Plastic Man

2005-06-06T23:42:03Z

Rob Jagodzinski:

'''The longest arm of the law!'''

Reknowned for his unique sense of humor along with the shape-shifting powers to match it, Plastic Man is one of the oldest superheroes, both in the real world and in the DC Universe.

Plastic Man was born Patrick O'Brian in New York City in 1926. He was put up for adoption and traveled from orphanage to orphanage, from foster home to foster home. All of this made young Patrick turn towards a life of a crime, quickly working his way around in the underworld. He received the nickname of Eel because of his abilities as a pickpocket and a thief. Sometime in 1941, while he and his gang were robbing the Crawford Chemical Works, Eel was shot in the shoulder by a security guard while he and his crew were making their escape. He fell against a vat of experimental acid, causing it to spill over and douse him in the substance. His cronies took off in the escape car without him, and so, with a bleeding wound that stung due to the acid seeping in, Eel ran as fast as he could, eventually passing out in a wooded area.

When he awoke, Eel found himself in a comfortable bed in a monastary. A monk revealed to him that he turned away cops looking for him because he "sensed the potential for good" in him. Eel took the next few days to reflect back on his life and figure out exactly why he turned to crime. As he did so, he discovered that his body had become as pliable as plastic. Eel quickly came to the conclusion that it was the acid that got into his wound. It somehow altered his molecular structure. Using his new desire to fight crime as well as his powers, Eel planned to take down his former gang. He disguised himself, however, by fashioning himself a costume out of an acrobat suit from a circus, altering it to stretch with him, as well as a pair of white goggles. The disguise worked, and not only did he defeat the gang and turn in the stolen money to the police, he earned a front page headline as "The Plastic Man."

Many people have the misconception that because of his ridiculous costume and zany personality, Plastic Man is a homosexual and an idiot. Not true. Not only does Plastic Man have a son (revealed in the pages of JLA), but he used to be a top investigator for the FBI and later their sister agency, the NBI. On top of this, he has become an excellent actor to go along with his disguises. He has also assisted [[Batman]] on many cases when Eel's connections and pliable powers are needed.

'''Origin:''' Police Comics #1, Aug. 1941

In November 1981, Plastic Man along with his sidekick [[Woozy Winks]] teamed-up with [[Superman]] to take on [[Toyman]]. (DCCP No.39, Nov. 1981 "The Thing That Goes Woof in the Night!")

[[Image:DCCP39.jpg|thumb|DC Comics Presents No.39 artwork by Ross Andru & Dick Giordano]]

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Vartox

2005-06-06T23:20:47Z

Rob Jagodzinski:

[[Image:Vartox.jpg|right]]
The super-powered hero of [[Tynola]], a planet "trillions of light years from Earth." Vartox is a friend and equal to [[Superman]] and the two have shared many adventures together.

Like Superman, Vartox is an alien and has adopted a new world which he has sworn to protect. He was originally a hero on his home planet of Valeron, which was destroyed.

Vartox is possessed of Hyper-Power which he manifests in a variety of ways to fight crime. These variations include such powers as Hyper-vision (and other Hyper-senses), Hyper-teleportation, Hyper-remote-control-blows, and Hyper-charges --including the powerful Hyper-obliteration-charge. His Hyper-Powers can also be used to temporarily dematerialize solid matter, enabling him to pass through barriers unharmed. As well, Vartox has a Hyper-body which he has described as "'''an ethereal Hyper-body which dwells within my physical essence. On occasion this 'phantom self' has been dispatched into action without my knowledge --directed by my own subconscious wishes'''" (S No. 373, Jul 1982: "Lana Lang's Farewell to Earth").

Vartox is also super-strong, invulnerable, and able to fly (a power which may be augmented by devices attached to his boots). He is able to temporarily transfer these powers to others. As well, he can communicate via ultra-wave lengths while in space.

Vartox is also an accomplished inventor and scientific genius.

Vartox appears older than Superman and describes himself as "far more experienced" (S No. 281). He has brown hair and wears a brown vest and trunks with yellow boots.

Vartox is in love with [[Lana Lang]] and shares a rivalry with Superman for her affections.

In November 1974, the "bionic [sic] twin" of Vartox's wife is killed on Earth. Since the two women are "biologically linked", Vartox's wife also dies at the same moment. Determined to bring his wife's proxy killer to justice, Vartox journeys to Earth in order to lure [[Frank "Killer" Sykes]] to Tynola. Superman pursues the pair and battles Sykes, to whom Vartox has transferred a portion of his Hyper-Power. Figuring out Vartox's mission, Superman allows Sykes to be tried on Tynola, where he is found guilty of murder (S No. 281, Nov 1974: "Mystery Mission to Metropolis").

'''"What a fine pair of champions we make, my Kryptonian friend. Both of us hail from supremely advanced races --both of us wield the might to rend solar systems asunder..."'''

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Plastic Man

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