening my big old smart mouth on countless The Definitive Crusade podcasts; always sticking up for Plastic Man in the face of whelming dislike. Now, in part due to the success of The Miracles and almost key part played in Metals, Eel O’Brien is back, stretching justice across Cole City.
It seems, that Plas is back in an origin tales of sorts, working out the angles, and in the process maybe finding something about his past. Paths of good intentions, whether they are those of the past all lead to someplace. For Plas and his previously less than supple alter ego, that history may be greater than his ability to bounce back.
Gail Simone, once synonymous with Barbara Gordon and the Birds of Prey, has more recently looked to spread her wings further afield, encompassing Red Sonja for Dynamite, The Clean Room for Vertigo and of course Domino for Marvel. Having read issues from all of Simone’s work, I have been impressed with the quality of the writing, once she left Gotham. Domino in particular carried a level of “in-humour” that I expected from a Marvel book. What I didn’t expect was the level of dark humour that seems incongruous with what in the past has been more than a light character in Plastic Man. Comic relief has been Plas’s main forte; now it seems that a little Dark DC has seeped in with condom jokes and strippers mix it up with “yo momma” jibes in this Teen + book. At first, I was shocked with some of the content, yet upon further review, you have to realise that Eel was a bad guy, doing bad things. As such, the seediness in which he wallows is pretty much in character, at least for now. Of course, that could all change once Baby Plas turns up! Eel should have definitely kept hold of those condoms.
Adriana Melo provides the art for the book, giving Plastic Man a mature look that, like the dialogue, may well surprise a lot of people. Stretchy people, be it Plas, Elongated Man or Mister Fantastic all have the ability to bend the rules of comic book physics. In fact, other than cartoons, I would say that in comics they have fund their perfect medium, no matter what The Flash TV show may think. Melo provides those elements in spades with the contrast of the down and dirty underworld being equally realised. Kelly Fitzpatrick is on hand for the color scheme and is truly outstanding……again! I don’t think I have ever seen a book poorly colored by Fitzpatrick; her skills have a huge impact on the art and feel of a comic.
Plastic Man is an odd book, taking the comical hero and casting him in a seriously dark world. It is certainly a square peg book for a round hole character. Sounds perfect for the man of many shapes then.
Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Gail Simone
Art by; Adriana Melo
Colors by; Kelly Fitzpatrick
Published by; DC Comics
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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