Dan Didio says..........

From the C2E2 convention:

"Some of the things we've done, is we've actually cancelled a bunch of books that were on the cusp and weren't working as well for us because we wanted to basically have people focus on what we feel matters most right now , the changes that take place in the Flashpoint universe."

Well......that's disappointing. So Doom Patrol was 'on the cusp', and perhaps not yet in cancellation territory. This is supported by the recent increase in sales due to the Secret Six crossover. However, in order for us, the fans, to focus on Didio's new 'project', he's going to take Doom Patrol (and other series) away, so that our favourite comic doesn't interfere in our spending on Flashpoint. What about what matters to the fans?

I'm not sure if Didio is aware of how that came across, but if anything, it's put me OFF Flashpoint. A year ago, I was buying about 7 DC Comics monthly. Once Flashpoint hits, the only DC Comics I'll be still buying are Green Lantern and Thunder Agents (which has had lower sales than Doom Patrol).

But there is a positive from C2E2 - Matthew Clark has moved to Marvel onto a new Ghost Rider series! GR is my favourite Marvel character by far, and I was very disappointed when the last ongoing, by Jason Aaron, was cancelled. Nevertheless, Rob Williams and Matthew Clark are bringing back hell on wheels - Congratulations, Matthew!! Looking forward to see some full issues of EmCee artwork! See Newsarama for the interview.

Remembering Robotman.......

Well, as he used to be, courtesy of Matthew Clark:

Doom Patrol #19 review!

Before I tell you how great #19 was, did you see the mention that the iPetition received at Bleeding Cool?! While Rich Johnston was reasonably happy with the latest issue, he respectfully plugged the "Save the Doom Patrol" petition - thanks very much, Rich!

Onto #19, the second half of the Secret Six crossover - and it was absolutely thrilling! The Doom Patrol FINALLY get their 'revenge' on the Six (Eight?!), all the while retaining their trademark humour and innovative use of powers. Elasti-Woman had more than one memorable moment in this issue, and the selflessness with which she undertook her task highlighted what a noble character Rita is, putty or not.

And finally, another appearance from Danny the..... Bungalow! I have the feeling that the Bug was only onboard these two issues to even up the odds a bit, and not as an actual member, but would anyone else here put up their hands for a Giffen-scribed "Adventures of Ambush Bug and Danny the Bungalow" mini-series?? Whatever happened to Jeanette must've been quite amusing, from indoors!

Nice to see Bumblebee get some shots at Bane, and Larry's arch-nemesis coming in to save the day - who would've ever thought it?!

The art was consistently good, as always. I'm definitely looking forward to Matthew Clark's Robotman spotlight, especially after some of his fabulous panels in this issue. 4.5/5

Doom Patrol, in 3 issues time, we will miss you............. that is.......unless............you all sign the "Save the Doom Patrol" iPetition and let DC know how you feel by writing directly to them!

Thanks very much for all the support so far!

Secret Six #30 and a Doomed preview.......

About Secret Six #30: I quite enjoyed this issue. I've been looking forward to it for a long time, and have started reading Secret Six TPBs to gain a better grasp of the characters. I felt Gail Simone was quite true to everything that I'd previously read, and had quite a good handle on the Doom Patrol.

As a Doom Patrol fan, first and foremost, I was hoping for more of them, though I do understand that this IS the Secret Six's comic, and they're entitled to their own plot development. The next half of the crossover should shine more light on our freaky heroes.

Art-wise, Caliafore reminded me of Matthew Clark's detailed work, and Gail Simone seemingly channelled Giffen with some of her jokes. She certainly seemed to enjoy writing Ambush Bug, but his appearance does make me wonder: is he an actual member now, or still a hangabout?

Definitely looking forward to the next half of the crossover. Previews mentioned that a member of the Six will leave........... will they be joining the Doom Patrol?

And on a side-note, here's a sketch from an upcoming issue of Doom Patrol, by artist Matthew Clark! Remember these guys?!

Matthew Clark tidbits......

Matthew Clark has posted a pic of a scientist making an upcoming appearance in Doom Patrol:

And he also had the following to say about his fantastic Robotman spotlight issue (#21):

"OK if you look closely the one colored Black is the 70's version, and if you look just below Cliffs tattooed arm you can see the shoulder from the Arcudi run, the Robotman Black version is colored wrong as it was wearing the Jacket

So we have original, 70's, Lightle, Case (both) Arcudi, Byrne, John's, and mine breaking out of the human shell."

Reviews of #18 & more........

Following on from last week's reviews of #18, here are two more courtesy of Comics Bulletin (3.5/5) and Weekly Comic Book Review (B+)!

I recently came across some comments from Matthew Clark regarding his designs of Negative Man and Crazy Jane - here's what Matthew had to say about Larry's outfit:

"My first thoughts were of a sci-fi looking pilot. Which I believe make it into the first trade. I knew that his new look needed to say pilot, test pilot, or airman. I kept thinking as I was watching documentaries on WW1 and WW2 the overall look really worked for me specifically WW1 they were less uniforms and more rebels. So that's the reason for the look plus I wanted him to to at least from a quick look people to pilot. I though about a current jet pilot look but Hall/GL really has that look and didn't want to step on toes."

 And Jane's:

"My take on Jane's re-emergence in DP is this (and this is just my thoughts) She was in paradise in Danny the World. When we reintroduce she was now homeless, and me being a silent film fan and keeping with the turn of the century designs. I went with a vagabond or tramp look like she just step out of the silent film. She's homeless and doesn't quite fit in to this world.

Again these are just my impressions as to why I've designed Jane as she appears in our book ."

A Matthew Clark tease..........

Merry Xmas to those of you on the other side of the globe, still celebrating - here's a teaser from Matthew Clark!

Doom Patrol #20 - the covers process

Courtesy of Matthew Clark, here's the process he took for creating the amazing cover to #20. Firstly, the rough layouts of potential covers:

There are some absolutely fantastic options there - I personally would've loved any of those covers. Any chance of a variant? 

Here's the pencilled version of the chosen cover:

The inked version:

And the final pre-coloured version, with added waves:

Many thanks to Matthew Clark, for all the fantastic work he puts into this series!

Mystery picture.......

It seems Matthew Clark has been drawing "an ancient IMMORTal old guy" , who may be quite familiar with the Doom Patrol..............GENERALly speaking, of course.

Doom Patrol #18 cover sketches!

Courtesy of DP artist, Matthew Clark, here are some sketches of the cover process for January's #18, including original ideas, pencils and inks:

Reviews and links!

Came across a couple of excellent Doom Patrol #15 reviews on the 'net today, courtesy of theComics Bulletin (which rated the issue 4/5), and the Supergirl Comic Box Commentary (which gave it a B+)!

And don't forget to vote in the #15 poll, to the right - only a few days to go!

One final treat, if you haven't checked it out yet - Matthew Clark, our resident Doom Patrol artist, has set up his own website! Check it out: Matthew Clark Artist!

Doom Patrol #17 cover sketches

Courtesy of the ever-hardworking Matthew Clark, here are three progressive sketches of what eventually became the original and unique cover of Doom Patrol #17:

Mystery pic......

Here's an upcoming Doom Patrol picture, courtesy of Doom Patrol artist Matthew Clark.........

"Feral Rita" - #16 cover sketches

Courtesy of our very busy Doom Patrol artist, Matthew Clark, here's some cover sketches of Rita & "Feral Rita" from Keith Giffen & Brian Keene's upcoming #16 (November):

Matthew Clark interview (Oct 09)

I came across an excellent interview with Matthew Clark (Doom Patrol artist) from Jazma Online - Definitely worth a read! Here's his response to a query about his new Doom Patrol designs:

"So first we have Robotman, the anchor of the group, and really the heart of every version of the DOOM PATROL. With his look, I went with the bike shorts - something that screamed 'athlete'. I kind of picture him in his human form (If I was to draw that, it would be David Beckham as the model). I tried to bring him back to the robot form without muscle definition: he’s hydraulics, wires and gears. The piping on the face and chest really stems from the 50’s robot, which I thought would be a nice touch.

Negative Man: with his look, I wanted him to scream 'pilot'. That’s who he is and was from the beginning. Also I wanted to get back to the original color scheme from the first half dozen issues which they wore green. So Larry got the godphers and military turtleneck wool sweater and the bandage tails implying the scarf. His look is very 1930's/1940’s RAF pilot.

Elasti Woman: With Rita I wanted her outfit to be the red and white that she was known to wear. I ditched the mini skirt for obvious reasons as we are really playing around with her size changing and the new outfit also has a purpose that will be further explained in upcoming issues. I was looking at 1960’s Diana Rigg as Emma Peele from the Avengers TV series. I updated it a bit but very much in that vein. Plus she’s our babe and I wanted to show that part of her off more. She’s a movie star with several movies under her belt (see the background of her home for which movies she’s done. More will be showing up)."

Sketches From DP #13

Courtesy of the ever-busy Matthew Clark, here are some original pencils of his work from Doom Patrol #13:

Some updates..........

Firstly, don't forget that #13, the spotlight on Elasti-Woman is out this week. Realistically, this could be the biggest focus EVER on Rita, so don't forget to buy a copy - and one for a friend! She missed out on back-up stories back during the original run, but Giffen and Clark will definitely be treating Rita (and us!) to something special.

Also, Doom Podtrol have another Podcast out, this time focusing on Robotman!

Cover sketches

Courtesy of Matthew Clark, Doom Patrol artist, here are some original cover sketches for #13 (Elasti-Woman spotlight) and #14 (Krypto-Niles).

TPB news!

Coming in January 2011:

DOOM PATROL: BROTHERHOOD TP
Writer: Keith Giffen
Artists: Matthew Clark, Ron Randall and Livesay
Collects: DOOM PATROL #7-13
$17.99 US, 144 pages

It's a shame we have to wait that long, but I'm excited already!

Doom Patrol #10 review

*SPOILERS*

Well - that was quite exhausting. A lot of panels, numerous discussions, many characters and some interesting artwork all combine to provide a lengthy (but rewarding) read. A lot of fan requests over recent months have been (at least partly) answered, while the new storyline kicks into high gear early. From the repercussions of "Black Hole Phil" and his Germanical-genocide, to the formation of the Front Men; from pelican stalkers to multiple personality disorders, this issue has a LOT to take in.

But it's worth it. Once again, Giffen and his two artists provide a visual feast, full of Negative Man one-liners, and Porcelain pieces. Almost every notable character from the current run of Doom Patrol appears in this issue, with the only exceptions being Bumblebee, Danny the Bungalow and Ambush Bug (all who receive mentions!). Not only are past plot-threads picked up on, but new pieces are put into place to well and truly guide Doom Patrol into it's second year.

I should note how well the art styles of both artists complement each other - a rarity in comics, as different styles are normally quite jarring. And both styles are supported by Giffen's realistic dialogue - he brings the characters to life more and more each issue. It almost feels like I *know* Larry and Cliff, and look forward to their jibes every issue.

My only disappointment was that we never saw the first meeting between Crazy Jane and Rita. What a treat that would've been!

Great issue - 4.5 / 5

Petar