If I had a negative comment about this week’s Batman: The Brave and The Bold, it’s that they didn’t give us a pre-opening credits extra special guest star. I always look forward to watching Batman and his super friend of the week wrap up the loose ends of a case, just before the Caped Crusader is joined after the credits by a completely different mega-powered buddy on a completely different case for the remainder of the episode.
Of course, that’s just me being a little nitpicky, and when Batman’s special guest star is the one and only Plastic Man there’s no reason to nitpick. As a matter of fact, there was so much Plas this week, Batman seemed like the guest star.
Again, no complaints here. I wouldn’t want to watch an entire series devoted to Plastic Man, my guess is he’d wear on my nerves pretty quick. He did have his own show in the early 80’s and I felt it was similar to the 90’s Freakazoid show. Freakazoid is a fine character in small doses, but, at least for my tastes too over the top jokey to watch with any regularity. But every now and then, a full half hour of wacky heroes hits the spot. Such was the case this week.
Plastic Man has always been the best stretchy super hero in the DC universe. You can make the argument that Marvel’s Reed Richards is an all round better stretchy super hero, and you won’t hear me put up too much of a battle, but Plas kicks Ralph Dibny’s (aka Elongated Man) butt like one of those red rubber gymnasium balls.
First of all, the guy’s name is Ralph Dibny. What kind of cool secret identity is that? Bruce Wayne, Hal Jordan, Jay Garrick. Those are cool secret identities. You know what’s even cooler still? Former jewel thief, Eel O’Brian. Ralph Dibny sounds like a guy who would come up with an even lamer ass super alter ego name – and he did - Elongated Man. What the hell kind of name is Elongated Man? You really have to work just to pronounce his moniker, and when you’re being pushed out a window by goons, tied up in an abandoned warehouse by henchmen or kidnapped by thugs, you don’t have time to scream out a five syllable name. Three tops!
But let’s not bother any longer with this gingold drinking, nose twitching wannabe. Plastic Man is the original, and he’s just more fun to watch.
His aptitude for visual gags has long been a big part of Plastic Man’s appeal, stretching back (yes that was an intentional pun) to his first appearance in 1941 in the pages of Police Comics #1. Comic books, like TV shows, are a visual medium, and Plas creator, Jack Cole took great delight in finding clever ways to hide Plastic Man.
Much of the fun of reading those Golden Age adventures was looking for Plastic Man in the comic panels. Often times he’d be the red, yellow and black radio in the gangster’s hide out, and sometimes he’d even be the red, yellow and black gangster getaway car. And those 70-year old sight gags are still playing strong today.
In this episode alone Plastic Man posed as a modern art sculpture, a pop art Roy Lichtenstein painting and the Mona Lisa before assuming the shape of the Batmobile when he realized he needed the help of a certain pointy-eared star of the show.
By the way, was Plas’ main squeeze, Ramona, doing it for anyone else out there, or am I the only one in Cartoonland who would have been happier to see even less Bats and Plas and more of the smoking hot redheaded baby mamma? As Woozy Winks would say, Hubba Hubba!
So newsflash - The good people at B&B are unable to put out substandard shows. Once again The Brave and The Bold delivered the goods. Bad guys were defeated, good guys win, and we the audience get entertained in the way television cartoons were originally meant to entertain. And you’re left at the end of another brilliant bit of adult-friendly children’s entertainment and a big goofy smile on your face as you sit and wait. Wanting next week to come as soon as it possibly can.
Joe Oesterle is an award-winning writer and illustrator, but what he often fails to mention is that many of those awards were won on a New Jersey boardwalk. Please check out Joe’s own latest animated cartoon.
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No Baby Plas = No Sale!!