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Well, whaddya know, this comic comes as a surprise. It's one I gave to a pal back in the mid or late '70s (can't be more precise 'cos I don't know how long after buying it [in 1976] I gifted it to him), and which he freely gave back to me around 30-odd years later. So why's it a surprise? I haven't paid it much attention in the 10 years (or so) since it was returned to me, but I was browsing through it earlier and happened to read the Plastic Postcards text page, which mentions that the DC Plastic Man comic launched in 1966 lasted only 10 issues. So the one from '76, numbered 11, was not only a first issue in its own right, it was also a continuation from the '60s mag 8 years after it was cancelled. I don't remember knowing that back then, so it's entirely likely I didn't pay it much attention when I first bought it either. (Or I simply forgot.)
Interestingly, the '70s 10 issue run is listed in the DC Database as volume 2, but the indicia in #11 says it's volume 4. Barring a simple error, this is likely due to DC retroactively regarding their '60s title as volume 1 and ignoring previous volumes (of which I presume there were two) by original publishers Quality Comics, from whom DC acquired the character in 1956. I took a look at Plas's Wikipedia page while preparing this post, but abandoned it pdq when I saw how convoluted his history was, what with the '80s Crisis On Infinite Earths, various reboots, and it being different Plastic Men from diverse Earths. Who needs all that baggage, and just why do publishers inflict such convoluted 'continuity' onto their readers? (You want the full story, you'll have to visit Wikipedia yourselves.)
Anyway, I'm shortly going to make myself a cuppa, relax on top of my scratcher, and read this 45 year-old comic mag, which contains some great Ramona Fradon art. First though, I'll scan my meagre collection of Plastic Man mags (I might also have the DC Archives volume, not sure - if so, it'll have to wait 'til a later date) and publish them on the blog for your perusal, just to give you something to look at while you wait for a more worthy post on someone else's blog. Don't deny it - I know you only come here when you've exhausted every other possibility. (Okay, you can deny it if you want.)
8 comments:
I’m a big Plas fan but only the Cole work. I love Fradon’s art but Cole was loony funny.
I have precious little Plastic Man. I first encountered him in The Great Comic Book Heroes tome by Feiffer, but then he started turning up in comics here and there but never in a way to showcase his potential. The Joe Staton run in Adventure Comics was a fave too. I do have a book with a plastic cover of all things by Art Spiegleman and Chipp Kidd which has some of the raucous Golden Age stuff. It's a hoot.
https://www.budsartbooks.com/product/jack-cole-and-plastic-man/
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I think I first became aware of him from an ad for that DC #1 from '66. First time I recall reading him was the DC Special from the '70s. Apparently Cole drew his pages actual published size, so he must've been well-regarded to be allowed to do that. I'll have to check to see if I have the DC Archives edition. That's the trouble with having too much stuff - you can't always remember what you have and what you don't have. Thanks for commenting, PS & RJ. I'll take a look at that link shortly.
I'm a bit of a Plastic Man fan and love most of his comics regardless of when they were published ( well up until around 2004 the last series I picked up) Coles original Plastic Man is just wonderful but I also enjoyed Fradon's version in the 1970s. But my personal favourite was the Hilary Barta issues from 1988( the last few covers shown here) manic looney fun in that cartoony Wally Wood type style Barta does so well. For me that short mini series was up there with Coles version imho . Kyle Baker also did a different but equally fun version around 2004.
I've left out the Barta issues so that I can read them tonight, McS, 'cos I can't remember anything about them - assuming I actually read them when I bought them back in 1988. (Wow! 34 years ago! That's more than half my life away.) Can't remember if I've got the Kyle Baker issues or not, will have to check.
When I say 'left out', I mean I haven't put them back in my filing cabinet, not that I didn't show them in the post. It should be obvious what I meant, but you never know, do you?
It wasn't obvious to me, Kid, because I know zilch about Plastic Man so thanks for clarifying.
Is your filing cabinet a proper one like in an office?
Yup, big heavy metal one that came from an old CO-OP building that was around when I was a kid, CJ. When I got it in the mid-'80s, the building was then a Burton's The Tailor shop, but the filing cabinet was one of two that were left there by the CO. I got both of them (given to me by the shop's manager), but I gave one to a minister who needed it for his church office. I painted mine black.
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