The Stretchable Superhero Goes Solo in Six-Issue Miniseries
On June 13, celebrated writer Gail Simone debuts a new monthly six-issue miniseries for PLASTIC MAN. After making her DC debut with BIRDS OF PREY, Simone has written fan-favorite hits such as SECRET SIX and BATGIRL, as well as CLEAN ROOM for Vertigo, which earned her an Eisner Award nomination for Best New Series. “This has been a wild year for me, creatively,” continues Simone. “I’ve gotten to write so many of my bucket list characters, and here’s a character who could actually BE both the list AND the bucket. It’s sexy and stretchy and I’m seriously hoping it offends ALL the best people!”
“He’s the jester, the joke, the stretchy weirdo. He’s not credible. He’s not reliable. He’s…well, he’s Plastic Man,” says Gail Simone on her new assignment: writing the famous Golden Age hero. “He’s like a stretchy Swamp Thing or the bouncy Batman; writing him is a goofy, snarky honor and I’m thrilled to be part of his rubber ribaldry.”
PLASTIC MAN, stars Eel O’Brian, petty thug, thief and con artist. “One of my favorite takes on Plas was from the classic Grant Morrison/Howard Porter run. We are definitely taking inspiration from that, and just pushing it even further for rudeness’ sake,” says Simone. “Plas is funny, happy and has enough star power to hold his own against the big guns. He’s not afraid of Batman, he’s not afraid of Darkseid, he’s only afraid of messing up, of going back to being the punk thug he used to be.”
Joining Simone in June will be artist Adriana Melo (BIRDS OF PREY, HARLEY & IVY MEET BETTY & VERONICA). “Working with Gail again and revisiting our collaboration is a delight,” says Melo. “Gail’s script presents a slightly different approach to Eel O’Brian that I find fascinating. There’s still the comedic side of the character with the wacky, witty comebacks, but he can also be tough, sarcastic and cold. It translates into fun for the readers PLUS tons of fun for me to draw.”
“I lucked out,” shared Simone. “Adriana’s one of my favorite artists and she’s fantastic with action and humor. Even though she’s famous for drawing the hunkiest guys and the most gorgeous women, I had no idea she could draw the creeps and cruds of the DC Universe so well. It’s just a feast to look at – gorgeous and steamy and gritty in equal measure. And my WONDER WOMAN/CONAN collaborator, Aaron Lopresti, is doing the cover for the first issue and just knocked it out of the park. I could not be happier.”
“I usually tend to do more realistically stylized work,” says Melo, “but I also love scenes where I can take the opportunity to draw fun visual gags. I think that’s the challenge with this series: keep Eel O’Brian’s nature, maintain Plastic Man’s stretchy jokes, but also deliver that new twist that Gail gives to him.”
“Plas is THE original humor hero jock, and I think that everyone from Lobo to the Mask to Deadpool to Harley Quinn follows a little bit in his footsteps,” explains Simone. “If you read his best stories, he’s always a little bit bawdy, a little bit messed up, and that really is my favorite kind of hero.”
Below is a first look at Aaron Lopresti’s cover for the debut issue. Fans can also expect a variant cover by Amanda Conner.
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Brian Isaacs - Executive Editor / Publisher