Are Chistopher Cantwell And Alex Lins About To Tell
The Last Plastic Man Story?
DC Comics announced a four-issue Black Label series today from Eisner-nominated writer Christopher Cantwell and artist Alex Lins starring Plastic Man. The two creators, who currently collaborate on the dark-fairy tale series Briar for Boom Studios, will bring to life a story described as “Hard-Boiled Plastic Man Noir”.
Ever since the Plastic Man Saturday morning cartoon of the early 80s, Plastic Man has been one of my favorite characters. His origins as a former criminal exposed to chemicals, which allow Eel O’Brien to mold and stretch his body into any shape, imbued the character with inherent humor. Perhaps owing to his Golden Age creation, there has always been a sense of innocence to Plastic Man. While his redemptive character arc transformed him into a hero, there were enough reminders of his past on the wrong side of the law to maintain a mischievous tone in his stories.
The aesthetic Cantwell has brought his non-superhero work in the past in such titles as She Could Fly, The Blue Flame and the current Boom series Briar are strong evidence of his mastery of stories that explore the potential horror inherent in humanity’s very existence. Lins’s linework on Briar, brings this idea to life expertly with moody visuals that evoke a constant foreboding. Considering the aforementioned lighter tone of Plastic Man and his stories traditionally, this seems like an odd pairing.
One thing to consider, which may help you understand why I believe Cantwell and Lins are the perfect team to tackle a Plastic Man story, is this: while the threat of a catastrophic event instigated by a supervillain pales in comparison to the terrors that can reside within our own minds about our fragile existence, how does this idea extend to the story they will tell with Plastic Man? For Cantwell, it means delving into the body horror element of Plastic Man, a character that evokes thoughts of David Cronenberg and prompts speculation about what Plastic Man’s death might entail. This story seems like it will be a perfect amalgamation of Cantwell’s Eisner-nominated superhero work with the impactful work he has done exploring the darker sides of the human psyche.
Check out more details and the creator’s thoughts on the series in the official DC press release below.
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DC Announces a Hard-Boiled Plastic Man Noir From Eisner-Nominated Writer Christopher Cantwell and Artist Alex Lins!
Witness Plastic Man like you’ve never seen him before in Plastic Man No More #1!
What happens when Eel O’Brien’s powers start giving out? Nothing good!
Plastic Man No More! #1 cover by Alex Lins and Marcelo Maiolo
DC announced today a new four-issue DC Black Label comic book miniseries launching in September, Plastic Man No More! The Eisner-nominated creative team of Christopher Cantwell (Batman: The Brave and The Bold, Briar, Halt and Catch Fire) and Alex Lins (Briar, Monarch, Immortal Hulk) brings you the five words you thought you’d never read in a press release:
Hard-Boiled Plastic Man Noir
“I don’t know about you, but when I think about Plastic Man, I immediately think of David Cronenberg,” said Cantwell. “There is an element of body horror to his story that I have always found fascinating. And I also found myself wondering recently—How would Plastic Man actually die? What would that look like? Is he immortal? And then I thought of the long and particularly nasty way real plastics and petroleum products break down when and if they finally do. That’s how I learned about depolymerization and the chemical process of ‘unzipping,’—from a particularly morose afternoon on the ol’ Internet, picturing what might happen to Eel if his entire cellular structure started to give way.”
Plastic Man No More! #1 interior art by Alex Lins and Marcelo Maiolo
Plastic Man No More! #1 interior art by Alex Lins and Marcelo Maiolo
Eel O’Brian might be a superhero now—but before he was anything else, he was a crook. Until the accident that turned him into the pliable Plastic Man, Eel was bad to the bone…and just because he no longer has bones doesn’t mean that’s not still true. When an incident on a Justice League mission leads to catastrophic cellular damage, Plastic Man discovers he just might be out of time to make amends for the past he’s tried hard to outrun—or to save the soul of his son, who (unfortunately for him) might have inherited more from dear old Dad than just his superpowers…
Plastic Man No More! #1interior art by Alex Lins and Marcelo Maiolo
Plastic Man No More! #1interior art by Alex Lins and Marcelo Maiolo
“There are many superhero stories that play with the metaphor of our own inability to control our physical bodies,” continued Cantwell. “Plastic Man provided a way to take that allegory even deeper. How we look in the mirror and see one thing, then see a photo of ourselves and don’t recognize the person at all. How we all break down over time. What’s this strange itch? Why is this sagging? Why does this hurt now? Is my face permanently going to look like this? Or get even worse? With all these questions in the story comes a real and profound fear of aging, and yes, what lies beyond that—dying. And when someone like Plastic Man is suddenly looking at the end of the road, and now reflecting on his legacy, he begins to wonder: was he ever taken seriously by anyone? Did he even take himself seriously? The character also has a history of neglect and failure when it comes to personal relationships. So quite catastrophically, Patrick O’Brien suddenly finds himself desperate, asking WHAT NOW? HOW DO I FIX THIS? “THIS” being his very body, his very cells, as well his connections to the people he loves. And just WAIT until you see how horrifically and hilariously Alex Lins and Jacob Edgar have rendered this referendum on our vanguard ultra-bendable former-criminal-turned-hero-guy.”
Plastic Man No More! #1 interior art by Jacob Edgar and Marcelo Maiolo
Plastic Man No More! #1 interior art by Alex Lins, Jacob Edgar and Marcelo Maiolo
Plastic Man No More! #1, written by Cantwell with art and main cover by Lins, additional art by Jacob Edgar, color by Marcelo Maiolo and lettering by Becca Carey, will have variant covers by Michael Allred, Chris Samnee, and Tyler Boss (1:25). Plastic Man No More! #1 will hit local comic book shops on September 4, 2024. Plastic Man No More! is a DC Black Label comic book series and carries an Ages 17+ content descriptor (for mature readers). Each issue of Plastic Man No More! will be 32 pages, with 32 story pages per issue. Artists Riley Rossmo and Martin Morazzo will be featured on additional variant covers throughout the new DC Black Label series.
Plastic Man No More! #1 variant cover by Michael Allred
Plastic Man No More! #1 variant cover by Chris Samnee
Plastic Man No More! #1 variant cover by Tyler Boss
For the latest DC news, and for more information on Plastic Man, depolymerization, Christopher Cantwell, Alex Lins, Jacob Edgar, your coworkers (the Justice League) seeing you as a cartoon version of yourself (Plastic Man), and more, be sure to follow @DCOfficial and @thedcnation on social media or visit the official DC website at www.dc.com.
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