This reprint collection is timed to coincide with the recent release of Kyle Baker's new Plastic Man ongoing series. DC offers up a cross-section of Plastic Man stories that span his 60-plus-year history. To be honest, I'm surprised that all of these stories emphasize the younger-readers appeal of the title character. I think DC made a mistake by failing to include some of Jack Cole's edgier, more mature stories from the 1940s, but what we do get is a nice selection of lighter material that's fun to read all the same.
Will this book be of interest to those who enjoyed Baker's recent foray into the world of the "pliable paladin?" Maybe, but they won't find anything new. If anything, this volume is for those readers who can't afford to shell out the big bucks associated with DC's line of archive hardcovers.
Among the stories covered here are the origins of the title character himself and his sidekick, Woozy Winks. In addition to some other crime-fighting adventures, the reader is also offered a glimpse of one of the most unique Plastic Man stories -- the noted House of Mystery, "Dial H for Hero" appearance in which the main character transforms into a double of Plastic Man. I'd heard about this story years ago, and as a Dial H fan, I always wanted to get a chance to read it.
That experience wasn't my favorite part of this volume, though. No, it was reading the 1942 origin of Woozy Winks. There's a thoroughly twisted and surreal story behind the character that I wasn't aware of, but what I really found interesting about Woozy's characterization in his first appearance was the flexibility of his ethics. Is he a bad guy? A good guy? He's neither, really. I was surprised and tickled by the character's slightly darker quality here.
I was a little disappointed that this book didn't include the Joe Staton incarnation of the character. That's the one I first discovered when reading Adventure Comics in the 1980s. It was far more off the wall than any of this material, and it seems to take a number of cues from Chester Gould's Dick Tracy strips, rather than the more conventional super-hero tone that dominates this book.
The most frustrating aspect of this book is the price. This is, at best, a haphazard collection of Plastic Man material. It's a light read, and I can't imagine why DC wouldn't take more of a loss-leader approach with this book. The point is to get people excited about Plastic Man, but these stories and Baker's recent debut issue seem more geared toward a younger set that could never afford this price tag.
