Plastic Man: On the Lam (Paperback)

by Kyle Baker (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Plastic Man returns in a maniacally energetic, ragingly harebrained, gloriously Technicolor series. Baker recaps Stretch's origin: Eel O'Brian, career criminal, attempts to rob a chemical plant, only to fall into the fateful vat of acid that gives him his superpowers (i.e., his infinite pliability). He recuperates from the accident with a kindly group of monks and emerges as Plastic Man, doer of good. After listening to Eel's sad tale, one of the monks remarks, "I'll let you rest up from your exhausting backstory," and it's this sort of self-awareness that provides the bite needed to balance the story's relentless silliness. Plastic Man's co-stars include his doughy sidekick, Woozy Winks, and a dishy agent named Morton, a hard-boiled blonde with zero patience for our hero's occasional hijinks. The general plot, in which Eel is framed for murder and Plastic Man must clear his name, is paper thin, but it provides an excellent backdrop for Stretch to do his thing, and it allows Baker's comic inventiveness to shine in endless sight gags. One memorable spread has Plastic Man splashed across the side of a building, disguised as graffiti. Baker also makes visual nods to other great cartoonists, including one in which Stretch's acid-transformed face melts between his hands in a take-off on a classic R. Crumb drawing. Plastic Man is an entertaining confection with all the weight of a balloon animal.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
The 1940s adventures of Plastic Man are considered to constitute a high point in early superhero comics. Their appeal stems not so much from the character himself, although his ability to stretch his body limitlessly and change his shape into almost any object was then novel, but from creator Jack Cole's unmatchable juxtaposition of superhero thrills and droll zaniness. Over the years, attempts have been made to revive the character, but none held a candle to Cole's original. Baker, whose idiosyncratic style has kept him on the periphery of mainstream comics, comes closest yet to matching Cole, by ratcheting up the wackiness. Whereas Cole's Plas and sidekick Woozy Weeks were absurd figures in a largely straight-faced world, in Baker's hands everyone is ridiculous. Baker uses his animation experience to impart a unique and attractive look; figures and backgrounds are comically exaggerated, and each panel suggests a cartoon cel. If Baker's rendition doesn't equal Cole's, it, unlike the other contenders, merits a berth beside and may even please contemporary readers more than the original. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401203434
• ISBN-13: 978-1401203436
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #64,961 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic trade, January 2, 2005

By	Vernon Clark Mayo "Fastest gun, comic god" (Allen Texas) - See all my reviews

At first the Cartoony art might throw you, but it has a real heart, lot of laughs for sure, but a few real touching moments, i always loved plastic man but this trade showed me another side to him.

it's a great comic for kids as well as adults, the kids will love the humor, the art and the strange thinsg plastic man does, adults will love all that plus the jokes that may go over most kids heads, the mystery story, the few but well written sad moments, plastic man really is deep, he was a crook before he become a hero, all of that comes back to haunt him, and we find out why he acts liek he does.

and the cover to it is stunning, it's plastic, unlike all the other trades thta are paper covers, this is really plastic, it's kind of a gimmick, but it's liek the book, light hearted, fun and funny all in one.

I only hope we get a second trade collecting 7-12.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars STUNNING COMIC ART, January 2, 2005

By	Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

Comic aficionados have a surprise in store with Eisner Award winner Kyle Baker's take on who else but PLASTIC MAN! (In a plastic cover).

Originally created in 1941 by Jack Cole Plastic Man was a flexible super hero, to say the least. He could bend, twist like a pretzel, contort his very pliable body into all kinds of shapes to make sure that good conquered evil. Plas, as he was known to friends was often found in the company of his pudgy buddy, Woozy Winks. Popular for perhaps 16 years, Plas is a cult favorite today.

With his reintroduction by Baker (who also copped the Harvey Award) Plas may gain a new following among both children and adults. Plastic Man holds the first six issue of this rubbery crusader's exploits.

Plas is in a jam as he's framed for a crime he didn't commit. Even his pals are convinced he's the guilty party with Superman exclaiming, "Plastic Man a criminal! By the moons of Krypton! How could we have been so blind?" It's easy to believe Plas has done wrong as he has a shady past - he was once known as no-gooder, Eel O'Brien.

With only Woozy to assist Plas has to find the real culprit.

Plastic Man as seen through the eyes of Kyle Baker is pure parody delivered in eye-popping color.

- Gail Cooke

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Plastic Man as he should be, April 8, 2005

By	E. David Swan (South Euclid, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When I saw "Plastic Man: On the Lam" I originally passed it over because the cover is absolutely horrible. The cover is supposed to look as if it's composed of Plastic Man's stretched body. It's even literally made of plastic but it looks really bad which is a shame because the contents are terrific. The reason I purchased the book was because the series won the Eisner award for best new series and I've tended to do well with Eisner award winners.

On the Lam is a compilation of the first six issues of the recent Plastic Man series, written and drawn by Kyle Baker. My first and only experience with Kyle Baker's talent was a pair of short pieces done for the Bizarro books. Kyle has a very clean, bright artistic style that more resembles animation cells than comic panels. His only weakness is when he tries to draw realistic looking characters like in the brief appearance of the JLA.

One of the problems with writing Plastic Man is trying to keep Plas sufficiently goofy without turning him into a goofball. Some of the Justice League writers allowed him to descend deep into ridiculousness. Plastic Man, like Captain Marvel, really needs to be placed into his own separate world. Kyle does a great job of establishing the classic Plastic Man universe, balancing cartooniness with a bit of an edge. Poor Plas ends up taking quite a beating in this adventure. He's stretched with hooks, frozen, nearly suffocated, eaten by an alligator and has his rear end melted with acetate. There was always a certain darkness behind the colorful plastic wrapping, after all Plastic Man is one of the few heroes who started his career as a criminal. Seeing a dead man's head flattened or Woozy Winky bleeding after a severe beating is jarring but that's the way Plastic Man comics are and why he's such a unique character.

Kyle Baker's interpretation is one of the best I've seen. It's filled with legitimate humor and terrific art. I may be dense but somehow I didn't see the twist ending coming. Kudos to Kyle Baker for reinvigorating my interest in Plastic Man and kudos to DC Comics for releasing a truly unique and creative series.