Elongated Man Appreciation Thread 2021

[Air Wave]

Welcome to the 2021 Appreciation thread for the ELONGATED MAN!

Screen Shot 2021-04-09 at 10.09.25 AM.jpg

[Multiverse]

Such a criminally underrated DC Superhero, one of a few who's secret identity is public.

Loved his team-ups with Flash, his rivalry with Plastic Man, and of course his beloved Sue Dibny.

[Phoenixx9]

Are there any differences to Elongated Man's powers over the other stretchable characters? How did EM get onto the JL team?

[K7P5V]

Truly enjoyed Ralph being a member of the SuperBuddies

[SJNeal]

Plastic Man who?? Ralph is definitely my stretcher of choice!

[SJNeal]

And I've always been partial to the purple costume.

[signalman112]

Infantino cover to FLASH #112

Flash112.jpg

[scary harpy]

Are there any differences to Elongated Man's powers over the other stretchable characters? How did EM get onto the JL team?

What I heard: Elongated Man was created because someone did not know the Plastic Man could be used for the Justice League.

Therefore, their powers should be similar.

[Phoenixx9]

What I heard: Elongated Man was created because someone did not know the Plastic Man could be used for the Justice League.

Therefore, their powers should be similar.

Thanks scary.

Wow, instead of using an established character, someone chose not to ask and made up a completely new one! Well, I guess we could always use one more stretchy-guy, lol.

[DrNewGod]

What I heard: Elongated Man was created because someone did not know the Plastic Man could be used for the Justice League.

Therefore, their powers should be similar.

Thanks scary.

Wow, instead of using an established character, someone chose not to ask and made up a completely new one! Well, I guess we could always use one more stretchy-guy, lol.

I seem to recall a nuance on that story. Broome and Infantino had the character already drafted and ready to go. What Schwartz said is that he'd have never let them give EM so long a name had he realized that they could have used "Plastic Man." So most likely, Ralph would have been a Barry Allen to Eel O'Brien's Jay Garrick, rather than Plastic Man being revived for Flash.

[liwanag]

it looks like they're bringing back ralph...

[Big Bad Voodoo Lou]

Plus, the name Elongated Man was a reference to Dashiell Hammett's novel The Thin Man, which inspired a series of movies starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, a wealthy couple who loved to party and drink, have adventures, and solve mysteries. Ralph and Sue Dibny and their globe-trotting escapades and mystery-solving capers were inspired by Nick and Nora Charles, hence "Elongated Man" = Thin Man.

One major difference between Elongated Man and Plastic Man is that Ralph can only stretch his body parts, while Plastic Man's powers allow him to shape himself into an infinite number of shapes and objects (bouncing balls, parachutes, park benches, even vehicles). As a result, Plas would almost certainly be considered more powerful, but Ralph's greatest strength is as a top-notch detective -- almost a Batman-tier sleuth. That's one reason I was so disappointed in Bendis and Maleev's Event Leviathan miniseries, where Lois Lane put together a team of detectives including Batman, the Question, Green Arrow (since when is he a detective?), and Plastic Man instead of Ralph.

[Phoenixx9]

Thanks for the info, Big Bad! I love the Nick and Nora Charles (and Asta too!) Thin Man movies! But never knew they were a basis for EM.

[DrNewGod]

Plus, the name Elongated Man was a reference to Dashiell Hammett's novel The Thin Man, which inspired a series of movies starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, a wealthy couple who loved to party and drink, have adventures, and solve mysteries. Ralph and Sue Dibny and their globe-trotting escapades and mystery-solving capers were inspired by Nick and Nora Charles, hence "Elongated Man" = Thin Man.

One major difference between Elongated Man and Plastic Man is that Ralph can only stretch his body parts, while Plastic Man's powers allow him to shape himself into an infinite number of shapes and objects (bouncing balls, parachutes, park benches, even vehicles). As a result, Plas would almost certainly be considered more powerful, but Ralph's greatest strength is as a top-notch detective -- almost a Batman-tier sleuth. That's one reason I was so disappointed in Bendis and Maleev's Event Leviathan miniseries, where Lois Lane put together a team of detectives including Batman, the Question, Green Arrow (since when is he a detective?), and Plastic Man instead of Ralph.

I adore the Thin Man series (especially the original), and I've often mentioned Ralph and Sue as a Nick and Nora riff, but I never fully put together in my head that The Charles' were so direct an influence on EM, even including the name.

My rereading has me at mid-1964, when Elongated Man took over the backup feature in Detective Comics from Martian Manhunter. In some ways, Ralph was kind of a less extreme Booster Gold for his time.

[BatmanJones]

it looks like they're bringing back ralph...

Oh hell yes. Now I have a really good reason to read a title I’d have skipped otherwise.