Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
Okay but then we're getting into nothing but powersets. Buddy just doesn't use his powers that way, call it PIS if you have to but there are very few circumstances where he uses his powers the way Morrison envisioned (hell even Morrison didn't write him that way).
It's really superstrength, superspeed, flight and a few wildcard powers thrown in. Most of the time the extra powers he brings to the table wouldn't be enough to take down PlasticMan.
The counters to Plas' abilities are few and far between (just to use common attacks: what doesn't breath or get smashed into the ground by giant fists?), hurting him is an even worse problem. I cannot, off the top of my head, think of any power Buddy has ever manifested that would hurt PlasticMan in a meaningful way.
My point is AnimalMan has one of the most immense powersets in comics but he doesn't get to use it all that often. Even GLs, who have the same problem, consistently demonstrate a few of the lesser known ways of using their powers. On the other hand AnimalMan does so much more rarely.
I'd be willing to give him a win or two on the argument that he'd come up with something in a pinch to but not much more than that. I completely agree, for the most part. I was simply reffering to the apparent challenge to come up with counters to smothering.
Though, I will note that that's not entirely true. Post-Morrison, Animal Man spent half his solo series too afraid to use his powers or with them not functioning properly. And when he COULD use them, he was training to use spider powers, rat powers, shoot paralyzing gunk from his wrists, grabbing water insects to walk on water... etc.
He uses his powers, when he has full access to them, not to shabbily, IMO. Certainly beyond just strength, speed and flight.
