Why does DC have Plastic Man AND Elongated Man?

[SJNeal]

Long story short?

Elongated Man > Plastic Man.

There, I said it.

[kurenai24]

Before I knew what I know now, I thought they were the same character who just got a new name and a costume change, I still don't know a lot about them but I know enough now to know there are slight differences; and I say with all that bat people, and super characters, and earth lanterns, what's the harm in multiple stretchy heroes...

[Güicho]

DC had three of them, all with red hair and all in similar outfits. They had Jimmy Olsen making his first appearance as Elastic Lad in SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN 31 (September 1958), Ralph Dibny as Elongated Man in THE FLASH 112 (April-May 1960) and the one-time only Rubberman in DETECTIVE COMICS 310 (December 1962).

I thought they were the same character who just got a new name and a costume change,....

They should have an issue where some villain douses them in something that liquefies them, and combines them into one being, permanently becoming:

THE PLASTICATED MAN.

Have O'Brian's goggles and hair, with a streaks of Dibney's red in it.
The costume a reddish purple.
Give him Ralph's straight Detective personality when normal, ...then when his nose starts to twitch... and he stretches, the more volatile and at times bordering on insane personality he becomes like the modern Plaz. when stretched.
As if using the powers effects his mind which is getting stretched/warped. It can even be addictive to stay that way, and if he dosn't revert to his human form, he could get stuck that "shapeless" way forever.
Of course Sue would have to deal with the personality change.

Fans of each, would each see the character they were familiar with.
And how many casual observers would even notice this was once two separate characters. LOL!

[DrNewGod]

Agreed. I can't believe how rude some of these folks are being just for me asking a question about some characters I'm not totally familiar with.

Never be ashamed of asking.

Some of the older fans had an comics lore advantage in growing up in a time when The Big Two frequently ran reprints of their published inventory. DC's late '70s experiments with $1 100-page (more like 80 when you accounted for the covers and ads, but still pretty cool) usually included Golden Age material, and a lot of their acquired properties. They also ran specials that were largely reprints of older stuff. Those reprints were where I got introduced to characters like Plastic Man, the JSA, and The Ray.

In today's market that doesn't make sense for the publishers, but I confess that I miss it.

[CaptCleghorn]

My thought is that DC didn't WANT to use Plastic Man. With John Broome and Julie Schwartz involved, it seems very unlikely both of them would have been unaware of the existence and status of the Plastic man character. The thought that since Ralph's character was thought to be villainous at first, using a defined hero such as Plas would have been awkward.

[kjn]

My thought is that DC didn't WANT to use Plastic Man. With John Broome and Julie Schwartz involved, it seems very unlikely both of them would have been unaware of the existence and status of the Plastic man character. The thought that since Ralph's character was thought to be villainous at first, using a defined hero such as Plas would have been awkward.

Wikipedia doesn't have much details. But could it be that Eel's background as a small-time criminal, and still being steeped in that mindset, meant he was tricky to use under the CCA?

[CaptCleghorn]

Wikipedia doesn't have much details. But could it be that Eel's background as a small-time criminal, and still being steeped in that mindset, meant he was tricky to use under the CCA?

I hadn't considered the effects of the Code. That's certainly a possibility. Is anyone familiar with the DC sixties tun of Plastic Man books?

[Jim Kelly]

Julie Schwartz and Carmine Infantino said in interviews that they didn't know that DC had the rights to Plastic Man and that they would have used him if they'd known. Since they said so, we have to trust that's the truth. And DC didn't start using Plastic Man until HOUSE OF MYSTERY 160 (July 1966), when Robby Reed used his dial to become the Pliable Policeman.

DC had kept BLACKHAWK and G.I. COMBAT going, when they bought up the Quality properties. So I think if they had known they could use Plastic Man, then he would have been used before 1966. It seems like the creators at DC didn't know what all the company actually owned. Len Wein only discovered that DC owned other Quality characters in 1972 and used them in the Earth-X crossover (which also establishes that a Plastic Man and Blackhawk existed on that Earth, too).

My sister and I bought the 2nd issue of the new PLASTIC MAN comic at the drugstore in early 1967 and we both hated the comic. It was supposed to be funny and cool, but it was like when older people try to act like they know what the young kids like, but they get it all wrong. And we were both reading Elongated Man in DETECTIVE COMICS, which we loved. So it wasn't Plastic Man's stretching powers that displeased me--it was everything else about the comic.

Of course, that comic had it that this Plastic Man was the son of the original Plastic Man--Eel O'Brian, Jr.--and was an agent for the NBI, with a partner named Gordon K. Trueblood. When the title was revived in 1976, they rightly had it be about the original Plastic Man and Woozy.

I like the name Elongated Man, it suits Ralph. Just like "Plas" suits Eel O'Brian. The way "Elongated" is spelled and pronounced has that extruded, over-extended and clumsy sense to it that describes Dibny, the Ductile Detective. While Eel is Plastic and he's Plas--he fits into every situation and he's a chum, a pal.

[caj]

Another thing that made Elongated Man unique is that Ralph didn't want his identity to be a secret. He wanted the world to know that he was Ralph Dibny, which is why he never wore a mask or disguise.

[Ilan Preskovsky]

Long story short?

Elongated Man > Plastic Man.

There, I said it.

I mean, yeah, absolutey. It might have been different if Plas was in the Giffen/ Dematteis JLI but he wasn't so it isn't. Meltzer's treatment of Ralph and Sue were enough to make me despise Identity Crisis all on its own.

[CaptCleghorn]

Julie Schwartz and Carmine Infantino said in interviews that they didn't know that DC had the rights to Plastic Man and that they would have used him if they'd known. Since they said so, we have to trust that's the truth. And DC didn't start using Plastic Man until HOUSE OF MYSTERY 160 (July 1966), when Robby Reed used his dial to become the Pliable Policeman.

DC had kept BLACKHAWK and G.I. COMBAT going, when they bought up the Quality properties. So I think if they had known they could use Plastic Man, then he would have been used before 1966. It seems like the creators at DC didn't know what all the company actually owned. Len Wein only discovered that DC owned other Quality characters in 1972 and used them in the Earth-X crossover (which also establishes that a Plastic Man and Blackhawk existed on that Earth, too).

I guess if Julie and Carmine said that, we take them at their word. I'm throwing out ideas and beliefs with no real factual support so I certainly can't support my ideas as anything except, "This is what I think based on the little I know". Still, it seems odd to me for Carmine and Julie not to have known based on the reputations they have as knowledgeable professionals. Len Wein's a relative newbie and his unawareness makes sense to me though.

[kjn]

Given the rather fast and loose approach to contracts, trademarks, and copyrights that was in place during the Golden Age, I can easily see editors at DC not knowing about every IP that they bought with Quality Comics, and even that they could be really careful about using anything from there without double-checking everything.

[JudicatorPrime]

I'll admit that this confused me as a kid, too. But not nearly as much as why both Marvel and DC were so taken with characters with stretchy powers. Proof that creativity and determination matters. In every life that I've ever lived and ever will live across all alternate realities, I would have never created and used for more than a throw issue someone with powers like Mr. Fantastic or Elongated Man.

[skyvolt2000]

Agreed. I can't believe how rude some of these folks are being just for me asking a question about some characters I'm not totally familiar with.

Nothing is wrong with asking. No harm is meant.

It's just that a lot of time this get asked as a weapon of degrading a character. So yeah folks will get defensive. When it gets asked about someone like Black Lightning and Static-mainly as an insult to Static and no one questions Shazam, Superman, Superboy & the rest of that group.

[Gaastra]

While Marvel had Mr. Fantastic debuting in FANTASTIC FOUR No. 1 (November 1961).

Marvel also has world war 2 hero the thin man, flatman of the great lakes avengers and the new ms marvel also.