Plastic Man, Vol. 1: On the Lam!

Plastic Man (2003)

by Kyle Baker

Comics' most pliable hero takes the spotlight in this offbeat book by critically acclaimed creator Kyle Baker. Watch as Plas—with the help of sidekick Woozy Winks—gets into all sorts of trouble, as his not-so-innocent past as "Eel" O'Brian comes back to haunt him. Our hero is framed for a crime he didn't commit, and now he's on the lam. Featuring a new "plastic" cover.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Humor, Superheroes, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

144 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2005

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Kyle John Baker is an American cartoonist, comic book writer-artist, and animator known for his graphic novels and for a 2000s revival of the series Plastic Man.
Baker has won numerous Eisner Awards and Harvey Awards for his work in the comics field.

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Back in 2013 and 2014, Superman and Batman turned 75 to much fanfare. This year it’s Wonder Woman’s turn… and Plastic Man’s.

Unlike those other characters, I’ve never read a Plastic Man book before. I briefly thought he was in Identity Crisis but that was the Elongated Man instead. That’s right, DC have two stretchy-guy characters and they both suck! (“Elongated Man” - what an awful superhero name. Then again, Plastic Man’s not much better!) Anyways, I decided to give this one a shot - and now I see why the character’s pretty low-profile!

Eel O’Brian was a crook who fell into some acid and gained superpowers (this was the 1930s so that trope wasn’t corny yet) becoming - Plastic Man! Nobody knows his criminal past though until someone frames Eel as the culprit in some new crimes. Plastic Man must go on the lam, hiding from the authorities while working to clear his name. Meanwhile his Foggy Nelson, Woozy Winks, pathetically tries to become a superhero.

The most striking thing about this book is Kyle Baker’s art which looks heavily influenced by Ren and Stimpy and the Jim Carrey movie The Mask. Baker takes advantage of Plastic Man’s powers and gives us some really interesting visuals you wouldn’t expect to see in a DC comic - but not a whole lot else.

The plot is fairly humdrum and never once gripped me. The overall tone of the book is trying too hard to be funny/amusing with its over-the-top slapstick style and the characters are cheesy. The book ends in a rushed mess of convoluted nonsense and a deus ex machina that underlines Baker’s casual style of unimpressive storytelling.

Underwhelming and uninteresting, if I’m still around in 75 years I’ll give another Plastic Man book a shot but meanwhile I’m gonna go back to ignoring him!

[Joni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puro entretenimiento. Eel O´Brian es un tipo venido a menos que se une a una banda de delincuentes para salvar el día, traicionado por estos en medio de un robo tiene un accidente químico que le plastifica todo el cuerpo. Pasa a utilizar esta habilidad con su carrera de investigador privado y de paso vengarse de sus anteriores secuaces. El dibujo es maravilloso, muy estilo animado, coloreado perfecto y grotesco en expresiones caricaturescas. El tomo viene forrado en plástico ni mas ni menos. Una de esas joyitas bastante desconocidas.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't a great read, but it wasn't a total waste of time either. I cracked a smile now and again (particularly at the Batman flashback joke), and there were some moments that were more dramatic and interesting than I'd expected. But then it would get goofy. The humor almost wasn't smart enough (consistently) to justify the more serious moments. (Especially considering that the serious moments were undermined by a random, thrown-in resurrection at the end--which that wasn't even done in a smart way poking fun at how that happens in comics. Instead, it just happened and felt lazy rather than clever or funny, even though that potential was there.) So the serious moments didn't seem to match the random goofiness. The end result felt a bit "all over the place." But, again, I was curious to see how it would end, and I was at least entertained. I can't say I would recommend it, but I also can't say I'd say avoid it either.

[Jemir · Rating 4 out of 5]

The animation stylings of Tex Avery animation meets the offbeat humor of "Calvin and Hobbs" in this very funny and entertaining take on Plastic Man by the talented Kyle Baker. While my favorite take on the character remains the one Phil Foglio did in the 80's mini-series this take on the character that has a parody tome for everything from deus-ex-macina comic book conventions, noir movies and t.v sitcom conventions. With laugh out loud moments of dialogue and a clever cover that captures the mood of the book by serving as an "in joke" of sorts ... it's not a stretch to say that reading this "comic" (in every sense of the word) will be time well spent.

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

The art is very Looney Toons. The story is very random and scattered. This entire comic made me uncomfortable.

[Ignacio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Más de una década esperando la traducción de este tebeo de Kyle Baker y ha terminado apareciendo en un coleccionable junto a obras superheroicas canónicas donde no pega ni con cola. La historieta ofrece justo lo que promete: un cartoon tan absurdo como naif entregado a la mayor gloria de las transformaciones del personaje: invenciones demenciales para librarse de sus perseguidores, continuos homenajes a la cultura popular, su conversión en un superhéroe canónico cuando la historia demanda un parlamento engolado... El alocado contexto es sólo una excusa para permitir el lucimiento de Baker, que vuelve a romper las viñetas para explayarse sin ataduras por toda la página. Me hubiera gustado algo menos políticamente correcto, pero lo he disfrutado.

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyle Baker is probably the smartest person to tackle this character. An all ages romp that feels straight out of 90s Nickelodeon. The humor is top notch, the mystery is engaging, and the art is zany. Loved the inventive and silly ways Baker thinks up for Plastic Man's powers. My fairly big gripe is how the ending feels too neatly solved for their to be no consequences. Even for a kids book that seems like a bad message.

[Paweł · Rating 4 out of 5]

To dopiero hicior. Przygody rozciągliwego śmieszka są prowadzone w popapranej stylistyce rodem ze zwariowanych animacji Warner Bros. Bohater, który jest w stanie przyjąć każdą formę ograniczony jest tylko inwencją twórczą autora. Szalony humor z podtekstami = czysta rozrywka.

[Ben Horner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very odd.

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

At one time, Baker was one of my to five favorite creators. The Cowboy Wally Show is one of my absolute favorite graphic novels.
I don't blame Baker for phoning it in, but don't think he should be praised for it with multiple awards, just because he was once great.
His new Special Forces demontrraits that he's still a brilliant artist, making Plastic Man that much more of a shame.

[Justyn Rampa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this!

Plastic Man is a ridiculous superhero and Kyle Baker understands that. He writes Plastic Man with a Tex Avery/Looney Tunes aplomb that made me laugh out loud several times!

I enjoyed the cartoony artwork because again, it seemed appropriate for the character!

This just made me happy, but then again I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Plas:-)

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyle Baker is a crazy genius who clearly had all the fun taking the piss out of superhero comics in this loving homage that is at the same time a satire — I don't know how he does it, but I hope he never stops.

[Abbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh, wasn't a huge fan. The art was a bit too cartoonish for my tastes, and the story was a little less serious than i enjoy.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it. I loved the art it reminded me a lot of the Ren & Stimpy Cartoons growing up. I loved this one!

[Vicenç Sanz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quizás el problema con ésta obra lo tengo yo por esperar un comic de superhéroes al estar dentro de Dc. Y lo que me he encontrado es una parodia que hace homenaje a las absurdas historias de la Silver Age del comic deceíta.

Plastic Man es un bufón, los que están a su alrededor parecen sacados de un TBO español pero quitándole la gracia que los hace tan únicos. Porque encima es eso, cuando intenta ser gracioso tampoco acaba de conseguirlo, son gracias forzadas que no surgen de manera orgánica y que te persiguen durante toda la obra.
Es un comic que ya te avisa cuando lo abres: no es lo habitual en la editorial, ni por asomo. Está tan fuera de lugar que te parece sorprendente que se haya publicado bajo el mismo sello.

Y lo curioso del caso es que el dibujo es el que te acaba llevando hacia la historia que te quieren contar: una aventura distendida y absurda sin ningún tipo de pretensión. De esas de leer en una tarde veraniega y olvidar a los quince minutos. De apagar el cerebro e ir a otra cosa.

Y yo quiero más. Esto se me queda cortísimo y si no lleváramos ya 51 entregas de la colección pensaría que han querido reírse de mí. Muy, pero que muy justito.

[John Driscoll · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you crossed Looney Tunes with the cheesiest age of superhero comics, what you'd get is a slightly funnier version of Plastic Man. Nearly impervious to harm and with the ability to stretch his body into basically any shape, Plastic Man is essentially a walking cartoon character, and he acts like it too. All this was missing was random anvils falling on people and Plastic Man pulling a hammer out of nowhere to bonk his antagonist over the head.

The problem is, for the most part it just wasn't that funny. Maybe it's that this style of humor is mostly played out. Maybe it's just that his story feels generic and the characters aren't that compelling. Either way, there are a few funny moments but for the most part this doesn't rise above mediocre.

My favorite line though, is when Plastic Man has been framed for murder and his boss (while trying to subdue him) tries to reason with him: "Look, Plastic Man, just because you're a vicious murdering gangster doesn't mean we can't still work something out. You could transfer to the CIA." That one did get a laugh from me... it's just that not much else did.

Overall this wasn't even terrible, just mostly dull and unmemorable.

[Doyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is traditional zany fun, much like the Golden Age it tributes. The plot got a little hit and heavy towards the end, but everything came to a satisfactorily zany conclusion in the final 3 pages.

The interior art is very different from other comics of this era, which caused me to enjoy it less when I originally read this in early 2000s. 1) There are very few black outlines around the digitally colored shapes that compose the figures and objects. This is a departure from almost all comics and cartooning art. 2) The word balloons don't have "tails," but rather a single thin white stick pointing to the mouth of the speaker. This is only a very tiny difference from traditional comic stories (and come to find out is standard for Kyle Baker), but it took me a while to get used to and this is worth noting. 3) Baker's art would often feature 5 square panels on a page, arranged so that there is lots of dead space around the off panel. I did not care for this, and would have preferred to see the 5th panel widened so that it was the same width as the two preceding panels.

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

What the hell? There's a couple of things I need to cope with, most importantly is the nagging feeling that I...Kind of liked this. It's weird, because I do not like this art style at all. There is something going for this and I can't place it. I think it's the fact that it's very goofy, over the top craziness. I thought this was going to be a 'serious' take on the character and was pleasantly surprised that it's everything I didn't expect, haha.

I'd say try a little bit and find out. Don't expect for any deep insights into Plastic Man's character. This is just silly fun if you can handle the off the wall cartoon theme running it. For me it's reminiscent of an old animated show called Bonkers. I see other people saying it's like Ren and Stimpy and I really disliked that show as well as Cow and Chicken but I do see the similarities. Again, not sure why I enjoyed this as much as I did, but I did...So there!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #: 81
Title: Plastic Man on the Lam
Author: Kyle Baker
Series: Plastic Man #1
Format: 144 pages, Paperback, local library
Pub Date: Published
March 1, 2005 by DC Comics
Started: 12/6/23 Ended: 12/6/23
Awards: none
Categories: DC Comics, Graphic Novel, A Book You Can Read in a Day
Rating: **** four out of five stars

All the evidence points to one man being the murderer . . . Eel O'Brian. But that's Plastic Man's secret identity and he knows he didn't do it. During the investigation they discover Eel IS Plas, and now he has to solve the murders while on the run. The graphic novel is done in a very cartoonish style, not at all realistic art.

One of the advantages of working in a library, when there's no patrons and ou're caught up on your work, you can read an entire graphic novel in a day.

[Camilo Guerra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plastic Man( el miembro mas poderoso de la JLA ) es culpado de un crimen, pero¿¿¿quien es realmente este tipo???,¿Ladrón, superheroe,asesino o payaso?

LO BUENO: Leer esto y no estar preparado es un gozo, todo te atropella, un arte genial y único, desde una animación muy de los años 30´s, un color que te estalla, puestas de pagina novedosas, detalles cuando toca hacerlos, y un cariño a los comics que te llena, adem´s de un guión chistoso y entretenido.

LO MALO: Algo debio pasar ...¿bajas ventas?, no lo se, pero el ultimo numero es un comprimido que da pena, todo solucionado en un par de paginas y eso duele, cuando venia de una melancolía y una comedia que te daba gusto, termina de una manera que daña mucho de lo épico que tenia esta obra.

[Tim O'neill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Complex in many ways, good and bad. Baker crams as much as he can in: jokes, story, images, plotlines. You often just have to keep goïng when the setting jumps in time and place: don’t expect any “Meanwhile, at the lair of the fiendish villain..” labels. The presentation is experimental in ways that can be intriguing or off-putting, and if you don’t get a reference, another will be along shortly. The energy is so high in the Baker pages, it’s pretty much a relief when he takes a break.

I still liked it, tho, because Baker was given a kinda-sorta mainstream superhero here and took some real chances. Sure, they didn’t all pay off, but it’s gratifyïng to see it here. I’ve already started Vol. II.

[Gustavo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Los dibujos de Kyle Baker al estilo dibujo animado super ridículo tupo Ren & Stimpy pegan muy bien con la personalidad de Plastic Man, que cada vez que lo he visto aparecer en un comic no se toma nada en serio, incluso a veces chocando mucho con la historia (como en DC Universe Legends de Alex Ross).

Obviamente el comic tiene una trama de dibujo animado mezclado con algunas cositas medio para adultos y, como tal, no tiene mucha profundidad, pero si tiene mucho humor aunque a veces sea bueno y a veces no. Es un comic muy entrenido para pasar un rato y disfrutar del hermoso estilo de dibujo y coloreado.

[Neyebur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una auténtica sorpresa dentro de esta colección de DC. Frente a las historias más serias y oscuras, Kyle Baker nos trae un divertido caso de policías y cacos que nunca se toma así mismo en serio pero tampoco engaña, y con un dibujo inspirado por Tex Avey y John Kricfalusi. Además este tomo añade el cómic con la primera aparición de este héroe cómico para que puedas compararlo con los flashbacks de la primera historia, además de con la vida de Jean Valjean. Una lectura recomendada, sobre todo para los fans de los dibujos animados más locos.

[bruno giordano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creo que mi problema principal con este comic fue el hecho de que el arte era demasiado caricaturezco lo cual provocaba que no me lo pudiera tomar enserio, además del final de cuento de hadas que terminan dando quitándole precio al sacrificio que hizo el amigo de Plastic Man. Fuera de eso la historia estuvo entretenida, me gusto el giro de tuerca que hubo aunque el desenlace con respecto a ello, de nuevo, fue un final demasiado feliz y hasta quizás sin sentido me atrevería a decir., Pero bueno, al menos si algo saqué de esta colección es que no voy a comprar mas cómics de Plastic Man.

[ORD · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tebeo que no se toma en serio a sí mismo y tampoco pretende serlo, tanto argumentalmente como gráficamente. Hijo apócrifo de Vaca y Pollo y Bob Esponja. Obra casi experimental muy alejada de lo que uno esperaría de un superhéroe que ha formado parte de la JLA. Definitivamente no apto para los puristas de los personaje pijameros.

[Alexander Padilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una obra de arte que en apariencia es un comic disparatado y con un humor absurdo que hace rato no tenía el gusto de leer. Pero no se dejen engañar, Plastic Man rehuye del cinismo y la oscuridad pretenciosa que se ha apoderado de DC Comics en las últimas décadas y te ofrece un banquete camp que hará las delicias de todo aquel que lo lea.

[Ben Alfaro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imposible no pensar en Ren & Stimpy de John K. con sus ilustraciones, pero carece del humor escatologico que tenia el animado y aunque tiene chistes de doble sentido, harto guiño pop y uno que otro giro argumental, a mi en el mejor de los casos me resulto un comic tan pasable como olvidable.

[Al Capwned · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first saw the art I thought that I would probably not like this one but as I was reading further I realised the point of everything. The humour is not always that great but most of the times, it is.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. Not my favorite comic but not horrible by a long shot. I really enjoyed all of the ways that Plastic Man could hide in plain sight. Sometimes I didn't even notice that he was in a scene until he moved. Overall, a solid comic with an interesting main character.

[Ross Cudmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cartoonish comic with a slapstick-tone that is very funny. Former crook turned hero, Plastic Man must investigate a murder, only he's the suspect! Very funny with some clever jokes and lots of slapstick humour.