Comic Title: Plastic Man #1
Publisher: DC
Cover Date: November 1988
On Sale Date: September 20, 1988 Shipping Date September 20, 1988
Source: Direct Currents, #8

Shipping Date September 22, 1988
Source: Amazing Heroes, #148

Newsstand Date October 15, 1988
Source: Amazing Heroes, #148

Copyright Date September 20, 1988
Source: Library of Congress, Copyright Office 1988

Cover Price: $1.00
Page Count: 32
Editor: Brian Michael Augustyn

Title: (Origin of Plastic Man)
Pages: 24

Feature(s):
Plastic Man (Post-Crisis)

Writer: Phil Foglio
Penciller: Hilary Barta
Inker: John Nyberg
Inker: Doug Rice
Letterer: Willie Schubert
Colorist: Rick Taylor

Feature Character(s)

• Plastic Man (Eel O'Brian; first appearance; see comment; next appearance in Plastic Man #2)

Supporting Character(s)

• Woozy Winks (a former inmate at Arkham Asylum; first appearance; see comment; last appearance in Secret Origins #30; next appearance in Plastic Man #2)

Villain(s)

• Three members of Eel's gang (no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• Mike McNulty (a police officer; next appearance in Plastic Man #2)
• An unnamed General and his men (no further appearances)
• Several bar patrons (no further appearances)

Comments:
This story tells the origin of Plastic Man. It completely contradicts the post-Crisis origin which was told in Secret Origins #30 published just four months earlier. In that story, Plastic Man's real name was Eel O'Brien. In this story his last name is spelled O'Brian. This story also takes place in a more modern setting which includes Woozy Winks being kicked out of Arkham Asylum because of Reaganomics.

These factors make it clear that there are multiple characters named Plastic Man in the post-Crisis universe. There is the original Plastic Man who existed during World War II. His last name is spelled O'Brien. There is also the modern Plastic Man who appears in this story with the last name O'Brian. Officially this continuity glitch has never been acknowledged in a story.

Woozy Winks, on the other hand, shall be considered the same character. He admits in this story to not possessing any memories before his time in Arkham Asylum. Therefore, for the purpose of this index, it shall be considered that Woozy worked with the original Plastic Man, then went to Arkham. When released, he had no memory of the original, and began working with the new Plastic Man in this story.

Synopsis:
While staging a robbery at the Cole Chemical Plant, Eel O'Brian is wounded. Chemicals spill into his open wound that gift him with incredible stretching powers. At first he can barely control his new abilities. Everyone he meets thinks he is a monster, including the members of his gang.

Eventually, Eel meets Woozy Winks, a former inmate at Arkham Asylum. Woozy befriends Eel. They decide to work together. With the literal flip of a coin, they decide to fight crime. Their first action is to stop a bank robbery being committed by Eel's former gang. The media then gives Eel the name Plastic Man.