Comic Info
Comic Name: Doom Patrol (Volume 2)
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Richard Case/Ken Steacy
# of Issues: 7
Release Date: 2007
Doom Patrol (2) #51
Reprints Doom Patrol (2) #51-75 (January 1992-July 1992). Things continue to get weirder for Doom Patrol. Robotman tries to hold the team together as they face a new threat when the Brotherhood of Dada resurfaces in a pitch for Mr. Nobody for President…but Doom Patrol could be the least of the Brotherhood’s problems. It all could be moot due to a threat lurking in the wings. The real origin of Doom Patrol is about to be revealed and an even bigger threat that no one could have seen coming!
Written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Richard Case and Ken Steacy, Doom Patrol Volume 5: Magic Bus was part of DC’s “Mature Readers” line which eventually transformed into Vertigo who now publishes the collections. Following Doom Patrol Volume 4: Musclebound, the comic continued to be a critical success for Morrison.
Grant Morrison really jumped in after Alan Moore, Frank Miller, and other writers really began to revolutionize comics. Though Moore and Miller are frequently studied, Morrison is often “left behind” in the literary field despite solid work. I know that many drool over his Invisibles series, but I think Doom Patrol and Animal Man represent some of his best writing.
Doom Patrol 4: Musclebound was awesome. I love the character of Flex Mentallo and Morrison had a tough time topping him. The return of the Brotherhood of Dada for a few issues was fun, but the plot really gets going halfway through this volume with Doom Patrol (2) #55 (May 1992) which really picks up the plot and leads to the shocking ending…and also has you scrambling for the next volume of the series.
Doom Patrol (2) #57
The first part of the book is fun and the second half of the book has the real meat, but between the two mini-storylines, there are a couple of stand-alone issues. Doom Patrol (2) #53 (March 1992) is an ode to Jack Kirby in both style and storytelling by having Danny the Street dream…and it is fun to see how Doom Patrol could have been reimagined. The second stand-alone story involves the Rebis storyline which I don’t love and does feel more like Grant Morrison’s attempts to be “deep” and instead comes off as just desperate.
I love Doom Patrol and enjoy this volume, but I have a harder time with it. I think Doom Patrol reached its pinnacle with Doom Patrol 4: Musclebound (despite it not being the end of Morrison’s run) and I can’t compare this volume to that entry in the series. Morrison’s run needs to be read by all comic book fans. It might not have had the lasting attention that someone like Alan Moore gets, but it shows Morrison’s style and ability (when he isn’t just writing nonsense). The story’s continuing plots means a commitment from readers, so I encourage them to stick with it. Doom Patrol 5: Magic Bus was followed by Doom Patrol 6: Planet Love.
Related Links:
Doom Patrol 1: Crawling from the Wreckage
Doom Patrol 2: The Painting that Ate Paris
