Plastic Man No More #1 – Christopher Cantwell, Writer; Alex Lins, Jacob Edgar, Writers; Marcelo Maiolo, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Plastic Man is a character who doesn’t often get the spotlight, with only a few writers taking him seriously at all. So seeing him not only get a solo series, but a Black Label series is especially surprising. This book takes all the classic bones of the character – con man and ex-con turned polymer-powered comedy superhero – and infuses it with some serious pathos and a surprising dose of body horror. Eel O’Brien is a member of the Justice League here, but the book does some interesting things with how the League never really takes him seriously – even when he’s saving their lives from a death ray. Even when that death ray starts to make his body degrade and dissolve in front of their eyes. He’s forced to start resorting to desperate measures, like sticking his melting arm in a bag to accumulate the runoff – and no one takes it seriously with the exception of one doctor.
But the news for him isn’t good – she finds that it’s a chemical reaction that is only accelerating, and the bonds that allow his unique powers and body structure to exist are breaking down. The news that he’s dying sends him into a spiral – but not about his own fate. He’s much more concerned with the fate of his estranged son Luke, who might have the same thing happen to him. This book doesn’t shy away from how big a dirtbag Eel was over the years, abandoning his wife and son – and the scenes where Luke unloads his anger on Eel for how he was treated are the most intense of the issue. But then it gets pulled back to the world of comics with the last page, which sets up a crazy scheme by Eel to reset his clock. This book does a great job of capturing the vibe Plastic Man is best known for, but with an added tone of dark absurdity that helps it slide into Black Label seamlessly.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
