The Doom Patrol is back thanks to the Dawn of DC initiative, with Dennis Culver and Chris Burnham behind the wheel. Unstoppable Doom Patrol features classic characters along with new ones, and even opened its series with Batman appearing. Now with the team established and their mission to help new metahumans, Unstoppable Doom Patrol #2 aims to shed light on their internal operations.
The latest issue is a good one for team building and character work. It’s unfortunate this is a limited series since this issue does so much to build up the characters and their home base. If you like cross-sectional headquarters art in comics (and who doesn’t?), this issue is for you. Burnham will explode your imagination with multiple rooms, headquarter design, and logical setup. They’re hiding underground, but unfortunately, as we learn in this issue, Peacemaker is on their trail.
The headquarters tour is thanks to Worm, a metahuman with a literal worm named Velvet by their side. Beast Girl is showing him around while also introducing readers to the other members of the Doom Patrol we haven’t yet seen. Along the way, we learn internal politics are dicey. There are special subteams of the group, like The Grave Minders, and interesting reveals regarding a couple of characters. This issue essentially feels like an introduction to the team after the big action opener of the first issue.
What a cool headquarters!
Credit: DC Comics
Burnham’s art is fantastic from page to page, with inventive page layout design. A showstopper involves a spy scene with the spy traveling through air ducts. As they peer into the rooms of characters, we see them via diagonal panels, as if they are TV screens turned. He’s backed up by color artist Brian Reber giving the issue a bright and comic-booky feel.
It’s interesting what they do with Worm here, as they are an enemy at first, but through their tour realize the Doom Patrol isn’t bad at all. It’s a tragic story arc within the issue, giving it a singular character arc to focus on while Culver hangs exposition and plotting. He also represents why the Doom Patrol need to exist to protect people from people like Peacemaker.
Unstoppable Doom Patrol has all the hallmarks of a well-written and planned new series, and one that could and very much should sustain 100 issues. There’s a rich history behind each character to play with as the new series explores a world where there are new metahumans who need more help than ever.
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