Time for another petrifyin' installment of Plastic Man, this month's "Spotlight Character" vs. the super duper natural, and like the previous Plas entry HERE, this tale also comes from the January 1953 issue of Plastic Man #39. Fun stuff as ever, with all the great artwork and Bill Woolfolk writing you've come to expect from this classic series. And if that big 'ol loomin' full moon on nearly every page below doesn't get you into the Halloween spirit, --ya better check your pulse!
5 comments:
A lot of Plastic Man stories work when Woozy is at his best. You'd tend to think he is just an annoying side character and it takes away from Plaz's adventure, but, frankly, if it's Plaz vs a guy in a mask, there's not much for Plastic Man to do.
"Couldn't find a goldfish in a bowl of clean water" and when he falls down, isn't attack by the hounds at all but goes through all the motions of it, that's classic Woozy!
I love the twisting howling sound effects, that's some real great use of the comic medium. Plastic Man being a tree is also a great gag (and let's be honest, he setup Woozy as bait!)
Tom was pretty much the only suspect by page 2! Can you imagine going through all this Scooby doo level nonsense and then a superhero with a pretty OP power set just shows up? Poor guy!
Brian summed it up. A Scooby Doo adventure, for sure. Plas comes off more serious here than I'm used to. But a fun little tale, nonetheless.
Speaking as someone from Merrie Olde England I was amused by the 'Victorian' vibe in the story. Coach and horses (Taxis were running from 1912) Oil on the land - none in the UK, all in the North Sea and we dont have state prisons - just prisons. Surprised the Inn owner didn't say "Cor Blimey Guv'nor" ! But a great tale with good artwork never the less
With this tale taking place mostly at night, in the shadows, it has the feel of a horror/old dark house tale.
Had things been different, Plastic Man could have morphed into a horror character if his superhero comic had failed. Plastic Man's origins did show him as a bank robber, so the switch back to villain wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.
Consider Plastic Man turning into a Lovecraftian cosmic horror, turning his limbs into tentacles to strangle unwary travelers, all the while passing himself off as a 'normal' man. Such a tale could still work today, with Plas under the effects of a meteorite, cosmic ray or evil entity.
I never thought of Plastic Man as having super strength before. But here he manages to catch a lady, a carriage, and a brace of fully grown horses in mid air. Let's see Batman try that one!
I find the cartooning here to be incredibly satisfying. It's all so sculpted, with big shapes and dimensional highlights and shadows. Woozy's freak-out at the bottom page six is extraordinary. Also the bit where Plas punches out a pack of dogs. Let's see Rorschach try that one!
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