Comic Info
Comic Name: Doom Patrol (Volume 2)
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Richard Case/Doug Braithwaite
# of Issues: 7
Release Date: 2004
Doom Patrol (2) #19
Reprints Doom Patrol (2) #19-25 (February 1989-August 1989). The invasion of Earth has failed, but Doom Patrol has been shattered and destroyed. With plans for a new Doom Patrol, Chief calls upon the surviving members. When a storybook world called Orqwith begins to invade Earth, only Doom Patrol can fight it and its Scissormen. Doom Patrol also faces the threat of Red Jack and the new member of Dorothy Spinner faces the demons of her past as Doom Patrol continues to take on the darkness that other heroes are afraid to face.
Written by Grant Morrison, Doom Patrol Volume 1: Crawling from the Wreckage collects Morrison’s first storylines from his critically acclaimed run. Featuring art by Richard Case and Doug Braithwaite, the issues serve as a relaunch for the series after DC Comics’ Invasion! and help lead Doom Patrol to be one of DC’s first Vertigo titles.
I love Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol. Along with Animal Man, Morrison was at the top of his game when this series was released. Here in this volume, you essentially get three stories. “Crawling from the Wreckage” (Doom Patrol (2) #19-22), the story of Red-Jack (Doom Patrol (2) #23-24), and Dorothy and Joshua story in Doom Patrol (2) #25.
Doom Patrol (2) #22
The first storyline “Crawling from the Wreckage” restores Doom Patrol which had pretty much been destroyed in the big crossover series Invasion! The series recreated Robotman by having him really dealing with the issues of him being a human trapped in an unfeeling machine. It merges the classic Negative Man with a woman and renames her/him Rebis. The Chief takes more of a starring role and introduces major (fun) player Crazy Jane (who also resembles Morrison’s Ragged Robin from The Invisibles).
The Red-Jack storyline kind of works to reincorporate Rhea Jones. After the Invasion, she was left in a coma and the story has Doom Patrol facing off against the originator of the Jack the Ripper murders. It isn’t as strong as the first story, but it does have its good points.
I like Dorothy Spinner and Joshua and Doom Patrol (2) #25 was a fun look at the characters in this series. Dorothy was introduced during Invasion! and her powers are a bit unexplained (like most of Doom Patrol). The story also connects to Justice League (with Doctor Destiny) and I love when such isolated teams like Doom Patrol have more crossover.
Doom Patrol 1: Crawling from the Wreckage is a great new start to a classic weird series. Morrison is the perfect writer to take over the series. For a completely weird (but rounded) series, check out Doom Patrol. Doom Patrol Volume 1: Crawling from the Wreckage was followed by Doom Patrol Volume 2: The Painting that Ate Paris.
Related Links:
Doom Patrol Volume 2: The Painting that Ate Paris
Doom Patrol Volume 3: Down Paradise Way
Doom Patrol Volume 4: Musclebound
Doom Patrol Volume 5: Magic Bus
