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| Ugh, Lois. No. Just, no. |
To generalize (perhaps far too much given the random and slight sampling), one of the key features about these classic issues that is driving me absolutely bonkers is what I'll call the "stumbling plot plugs."
I'll illustrate this malady by focusing on Action Comics #252's story, "The Menace of Metallo!" However, this is not to suggest that Robert Bernstein (writer) & Al Plastino (artist) are particularly egregious purveyors of this problem. These stumbling plot plugs can be found dang near everywhere in these early comics.
Most Amusing Panel Prize:
To make it clear that Lois starts out a bit "icy" towards John Corben (aka Metallo) with his sexist come on ("I go for you, Baby"), her dialogue balloon drips blue. (I love it when Lois tells off the creeps.)
Plot Plug 1:
My theory is that "plot plugs" come into play when the creators have a cool idea (let's make a human robot powered by Superman's greatest weakness: Kryptonite (and we shall call him Metallo)), and then they concoct a story around that idea.
Unfortunately from there, it seems, the plot is haphazardly stitched together as the panels go along (instead of mapping out plot points in advance), leaving sometimes huge logic gaps in their wake.
Plot plugs are then necessary between panels in an attempt to fill in the logic gaps created (often with little success). The creators have a character summarize in their dialogue what has happened "off-stage" to address these logic problems.
So, when the TV news reports on these raids, how do they know that Superman is not, in fact, responsible for these crimes (especially since Metallo is not depicted as being caught in the act/observed committing them)?
Well, "lab tests" prove that no "human" could have committed these crimes. (What tests those could be boggles the mind, and Superman is not "human," so he still could be a suspect.)
But wait, there's more. These tests actually prove that ONLY a "robot" made of "pure metal" could have committed these crimes. Oh. I see...
Plot Plug 2:
Corben: "Good! You've recovered from your stroke!... What was that second substance I can use? You collapsed before you could tell me!"
Did they just change their minds about killing Professor Vale off? Was he always intended to recover from his stroke so he could finally share this vital information with Corben? (And, why would Vale help the man who had left him for dead?)
Plot Plug 3:
The sudden contrivance is amusing, but holy heck, a doorknob?
Final Notions:
Essentially, the "plot plug" is just a modern spin-off of deus ex machina (which can be found throughout classic literature). Nonetheless, it bugs me.
Which parts of the story should be depicted in the art panels and how much should be conveyed by words (in dialogue/thought balloons and narrative boxes)? I hadn't realized how sophisticated and important these story-telling choices can be.
I find I have little enjoyment of comics that do not incorporate the elements of good story-telling (pacing, characterization, logical structure) to convey their creators' very cool ideas, but I am beginning to appreciate just how hard a task it is to craft a good comic.
The Comics Read But Left Behind:
Issue #: 071
Copyright: DC Comics
Cover Date: July-August 1954
Cover Price: 10¢
Page Count: 28 pages
Print Release: 26-May-1954
Digital Release: 18-February-2016
Writer:
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Penciler:
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Inker:
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Colorist:
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None Listed
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Cover Art:
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Source Links:
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Story Title:
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Writer:
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Penciler:
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Inker:
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Colorist:
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None Listed
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Story Title:
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Green Arrow:
“The Invisible Death”
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Writer:
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Penciler:
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Inker:
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Colorist:
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None Listed
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Story Title:
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Tomahawk: “Feathered
Fighters for Freedom!”
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Series: Showcase
(1956)
Issue #: 004
Copyright: DC Comics
Cover Date: October 1956
Cover Price: 10¢
Page Count: 24 pages
Print Release: 22-August-1956
Digital Release: 13-August-2011
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Writers:
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Penciler:
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Inker:
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Colorist:
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None Listed
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Cover Art:
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Source Links:
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comiXology / Comic Vine / Wikipedia | |
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Story Titles:
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“Mystery of the
Human Thunderbolt!”; "The Man Who Broke the Time Barrier!”
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Series: Adventure
Comics (1938)
Issue #: 247
Copyright: DC Comics
Cover Date: April 1958
Cover Price: 10¢
Page Count: 25 pages
Print Release: 19-February-1958
Digital Release: 24-March-2012
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Writer:
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Penciler:
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Inker:
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Colorist:
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None Listed
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Cover Art:
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Source Links:
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Story Title:
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Superboy: “The
Legion of Super-Heroes”
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Writer:
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Penciler:
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Inker:
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Colorist:
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None Listed
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Story Title:
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Green Arrow: “The
13 Superstition Arrows”
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Writer:
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Penciler:
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Inker:
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Colorist:
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None Listed
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Story Title:
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Aquaman: “Aquaman’s
Super Sea-Squad”
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The Comic Covered Here:
Issue #: 252
Copyright: DC Comics
Cover Date: May 1959
Cover Price: 10¢
Page Count: 28 pages
Print Release: 18-March-1959
Digital Release: 30-July-2011
Writer:
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Penciler:
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Inker:
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Colorist:
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None Listed
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Cover Art:
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Source Links:
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Story Title:
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Writer:
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Penciler:
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Inker:
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Colorist:
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None Listed
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Story Title:
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“Congo Bill
Dies at Dawn!”
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Writer:
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Penciler:
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Inker:
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Colorist:
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None Listed
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Story Title:
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