Plastic Man #3 - with Harley Quinn!

Under the Cover of Darkness
#3 of 6
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Adriana Melo
Oct 2018

I haven't exactly kept my finger on the DC pulse lately so I wasn't aware that Gail Simone was penning a 6 issue mini of Plastic Man..

Now, I like Plastic Man. He's one of those characters that could be sooo annoying if mishandled, but when done right he's a fantastic foil against the super serious super heroes he hangs around.

Plastic Man is a former criminal who turned to the good side but never lost his sense of humour. He's pretty civil to bad guys (offering to babysit Circe's daughter) Plus, he's not afraid to call out dickish behaviour when he sees it.

And with Gail Simone involved you just know it's gonna be good. 

So why am I talking about Plastic Man on a strictly Harley Quinn blog? Well... after seeing a bad vocal audition at his club, the owner says he thinks the singer might do better if she had a gimmick.

Smash cut to....Plastic Man imitating Harley Quinn!

I think he actually wears the roller derby suit better than she does. I also like how despite being able to change shape into anything he wants.. he still won't change his nads.

Now if you're like me and prefer a different Harley Quinn variant, they got you covered as well, with Classic and Suicide Skank versions appearing.


Also LOL at 'Daddy's little accident' !!




Obviously I've missed a few issues because I don't know what Plastic Man is doing with Man-Bat or why there's a robot voice talking about ... slave trade? Not sure. There's also a little kid that Eel's trying to save.

One thing is for sure, I am definitely going to check out the other issues in this run. I adore Simone's writing, particularly when it comes to bad guys who aren't all bad cliches all the time and reformed bad guys. 

Her wit is amazing, and I love how she's snuck in locations from her past work like Superiors.. the super hero themed strip club. Plus with someone as malleable as Plastic Man you can work in other references that in the hands of other writers/artists wouldn't have been so good. 

Pretty sure I saw Eel giving some subtle Wall-E eyes at one stage. 

Aaand.. I kinda want a Plastic Man My Little Pony now.