THIS WEEK: Plastic Man No More #1 shows off the impressive versatility of DC’s continued Black Label imprint. Plus, we have our usual round-up of blurbs about other DC books hitting shops!
Plastic Man No More #1
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artists: Alex Lins, with Jacob Edgar
Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo
Letterer: Becca Carey
Plastic Man No More #1 is a really bold and excellent comic. It’s one that uses two long-time visions for a back bench superhero character, two visions that often contrast, and forges a coherent and, frankly, heart-rending new story for its lead. I liked it quite a bit (more on why below, obviously), and it strikes me that books like this are peak Black Label, or at least it’s exactly what I’d personally hoped that Black Label would become (see also Rogues and Aquaman: Andromeda), a space to take complicated risks with oddball and niche DC characters.
Plastic Man No More is — as promised — a superhero noir focused on Plastic Man, one of multiple stretchy superheroes in the DC Universe, and one who, over the years has frequently been played for slap-sticky laughs, perhaps most prominently in the Grant Morrison to Mark Waid era of JLA and then most recently in the underrated (and seemingly forgotten) Terrifics. At the same time, though, Plastic Man has always been a relatively sad superhero, with a complex villain-to-hero arc built into his origin, as well as a complicated family situation.
What this comic does is ingeniously combine Plastic Man’s two realities, which as noted are at odds. The inciting incident for our story here is that Plastic Man is hit by a powerful weapon that essentially starts to melt him. Normally, when he stretches or contorts, he snaps right back to form. But after taking this new damage, he can’t do that anymore. Upon getting checked out, he learns that the problem runs deeper, and that his time is limited.
This kind of diagnosis makes for an inherently sad story with a ticking clock, which is an excellent narrative engine. Christopher Cantwell’s scripting here is just perfect, oscillating from superheroics to an isolated man grappling with his mortality to the pressure points between the two. What really elevates this though are the scenes where Plastic Man attempts to get help from his cohort in the Justice League.
The bulk of this book is illustrated by Alex Lins, a great artist who has previously collaborated with Cantwell, most recently on the second arc of the stellar fantasy comic, Briar. Lins does a fantastic job here with the noir and crime scenes. And the entire book wouldn’t work so well if the art didn’t capture the body horror of Plastic Man’s condition.
Teaming with Lins, though, is Jacob Edgar, who illustrates four pages here, wherein Plastic Man is trying and failing to get help for his plight from the Justice League. Combining the two artists is a perfect editorial decision, one that emphasizes the dichotomy that’s driving this book, and, despite the sad circumstances, makes the whole thing more fun. Lins’ work is gritty and a bit dark, while Edgar’s is polished and pristine. And it’s all unified by the colors of Marcelo Maiolo and the lettering of Becca Carey.
In the end, I absolutely loved this comic. Like the best miniseries about non-A List heroes, it’s very existence feels unlikely in the best way (similar to books like The Vision or Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen, both of which went on to become recent superhero classics). It’s a compelling read and a wonderful remedy for anyone going through Batman-Superman-Wonder Woman burn out.
The Round-Up
- I am really having a good time with Absolute Power #3, this summer’s DC Comics mega event. Written by Mark Waid with art by Dan Mora, colors by Alejandro Sanchez, and letters by Ariana Maher, it’s been an Amanda Waller-driven allegory about artificial intelligence (among other things). Mora has been a rising artist at DC for a while now, having worked on books like Batman/Superman – World’s Finest and SHAZAM!, but this is highest profile work to date…and it looks amazing, encompassing basically the entire breadth of the DC Universe. So yeah, digging this event, and this issue was no exception, leading us rapidly toward the conclusion.
- I am once again struck by how good Poison Ivy is. I mean, in today’s market being a non A-List superhero title that makes it to 25 issues is a major feat. Heck, even being an A-List superhero title that makes 25 issues is a feat these days. Anyway, this Poison Ivy run has been excellent, and it takes a well-deserved victory lap as it reaches a milestone this month, doing so with a 40-page anthology. There are stories here by Joanne Starer, Haining, and Ivan Plascencia; Grace Ellis, Brian Level, and Arif Prianto; Gretchen Felker-Martin, Atagun Ilhan, Deborah Villahoz; Dan Watters, Dani, and Brad Simpson; with letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, and a framing sequence by G. Willow Wilson, Marcio Takara, and Arif Prianto. It’s all a good time (a romp, even), but the standout to me was the story by Watters, Dani and Simpson (the team behind the excellent Coffin Bound). Great stuff there.
- Finally, The Boy Wonder #5 this week wraps up not just one of the best DC Comics, but one of the best comics period of the year. Written and illustrated by Juni Ba, with colors by Chris O’Halloran, and letters by Aditya Bidikar, this finale is absolutely excellent, a fast-paced and natural ending to a great character-driven book. I can’t wait to add this one to my shelf, hopefully with a nice hardcover.
Miss any of our earlier reviews? Check out our full archive!
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