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Plastic Man (2003) (Single Issues) #1-20
Plastic Man: Rubber Banded - The Deluxe Edition
Plastic Man is back in action with cartoonist Kyle Baker writing and drawing his adventures. In this title that collects Plastic Man's 2004 series in its entirety for the first time, Plastic Man must come to terms with his criminal past when the FBI assigns him to catch his underworld alter ego, Eel O'Brian. Can Plas clear his name? Maybe, with the help of his beautiful, ruthless new partner, FBI Agent Morgan. Or, maybe not, thanks to the completely useless help of his old crimefighting sidekick, Woozy Winks.
496 pages, Hardcover
First published November 3, 2020
About the author
Kyle Baker
277 books88 followersLibrarian 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 9, 2020
Kyle Baker channels the energy and zaniness of the Plastic Man Adventure Hours cartoon. Baker's art is on the cartoonish side and made for a book like this. The stories work best when Baker pokes fun at comic tropes and the state of the DC universe. This edition collects the entire series including the last 6 issues which were previously uncollected.
December 25, 2020
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Known mostly as a member of the Justice League of America and for his unique abilities, Plastic Man has always presented himself as a walking joke with a creative imagination, but also burdened hero with a sketchy past that permanently sticks around despite his desire to do good and his innumerable heroic feats. Collecting all 20 issues of the classic series that gave Plastic Man the chance to showcase his elasticity in all of its splendour, this stunning volume, perfected with the hero’s own rubber belt wrapped around it, introduces readers to Kyle Baker’s reimagining of the hero’s ludicrous personality and adventures, while also featuring celebrated storyteller Scott Morse’s own take in two unique and artistically-distinctive issues.
What is Plastic Man: Rubber Banded about? The story follows the various adventures of Plastic Man, starting with the task of hunting down Eel O’Brian, an unrepentant gangster but also the hero’s alter-ego. Accompanied by his stunning yet ruthless partner, FBI agent Morgan, as well as his incompetent yet kind-hearted crimefighting sidekick, Woozy Winks, Plastic Man has to clear his name before he gets dragged into the ground for a past he doesn’t believe in anymore, once trained by monks in the art of transforming himself into whatever he desires. This never-before-fully-collected deluxe edition also includes the introduction of various enemies, from Stickyfinger to Ray el Ray, as the Pliable Paladin stretches his way around his history and the challenges of parenthood.
Artist-writer Kyle Baker achieves a fantastic comic book run with this 20-issue series as he channels the same energy as Warner Bros’ animated characters (e.g. Looney Tunes) by drawing upon Jack Cole’s elastic superhero’s strongest qualities and flaws. Goofing around with word plays and creative elastic transformations, Plastic Man has never been expanded in so many hilarious ways as he tackles the various obstacles tossed at him. Sometimes even breaking the fourth wall and taking a jab at superhero tropes as well as past DC universe events and characters, his character is efficiently and brilliantly established within the narrative composed of smaller adventures that also allow him to display his close relationships (wife, daughter, and friend), his quirky imagination, and his imaginative powers.
Perfectly complementing the narrative is Kyler Baker’s own artistic vision for this superhero. There is nothing deriving out of the realm of conventionality in this comic book series as he takes the liberty to play around with all aspects of visual storytelling. The slapstick comedy is infused into the structure and style, veering closer to a cartoonish design than what is usually seen in comic books. Plastic Man’s antics are also fully embraced, often truly spectacular in concept, as he parades around in forms that you would never see coming. This also works wonderfully with the less verbose dialogue and the vibrant colours that simply makes the reading experience much more enjoyable. Toss in the two issues written and drawn by Scott Morse who also brilliantly plays with the superhero’s persona, and voilà, you have yourself an entertaining take on the hero to fully indulge in this beautiful deluxe edition.
Plastic Man: Rubber Banded is a goofy and kooky collection of stories boasting the superhero’s own comedy routine while challenged by trials of superheroism and parenthood.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
June 5, 2022
Man, this comic. What a comic. This book, no joke, is probably one of the most unique and offbeat books you’ll ever pick up. I’m amazed it exists. If you’ve ever wanted a comic that felt like it had the raw energy of the Animaniacs or Freakazoid, this is the book for you. What Kyle Baker has managed to do here (with two issues by Scott Morse) is extremely impressive. 18 issues of monthly comics, written, illustrated, and lettered by one man. That alone is insane. That it is also one of the best comics I’ve read makes it doubly so.
The first 6 issues are essentially a self contained ready for a movie-origin arc and are the perfect introduction to one of comics most overlooked yet influential characters, Jack Cole’s Plastic Man. It’s a murder mystery with Plas at the center of it, and it doesn’t let up for a second. You know what kind of series you’re in for with the table gag in the first pages. After these 6 issues are smaller stories that all form one arc, aside from the two digressions by Scott Morse that are just as fun one and done stories as Bakers. There’s so much packed in here. Political satire, parody of DC as a whole, Plas adopting a vampire. Yeah, this book is weird, but in the best way.
The art is amazing. It is as elastic as it’s hero, morphing and adapting with each story. Bold blocks of color. Sometimes inks, sometimes not. Reminds me of DePatie Freeling Cartoons a bit. There’s even stuff that completely breaks from that just to further the gags.
Overall my highest recommendation. If one sees this book and has the cash, it’s a no brainer purchase.
The first 6 issues are essentially a self contained ready for a movie-origin arc and are the perfect introduction to one of comics most overlooked yet influential characters, Jack Cole’s Plastic Man. It’s a murder mystery with Plas at the center of it, and it doesn’t let up for a second. You know what kind of series you’re in for with the table gag in the first pages. After these 6 issues are smaller stories that all form one arc, aside from the two digressions by Scott Morse that are just as fun one and done stories as Bakers. There’s so much packed in here. Political satire, parody of DC as a whole, Plas adopting a vampire. Yeah, this book is weird, but in the best way.
The art is amazing. It is as elastic as it’s hero, morphing and adapting with each story. Bold blocks of color. Sometimes inks, sometimes not. Reminds me of DePatie Freeling Cartoons a bit. There’s even stuff that completely breaks from that just to further the gags.
Overall my highest recommendation. If one sees this book and has the cash, it’s a no brainer purchase.
August 11, 2022
This definitely isn't bad. I'd say a 3.5 on a bigger scale. It's insanely goofy (purposely) and pretty entertaining.
It's like a Saturday morning cartoon in the form of a hero comic. It's tongue-in-cheek and has just enough mature humor to keep it fresh.
However, it is very shallow and straightforward. It's gummy candy and fireworks. Pretty and sugary, but nothing substantial. Not that it was aiming for that. I think it hits the intended target, just not 100% up my alley. Still worth the read!
It's like a Saturday morning cartoon in the form of a hero comic. It's tongue-in-cheek and has just enough mature humor to keep it fresh.
However, it is very shallow and straightforward. It's gummy candy and fireworks. Pretty and sugary, but nothing substantial. Not that it was aiming for that. I think it hits the intended target, just not 100% up my alley. Still worth the read!
May 9, 2024
Some Very laid back, no risk, funny stories with simple but classic artwork. no tie ins with other DC titles so It’s a great standalone collection
November 10, 2020
Reading a very funny book during a time that the world is way too serious is more wonderful of an experience than I thought it’d be.
March 4, 2022
I wish I could give this a higher rating - I really do. I love Kyle Baker's art and his comedic sense. Why I Hate Saturn was one of my favourite comics growing up and I recently read Cowboy Wally and it was hilarious (although disjointed). His Alice through the Looking Glass adaptation, his run on the Shadow. I love his art. And this collection started off as good as I hoped. You have him playing around with a looser cartoon style that almost looks like cartoon animation cells. You have him infuse Plastic Man with a sense of wackiness that works well for the character and most importantly he had a story worked out. Plastic Man gets framed for murder and is on the run.
And then...disaster. It is interesting to note Kyle's lack of self awareness in the Intro as he mentions the comic eventually got cancelled due to poor sales but he doesn't seem to realize his part in the poor sales. I can tell him why. It is because he stopped trying. He just did free association and there was no story structure - no character development - no logic - no reason - and it wasn't even because the jokes were working - the jokes weren't there either. The last issue did a lot of Doctor light jokes that most modern readers would not get (Dr. Light raped Elongated Man's wife in Identity Crisis) and were in poor taste anyway (rape jokes? Yikes).
The worst part comes when Plastic Man adopts Edwina - because he had killed her vampire dad in the previous issue and we get a lot of "you're not my dad" adventures and teen age acting out. Not really interesting or part of a super hero book. The art gets worse and worse. From stylistic to "is he even trying anymore?"
So the last two thirds of the book are just a nightmare of a talented man who didn't put the effort in shaping a story - developing a consistent character - bringing the laughs - or even being an artist. There are also two fill in stories that have nice art but forgettable stories.
The rubber band around the book? Cute but I couldn't help but think "this cost me an extra $3 for this".
And then...disaster. It is interesting to note Kyle's lack of self awareness in the Intro as he mentions the comic eventually got cancelled due to poor sales but he doesn't seem to realize his part in the poor sales. I can tell him why. It is because he stopped trying. He just did free association and there was no story structure - no character development - no logic - no reason - and it wasn't even because the jokes were working - the jokes weren't there either. The last issue did a lot of Doctor light jokes that most modern readers would not get (Dr. Light raped Elongated Man's wife in Identity Crisis) and were in poor taste anyway (rape jokes? Yikes).
The worst part comes when Plastic Man adopts Edwina - because he had killed her vampire dad in the previous issue and we get a lot of "you're not my dad" adventures and teen age acting out. Not really interesting or part of a super hero book. The art gets worse and worse. From stylistic to "is he even trying anymore?"
So the last two thirds of the book are just a nightmare of a talented man who didn't put the effort in shaping a story - developing a consistent character - bringing the laughs - or even being an artist. There are also two fill in stories that have nice art but forgettable stories.
The rubber band around the book? Cute but I couldn't help but think "this cost me an extra $3 for this".
August 21, 2023
Alzi la mano chi conosce questo tizio. Non barate: le comparsate nelle megacrisi infinite e la pagina di wiki a lui dedicata non valgono mica. In tutta onestà, io di Plastic Man sapevo poco e niente - che è estensibile, certo, mutaforma, comodamente rilavabile e dotato di un potenziale comico incalcolabile, ma nulla più. Per fortuna ci ha pensato Panini a colmare l'imperdonabile lacuna con la pubblicazione di un omnibus che comprende la run completa di Kyle Baker. I numeri contenuti sono appena una ventina, ma tutti traboccanti di comicità slapstick e azione iperdinamica.
Che Baker e Plas fossero fatti l'uno per l'altro lo si intuisce dalla scelta di ricalcare le origini editoriali del personaggio creato da Jack Cole nel 1941 per Quality, per poi trasportarlo a velocità vertiginose verso i toni surreali e irriverenti di una puntata dei Looney Tunes. Le matite schizzano frenetiche sulle tavole in una sfida continua con la storia a tenergli il passo. Oh certo, al lettore più esigente non basterà farsi due risate e vedere in quale avventura sconclusionata si caccerà il nostro eroe. Vorrà sicuramente aprirgli il cranio, scandagliarne la psiche, assistere a uno sviluppo dei personaggi e delle trame che li legano. Allora sapete che c'è? Passate oltre, date retta a me; forse troppo Moore vi ha fatto male.
Anche se, a guardare con attenzione, sembra di riuscire a scorgere in trasparenza alcune di quelle sfaccettature che conferiscono profondità a un personaggio, come un certo desiderio di redenzione che emerge contemporaneamente alla metamorfosi fisica; la maschera di esagerata ed esagitata guasconeria che nasconde la paura di prendere sul serio qualsiasi cosa - specialmente se stesso. Quella di Patrick "Eel" O'Brian è una storia di rinascita nella quale in fondo non è difficile rispecchiarsi: ok, magari non saranno in molti a vantare trascorsi nell'ambiente criminale, per non parlare poi della svolta da supereroe, così infrequente da queste parti del multiverso. Ma quando parlo di metamorfosi e palingenesi mi riferisco ai conti da saldare necessariamente col proprio passato, con la solitudine che si prova a sentirsi il più freak tra i freak, con il desiderio di dare una forma alla propria vita in un corpo che può assumerle praticamente tutte. Suona qualche campanello? E va bene, poi ci sta che, al di là di ogni contorsione interpretativa, Plastic Man viva quasi esclusivamente in funzione delle gag. Dopotutto, assieme al suo goffo sidekick, formano una versione lisergica di Gianni e Pinotto, mentre le trame si rimodellano plasticamente a seconda delle esigenze comiche. Se fosse musica, sarebbe la dnb di Squarepusher, o qualcosa dell'Aphex Twin più intrippato, con quei triliardi di beat che picchiano e rimbalzano come gomma sparata alla velocità della luce. E invece è un fumetto, uno dei più divertenti, dissacranti e pazzoscemi mai visti nel contesto supereroico. Proprio quello che ci voleva per tirare giù dal piedistallo quei musoni della JLA.
Che Baker e Plas fossero fatti l'uno per l'altro lo si intuisce dalla scelta di ricalcare le origini editoriali del personaggio creato da Jack Cole nel 1941 per Quality, per poi trasportarlo a velocità vertiginose verso i toni surreali e irriverenti di una puntata dei Looney Tunes. Le matite schizzano frenetiche sulle tavole in una sfida continua con la storia a tenergli il passo. Oh certo, al lettore più esigente non basterà farsi due risate e vedere in quale avventura sconclusionata si caccerà il nostro eroe. Vorrà sicuramente aprirgli il cranio, scandagliarne la psiche, assistere a uno sviluppo dei personaggi e delle trame che li legano. Allora sapete che c'è? Passate oltre, date retta a me; forse troppo Moore vi ha fatto male.
Anche se, a guardare con attenzione, sembra di riuscire a scorgere in trasparenza alcune di quelle sfaccettature che conferiscono profondità a un personaggio, come un certo desiderio di redenzione che emerge contemporaneamente alla metamorfosi fisica; la maschera di esagerata ed esagitata guasconeria che nasconde la paura di prendere sul serio qualsiasi cosa - specialmente se stesso. Quella di Patrick "Eel" O'Brian è una storia di rinascita nella quale in fondo non è difficile rispecchiarsi: ok, magari non saranno in molti a vantare trascorsi nell'ambiente criminale, per non parlare poi della svolta da supereroe, così infrequente da queste parti del multiverso. Ma quando parlo di metamorfosi e palingenesi mi riferisco ai conti da saldare necessariamente col proprio passato, con la solitudine che si prova a sentirsi il più freak tra i freak, con il desiderio di dare una forma alla propria vita in un corpo che può assumerle praticamente tutte. Suona qualche campanello? E va bene, poi ci sta che, al di là di ogni contorsione interpretativa, Plastic Man viva quasi esclusivamente in funzione delle gag. Dopotutto, assieme al suo goffo sidekick, formano una versione lisergica di Gianni e Pinotto, mentre le trame si rimodellano plasticamente a seconda delle esigenze comiche. Se fosse musica, sarebbe la dnb di Squarepusher, o qualcosa dell'Aphex Twin più intrippato, con quei triliardi di beat che picchiano e rimbalzano come gomma sparata alla velocità della luce. E invece è un fumetto, uno dei più divertenti, dissacranti e pazzoscemi mai visti nel contesto supereroico. Proprio quello che ci voleva per tirare giù dal piedistallo quei musoni della JLA.
May 20, 2021
A fun romp with a very interesting visual style choice! Very close to old Warner Bros. cartoons, which makes the elastic comedy of Eel stretch even further than usual. Full of wacky faces!!
“You know you squeak when you stretch? You sound like you’re making balloon animals while wearing latex gloves.”
I’m always intrigued by the villains they choose for Plastic Man’s stories, because it’s a variety among the DC world. It kept it quite interesting because his story doesn’t have the worn in predictability like some of the main title heroes!
I didn’t mind Morgan’s inclusion in this collection as much as I thought I would. I wouldn’t classify her and Eel’s relationship as healthy but it certainly makes for some hilarious antics. Plus, her stylization reminds me a lot of that poetry lady from A Goofy Movie and I like it.
There were some jokes that I just… didn’t enjoy? I can’t label them off the top of my head but there were a couple where women’s autonomy and respect were placed on the back-burner for the sake of jokes and I just don’t vibe with that. Those were the only moments where I went “ehhh yikes.” Outrageous comedy doesn’t have to veer into that space, in my opinion.
Overall, though, it was just a fun time! Definitely would recommend to those who already have a pre-established love of Eel’s character, but I don’t think I’d label it as the place to start.
“You know you squeak when you stretch? You sound like you’re making balloon animals while wearing latex gloves.”
I’m always intrigued by the villains they choose for Plastic Man’s stories, because it’s a variety among the DC world. It kept it quite interesting because his story doesn’t have the worn in predictability like some of the main title heroes!
I didn’t mind Morgan’s inclusion in this collection as much as I thought I would. I wouldn’t classify her and Eel’s relationship as healthy but it certainly makes for some hilarious antics. Plus, her stylization reminds me a lot of that poetry lady from A Goofy Movie and I like it.
There were some jokes that I just… didn’t enjoy? I can’t label them off the top of my head but there were a couple where women’s autonomy and respect were placed on the back-burner for the sake of jokes and I just don’t vibe with that. Those were the only moments where I went “ehhh yikes.” Outrageous comedy doesn’t have to veer into that space, in my opinion.
Overall, though, it was just a fun time! Definitely would recommend to those who already have a pre-established love of Eel’s character, but I don’t think I’d label it as the place to start.
August 20, 2023
Plastic Man è uno dei miei personaggi fumettistici preferiti perché è l'ambasciatore dell'essere GOOFY, ma a parte questo sia il tratto di Baker che di Morse sono uno di quei casi dove un potere praticamente senza confini permette ad un disegnatore estrema libertà che è il motivo principale per cui questa edizione sia una assoluta perla da recuperare
May 3, 2023
There were some sexist and fat-shaming jokes (and some rape ones which I did not like, yikes!) but overall the art was very unique to Plastic Man as well as the plot- both totally cartoon, which is exactly what this character is. Complete silliness.
November 10, 2025
Great! A wild and wacky superhero satire that moves at a frantic pace. Filled with absurdist humor, puns, and some surprising cameos. Not all the jokes land like they would have when it came out, but this is a very fun and very unique DC comics read that comes highly recommended. 4/5
November 19, 2020
As fun to read now as when originally published.
December 7, 2020
DNF. I usually love this type of zaniness, but whether it was the cartoony drawing style or the Rocky-and-Bullwinkle plots, this one didn’t do it for me.
October 16, 2021
the perfect humorous superhero ever !!!!
November 22, 2021
It’s totally different in art abs style…zany and satire using a fairly unique hero in what is to me a family story.
March 14, 2024
super fun and inventive but also wildly uneven in quality
April 3, 2025
جميلة جدا حالة الضحك اللي كانت بتحصلي مع كل عدد كانت بتزيد. مش عارف ممكن اشكر كايل بيكر وسكوت مورس على الجمال ده ازاي ولو في اكتر من ٥ نجوم مكنتش هتأمر
November 30, 2025
the art drastically varied in quality, but the writing was consistently madcap and zany.
April 14, 2024
Bangers and Mash: Eisner Winners
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews