History ComicBook / PlasticMan

* TangentComics: In this series "Plastic Man" was a man trapped in a plastic body.

* TomKenny: His current voice actor.

PostCrisis, they changed Plastic Man's origin to make him DarkerAndEdgier. Now he never was rehabilitated by monks, instead he tried to commit suicide because he considered himself no longer human, and Woozy was a mental patient. Hey, it was the DorkAge. Fortunately, later portrayals have been more positive: his first origin got restored, Plas is his cheerful self again, and he joined the Justice League where he proved his mettle.

** Another JLA storyline had him, like the other Justice League members, [[LiteralSplitPersonality split in two]]: the stretchy goofball (who literally ''could not'' be serious) and Eel O'Brian, ex-career criminal. Eel is the first to recognize that the split heroes are all incomplete in various ways and need to be put back together, even though some are happier this way, and it's mostly his steely determination and sometimes ruthless manipulation that makes it happen. He also comments that he remembers the sound a gun butt makes against a skull, and has begun to crave hearing it again...

** Another JLA storyline had him, like the other Justice League members, [[LiteralSplitPersonality split in two]]: the stretchy goofball (who literally ''could not'' be serious) and Eel O'Brian, ex-career criminal. Eel is the first to recognize that the split heroes are all incomplete in various ways and need to be put back together, even though some are happier this way, and it's mostly his steely determination and sometimes ruthless manipulation that makes it happen. He also comments that he remembers the sound a baseball bat makes against a skull, and has begun to crave hearing it again...

For starters, Plastic Man (or "Plas" for short) was created by another company, Quality Comics, in 1941. He was the star character of ''Police Comics'' #1-102 (August, 1941-October, 1950). And also gained his own title, ''Plastic Man'' which lasted for 52 issues (1943 to February, 1955). While among the longest running characters of UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, Plas was then pretty much forgotten. Quality Comics ceased operations in 1956, selling most, if not all of its properties to DC Comics. The new owners continued a few of Quality's ongoing series, most notably ComicBook/{{Blackhawk}}. But had no interest in reviving defunct series. The character was next revived in ''Plastic Man'' vol. 2 #1 (December, 1966), though the Plastic Man of this series was said to be a look-alike son of the original.

* PsychicStatic: Plas's physical brain changes shape so drastically and constantly that any psychic trying to read him finds the task absolutely impossible. It'd be like trying to read a piece of paper after having shredded it, mixed it with loads of other shredded papers and throwing it all inside a wind tunnel. In fact, in one storyline in which the MartianManhunter became BrainwashedAndCrazy, it was Plas who was able to take him down since not only does he have his psychic defenses, he's also a shapeshifter rivaling and possibly surpassing J'onn.

For starters, Plastic Man (or "Plas" for short) was created by another company, Quality Comics, in 1941. He was the star character of ''Police Comics'' #1-102 (August, 1941-October, 1950). And also gained his own title, ''Plastic Man'' which lasted for 52 issues (1943 to February, 1955). While among the longest running characters of TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, Plas was then pretty much forgotten. Quality Comics ceased operations in 1956, selling most, if not all of its properties to DC Comics. The new owners continued a few of Quality's ongoing series, most notably ComicBook/{{Blackhawk}}. But had no interest in reviving defunct series. The character was next revived in ''Plastic Man'' vol. 2 #1 (December, 1966), though the Plastic Man of this series was said to be a look-alike son of the original.

* TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks

** In ComicBook/TheDarkKnightStrikesAgain, Batman seems to be of the opinion that Plas is one of the most powerful and potentially dangerous beings on Earth.

** A later issue of JLA {{re|tcon}}veals that the reason Batman brought him into the League to begin with was that he was the only person who could defeat ComicBook/MartianManhunter if he ever went rogue. When Manhunter loses his fear of fire and temporarily becomes "Fernus the Burning", (due to Martians once having been savage giants who reproduced through flames and psychic agony, until the Guardians stepped in and created the Green and White Martians from them)even Superman gets his butt kicked. It's Plas who is able to take him down, being a faster and less hindered shapeshifter who is immune to his telepathy.

* TheSlowPath: In one JLA story, Plas traveled back in time and was blown up. [[LiterallyShatteredLives The gravel-sized chunks of his body]] were scattered at the bottom of the sea, and left there for 3000 years until the JLA rescued him in the present day. [[AndIMustScream He was conscious the entire time.]]

** In the miniseries ''ComicBook/TheKingdom'' (the sequel to ''ComicBook/KingdomCome''), Plas's son reluctantly becomes a superhero named [[IncrediblyLamePun Offspring]]. It actually helps him understand what his dad went through and appreciate him even more. The hug between the two at the end of the storyline has got to be [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming the most adorable superhero [=father/son=] moment in comics history]]. [[http://pah2.golding.id.au/images/PlasticManOffspring.jpg Observe :)]]

* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: The DC retcon of the original Jack Cole stories.

* ThouShaltNotKill: Averted in the original Jack Cole stories, but played straight with the DC stories.

** A later issue of JLA {{re|tcon}}veals that the reason Batman brought him into the League to begin with was that he was the only person who could defeat ComicBook/MartianManhunter if he ever went rogue. When Manhunter loses his fear of fire and temporarily becomes "Fernus the Burning", even Superman gets his butt kicked. It's Plas who is able to take him down, being a faster and less hindered shapeshifter who is immune to his telepathy.

* TheSlowPath: In one JLA story, Plas traveled back in time and was blown up. His body shattered into pieces and was scattered at the bottom of the sea, and left there for 3000 years until the JLA rescued him in the present day. [[AndIMustScream He was conscious the entire time.]]

--> '''Batman:''' "If he wanted to, he could kill us all."

For starters, Plastic Man (or "Plas" for short) was created by another company, Quality Comics, in 1941. He was the star character of ''Police Comics'' #1-102 (August, 1941-October, 1950). And also gained his own title, ''Plastic Man'' which lasted for 52 issues (1943 to February, 1955). While among the longest running characters of TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, Plas was then pretty much forgotten. Quality Comics ceased operations in 1956, selling most, if not all of its properties to DC Comics. The new owners continued a few of Quality's ongoing series, most notably ComicBook/{{Blackhawk}}. But had no interest in reviving defunct series. The character was next revived in ''Plastic Man'' vol. 2 #1 (December, 1966). Though the Plastic Man of this series was said to be a look-alike son of the original.

** In ComicBook/TheDarkKnightStrikesAgain, Batman seems to be of the opinion that Plas is pretty much one of the most powerful and potentially dangerous beings on Earth.

*** In an issue of JLA Wonder Woman is at home, about to change her clothes, and suddenly turns and addresses the red and yellow light fixture on the wall: "If my body were the last thing you ever saw, would it be worth it?". Plas sheepishly departs.

* ShapeshifterWeapon: Plas can turn into pretty much ANYTHING he can think of, and he can actually alter his density to be as malleable or as hard as he wants. If he turns his hand into a sledgehammer, he can explode your head with one swing. Of course, he's too much of a nice guy to actually DO something like that, but any bad guy that underestimates him is in for a [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass RUDE awakening.]]

** Circe got her revenge in a Wonder Woman story where she transformed most the male superheroes in the world into animals for female supervillains to hunt down. Since Martian Manhunter, Beast Boy and Plastic Man were immune, she took special means to keep them out of her way. For Plas, she stretched him out under heat lamps and started to slowly MELT him.

* HenpeckedHusband

Bruce Timm has said that he wanted to use Plas in JusticeLeague Unlimited, but couldn't due to just one of the many copyright issues that surrounded the show. He does get a few mentions in an episode called The Greatest Story Never Told.

He also starred in a [[http://andyupdates.blogspot.com/2010/02/thanks-john-k.html pilot]] for a series on Creator/CartoonNetwork. Made in 2006, it will finally get off the ground as a series of shorts for the network's WesternAnimation/DCNation block. Much earlier, he had his own cartoon show called ''The Plastic Man Cartoon Comedy Hour'' by Ruby-Spear Production. It ran from 1979-1981 and featured live-action segments between animated shorts. These shorts included Plastic Man cartoons but also {{Marmaduke}}, {{Heathcliff}}, and others.

Evan Dorkin wrote and Stephan Destefano illustrated a Plastic Man feature to run in WednesdayComics in case any of the other strips were unable to keep up with the deadline; while not making it into the serialized issues, the single page produced is included in the collected book.

** A later issue of JLA {{re|tcon}}veals that the reason Batman brought him into the League to begin with was that he was the only person who could defeat MartianManhunter if he ever went rogue. When Manhunter loses his fear of fire and temporarily becomes "Fernus the Burning", even Superman gets his butt kicked. It's Plas who is able to take him down, being a faster and less hindered shapeshifter who is immune to his telepathy.

** In the [[TheDarkKnightStrikesAgain Dark Knight Strikes Again]], Batman seems to be of the opinion that Plas is pretty much one of the most powerful and potentially dangerous beings on Earth.

** In ''TheDarkKnightStrikesAgain'', Plas is... well... it's Creator/FrankMiller. Let's say it combines his Golden Age attitude with his DorkAge capabilities.

* ShapeShifterShowdown: with MartianManhunter.

** In the miniseries ''The Kingdom'' (the sequel to ''ComicBook/KingdomCome''), Plas's son reluctantly becomes a superhero named [[IncrediblyLamePun Offspring]]. It actually helps him understand what his dad went through and appreciate him even more. The hug between the two at the end of the storyline has got to be [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming the most adorable superhero [=father/son=] moment in comics history]]. [[http://pah2.golding.id.au/images/PlasticManOffspring.jpg Observe :)]]

Second, long before Plastic Man joined the League, ElongatedMan (who may have been a CaptainErsatz of Plas) had been a member for decades (though admittedly Plastic Man was always better known.) Plastic Man only joined the ranks of the League in ''JLA'' #16 (March, 1998).