Plastic Man #1 (2004)

Plastic Man #1 (February, 2004)
"Rebound"
Written & Illustrated - Kyle Baker
Editor - Joey Cavalieri
Cover Price: $2.95

Here's one that caught my eye while flipping through the ol' library.  Never was much of a Plastic Man fan... I know I watched the cartoon when I was younger, and sorta-kinda dug him as the oddball in the JLA, but never thought about reading his solo exploits.  This issue comes from the tail-end of my stint as a DC completionist.  I would grab one of everything they put out, regardless if I had any interest in the character(s).  At the time I had a decent job, no real responsibilities, and my wallet must have just been too damn heavy to lug around (that has all since changed).

It's quite interesting for me to revisit this point in my fandom, as back then I did not separate the wheat from the chaff.  I just bought, and bought, and bought... even if I wasn't really reading.  I suppose I have something of an obsessive streak in me, which makes me an easy mark for most of the comics industries gimmicks and sales ploys.  I also paid full price for all of my books... like I felt it was my civic duty to keep my local comic shops in business.  Caring more about their bottom line than my own, I spent, and spent, and spent.

What a difference a recession makes, eh?  Today we're gonna find out if Plastic Man was worthy of my hard-earned three bucks.

--

Down at the docks, a pair of mooks try and concoct a plan for their latest caper.  They huddle around a curiously colored table and plan.  One of the goofs spills a shaker of pepper all over the table... ultimately causing it to... sneeze?  That's right, it was not a table at all... it was the hero of this story, Plastic Man.  The ne'er-do-wells empty their pistols at Plas, which proves to be as ineffective as one may imagine.

With the help of Woozy Wink's backside Plas makes short work of these lugs, and hauls them off to the police station.

We get a brief look into Plastic Man's current lifestyle, he is surrounded by pretty women and is considered a local hero.  Even though everything seems great, he cannot shake feelings of loneliness that gnaw at him.  As he goes to bed for the evening, he hopes he doesn't dream.

Unfortunately for him (though fortunately for us) he does dream.  As he lulls to sleep, his face contorts to that of Eel O'Brien, his former, more crooked self.  He dreams how his transformation occurred.  He was doing one last job, at the Crawford Chemical Works.  He and his gang sought to loot their safes and make off with one last take.

A security guard happens by and attempts to chase Eel's boys off.  As they flee, O'Brien suffers a both gunshot wound in the shoulder and getting splashed with acid.  He manages to get away, though his gang drives off without him.  He struggles to maintain consciousness, however, his injuries prove too severe.  He stumbles through a swamp, and rubbery-legged, collapses.

He wakes up at the Rest Haven Monastery, where a monk had nursed him back to health.  It is here that Eel realizes that he's "turned into plastic".  He sees this as an opportunity to turn over a new leaf and perhaps use his new found powers for good.

Back in the present, Plas is shaken from his slumber by a ringing phone.  It is the Police Chief, who informs him there'd been a homicide.  Plas hops into the phone's receiver and pops out the other end.

As they investigate the crime scene, erstwhile bum Woozy wanders in.  He observes a wallet on the ground, and attempts to pocket it.  Plas excitedly announces that Woozy has found a clue causing him to drop the wallet right into the hands of the Police Chief.

The Chief believes the wallet belongs to the murderer... and it just so happens to belong to one, Eel O'Brien.

--

This volume of Plastic Man just feels special.  It's unlike anything from its vintage.  Remember wandering into an arcade or a bowling alley during the mid 1980's?  You'd see all the normal video game cabinets... then off on the periphery, you'd see Dragon's Lair.  Kyle Baker's Plastic Man was the Dragon's Lair of the mid-2000's comic book shelf.  It just demanded your attention... it was almost as though you were powerless against it.  You may not have bought or played it (as the case may be)... but, if you saw it, you remembered it.  It stuck with you.

 One of these games is more likely to draw your eye... at least initially

In reading, it's a fine story.  A great introductory piece for Plastic Man and a bit of his supporting cast... okay, just Woozy Winks.  The origin segment in this issue is inspired, and actually plays into the overall narrative of the piece.  You actually begin to feel for Plas/Eel as he is seemingly haunted by his past.  The cliffhanger is quite interesting, and makes you want to come back for the next issue.  The opening bit was a little hokey, however, it served its purpose well.

The art?  Are you kidding?  This issue looks like a collection of animation cells... and makes it work beautifully!  The art style is what makes this book special... it fits the character and concept almost perfectly.  The only aesthetic complaint I have is in the book's lettering.  The lettering looks like a like a poorly calibrated typewriter... it kind of pulls me out of the story.  I feel that a more traditional lettering style would have served this issue far better.

Is it worth checking out?  Hell yeah.  This series ran for 20 issues throughout the mid-aughts, and was a fun ride throughout.  This issue was part of a collection, Plastic Man: On the Lam, and the entire series is available digitally at DC Digital.  Definitely worth a look-see, even for just the novelty of the amazing art.

--

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This issue also featured a DC Focus (remember that?) Promotional insert

Hacker Files #1 (1992)

Hacker Files #1 (August, 1992)
"Soft War, Chapter 1"
Writer/Creator - Lewis Shiner
Pencils - Tom Sutton
Inks - Mark Buckingham
Colors - Lovern Kindzierski
Editor - Robert Greenberger
Cover Price: $1.95

Here's a strange one.  The Hacker Files #1... a title I was introduced to via a DC Direct Currents giveaway.  A title that made me feel, I dunno, sort of uneasy from the get go.  It just looked weird.  You see, my sense of fear is a bit... odd.  I can watch or read anything that is intentionally scary or gory or disturbing and be pretty much unmoved.  I've always been like that, even as a kid.  The things that got under my skin were the offbeat.  The odd things that are difficult to explain... The Hacker Files, by the cover alone kinda tickled that "fright nerve" pretty well... like, if I bought it... I wouldn't wanna keep it with the rest of my comics.  It just wouldn't fit.  Hell, I wouldn't have wanted it in my bedroom.

Dirty, raw, and grainy... It felt like something I shouldn't be reading, like what was inside would freak me out... would get deep under my skin and stay there.  Looking back now (and especially after having read it), that is absolutely ridiculous... but, a kid's mind fears what a kid's mind fear, right?

--

We open at the Pentagon.  A pair of security guards have noticed that they'd lost network communications to a site called "Cheyenne Mountain".  Their first call is to a man who goes by the name "Hacker", although his real name is Marshall.  He is advised that Washington needs his help, and provides him information on his travel arrangements.  Within 90 minutes, Hacker arrives.

He is greeted by a man called Dawson, who will bring him to another fella who goes by the name of Steel.  As Marshall is escorted to the Data Processing area we get to listen to his internal monologue.  We come to find that he is not the biggest fan of the government, taxes, politics, or politicians... as if his anarchy t-shirt wasn't clue enough.

Hacker is informed that the ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) network is down.  This is of the utmost importance is this network is also connected to the Securenet, the Milnet, NORAD, and something called the Internet... these books and their jargon, I tell ya.  Our man informs Steel to shut the whole thing down so he can work on it.  We are also informed that their equipment is digitronix brand, which will be important later.  Oh, and Mr. Steel has a metal left hand.

An odd exchange occurs during this scene.  Hacker alludes to Steel being "into" superheroes, to which Steel replies that this digital intrusion had nothing to do with "paranormals".  This makes me wonder if this maxi-series is set inside the DC Universe proper.  Granted, this is the only issue of this series I've read... so, if this is made clear one way or another later on, I am clueless.  The indicia at the start of this issue lists The Hacker Files as being copyright of Lewis Shiner and DC Comics... which makes things even less clear.  Maybe there are superheroes... just not our superheroes?

All of the commotion in the main data center proves too disruptive for Hacker, and he is led to a more private office setting.  He surprises Mr. Steel by cracking the password to the main computer inside.  As he prepares to enter the system, we are witness to the manifestation of him actually entering the computer, using a less digitized version of the main cover image.  He discovers that the Pentagon had picked up a virus... somewhere.  He mentions that the Internet has 60,000 nodes it may have come from.  I'm not sure how many nodes today... but, I'm guessing it might just be a bit more than back in 1992.

Marshall goes through all the ways in which he may fight off the virus, and mention is made of a group of younger hackers he deals with who he calls the "Speed Metal Kids".  As he readies himself to get down to work, he can't help but notice that the digitronix support team are still inside the system.  He refuses to proceed unless they remove themselves and he may move on unsupervised.  It is revealed that Marshall was once affiliated with digi, and since their parting they had ruined his reputation in the tech community.

Steel and Hacker head down to pull the support team off the gig.  As they approach, Marshall makes special note of a nearby Tempest File Server room.  A server that is so top-secret, one must be locked inside a safe simply to have a look at it.

We meet the support team, including a man named Charlie and Marshall's former good friend Yoshio.  The team refuses, to which Marshall has himself a seat, and begins typing... locking them out himself.  Infuriated, Charlie lunges at Hacker.  Yoshio holds him back, and threatens that someone named Sutcliffe will deal with him.  Upon returning to the office, Steel reinforces that Sutcliffe will likely be more than upset given the situation.

Marshall tells Steel to go home for the night.  Steel pleads with him to stay within the office and not enter the hall as he leaves.  He goes so far as to lock Marshall's entry pass in a filing cabinet.

As soon as Steel is gone, Marshall gets to work... picking the lock on the filing cabinet.  He picks the lock as he makes contact with the Speed Metal Kids, Phreddy, Dr. Zen, and Sue Denim (hey, I get at least one of those!).

Armed with his pass, Marshall heads straight toward the Tempest room.  He lets himself in and comes to find a map of Europe and Western Asia with offensive options listed... such as launching missiles.

A security guard comes in behind him, and there is a short-lived struggle.  The guard handily beats our boy, ultimately clocking him on the head with his baton.

When Hacker awakens, he finds himself in the presence of Sutcliffe... and we are [to be continued...]

The issue closes out with a two-page text piece by series creator/writer Lewis Shiner.

--

Now... I was really not expecting this.  This was remarkably good.  It feels like so often back in the 1990's technology was used as something of a boogeyman or something that didn't need to be explained so much... just a means to an end.  In this story, however, the use of technology feels natural and organic.  It is an accompaniment to the story, and not its crutch.

You can almost feel the passion Mr. Shiner has for this piece, and it is apparent that he threw himself into his research to make this story as legitimate and accurate as possible.  During the text piece, he asks readers to let him know if they can spot any errors... that's some commitment to quality.  He even goes as far as to say he will be setting up online letters columns on Compuserve and GEnie.  You may not know, but I currently write a column for DC in the 80's that focuses on Usenet and BBS fandom of the early 1980's... this is right up my alley!  I've gotta keep an eye out and see if I can't track down any of these archives!

The art is also surprisingly (if going by the cover alone) solid.  I honestly cannot think of a single complaint in the art department.

Overall, I really enjoyed this.  The only problem I have is that it is a rarity to find issues of this "in the wild".  Though, I will definitely be on the look-out from this point on.  To my knowledge this has not been collected, and has not been made available digitally.  If you're a cheap-o (or regular) bin trawler, keep this one on your radar.

--

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Superman Annual (vol.2) #5 (1993)

Superman Annual (vol.2) #5 (1993)
"Myriad"
Writer - Dan Jurgens
Pencils - David Lapham
Inks - Mike Machlan
Letters - John Costanza
Colors - Glenn Whitmore
Assistant Editor - Jennifer Frank
Editor - Mike Carlin
Cover Price: $2.50

Today's discussion is a special one.  It pertains to an issue taking place during the 1993 DC Comics Annuals event, Bloodlines.  Chapter One: Outbreak, if I'm being specific.  This coming week, DC Comics is revisiting the concept of Bloodlines with a six-issue miniseries written by J.T. Krul.  As such, the great guys over at Weird Science DC Comics were looking for some Bloodlines-flavored nostalgia for their excellent site's Just For the Hell of it Mondays column.  When their main JFTHOI man Reggie contacted me to see if I would be interested in submitting such a piece, I jumped at the opportunity.  Both excited to be asked and wildly intimidated, I rummaged through my long boxes digging up anything and everything Bloodlines in my collection.

Over the past week I put together a piece discussing some of what was going on in comics at the time while interjecting an anecdote or two, as well as composing something of an overview and look at the events (few) lasting ramifications.  The post can be read at the Weird Science DC Comics blog today, and can be found here.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the fellas over at Weird Science for all the work they do on their fine site and podcast, as well as for thinking of me for this piece.  It really does mean a lot!  If you are unfamiliar with Weird Science DC Comics, I encourage you to pop over for my Bloodlines piece, and stay for all the tremendous content Jim, Eric, Reggie, and company create most every day.

Today's post here at the homestead will be my normal in depth look at a single issue... and it's a Bloodlines issue.  This post is intended to be something of a companion piece to the Weird Science article.  I sincerely hope you enjoy them both.

--

We open several weeks back at a Lex Luthor run landfill.  There are a few trashmen discussing the day's events.  Superman's dead and they now hate being from Metropolis.  One of the crew event compares the event to the John F. Kennedy assassination, which makes me feel like less of a doofus.  They are taking turns shooting a pistol at the scourge of garbage rats that threaten to overrun the dump.  We take a closer look deep into the piles of trash, and see a woman's hand (wearing a ring) sticking out of one of the bags.

Flashing forward to today, Superman's back... kinda.  This issue takes place during the Reign of the Supermen.  Being a Superman (vol.2) issue, that means our star is the one and only Cyborg Superman.  He is attempting to assist Commissioner Henderson in a case involving a mass grave found in the Metropolis sewers.  Henderson is none too keen on 'borg hanging about, despite the President of the United States giving this Superman the thumbs-up.

It turns out this is the third mass grave found in Metropolis on this day alone.  Upon closer inspection they all appear to have puncture wounds at the nape of their necks into their spinal column.  Earlier issues of Bloodlines explain that the Parasitic Alien baddies of this epic rely on ingesting spinal fluid for survival, these poor victims were simply prey to them.

Returning to the landfill, two of those said parasitic aliens have arrived on the scene.  They are introduced as Venev and Gemir.  They attack and feed on an unfortunate security guard.

Still hungry, they locate a body of a woman (potentially the same woman as in the flashback?  Though, if that's the case... Metropolis garbage has some awesome preservative powers!) in the trash heap.  Gemir decides he's not above dining on the dead, much to Venev's disgust.

As the two leave the scene, we watch the woman open her eyes and reenter the land of the living.  She has no idea who or where she is, and she stumbles her way out of the dump.

Henderson arrives at Lexcorp to discuss "police business" with Luthor.  As they speak, they are approached by an older gentleman who asks the Commish if he's located his missing daughter Sasha.  Lex knows of this Sasha Green, and tells the gentleman that he's sure she's okay... she is after all a martial arts expert.

We observe a quick flashback indicating that she was Lex's sparring partner who had one-upped him in front of both Supergirl and Lois Lane.  This humiliation led to Lex... well, killing her, and presumably stuffing her remains into a garbage bag to be buried at his landfill.  Sasha Green looks suspiciously like our Jane Doe from the dump...

Speaking of which, our newly revived lady friend has wandered into a nearby Athletic Club.  She meanders into the showers and manages to clean herself up.  As she exits, a friendly woman named Muriel approaches.  She mentions that our Jane Doe looks unwell, and places her hand on her shoulder.  At that  moment, the kindly woman passes out, and... we'll just go ahead and call her Sasha absorbs her psyche and (in her head) becomes her.

She is suddenly relaxed and with purpose.  She dresses in the woman's clothes and attempts to leave in the woman's car.  Another woman notices her as she leaves and begins questioning the whereabouts of the "real" Muriel.  Sasha drives away in a panic as she sees the real (now conscious) Muriel approach.  She doesn't understand how she sees the same person in her reflection and in the parking lot.

Cyborg Superman infiltrates the Lexcorp Tower in search of answers.  He sneaks into the building and into what appears to be a server room.  With his cybernetic powers he is able to slip by a keypad and many electronic monitoring devices.  Superman links his wiring into the Luthor mainframe and absorbs all of his data.  He discovers another cache of bodies at the landfill and using his voice modulation to mimic the Commissioner, sends a squad car and advises them to cooperate with the "robotic Superman" should he arrive.

Back with Sasha, she loses control of the car and crashes down an alley.  There, she is held up by a street punk called Wendell who places her in a headlock.  The moment their flesh makes contact, she absorbs his psyche (I'd assume this is somewhat like Rogue from the X-Men's power set).  Wendell gets shot dead by some jerk called Roscoe.  Sasha, with Wendell's psyche takes his gun and heads off for revenge.

Yikes...

Superman meets up with Luthor.  After investigating the landfill with the officers, a ring was located.  A ring belonging to Sasha Green... he feels Lex may have some answers.  Henderson interrupts the conversation and he and Superman leave.  Luthor is informed that there is a deranged woman approaching the tower... he instantly suspects it must be Sasha.

Outside, Henderson and Superman meet Sasha.  She approaches, and suddenly recognizes the Commish.  She claims to be his sister, Muriel.  It appears as though her powers are not one-off engagements... she holds within her, a... wait for it... Myriad of personalities... get it?  That's her superhero name... in case you missed the title above.

Luthor watches on, now knowing for sure his Sasha has come home to roost.  Rather than allow her to speak with the police, he aims all of the towers fire-able weaponry at her and attempts to blast her to smithereens.  Lucky for her, Superman blocks the blast.

Sasha/Myriad is taken to Lexcorp Tower for observation at Luthor's request.  Lex triggers an explosion of one of Lexcorp's generators via remote control to draw the attention of Superman and the police... he wants some one-on-one time with Sasha.

He wakes her up, and she does not recognize him.  He tells her she is going to be taken away by helicopter... to someplace safe.  Ms. Simmons is called in to perform the transfer.  Simmons just so happens to be one of Lex's assassins.  The two women board a helicopter and lift off.

Once airborne, Simmons draws her pistol.  During the struggle Sasha manages to make skin-to-skin contact... absorbing the psyche of Jillian Simmons.  It turns out that Sasha also has a measure of mind-control powers, as she commands Simmons to blow her own brains out... and she does.

Myriad is hardcore!

Back at the tower, Lex informs Superman that Sasha ran off and stole (and crashed) one of his helicopters leaving behind a body that was burned beyond recognition.  It was Lex's plan for the burned body to be Sasha's... however, unbeknownst to him, this was not the case.  We close as we watch Sasha walk away from the wreckage of the chopper.

--

Call me a 90's apologist or whatever, but this issue wasn't half bad.  It's not a story arc I have much interest in following, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the Internet told me it would be.  I know it's fashionable nowadays to bag on comics of this vintage, but if you were actually there (maaan) you'd know that the comics companies were actively making books that people were excitedly buying.  As I mentioned in my piece for Weird Science, it's almost as though the marketplace trained us to buy/read books like this.

I was 13-years-old during Bloodlines... I was promised a ton of "first appearances" (that I could look up every month in Wizard Magazine's price-guide) and "extreme action".  For young, impressionable... and perhaps stupid fans such as myself, we really couldn't ask for more.  As much as I may try and think otherwise, it is because of these types of books that I became a fan... and hell, sometimes we all just need a little "90's cheese" in our four-color reading regimen.

It's certainly not the best thing I've ever read, so please don't think I'm just being all contrarian for the sake of it.  All I'm saying is, it's an okay story crafted by one of may favorite writers that features (mostly) above-average art.  If I tried to deeply read the entire Bloodlines epic, I concede that I may be singing a different tune... but, for a one-off, you could do far worse.

Recommended?  Probably not.  Unless you have any real interest in Reign of the Supermen era Superman, there's not a whole lot of meat here.  If you do come across this, or any Bloodlines book in your local cheap-o bins... maybe flip through it.  If it's a quarter (or less), maybe pick it up.  No promises, you may dig it... you may hate it... how's that for riding a fence?

I guess it is what it is.  If you go into it expecting a shallow story with a shoehorned New Blood character... you'll be okay.  If you are expecting challenging high-concept stuff, you're barking up the wrong tree.

--

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