STORY STUDY - MEDIUM: COMICS/GRAPHIC NOVELS - “Plastic Man: On the Lam”

One of the most underrated DC heroes just so happens to be one of my favorite superheroes: the fun-loving Plastic Man.

Plastic Man was created in 1941 by Jack Cole with his first appearance being in Police Comics #1. His real name is Patrick “Eel” O’Brian. O’Brian was a criminal, specializing in safe-cracking. One night, while robbing the safe at the Crawford Chemicals Works with his gang, he is shot by the night watchmen, and is doused with chemical liquid.

O’Brian is able to get away from being caught by authorities, but his gang had already abandoned him. He passes out near a mountain outside of the city, He awakes to find monk taking care of him. Much like what happened with Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, the monk misdirects the authorities because he senses a capacity for good within him. This act of kindness causes O’Brien to throw away his life of crime and reform.

But wait: this is a superhero story, and this guy was doused with chemicals. Surely, that must’ve changed him in some way. It turns out that the chemical gave O’Brien the ability to stretch, bounce, and be able to mold into any shape he wants. He uses his ability to fight crime, using his connections with the criminal underworld to gather information on their activity.

Like with many comic books characters, there are many iterations of Plastic Man. This post will be revolved around a version outside the DC universe. It is not officially a DC Elseworlds story, but it is a self-contained story that doesn’t shackled down to any kind of continuity, other than his original origin story.

Written and illustrated by Kyle Baker, Plastic Man: On the Lam is about Eel O’Brien, a.k.a. Plastic Man, who has to find out who has framed him for a recent murder that has happened. He is helped by Agent Morgan, who wants nothing to do with him in investigating the murder.

There are twists and turns, with so much humor throughout the story, such as visual gags (Plastic Man’s transformations), fourth-wall humor, and meta-references with the DC universe.

Something that should me mentioned is the art style. At the start of the story, you might think the story will be very over-the-top and cartoony. As the story progresses, it shows that not only it gets serious, but even the art becomes very surreal and gross/scary.

I hesitate to call it dark because there is kind of a deus ex-machina, which is really the biggest flaw of the story. It wouldn’t be so bad if they explain why and how the fake out happened, but instead they just treat it as it’s no big deal. “Oh? You didn’t die? Well, alright, then! All’s well that ends well.”

If you’re a fan of Plastic Man, or just like ridiculous fun in their superheroes stories, I highly recommend looking through the character’s history. Sadly, he doesn’t have many solo titles. But, if you’re looking for a self-contained story, then look no further than Plastic Man: On the Lam.