Just once I can do something worthwhile! Just once, I don't have to be a joke. 
The Kingdom: Offspring #1 is an issue of the series The Kingdom (Volume 1) with a cover date of February, 1999.
Synopsis for "Flexibility"
At the Titans Tower nightclub, Mr. Scarlet joins with Joker's Daughter, Thunder, and Trix for one last drinking party when a superhero emerges from the counter to capture them. It is Offspring, the son of Plastic Man, who was posing as a cash register in one of his attempts to be a serious superhero. The four villains simply laugh before Mr. Scarlet turns Offspring into a ball and throws him around the room, hitting various superbeings such as Manotaur and Magog until he lands into the giant catcher's mitt that is his father. Frustrated that his attempt has failed, Offspring turns himself into a bouncing spring and bounces himself out of the nightclub. His father Plastic Man sneaks himself out as a backpack to try figuring out why his son is now trying to take the serious route of being a superhero as they head for Offspring's apartment, where his girlfriend Micheline awaits him, blocking his entrance through the keyhole with a pitcher.
Micheline is frustrated by both her boyfriend and her boyfriend's father, who has been a constant presence, not to mention a bit of a snoop, in their lives together, always playing his practical jokes posing as something or another just to spy on them. She wants Offspring to be someone she can be proud of, yet she can't tolerate him being the kind of superhero (or even the kind of person) that no one can take seriously like his father. She voices her concerns to him, not knowing she is actually telling Plastic Man posing as Offspring while he is actually on pursuit of Mr. Scarlet and his gang to Egypt with Avia, Star-Spangled Kid, Stripesy, and Zatara assisting him. It is where the gang uncover Brainiac's skull ship hiding behind a Sphinx's head, and while Offspring tries to stop them from taking off in the ship, his friends stop Offspring from trying to stop them simply because they know that regardless of where Mr. Scarlet's gang goes, they can't escape the end that's coming.
After Offspring's friends depart following his lame joke about Brainiac's skull ship, Plastic Man appears unto him, wanting to apologize to his son for feeling that he's never given him anything worthwhile, but Offspring tells him that he's given him everything, and that he appreciates his father never leaving him alone. As the two of them embrace, Plastic Man gives his son a ride home, and Offspring decides to go find Nightstar in the hopes that he can find a way to fight against the vanishing of their reality.
Appearing in "Flexibility"
Featured Characters:
- Offspring (Kingdom Come) (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Avia (Kingdom Come)
- Plastic Man (Kingdom Come)
- Stars (Kingdom Come)
- Stripes (Kingdom Come)
- Zatara (Kingdom Come)
Antagonists:
- Joker's Daughter (Kingdom Come)
- Mr. Scarlet (Kingdom Come)
- Thunder (Kingdom Come)
- Trix (Kingdom Come)
Other Characters:
- Micheline
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- This story is reprinted in The Kingdom collected edition.
- First appearance of Offspring.
- Mr. Scarlet was last seen as a member of Batman's Outsiders team in Kingdom Come.
- Brainiac's skull ship strangely appears purple and green, the same colors as in his original pre-Crisis Earth-One humanoid appearance.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Kingdom Come Recommended Reading
- Kingdom Come (Volume 1) - collected in Kingdom Come
- The Kingdom (Volume 1) - storyline The Kingdom collected in The Kingdom
- Thy Kingdom Come - collected in Justice Society of America: Thy Kingdom Come, Part One and Part Two and Part Three
- Justice Society of America (Volume 3) #9 - JSA #17
- Justice Society of America Annual (Volume 3) #1
- Justice Society of America (Volume 3) #18 - JSA #20
- Justice Society of America Kingdom Come Special Superman #1
- Justice Society of America Kingdom Come Special Magog #1
- Justice Society of America Kingdom Come Special: The Kingdom #1
- Justice Society of America (Volume 3) #21 - JSA #22
- Titans: Who is Troia?
- Justice League: Generation Lost (Volume 1) - storyline Justice League: Generation Lost collected in Justice League: Generation Lost Vol. 1 and Vol. 2
- Batman/Superman: World's Finest (Volume 1)
- Strange Visitor: Batman/Superman: World's Finest #7 - Batman/Superman: World's Finest #11
- Heir to the Kingdom: Batman/Superman: World's Finest #20 - Present
