Written by Taylor Bowne
An irradiated pilot, a robot with a human brain, and a quirky ambulance driver lead the second issue of Doom Patrol even further out into bizarre and oddly funny territory.
Two issues in and it’s clear that writer Gerard Way doesn’t plan on holding any readers hands when it comes to this story. While some of the scenes in this issues are downright perplexing and seem (at this present moment) disconnected and incoherent, there is a certain charm and wonder to what’s on the page. Way seems less concerned with a plot driven narrative and more concerned with just letting the characters breath and letting the plot slowly take shape. To some, this may seem like he is only just spinning his wheel, and time will tell if it is, but I find it refreshing.
Way’s creative and charming story is brought to life beautifully by artist Nick Derington and colorist Tamra Bonvillain. Nick’s clean and expressive line work remind me of David Marquez and Cliff Chiang. The script demands that he bounce from simple yet intimate scenes to scenes set way out on the fringes of the universe. He pulls off both wonderfully. The color pallet used for this book only adds to tone of the book. There were times when I was reading this issue and the colors seemed almost fluorescent. The devil is in the details and the art in this book is worth taking the time to enjoy.
Be warned, while you don’t need to be a fan of Doom Patrol to enjoy this book (I’ve never read DOOM PATROL before), there is very minimal context to some of these characters. Some characters like ROBOTMAN are recognizable to most comic book fans but little to no back story is given. The same goes for pretty much all the other characters. Bits and pieces are shown but the story focuses more on the here and now and not on retreading continuity. This may annoy some readers but it’s just another thing I like about this book. The creators don’t use any valuable real estate on anything but their Doom Patrol story.
Where this book goes from here is anyone’s guess and I think that’s what’s fun and exciting about it. So many comics out today are so focused on getting from point A to B. Doom Patrol, while only two issues in, is doing the opposite while still telling a fun and stimulating story. This is a book with a very distinctive flavor to it. On the surface Doom Patrol may seem like just a jumble of characters and situations but I think this is a book with a clear agenda and sense of what it is. Just don’t ask me to explain it to you.
9/10
