Cliff's spotlight coming soon?

Could this be the cover (or picture from) an upcoming spotlight on Robotman?

Doom Patrol or the Aristocrats??

A DC board poster, tamaranorbust, has provided an interesting theory on how the Aristocrats are like doppelgangers of the Doom Patrol:

OK look at pg 7 where Duke Byron Boswick II is writing a letter, the page starts at the top with 'in closing let me reiterate.' He looks a lot like the Chief there.

P 14-15 the big spread in the ballroom, with Duchess Victoria - and across the room Rita is standing opposite her - it's not quite a mirror image

Byron Boswick II the 'lady killer' may be the opposite of Larry

And on p 21, Duchess Victoria has a manservant whose stance resembles Cliff. Compare pages 21 and 24 - they both have an X on their foreheads.

I also think the fact that Immortus showed up is a red flag. He tells the DP that the aristocrats, left on their own, will never die, just like him - so they've become a family of hitmen, as Cliff puts it. But that's precisely the Patrol's problem. They keep dying, but they can't die, so they become a family of heroes, now muscle for Cale.  

An interesting theory - feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section!

Doom Patrol TPB news!

Coming in August 2011:

DOOM PATROL: FIRE AWAY TP

Writers: Keith Giffen and Brian Keene
Artists: Matthew Clark, Ron Randall and Al Milgrom
Collects: DOOM PATROL #14-21
$19.99 US

Preview of Doom Patrol #18 (Jan 2011)

It's only a one-panel preview, but here it is, drawn AND inked by Matthew Clark:

More reviews of #17!

I've come across a couple of positive reviews of #17 on the net at Dangermart and Comic Book Resources (written by fellow Doom Patroller, Doug Zawisza!). Enjoy!

Giffen & Simone interview!

Newsarama has put together an interview with Keith Giffen & Gail Simone, regarding the Doom Patrol/Secret Six crossover. Highlights relating to Doom Patrol are below:

Nrama: Keith, what else is coming up in Doom Patrol?

Giffen: Well, the Front Men are going to return, and we’re going to put the Doom Patrol through their paces. Everyone thinks, "Oh, the Chief's going to come back in a couple of issues, and is going to be sorely disappointed. No, we are really going to explore the Doom Patrol’s life post chief. They'll find out how much they need or possibly don’t need the man.

And they'll move out into the DCU and start rubbing up against some of the other heroes as we try to establish just where their place in the DCU is.

Nrama: Keith, I've just got to follow up on your comment about how the team will rub up against other heroes. Any idea who else they might encounter besides the Secret Six?

Giffen: Oh, we'll have quite a few people showing up when it makes sense. For example, I think a Gar Logan encounter is long overdue. And these are the sort of things where there won't even be official team-ups, where I dot the i’s and cross t’s with dozens of different writers. It'll be, sort of, "Hi, we’re the Doom Patrol. Hi, we don’t care."

And of course we’re building up to the climactic show down between the Doom Patrol and Mr. Somebody and the Front Men.

We are also bringing Rigoro Mortis back. I think we’re kind of tossing a grenade into the mix of the story here. He’s going to change one Doom Patrol member’s life forever.

And hopefully we’ll have a bit of fun along the away.

Check out the entire interview at Newsarama!

New direction for the Doom Patrol!

Here are some pictures of Matthew Clark's brand new designs for a "new direction" of the Doom Patrol - courtesy of the artist!

Doom Patrol #17 sketches!

Courtesy of Matthew Clark, here are some b&w sketches from Doom Patrol #17:

Doom Patrol #17 review

Definitely a change of pace for Doom Patrol, with the recent action scenes being replaced by character-building and relationship-development. It's definitely a welcome change, as the team certainly needs time to discuss the change in their status quo, with Veronica Cale replacing the Chief as their 'boss'. This new setup is not appreciated by the Doom Patrol, who question whether they were anyone's property to begin with.

As for the Aristocrats, you'd almost think they were created by Grant Morrison! Keith Giffen serves up one of the strangest families ever, with a guest appearance by original Doom Patrol enemy, General Immortus - who I don't think we've seen the last of! They're an........ interesting family, and one that Giffen is definitely having fun with. 

And Bumblebee returns to active status this issue, probably seeing more action than any other member. She is a welcome (re)addition to the team, and I look forward to seeing what happens with her next. Whilst she has waited in the background while Giffen focused on the main three, it's now time for another character to have their moment to shine - now if only we can get her a DP logo belt......

Matthew Clark, as always, shares some delightful artwork with us. However, I feel that, at times, Ron Randall's pencilling was not as detailed as usual, which detracted in a few of the early pages. 

Overall, another enjoyable issue! 4/5

Doom Patrol #17 preview!

A 5-page preview of Doom Patrol #17 is up at Newsarama, featuring another hilarious intro page, and the introduction of the Aristocrats!