Where, for example, is Plastic Man? The Jack Cole-created stretchy crime fighter has been far from an unknown figure since his first appearance in 1941, commanding several solo comic book series along with his own cartoon and plenty of appearances in other DC Comics-related properties. Sure, his powers are a bit tough to do in live-action, but that's what terrible CGI is for! It is a bit odd that the character, a fun-loving creation with a good back story, decent name recognition and an affable sense of humor that would appeal to younger audiences, has never appeared as a live-action figure.
Except that one time.
In 1984, Arlington Television picked up the two-season animated TV series "The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show" for syndication a few years after the show had concluded its Saturday morning run on ABC. Not content to just repackage the old material, director Steve Whiting shot additional bookend footage for the show, featuring actor and comedian Mark Taylor (billed as "Taylor Marks") as the lead character in all his plastic glory.
The segments aren't exactly action packed - they're mostly making Plas making gags about the show coupled with some rudimentary special effects. But the costume design is good, and Taylor seems to be having a good time, so it's not all that shocking that the syndicated package became a minor hit, with Taylor's Plas getting the attention of the San Francisco-based "Evening Magazine."
In fact, Taylor's incarnation of Plastic Man was enough of a hit that Whiting and Taylor took it on the road to the 1984 Democratic National Convention. According to Noblemania's great interview with him, "I did a more lame version of what [Sasha Baron Cohen's 'Borat'] did so well."
Sadly, Taylor's Plastic Man didn't fare much better than the Democrats that year, and he was soon retired to the footnotes of history. Taylor went on to continue his stand-up comedy work and, as of 2011, works in a hospital as a physical therapist - a perfectly appropriate calling for someone whose portrayal of an infamous comic book character who can assume any physical form is, to date, the definitive one.
