Baker, Kyle. Plastic Man: on the lam.

BAKER, Kyle. Plastic Man: on the lam. DC Comics. illus. c2004. 1-4012-0343-4. $14.95. JS*

This is Kyle Baker's revamp of one of my favorite characters. Plastic Man made his debut way back in 1941 (Police Comics #1), when gangster Eel O'Brien is splashed with an acid that gives his skin the consistency of butter taffy. Instead of joining the circus, Eel becomes a superhero. He dons a red jumpsuit and goggles, gets a sidekick--Woozy Winks, a fat guy in a straw hat--and the rest is history. Fast-forward 63 years: Plastic Man, who is now a G-man, must solve the murder of a smalltime thug. Unfortunately, all the clues say that small-time hood Eel O'Brien is the culprit, and Plastic Man's new partner, blonde bombshell Agent Morgan, is determined to bring O'Brien down.

Plastic Man: On the Lam is an excellent superhero title. The plot is tongue-in-cheek, a humorous variant of the Mysterious-Figure-From-My-Past-Is-Messing-Up-My-Life storyline. Baker's manic art is perfect for this character. Since his skin is rubber, Plastic Man is naturally a master of disguise, and he uses his powers with the sort of goofy logic ten-year-old boys love--chasing a getaway car as a giant red kangaroo, soaring through the sky as a hot-air blimp, and disguising himself as a stained glass window. Plastic Man contains comic book violence and is highly recommended for libraries with superhero collections. George Galuschak, YA Libn., Montvale PL, Montvale, NJ

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

*--The asterisk highlights exceptional books.