The plastics market can be puzzling at times, and now a Plastic Man action figure is puzzling as well.
In March, toymaker McFarlane Toys introduced new action figures of superheroes Superman, Batman, Aquaman and Green Lantern. Each of those figures includes a piece of a Plastic Man action figure in the package that can be assembled once they're all collected.
(The Superman figure is based on a version of the character that appeared briefly in the late 1990s. That sound you just heard when reading this is a Nerd Alert.)
A quick refresher: The characters of Plastic Man was created by legendary comics creator Jack Cole in 1941 and has been in and out of the pop culture spotlight ever since. His biggest exposure likely was in a late 1970s Saturday morning cartoon.
Plastic Man began life as criminal Eel O'Brian, then gained stretching and shape-shifting powers after falling into a vat of chemicals during a robbery attempt. He turned away from his previous life and used these powers to fight crime.
The character has been linked to movie and TV projects for more than a decade, most recently earlier this year when James Gunn, the director who's been given the reins of the DC Comics movie franchise, addressed rumors involving movies based on Plastic Man and DC characters Teen Titans, Sgt. Rock and Supergirl. "AT LEAST one of those things is not true," Gunn wrote in response to a discussion on Threads. "Have fun guessing!"
The new action figures needed to assemble Plastic Man are priced at $24.99, but a recent listing on ebay offered all four figures for $300. Plastics are a good investment!