Number 2264: Plastic Man set in Concrete

We complete our Thanksgiving week postings with Plastic Man, meeting up with a crook who sells cheap cement to make concrete that ultimately costs lives. Now that particular part of the story isn’t funny but tragic, and has happened in real life. What is funny are the drawings by Jack Cole, and the breakneck action panels. I am always amazed at how many ways Cole could contort the body of not only the stretchable Plastic Man, but other characters who supposedly have human bodies.

This appeared in Plastic Man #14 (1948). The Grand Comics Database gives writing credit to Joe Millard* and art credits to Jack Cole (pencils), and Alex Kotzky (? ), question mark meaning they aren't sure, for inks.

Although they have the same name, the villain Concrete is not the same as the character, Concrete, created by Paul Chadwick in the 1980s.

*I am a fan of the “Who Created the Comic Books?” blog by Martin O’Hearn, who by studying their styles, has proved he is observant and knowledgeable about writers and artists. I went to the blog to see if his research might show a corroboration with the Grand Comics Database that Joe Millard was the author of this story, based on the use of two unusual utterances I have seen before in other comics: “GRAWK!” and “YAWP!” In his posts concerning Millard’s style he does not mention them, which makes me wonder if GCD identified the writer of the story correctly, or if it is another writer who uses those made-up words? To look at Martin’s blog and his outstanding research go to the right and click on the link in the sidebar of this blog.

Number 2037: Kid Eternity calls on Plastic Man

I don’t recall any crossovers in Quality Comics, no Plastic Man appearing in Blackhawk or vice versa. If they happened I may have missed them. If anyone knows of any please let me know. Here is the closest thing I know to a crossover from that publisher. It appeared in Hit Comics #32 (1944), when Kid Eternity needed help and called on Plastic Man by shouting out the word “Eternity!”

Plastic Man doesn’t have a lot to do, so crossover might be too strong a word. It is more like a guest appearance. He appears in 6 panels over two pages. When an old lady turns into Merlin the Magician he gives up and zaps back to Police Comics.

I have high regard for the artwork, credited to Alex Kotzky for pencils. No inker known.

Kid Eternity mixes with Amazons. Just click the thumbnail.

Number 1226: The funny filler

Fillers in comics can be boring, but I like the backup feature in Plastic Man, starring Plastic Man's pal, Woozy Winks. Like Plastic Man, who was a criminal before becoming a hero, Woozy was also once a crook. But then he became Plas' comic relief. Woozy is the comedian to Plas' straight man (or as straight as a bendable, flexible, stretchable, shape-shifting man can be), and more important for a funny book, the backup is funny!

This story, from Plastic Man #6 (1947), is credited to Jack Cole by the Grand Comics Database, with inks by Alex Kotzky.

Number 934


Buster Brown and the Gods of Egypt


Buster Brown Comic Book was published by Brown Shoe Company for several years in the 1940s and '50s. They used some top comic artists, and they had interesting stories set in interesting locales. These two stories are set in Egypt, one in ancient times, one modern. They are written by Hobart Donovan, who was apparently the only scripter for Buster Brown Comic Book, or at least the only one given credit.

The Grand Comics Database does a guess on the artwork for "The Power Of The Great Cat" from BBCB #9, dated Fall, 1947. They credit Alex Kotzky?, so if you're a Kotzky art-spotter you tell us if it is by him. "Seb-Ek Crocodile God Of The Nile," signed by Dan Barry, is from BBCB #12, and is dated Summer 1948. I'm not sure how Grand Comics Database knows the dates, unless someone checked them with the Brown Shoe Company records. You won't find any dates in the comics because they don't include an indicia, or any kind of copyright notice, for that matter. Maybe the Brown Shoe Company didn't care. Maybe for them it was enough to publish these comic books to be given away to young customers in their shoe stores, and to make the kids holler, "I want Buster Brown!" when Mom and Dad said it was time for shoes. What I remember about the Buster Brown shoe store where my mom bought my shoes, besides making sure I got a copy of the free comic book, was sticking my foot in the fluoroscope and seeing the bones of my foot. That sort of thing is banned nowadays, but six decades on I haven't detected any problems with my feet caused by Buster Brown's fluoroscope. Any damage from the Buster Brown Comic Book is co-mingled in my brain with the thousands of comics I read in my life.

Note the variant spelling of pharaoh as "pharo" in the first story. Was this ever an accepted spelling?