Summary

• Batman breaks Bro Code by pursuing Plastic Man's girlfriend, sparking speculation about his motives.
• Plastic Man rebounds from heartbreak and redirects his affections toward Catwoman.
• This hints at a potential rivalry within the Justice League, with Plastic Man and Batman vying for the affections of the same women.

WARNING: Potential Spoilers for DC's How to Lose a Guy Gardner in 10 Days #1!Justice League member's partner this Valentine's Day. However, his actions won't go unpunished, as the betrayed friend now has his sights set on Catwoman for payback, promising retaliation that will be as sweet as it is purrr-fect.

DC's Valentine Special, How to Lose a Guy Gardner in 10 Days #1, features eight 10-page mini-stories, including Love's a Stretch, a Plastic Man-centric tale by Dennis Hopeless and Baldemar Rivas.

In this narrative, the shocking revelation unfolds that Batman, or more precisely, Bruce Wayne, has swooped in and stolen O'Brian's girlfriend, leaving Plastic Man utterly and completely heartbroken. However, like the resilient rubber band he is, O'Brian quickly rebounds and redirects his affection toward a new love interest of a more feline nature.

Batman Breaks Bro-Code and Steals Plastic Man’s Girlfriend

In Love's a Stretch, Plastic Man finds himself entangled in a relationship with a woman who manipulates him to cozy up to other Justice League like The Flash, Green Lantern, and Superman. Unaware that she was merely using him for her own spotlight-seeking agenda, O'Brian is devastated when he discovers through a newspaper article that she is now romantically involved with Bruce Wayne, AKA Batman. This situation also falls into a violation of the Bro Code since Batman was well aware that this woman was Eel's girlfriend before he started dating her himself, having previously seen the two together.

Batman's deliberate pursuit of Plastic Man's girlfriend sparks speculation about his underlying motives. With his status, Bruce Wayne has his pick of any woman in the DC Universe, yet he chose to pursue O'Brian's girlfriend despite lacking genuine interest in her (notably, the women he does pursue typically already know his identity as Batman). Hence, this discrepancy raises the question of whether Bruce's public display with O'Brian's girlfriend was his backward way of revealing her true, spotlight-seeking intentions to Plastic Man. However, Plastic Man evidently interpreted the situation differently, as he subsequently redirected his affections toward Catwoman.

Could This Be the Beginning of an Intra-Justice League Rivalry?

In a single , fans catch a glimpse of what appears to be Plastic Man on a date with Catwoman Selina Kyle, Batman’s intermittent romantic interest. However, the supposed date turns out to be a ruse orchestrated by Catwoman to involve Plastic Man in a heist, under the guise of a romantic outing. Despite this deception, it's evident that O'Brian was genuinely attempting to court Selina, disregarding the fact that she is Batman's love interest. This scenario hints at a potential rivalry within the Justice League, with Plastic Man and Batman vying for the affections of the same women.

DC's How to Lose a Guy Gardner in 10 Days #1 is available now from DC Comics!