I have a vague memory of a Plastic Man cartoon from my childhood. I could probably travel down a Google wormhole and figure it out, but that would be at least an hour wasted, that’s what happens to me when I really get buzzing on my phone. So… this comic came up on my Hoopla app and I wanted to see what it was all about.
It’s definitely a mixed bag: An origin story, a government conspiracy, a messy mashup of friendships and hero moves, and some raunchy humor. This version of Plastic Man is a bit different than the one I remember from the cartoons of my youth! A con artist/ thief/ strip club manager… Yep, not Saturday morning friendly. But there are some real good intentions. It starts with a robbery gone bad that turns into Plastic Man’s origin story. He gets pretty ridiculous in his combat moves, which is funny and silly at the same time. And he tries to get a bit of revenge, at times against himself for all his wayward ways in his past. And then along comes a little kid Eel can help.
Eel is a rubberband Deadpool of sorts… with a lot of wit and torture to share with his enemies. And the enemies of the Justice League as there’s a mysterious plot against the team and it seems that Plastic Man may be the only person who can save them.
But there’s some side stories that peter out and are vague in their connection to the main arc. The art is definitely a plus for this one. Detailed in the action scenes, but the many mobsters Eel encounters all start to look the same towards the end of the book.
This one is fun and filled with great scenes, but at a whole it is middle of the road as the the pieces don’t add up to much.
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