“I took out my revenge on the revolution counter!”
In 1979, Dave Edmunds released the album Repeat When Necessary, which featured the song “Crawling From The Wreckage”. The song would go on to be a fan favorite of Edmunds’ discography, but the song led to one of the most influential DC runs of all time: Grant Morrison and Richard Case’s Doom Patrol. Over the years, The Doom Patrol has become the underdog of the DC universe as they remain unaffected by reboots and retcons due to their weird and wacky adventures involving Scissor Men, Mystics, Nazi Scientists, and an occasional Metal Men encounter.
After My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way had a successful go at Doom Patrol, many started wondering what was next for the team. Luckily, fans of the team didn’t have to wait any longer as they were introduced to a new version of the team during Mark Waid and Gene Luen Yung’s Lazarus Planet. We were introduced to a brand new status quo for the team by Dennis Culver and Chris Burham, and while the team was brought to new heights with the ’80s gothic and art pop aesthetic introduced by Morrison and Case, this team is a flashback to the 1960s.
DC Comics
SPOILERS AHEAD for Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1!
Following the events of Lazarus Planet, the Doom Patrol is investigating new metahuman-related cases to ensure the safety of metahumans who don’t exactly fit in as well as others. With Jane’s new personality, The Chief, they return to their original status quo with new twists and turns for the team, mentoring their new teammate, Beast Girl. While the team deals with a new threat in Gotham City, their old “friends” Monsieur Mallah and The Brain deal with General Immortus in Switzerland.
Dennis Culver’s sense of style allows us to enter into a comedic look on the original structure of Doom Patrol and their cast of villains. However, his vision for the team is so far not as strong as originally hoped. His satirical outlook on the team brings for some strong and faulty moments that can be brushed aside due to the story’s fascinating setup for the rest of the series and onward. This is not to say I didn’t enjoy Culver’s writing. There are benefits to his style and the Golden Age callbacks, but for those wishing for a more ambitious approach to the team’s dialogue and script structure, this may not be for them. Another setback for the book has to do with the story’s character reveal right before the ending. The way it was revealed felt lackluster for a property that’s known for over-the-top reveals and striking imagery throughout.
DC Comics
Culver brings back the striking and political nature of the Doom Patrol with the recent metagene epidemic after the events of Lazarus Planet. Between Jane’s new design, the political commentary, and their story in Lazarus Planet, this could very well be a new rebellious move into the team’s history. However, whether or not they stick the landing in future issues is still on the table.
Burham’s art style greatly adds to the characters. It’s hard to imagine this new era of Doom Patrol without Burham’s art and redesigns, and it’s safe to assume that Burham’s work on the series will be remembered years after this series is over. His design for Crazy Jane’s “The Chief” personality is admirable due to the androgynous nature of it and feels like a subtle callback to the gender-breaking ideas Grant Morrison and Rachel Pollack present within their respective eras of Doom Patrol.
As Culver and Burham near the end of the first chapter in a series of the weird and unusual adventures of the Unstoppable Doom Patrol, we are shown a glimpse into the future as the U.S. government is on their tail, the Doom Patrol recruit a new member, and Monsieur Mallah makes a decision that will change his life for the rest of his monkey life. This is a crucial turning point for the Doom Patrol and they’re running straight into the future. All around, this is a solid, yet shaky, look into the world of the Unstoppable Doom Patrol. I believe fans of the series will have fun and new readers should have an easy time getting into this new status quo.
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