PlastiCast Ep. 2 – The Stairway to Madness!

PLASTICAST Ep. 2 - The Stairway to Madness!

Get into the spirit of Halloween with host Max Romero as we explore the twisted tale of The Stairway to Madness on the latest episode of PlastiCast! In Plastic Man #39, Plas is on the trail of Bullethead Becker, but Bullethead has found the perfect hideout — or has he? Then Max will discuss the latest Plastic Man news, and your listener feedback!

Check out images from this Plastic Man story here!

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Opening theme: “The Plastic Man Theme" from The Invasion of The Plastic Men (Power Records)
“Panic Again” from Rosemary ’s Baby; composer, Krzysztof Komeda
Dialogue from The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show
Closing theme: “Plastic Man” by The Kinks
Dialogue from “Double Team” by Tenacious D

Thanks for listening!

19 responses to “PlastiCast Ep. 2 – The Stairway to Madness!

  1. Great sophomore episode, Max!

    Eeyow, it may be sacrilegious to say this, but I prefer the anonymous artist on this story to Jack Cole–at least the Cole Plastic Man stories I’ve read up to this point, which admittedly is only a handful. But I really, really dig the art on this story. Plas looks a little more like a straight-jawed pulp detective, and the use of heavy shading that you mentioned really plays up the crime noir feel. Love it!

  2. Great episode Max! I had no idea any of these Plas stories got this intense, this one looks like what I imagine a Plas comic would be if the character had been bought by EC, not DC.

    Great choice for a Halloween episode!

  3. Man, this sounds like a great story! A downright creepy vignette that would work perfectly fine in a horror anthology film by Amicus, or an episode of Tales from the Darkside or something. Just replace Plas with your standard cop, and voila.

    Great episode once again Max! The “Hail Satans” at the end reminded me of the end of Rosemary’s Baby, when you see no less than Aunt Bee’s friend Clara from The Andy Griffith Show praising the Dark One!

    Chris

  4. Another great episode Max!! I often struggle to read Golden Age comics (they are usually very bland), so it’s always exciting to hear about adventures like these that remain fresh to this day (like some Golden Age Dr Fate and Captain Marvel adventures).

    Sounds like I’ve earned a rep as a Plastic Man hater. This is not true. It’s simply a case that I prefer Elongated Man in the JLA. Like many others, my intro to Plastic Man was the 70s TV show. I thought he was a silly, yet fun character (like Blue Falcon and Dynomutt). It wasn’t until ALL STAR SQUADRON that I discovered he actually appreared in comics. By then I was already a fan of the Justice League Detroit and Satellite eras. Ralph for the win!

    When Grant Morrison introduced Plas to the JLA, I was less than thrilled. However, the quieter character issues about Plas really sold me. Additionally, Plas’ animated appearances on BRAVE AND THE BOLD and JUSTICE LEAGUE ACTION have further won me over. So while I haven’t read any Plas solo comics, I consider myself a fan of the character.

    I look forward to hearing about more of Plas’ exciting solo outings!!

    PS: Baby Plas and Bad Luck Hula rock!!
    PPS: Don’t get me wrong, if it comes down to Ralph vs Eel, I’ll stretch a little further to save Ralph. 🙂

    1. I just want it on the record that I never said you hated Plastic Man! Honest! And if you ever want to go a little deeper on reading Plastic Man, I’d recommend Kyle Baker’s run. It’s great, and really captures the balance of fun and adventure that’s Plas at his best. It’s a perfect introduction.

  5. Great episode.
    Very disturbing story, Perfect for the season. And Plas is a cool foil for this. But that image of the devil stabbing Bullethead is creeeepy.

    For me, I think the Plas show was my first meeting. But I also read Brave and Bold issues as well as the Adventure run so I would need there to be a timeline to see.

    Put me in the anti-Baby Plas camp as well.

    Anyways, thanks for this show! A great addition to the network!

  6. Hi Max, I immediately smiled when I saw this episode in my podcast list. I saved it to listen to during my lunchtime walk and it was perfect company providing a fun story and insightful commentary. Great job. Darrin

  7. A great Plastic Man story for the Halloween season. I love the way the supernatural intrudes into what would otherwise be a fairly standard crime story.

    In regards to Plastic Man’s resurgence in the DC universe, I’m interested to hear your thoughts on the Plastic Man that was recently introduced on the Flash TV show. He seems to be a strange amalgamation of Plastic Man and Elongated Man. I’m not sure why they didn’t just choose one or the other character to run with.

    1. Thanks for listening, Brian! Yes, the roots in horror and crime comics that so many of the Golden Age writers and artists had (including Cole) really comes out in these stories. There are many more Plas stories that run in this vein, so it’ll be fun to explore those in the future.

      Personally, I’m digging Ralph Dibney’s introduction into the CW Arrowverse. With the exception of the disgraced ex-cop angle, it seems to be in keeping with the Elongated Man’s Silver Age characterization. And I was impressed with how well they pulled off the stretching effect! It gives me hope we’ll see a credible live-action Plas someday. What did you think of the show name-dropping Plastic Man at one point?

      1. This reply is late in coming, but….

        The Plastic Man name-drop is what first confused me concerning whether he was supposed to be Plastic Man, Elongated Man, or some mash-up of the two. I also wasn’t sure how I felt about his background as a crooked cop, but I guess it gives the character somewhere to grow from. I have been enjoying how Ralph’s character has developed over the course of the season.

        I still think they could introduce Plastic Man on the Flash. He could be an Elongated Man analog from an alternate Earth. If every Earth has a speedster, then why not a stretcher (not sure if that’s the proper term) as well?

  8. I’m enjoying this addition to the network very much. Great work, Max! I look forward to hearing more of Plas’ early, non-goofy adventures. And yes, bring on Woozy!

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