Written by: Christopher Cantwell
Art by: Alex Lins, Jacob Edgar
Colors by: Marcelo Maiolo
Letters by: Becca Carey
Cover art by: Alex Lins, Marcelo Maiolo
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: September 4, 2024
Plastic Man No More #1, by DC Comics on 9/4/24, spells the beginning of the end for DC's stretchiest crook-turned-hero when a blast from a death ray slowly starts melting Plastic Man, one molecule at a time.
Is Plastic Man No More #1 Good?
Plastic Man No More #1 is strangely troubling. At a glance, the concept is straightforward and potentially interesting, but what throws the whole issue off balance is the tonal conflict. You can have a serious drama with moments of well-timed levity or a comedy with emotional depth, but when you smash the two tones against each other, the result is a comic that feels off-putting.
Plastic Man No More #1 begins with a brief prologue that shows Patrick "Eel" O'Brian in his former life as a low-level robber and crook. After years in and out of incarceration, he gained stretchy powers after falling into a vat of chemicals during a late-night robbery. The accident also prompted Eel to turn over a new leaf and use his newfound powers to become the crime fighter known as Plastic Man. Writer Christopher Cantwell begins the issue on a canonically consistent note with a little character work to boot. The first scene, involving a jewelry store robbery, shows Eel is a criminal with a priority problem, which plays a part in some of his personal problems years later. Now(ish), Plastic Man fights alongside the Justice League against Solaris. The villain takes aim at an orphanage with a Death Ray built with alien tech, so Plastic Man steps in to take the full brunt of the blast to save the orphans. Plastic Man has saved the day, but the effects of the "Death Ray" linger long after he goes home to sleep off the fight. Cantwell continues the grim depiction of Plastic Man by showing him in an unkempt, darkened apartment with piling bills. Plastic Man's girlfriend, Angel, and son, Luke, are nowhere to be found, confirming Plastic Man's personal life and finances are in shambles. When Plastic Man wakes up, he notices his right hand and arm are dripping away from him like melted candle wax into a nearby tub drain. He can't get his arm to reform, so he gathers up the gooey material inside a plastic bag, ties the bag to his arm, and heads to the Justice League headquarters for help. When Plastic Man shows the JL what's happening, they talk over him and laugh at his silliness. Later, Detective Chimp pulls Plastic Man aside to explain that he talked with Batman privately about the seriousness of the situation, and Batman suggests Plastic Man seek out Dr. Vera Menlo, a chemist, for help. Here's where that tonal conflict hits home in a big way. Plastic Man contacts the JL for help after he appears to be literally falling apart as a result of Solaris's attack. Rather than offering help or showing the slightest bit of sympathy, they laugh at him and turn their back as if he weren't there. Could you, in your wildest imagination, picture Wonder Woman not showing the smallest bit of empathy for somebody who's hurt? Does it make the slightest bit of sense for Superman to be laughing at another hero's pain? Can you picture Batman laughing at all in a casual setting? Sure, Cantwell is setting up so that the JL wouldn't simply swoop in to save Plastic Man, ending the story in half an issue, but you've got to make it believable. Not only is the JL's reaction not believable, but it's also presented as if it's cartoonishly funny like Charlie Brown getting mocked for botching a pitch at a baseball game, which doesn't match the serious tone of every other scene that came before. Later, Plastic Man seeks out Dr. Vera Menlo for help. After a series of tests, she determines he's coming apart, and there's no known cure. His melting could be a result of the Death Ray blast, but it could also be the natural outcome of his life since the accident that gave him power. Melting could be the way a Plastic Man dies of natural causes. Plastic Man reaches out to his adult, estranged son Luke to deliver the bad news and to urge Luke to get checked out by Dr. Menlo since Luke was born with the same powers as his father. The meeting doesn't end well since Luke isn't interested in taking caring advice from the father who abandoned him. The issue concludes with Plastic Man asking Dr. Menlo to consider extreme measures, so she comes up with a "nuclear" option.
What's great about Plastic Man No More #1? More Plastic Man is good. He's one of those quirky heroes who has and still can embark on many exciting, fun adventures. Further, Christopher Cantwell's emotional moments in this issue, such as Plastic Man's painful meeting with his son, are impactful and authentic. Further still, the premise is interesting. A dying superhero is not new, but this is a first for Plastic Man, so the concept is sound.
What's not great about Plastic Man No More #1? Two sore spots stick out as headscratchers. First, the tonal inconsistency is a killer. The issue waffles from serious to light to startling to uncharacteristically jokey to deeply serious. Again, you can have a story with dramatic and comedic themes together, but they have to be timed to work together, and they have to be consistent with the characters. Cantwell stumbles on the timing and the characters. Second, the cliffhanger makes sense until you think about the timing. If Dr. Menlo had an idea about how to fix Plastic Man's condition, why didn't she offer it up in the first meeting instead of sending him away thinking he was terminal? Given the "nuclear" nature of the solution, why wouldn't Plastic Man reach out to any number of Atomic Energy-based heroes on the Justice League for help? I have it on good authority that Firestorm is looking for something to do.
How's the Art? The art from Alex Lins and Jacob Edagr is, likewise, strange. During the scenes with the Justice League, Jacob Edgar steps in to present a light, bright, glowing version of the League with figure work similar to Darwyn Cooke's Justice League: New Frontier. When the story shifts over to Alex Lins, the style and dark aesthetic are completely different. There's no rhyme or reason for the artistic style change other than "We wanted to show the Justice League in a different style." It's very odd, much like the story.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts
Plastic Man No More #1 is a strange comic. Christopher Cantwell's central premise about Plastic Man dying has merit, and there are some deeply impactful moments of emotional drama. However, the serious tone is almost scuttled by scenes of cartoonish comedy that don't fit the serious nature of the plot or the characters involved. Likewise, the art is tonally off kilter with two artists who change styles for no apparent reason.
6/10
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