Plastic Man #3
Plastic Man #3 (Spring 1946) holds a specific structural significance in comics publishing history: while the first two Plastic Man solo issues were registered with the Copyright Office as stand-alone pamphlets rather than periodicals, Grand Comics Database research confirms that issue #3 was the first entry in the series to be formally established as a recurring quarterly title under Quality Comics. It therefore marks the true beginning of Plastic Man as an ongoing periodical series — the commercial foundation for a run that would eventually reach 64 issues and survive into the DC era. The issue also captures a pivotal creative moment: it is one of the earliest entries where scripter credits diverge from Jack Cole, signaling the editorial shift from Cole as sole auteur toward a collaborative (and, by Cole's own reaction, unwelcome) production model that would define the rest of the Golden Age run.
In "The Killing of Snoopy Hawks," Woozy finds himself in a sticky situation when he tries to cash in on a reward by helping free the notorious Smelly Pitts—only to end up behind bars himself. Written and illustrated by Jack Cole, this 1946 Quality Comics classic showcases the wacky, inventive energy that defined the era, with the artist’s signature style bringing every twist and turn to life. The cover by Jack Cole captures the chaos perfectly, a visual tease of the antics within.
In "The Escape of Smelly Pitts," Woozy’s desperate attempt to cash in on a reward by mimicking Plastic Man’s crime-fighting antics backfires spectacularly—his plan to free the notorious Smelly Pitts from jail lands him behind bars instead. A chaotic mix of mistaken identity and slapstick misadventure unfolds as Woozy’s quick thinking meets the unlikeliest of partners.
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Issues #1 (1943, published under the 'Vital Publications' imprint) and #2 (1944) were both produced as stand-alone publications rather than series installments, a fact documented by their Copyright Office filings in the Pamphlets category rather than Periodicals. Issue #3 arrived in Spring 1946 under the full Quality Comics banner, published quarterly and copyrighted to Comic Magazines, marking the transition to a proper serial format. By this point Jack Cole — inductee of both the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame (1991) and Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame (1999) — was already being asked to share his creation with other writers such as Joe Millard and Gwen Hansen, a development that reportedly caused Cole significant distress, as he had no legal ownership of the character he had invented.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: Spring/March 1946; publisher: Quality Comics; 52 pages; original cover price 10 cents.
- This issue is the first in the Plastic Man series to be formally published as a proper periodical (ongoing series), rather than a stand-alone pamphlet as issues #1 and #2 had been.
- Cover art and interior art throughout are by Jack Cole, creator of Plastic Man.
- Lead story 'The Killing of Snoopy Hawks' was scripted by Joe Millard (not Cole) with art by Cole — one of the earliest issues to feature a separate scripter, reflecting a new collaborative production model beginning in early 1946.
- The issue introduces multiple new characters across its stories: Snoopy Hawks (a gossip columnist, killed in the lead story), Kayo Randy, John T. Wales, villain Cynthia Bender, villain B.T. Tokus, and witch-doctor henchmen Timbo, Goglo, and Smogo.
- The lead story 'The Killing of Snoopy Hawks' was later reprinted by DC Comics in Detective Comics #441 (1974), appearing alongside Batman material in a 100-page giant format.
- The entire issue was collected and reprinted in DC's Plastic Man Archives Vol. 4.
- A page from this issue was selected for inclusion in Art Spiegelman and Chip Kidd's 2001 Chronicle Books biography Jack Cole and Plastic Man: Forms Stretched to Their Limits, underscoring its representative place in Cole's body of work.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Detective Comics #441 (1974), Gigant #3/1977 (1977), Gigant #3/1977 (1977), Plastic Man Archives #4 (2003), PS Artbooks Softee: Plastic Man #1 (2022)
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