This particular issue touched on several different aspects of the DC Universe, from the mention of an old-school Doom Patrol villain to the more recent Maxwell Lord/Wonder Woman murder. Such random elements were incorporated fluidly into the story, whilst the main storyline progressed without a hitch. The Doom Patrol didn't exactly 'save the day' - far from it, really - and several key issues were kept on the backburner for the coming months. All in all, it was an interesting and engaging read, with detailed artwork to enhance the experience.
And yet......disappointing. Taking in all the above factors, I can't believe DC isn't hyping this comic every single WEEK. It does it's best to be reader-friendly (not a bad effort for a comic nearly 50 years old!), it has consistently interesting writing and excellent artwork, it contains more character development than most comics out there, and it's JUST. PLAIN. GOOD.
Doom Patrol is what all comics should aspire to be.
That said, can I just say I love the development in both Larry's and Rita's new powers. I really hope to see Rita's powers expanded upon in the next issue, spotlighting Elasti-Woman. And that last scene of the issue showed how much of a family the Doom Patrol really are. That moment was the highlight of this first year. Here's to the next year!
4.5/5
A good end to the first year. Of course, I'm curious as to how much of my enjoyment comes from a familiarity with so many of the other Doom Patrol incarnations. I've got every issue of both the Grant Morrison and the John Arcudi runs, so the whole subplot of Thayer Jost and (I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read issue 11 yet) was easy for me to follow and a lot of nostalgic fun. I even remember the Toy. But I've got to wonder how someone coming in to this series with no past knowledge of the characters will enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteLove how Porcelain Doll's secret origin is revealed without a word being spoken. It made perfect sense and I never would have guessed it ... the best kind of mystery.
And, yes, that moment back on the island at the end was simply beautiful ... a perfect cap to the year. Looking forward to next issue's Rita-centric story. I guess a Cliff-focused issue can't be far behind if we've already had an all-Larry issue. And as for the Chief ... the last time an issue focused on him was over twenty years ago, near the end of Morrison's run, and the team still hasn't recovered from it.
Actually, Pollack and Byrne both did Chief issues. Pollack devoted all of #73(12/93) to a dream where the Chief reveals his concerns and anxieties that he won't tell the team, including why he chose to reject the artificial body made for him by Will Magnus and remain a head in a tray. Byrne, who was trying to work without any prior history, retold the Chief's origin without General Immortus in #11(06/05) and 12(07/05). Personally, I've been waiting way too long for a Chief solo story on par with the Beardhunter story. Now that he's stuck on an island with every crackpot mad scientist from the 1960's DC ever had, there ought to be a good story in there somewhere.
ReplyDeleteKeith Giffen confirmed in his latest Newsarama interview that there WILL be a Cliff spotlight in the near future. Great news!
ReplyDeletePetar