Two months ago in Pappy's #1268 I showed a Plastic Man story that in my comments I said reminded me of my childhood, when I saw the character as belonging in the same league as Mad comic books. So, okay, then, “Plague of Plastic People!” belongs right alongside that earlier story. I'd call this incredible, joke-in-every-panel story zaniacal...a cross between zany and maniacal. This one pulls out all the stops, the best of what Plastic Man could deliver, and that's saying something.
Also, if you read through the story you'll actually get to see Plastic Man in one panel without his goggles covering his eyes. I don't know if that happened any other time.
From Plastic Man #22 (1950):
I have to wonder why “Plastic Sam” (Mad's satire of Plastic Man) was given over to Russ Heath, who seems to have done little more than ink Kurtzman's layout sketches, rather than to Will Elder, whose style seems to have been so influenced by Cole's work on Plastic Man.
ReplyDeleteWe may never know the answer to that one, Daniel, but maybe it could be that Heath asked for it...? Elder had a story in the same issue (#14), "Manduck the Magician."
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