Plastic Man No More #1
Chad Burdette
Recap
Eel O’Brian might be a superhero now — but before he was anything else, he was a crook. Until the accident that turned him into the pliable Plastic Man, Eel was bad to the bone... and just because he no longer has bones doesn’t mean that’s not still true.
When an incident on a Justice League mission leads to catastrophic cellular damage, Plastic Man discovers he just might be out of time to make amends for the past he’s tried hard to outrun — or to save the soul of his son, who (unfortunately for him) might have inherited more from dear old Dad than just his superpowers...
Review
Plastic Man No More #1 finds Eel O’Brian questioning his mortality after taking a direct blast from Solaris during a mission with the Justice League which has begun to breakdown his molecular structure.
Cantwell sets the stage for the series by giving readers a recap of Eel’s checkered history as a crook, superhero, and failed parent, before subjecting him to a career/life-ending encounter. As Plas tries for once to play the straight-man, the members of the League ignore his plight even after he addresses the group about why he is wearing a bag where his hand used to be. Finally, Batman arranges for O’Brian to meet with one of the scientists at WayneTech who might be able to help him, which turns out that as far as it looks things are terminal.
This diagnosis gets Eel thinking about his son, who received his stretchy abilities, but his son is not looking to reconnect with dear old dad or want to think about his own possible mortality. The scenes between Eel and his son are written well and tug at the heartstrings, adding a layer to this story that will hopefully payoff in the end.
So far the story hasn’t added anything new to Plastic Man’s story (as he did “retire” briefly after the Obsidian Age story arc of JLA to focus on the bigger picture and reconnecting with his estranged son) but there is a mystery brewing with his disembodied hand that is living in an alley and the promise of a big explosion as a possible cure.
The art in the book is perfect, with Alex Lins and Jacob Edgar sharing art duties and bringing different styles to flashbacks, Justice League storyline, and the splash pages that flow and ooze across the pages
Final Thoughts
Plastic Man No More #1 is a great start to what looks to be a deconstructive look at one of the DCU's underappreciated and underused characters who is usually around for comedic relief. As the story unfolds over the rest of the issues, let's hope Cantwell and Lins can continue to deliver a story full of twists, turns, mystery, possible romance, life lessons, and laughs.
Plastic Man No More #1
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10
