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Doom Patrol (1987)(Collected Editions) #3-4
Doom Patrol: Book Two
The World's Strangest Heroes continue their adventures in this next collection of Grant Morrison's career-launching run on Doom Patrol. For the first time, meet Danny the Street and subsequently Flex Mentallo. But the team soon realizes that there may be more to Flex than they first realized... who is the real Flex?
Collects Doom Patrol #35-50.
Collects Doom Patrol #35-50.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
55 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
About the author
Grant Morrison
1,786 books4,583 followersGrant Morrison has been working with DC Comics for twenty five years, after beginning their American comics career with acclaimed runs on ANIMAL MAN and DOOM PATROL. Since then they have written such best-selling series as JLA, BATMAN and New X-Men, as well as such creator-owned works as THE INVISIBLES, SEAGUY, THE FILTH, WE3 and JOE THE BARBARIAN. In addition to expanding the DC Universe through titles ranging from the Eisner Award-winning SEVEN SOLDIERS and ALL-STAR SUPERMAN to the reality-shattering epic of FINAL CRISIS, they have also reinvented the worlds of the Dark Knight Detective in BATMAN AND ROBIN and BATMAN, INCORPORATED and the Man of Steel in The New 52 ACTION COMICS.
In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.
In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
December 17, 2021
Doom Patrol: Book Two collects issues 35-50 of Doom Patrol, written by Grant Morrison with art by a who's who of Vertigo artists.
The weirdness level is kicked up a couple more notches in this volume. The Doom Patrol take on The Men From NOWHERE, get caught in a war between The Mesh and The Kaleidoscape, and encounter Flex Mentallo and Danny The Street, as well as getting their asses handed to them by the Brotherhood of Dada again.
To be honest, the weird Doom Patrol stories can seem intimidating and even impenetrable at times but they're really basic super hero stories under the "Look How Weird This is" exterior. They still fall into the super heroes trying to stop super villains archetype, albeit with bizarre conspiracies and mysticism wrapped around them.
Morrison is an idea writer more than a plot writer. The wealth of imagination on display is wonderous, even if the payoff is a little lacking or underexplained at times. One gripe I have is that the Doom Patrol don't have a lot of agency in a lot of their stories and don't even seem like necessary components at times.
Robotman is one of my favorite DC characters and this volume illustrates why. He's got the "I'm too old for this shit" vibe down pat and pretty much tries to keep everyone on the same page as the weird shit comes raining down.
At the end of the day, I liked this quite a bit even though it felt a little unfocused at times. I've reached the point in the series where I'm going in completely blind so the third omnibus should be some crazy shit.
Doom Patrol: Book Two is a strange, fun, slightly incoherent set of tales featuring DC's weirdest heroes. Four out of five stars.
The weirdness level is kicked up a couple more notches in this volume. The Doom Patrol take on The Men From NOWHERE, get caught in a war between The Mesh and The Kaleidoscape, and encounter Flex Mentallo and Danny The Street, as well as getting their asses handed to them by the Brotherhood of Dada again.
To be honest, the weird Doom Patrol stories can seem intimidating and even impenetrable at times but they're really basic super hero stories under the "Look How Weird This is" exterior. They still fall into the super heroes trying to stop super villains archetype, albeit with bizarre conspiracies and mysticism wrapped around them.
Morrison is an idea writer more than a plot writer. The wealth of imagination on display is wonderous, even if the payoff is a little lacking or underexplained at times. One gripe I have is that the Doom Patrol don't have a lot of agency in a lot of their stories and don't even seem like necessary components at times.
Robotman is one of my favorite DC characters and this volume illustrates why. He's got the "I'm too old for this shit" vibe down pat and pretty much tries to keep everyone on the same page as the weird shit comes raining down.
At the end of the day, I liked this quite a bit even though it felt a little unfocused at times. I've reached the point in the series where I'm going in completely blind so the third omnibus should be some crazy shit.
Doom Patrol: Book Two is a strange, fun, slightly incoherent set of tales featuring DC's weirdest heroes. Four out of five stars.
December 2, 2022
In which we continue the entertaining, thought-provoking absurdity that is Morrison's amazing run of Doom Patrol.
I apologize if this review is shorter, but you can read my review for the first volume to get the vibe of this one. The characters continue to be fleshed out as they face various almost psychedelic bad guys that at first glance appear just plain weird until Morrison delves into their philosophy. Then you realize just how cerebral in such an appetizing and easy to digest package this series is. Again, just plain great work.
I apologize if this review is shorter, but you can read my review for the first volume to get the vibe of this one. The characters continue to be fleshed out as they face various almost psychedelic bad guys that at first glance appear just plain weird until Morrison delves into their philosophy. Then you realize just how cerebral in such an appetizing and easy to digest package this series is. Again, just plain great work.
September 13, 2018
This would have to be the weirdest comic story I've ever read. At times didnt know what was going on. Morrison must have been taking some heavy pyschadelic drugs when writing some of these issues haha. Not as good as Book One.
April 27, 2021
Morrison conducción, la imaginación al poder.
Este es el título ideal para el escocés me atrevo a decir. Su lisergia encaja a tal punto que hasta se adueñan de la bicicleta de Hofmann para liberar la mente de una ciudad, Venecia en el caso.
Vale todo sin nada librado al azar. Un gran capitán de tormentas para hacer de esta saga de las mas limadas jamás escritas hasta entonces.
Imperdible hasta los pinups finales por el número 50, donde aprovecha el lucimiento de distintos artistas para mencionar historias del grupo nunca narradas.
Este es el título ideal para el escocés me atrevo a decir. Su lisergia encaja a tal punto que hasta se adueñan de la bicicleta de Hofmann para liberar la mente de una ciudad, Venecia en el caso.
Vale todo sin nada librado al azar. Un gran capitán de tormentas para hacer de esta saga de las mas limadas jamás escritas hasta entonces.
Imperdible hasta los pinups finales por el número 50, donde aprovecha el lucimiento de distintos artistas para mencionar historias del grupo nunca narradas.
August 20, 2018
The Doom Patrol’s adventures under the unrelenting pen of Grant Morrison continue in this second volume of pure insanity.
Here we go again. The first few issues here introduce us to Doom Patrol mainstay Danny The Street, a transvestite street that can travel across the world at will. After being targeted by the Men From NOWHERE, the Doom Patrol end up trying to protect Danny and gain a new team member in the form of Flex Mentallo along the way. It’s about this time that I think Morrison has realised that he can do whatever the hell he wants and we’re going to stick with it – he doesn’t bother explaining himself, he just lets his crazy story speak for itself, and it’s honestly more fun because of it. What little exposition there is tends to infer rather than outright exposit, and what he doesn’t say is often as revealing as what he does. Yes, it’s totally mad, but it’s amazingly entertaining as well. As a sidebar, the fact that he manages to make all of the NOWHERE Men’s dialogue acrostic and still make sense in context is amazing.
The next five issues get even stranger, as the Doom Patrol find themselves trapped between two warring factions, the Kaleidoscape and the Mesh, when Rhea Jones awakens from her coma and flies off into the middle of the battlefield. There’s a lot of confusing ideas and abstract concepts being thrown around here, and it took me a while to really get into it, but by the time this arc is over everything is a lot clearer (if still totally bananas), so it’s worth persevering with it, especially because the conclusion and final explanations are one of the most Morrison things I’ve ever read.
Flex Mentallo takes centre stage for the arc following this; he’s clearly a parody of the old Charles Atlas campaigns, wrapped up in a bow made of conspiracy theories, which of course leads the Doom Patrol right into the heart of the Pentagon where Flex must defeat the real Men From NOWHERE and flex so hard that he makes the Pentagon a circle. You cannot make this stuff up, I swear. This arc, at least in comparison to the previous one, is almost straight forward. The addition of Danny The Street to the cast opens up a lot more locales for the Patrol to access, and both Dorothy and Joshua continue to be persistent background characters that I expect have a lot more going on than meets the eye.
And finally, Mister Nobody and the Brotherhood of Dada return in a new incarnation, which is subtly teased throughout most of this volume and the true implication is only really unveiled right at the last minute. The Brotherhood are really the only villains that the Doom Patrol haven’t been able to take down, only being defeated on a technicality in the previous volume, so having them return for issue 50 is very apt.
Richard Case continues to be the main penciller for this series, and my comments from the previous volume still stand. While we do get a few more fill-ins than last time around, Case is still responsible for the majority of the visuals. Kelley Jones tackles an issue, with his familiar dark shadows and distended figures, while Mike Dringenberg of Sandman fame pencils Flex Mentallo’s origin issue, capturing the essence of the fifties with simple lines. Steve Yeowell also contributes to an issue of the Flex arc, giving us the background of the creepy goings-on underneath the Pentagon, and his moodier pencils are definitely what that story called for. Issue 50 is a bit of a jam session, with lots of artists contributing to varying effects, but there’s no denying that this is obviously a Vertigo book.
This second volume of Doom Patrol is much more unnerving and even more crazy than the last, but it never alienates the reader with its strangeness, just invites them in and tries to explain why bonkers is really the only way to cope with the world. With some astute societal observations buried under the insanity, it’s no wonder this series was so popular back when it was being released.
Here we go again. The first few issues here introduce us to Doom Patrol mainstay Danny The Street, a transvestite street that can travel across the world at will. After being targeted by the Men From NOWHERE, the Doom Patrol end up trying to protect Danny and gain a new team member in the form of Flex Mentallo along the way. It’s about this time that I think Morrison has realised that he can do whatever the hell he wants and we’re going to stick with it – he doesn’t bother explaining himself, he just lets his crazy story speak for itself, and it’s honestly more fun because of it. What little exposition there is tends to infer rather than outright exposit, and what he doesn’t say is often as revealing as what he does. Yes, it’s totally mad, but it’s amazingly entertaining as well. As a sidebar, the fact that he manages to make all of the NOWHERE Men’s dialogue acrostic and still make sense in context is amazing.
The next five issues get even stranger, as the Doom Patrol find themselves trapped between two warring factions, the Kaleidoscape and the Mesh, when Rhea Jones awakens from her coma and flies off into the middle of the battlefield. There’s a lot of confusing ideas and abstract concepts being thrown around here, and it took me a while to really get into it, but by the time this arc is over everything is a lot clearer (if still totally bananas), so it’s worth persevering with it, especially because the conclusion and final explanations are one of the most Morrison things I’ve ever read.
Flex Mentallo takes centre stage for the arc following this; he’s clearly a parody of the old Charles Atlas campaigns, wrapped up in a bow made of conspiracy theories, which of course leads the Doom Patrol right into the heart of the Pentagon where Flex must defeat the real Men From NOWHERE and flex so hard that he makes the Pentagon a circle. You cannot make this stuff up, I swear. This arc, at least in comparison to the previous one, is almost straight forward. The addition of Danny The Street to the cast opens up a lot more locales for the Patrol to access, and both Dorothy and Joshua continue to be persistent background characters that I expect have a lot more going on than meets the eye.
And finally, Mister Nobody and the Brotherhood of Dada return in a new incarnation, which is subtly teased throughout most of this volume and the true implication is only really unveiled right at the last minute. The Brotherhood are really the only villains that the Doom Patrol haven’t been able to take down, only being defeated on a technicality in the previous volume, so having them return for issue 50 is very apt.
Richard Case continues to be the main penciller for this series, and my comments from the previous volume still stand. While we do get a few more fill-ins than last time around, Case is still responsible for the majority of the visuals. Kelley Jones tackles an issue, with his familiar dark shadows and distended figures, while Mike Dringenberg of Sandman fame pencils Flex Mentallo’s origin issue, capturing the essence of the fifties with simple lines. Steve Yeowell also contributes to an issue of the Flex arc, giving us the background of the creepy goings-on underneath the Pentagon, and his moodier pencils are definitely what that story called for. Issue 50 is a bit of a jam session, with lots of artists contributing to varying effects, but there’s no denying that this is obviously a Vertigo book.
This second volume of Doom Patrol is much more unnerving and even more crazy than the last, but it never alienates the reader with its strangeness, just invites them in and tries to explain why bonkers is really the only way to cope with the world. With some astute societal observations buried under the insanity, it’s no wonder this series was so popular back when it was being released.
June 1, 2017
I have a boiled egg and I know how to use it!
October 20, 2020
Another mind-bending trip thru the “doom”ed rabbit hole and seeing some trippy sights and the patrol falling into their own despairs. A- (91%/Excellent)
February 25, 2017
Great balance of joyful psychedelia and some nice character moments. Morrison's deluge of creativity hits some career highlights. For example: the sentient, teleporting, cross-dressing street "Danny the Street;" the pitch-perfect 1990 Punisher satire in "The Beard Hunter;" and Flex Mentallo, who really is "the sensational character find of 1991," and flexes so hard that the force bends the pentagon into a circle. They encounter "antagonists" more often than "villains," other weirdos whose agendas clash with the Doom Patrol's. The heroes aren't the kind that barge in and punch everything, approaching problems by being willing to ride the wave of hallucinogenic bizarreness until the time is right. We get to ride the wave with them, with irascible jokes by Robotman. Artist Richard Case found his stride by this point in the series (the first collection was good, and the psychedelic designs were always impressive, but some clunky art in the quiet moments was distracting enough to keep the whole book from being truly exceptional). The art is supplemented by some impressive work by guest artists like Mike Dringenberg and Kelley Jones. All around, a very fun and satisfying read that is well-deserving of its fame.
June 22, 2019
Oddity for its own sake should always be balanced with a twist of flamingo juice. Just saying.
Book Two of the Doom Patrol by Grant Morrison didn't have me as much as the first book did, but by the end, I was satisfied that I had actually read a Doom Patrol book. This series is a beautiful testament to the idea that artists, when being honest in their passion and creativity can work real wonders, and that's most definitely what the reader receives. Whether it's the assassin who hunts and kills people with beards, a pansexual-gender-fluid street named Danny, or simply the inter-dimensional law-enforcement officers known as the "Sex Police," this book just refuses to be normal and goddamn I love it for it.
Every page of this book is just dripping with honesty and conviction and the reader is able to see, by the end, that Morrison is a master and a wonder and obviously insane but who cares because this book is gold. Read it, marvel at it, return to it, and never forget it...not that you could anyway.
Book Two of the Doom Patrol by Grant Morrison didn't have me as much as the first book did, but by the end, I was satisfied that I had actually read a Doom Patrol book. This series is a beautiful testament to the idea that artists, when being honest in their passion and creativity can work real wonders, and that's most definitely what the reader receives. Whether it's the assassin who hunts and kills people with beards, a pansexual-gender-fluid street named Danny, or simply the inter-dimensional law-enforcement officers known as the "Sex Police," this book just refuses to be normal and goddamn I love it for it.
Every page of this book is just dripping with honesty and conviction and the reader is able to see, by the end, that Morrison is a master and a wonder and obviously insane but who cares because this book is gold. Read it, marvel at it, return to it, and never forget it...not that you could anyway.
December 25, 2018
Larga vida a la Hermandad Dada!
En este volumen han habido historias que se han hecho un poco cuesta arriba como ese duelo entre civilizaciones extraterrestres que todavía no consigo entender pero que estéticamente lo mola todo. Pero también hay grandes historias como la presentación de Flex Mentallo (genial personaje) y una historia con él como personaje central. Lástima que acabe tan pronto porque la historia de la nueva Hermandad Dada tiene pintaza!
El cómic de superhéroes más loco de la historia, Morrison tenía la cabeza llena de ideas, menudo genio.
En este volumen han habido historias que se han hecho un poco cuesta arriba como ese duelo entre civilizaciones extraterrestres que todavía no consigo entender pero que estéticamente lo mola todo. Pero también hay grandes historias como la presentación de Flex Mentallo (genial personaje) y una historia con él como personaje central. Lástima que acabe tan pronto porque la historia de la nueva Hermandad Dada tiene pintaza!
El cómic de superhéroes más loco de la historia, Morrison tenía la cabeza llena de ideas, menudo genio.
August 18, 2021
Continuando o mergulho naquele que talvez seja o mais delirante comic de sempre, somos levados por Morrison a histórias verdadeiramente estranhas. A guerra civil entre alienígenas incompreensíveis mas limitados conceptualmente, por terem sido criações de um anjo pouco imaginativo que tentou criar um mundo à sua imagem e semelhança. Os engenhos de normalização que se ocultam nas caves do Pentágono, alimentados pelo rapto de indivíduos altamente criativos cuja energia é sugada para eliminar o bizarro do dia a dia. Uma infestação de sonhos eróticos, detida pelos agentes do sexo. Encerrando em grande este arco, temos o regresso de Mr. Nobody, o vilão cubista, e a ressurreição da irmandade de Dada, com um plano nefasto para capturar as energias da bicicleta de Hoffmann e libertar delírios psicadélicos pelo mundo. Pelo caminho, o insuportável paraplégico Dr. Niles Calder, lider da Doom Patrol, terá de enfrentar um violento justiceiro obcecado por dar caça a barbas com extremo prejuízo, a mutação de uma heroína capaz de manifestar múltiplas personalidades e que se deixa apaixonar pelo homem-robot, ou Rebis, a personagem união alquímica que decide ter relações sexuais consigo própria como parte da sua crisálida evolutiva. Ainda recebemos dois resultados particularmente brilhantes dos processos criativos de Morrison: dois novos personagens, Flex Mentallo, o herói dos músculos e que será protagonista de uma brilhante mini-serie, e Danny the Street, que é uma rua capaz de se manifestar em qualquer local real ou imaginário, uma rua simpática que dá abrigo a todo o tipo de almas perdidas. Ler Doom Patrol escrito por Grant Morrison, acompanhado por alguns dos mais arrojados ilustradores de comics dos anos 90, é saborear o completo detournement surreal e psicadélico da iconografia clássica dos comics.
October 16, 2022
Prosegue la mia rilettura dell'allucinata versione morrisoniana della "Patrulla Condenada" come la chiamano gli ispanici. Tra il caos tra Mallah ed il Cervello (totalmente gay, ma anche strano forte) il nostro Robotman perde il nuovo corpo. Poi assistiamo alla cosa più strana e assurda che io abbia mai visto in un fumetto, ossia il concetto di una strada vivente e travestita, Danny The Street. E gli Uomini di Nessundove; poi c'è una guerra interdimensionale ed assistiamo al risveglio ed al "rapimento" di Rhea Jones, e veniamo a sapere qualcosa di più sulla natura di Rebis, definito un Ouroboros. La rete dell'ortodossia combatte contro il Caleidorama, e Rhea è un'arma.
Sarà Larry a farli distruggere con una folle gara, mentre Steele, piantando un fiore farà finire la guerra.
Storie folli e assurde anche in questo volumone, con caratterizzazioni sempre più marcatamente psicologiche dei protagonisti, mentre gli antagonisti sono solo assurdi. Appare anche Flex Mentallo, altro assurdo personaggio che non ho mai ben compreso.
4 stelle.
Sarà Larry a farli distruggere con una folle gara, mentre Steele, piantando un fiore farà finire la guerra.
Storie folli e assurde anche in questo volumone, con caratterizzazioni sempre più marcatamente psicologiche dei protagonisti, mentre gli antagonisti sono solo assurdi. Appare anche Flex Mentallo, altro assurdo personaggio che non ho mai ben compreso.
4 stelle.
August 21, 2020
Some more strangeness from the mind of Grant Morrison, though not in the way he sometimes gets where his cleverness over shadows his clarity. The Doom Patrol is such a strange team for the DC universe. It seems more like a Marvel team, to be perfectly honest. They are more like a found family than a superhero team.
They aren't fighting enemies in the traditional sense. It's more like fighting ideas and concepts. They get tossed in to situations they really don't know how to deal with and just keep trying things until they figure it out.
They aren't fighting enemies in the traditional sense. It's more like fighting ideas and concepts. They get tossed in to situations they really don't know how to deal with and just keep trying things until they figure it out.
January 12, 2021
didn't like this one as much as book one. i might skip up to gerard way's run on doom Patrol. i did really like Danny the Street though.
i ended up skimming the quarter.
i ended up skimming the quarter.
July 6, 2020
Jest chyba jeszcze bardziej psychodelicznie niż w tomie pierwszym. Momentami to tak odjechane historie, że trudno się połapać, ale i tak chłonę je z wielką przyjemnością.
August 30, 2023
Five stars for Flex Mentallo.
July 31, 2020
End with the new new brotherhood of dada wanting to take over the world. President ection?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2019
3.5
I didn’t enjoy this as much as volume one. It was still good, but I actually found some of this to be a bit confusing. Unfortunately it took me a few readings to finish this volume, so I think I lost a bit of momentum and it made things not as clear for me as they probably should have been. So, that may have affected my enjoyment of the book. Or maybe not.
There were also a few changes in the artwork which I didn’t really enjoy, so that bothered me a little since I loved the artwork in the first volume and in most of this.
There was still a some pretty good stories in here, but I still think overall the first volume had better and more interesting stories. I don’t remember a single story in the first volume that I didn’t enjoy, but in this volume there were a couple of stories I didn’t care much about. I really enjoy the stuff with Danny the Street. The men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E were interesting too.
It was great seeing Mr. Nobody back! I love him, so I’m really excited to see more of him in the next volume.
I didn’t enjoy this as much as volume one. It was still good, but I actually found some of this to be a bit confusing. Unfortunately it took me a few readings to finish this volume, so I think I lost a bit of momentum and it made things not as clear for me as they probably should have been. So, that may have affected my enjoyment of the book. Or maybe not.
There were also a few changes in the artwork which I didn’t really enjoy, so that bothered me a little since I loved the artwork in the first volume and in most of this.
There was still a some pretty good stories in here, but I still think overall the first volume had better and more interesting stories. I don’t remember a single story in the first volume that I didn’t enjoy, but in this volume there were a couple of stories I didn’t care much about. I really enjoy the stuff with Danny the Street. The men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E were interesting too.
It was great seeing Mr. Nobody back! I love him, so I’m really excited to see more of him in the next volume.
January 30, 2023
(Zero spoiler review for the omnibus, collecting this volume) 3.75/5
On more than one occasion, I've started a review by mentioning how conflicted I am by the story, or the score I've had to give it. Well, I think I can safely say that never has that statement been more true than it is here. For Morrison's run on Doom Patrol has to be one of the most rewarding, exhilarating and beautifully crafted runs, yet continuously falling down the usual Morrison 'weirdness' rabbit hole. Inviting endless confusion and frustration.
The most important thing first: Despite Morrison's frequent brilliance here, the true plaudits need to go to Richard Case, whose art is some of the most sublime, imaginative and downright exquisite I've ever seen. This late 80's early 90's Vertigo era clearly was the halcyon period when it comes to art and artistic expression, at least in my opinion. The true Woodstock for the comic book industry. The designs, the line work, the colours... so bloody good. This man does all but 2 issues here, and the results are truly phenomenal. Quite how he managed to bring Morrison's wacky and wonderful vision to life is beyond me.
So, back to Morrison. If the man could just dial it back a little bit here and there, this would have been a run to rival any in the industries history. When he is firing on all cylinders, which happens frequently, it is a thing of near perfection, as the strange, absurd and astonishing seamlessly blend into something that an acid trip of unbridled creativity. Sadly, when it doesn't work., which is all too frequently, too, it comes across like alphabet spaghetti thrown at the wall. In short, absolute gibberish. Panels don't run together. Narration is a random conglomeration of words that have no business being next to each other. Stories come across like the disjointed ramblings of a toddler, whose vocabulary isn't up to the task his furious little mind requires. No, wait. The toddler actually makes a great deal more sense than Morrison when he goes off reservation. Cut a third of the issues out here, and you have one of the greatest runs ever. Leave them in, and you have a guaranteed recipe for a headache and a severe case of 'what could have been'.
That said, Morrison ended it achingly well, even if it may have gone one issue too long. Inviting in those wistful hints of nostalgia and sadness as something pretty special (and annoying) comes to a nice little end. Not many comics have dragged these feelings out of me when it was all said and done. The final arc showing epitomising Morrison's extraordinary talent, when he is focused on telling a mostly cohesive narrative.
If you can suffer through the nonsense, the beautiful moments and Richard Case's magnificent artwork make this something to behold. 3.75/5
OmniBen.
On more than one occasion, I've started a review by mentioning how conflicted I am by the story, or the score I've had to give it. Well, I think I can safely say that never has that statement been more true than it is here. For Morrison's run on Doom Patrol has to be one of the most rewarding, exhilarating and beautifully crafted runs, yet continuously falling down the usual Morrison 'weirdness' rabbit hole. Inviting endless confusion and frustration.
The most important thing first: Despite Morrison's frequent brilliance here, the true plaudits need to go to Richard Case, whose art is some of the most sublime, imaginative and downright exquisite I've ever seen. This late 80's early 90's Vertigo era clearly was the halcyon period when it comes to art and artistic expression, at least in my opinion. The true Woodstock for the comic book industry. The designs, the line work, the colours... so bloody good. This man does all but 2 issues here, and the results are truly phenomenal. Quite how he managed to bring Morrison's wacky and wonderful vision to life is beyond me.
So, back to Morrison. If the man could just dial it back a little bit here and there, this would have been a run to rival any in the industries history. When he is firing on all cylinders, which happens frequently, it is a thing of near perfection, as the strange, absurd and astonishing seamlessly blend into something that an acid trip of unbridled creativity. Sadly, when it doesn't work., which is all too frequently, too, it comes across like alphabet spaghetti thrown at the wall. In short, absolute gibberish. Panels don't run together. Narration is a random conglomeration of words that have no business being next to each other. Stories come across like the disjointed ramblings of a toddler, whose vocabulary isn't up to the task his furious little mind requires. No, wait. The toddler actually makes a great deal more sense than Morrison when he goes off reservation. Cut a third of the issues out here, and you have one of the greatest runs ever. Leave them in, and you have a guaranteed recipe for a headache and a severe case of 'what could have been'.
That said, Morrison ended it achingly well, even if it may have gone one issue too long. Inviting in those wistful hints of nostalgia and sadness as something pretty special (and annoying) comes to a nice little end. Not many comics have dragged these feelings out of me when it was all said and done. The final arc showing epitomising Morrison's extraordinary talent, when he is focused on telling a mostly cohesive narrative.
If you can suffer through the nonsense, the beautiful moments and Richard Case's magnificent artwork make this something to behold. 3.75/5
OmniBen.
July 26, 2019
Well... that will require a reread huh?
The second volume of Morrison's run on Doom Patrol cranks up the weirdness to 11. From teleporting sentient streets, to articulated spider leg upgrades, to the return of old villains that grew from a black spot on a painting, and much, much more, Morrison throws the psychedelic book at us.
Grant Morrison writes moments of characterization in the middle of or between the moments of madness, so that as we grew more accustomed to this weird world, we also develop a bond with Cliff Steel, Crazy Jane and Rebis. And since there is so much going on all the time, there is a real sense of danger for the characters as anything can happen and its definitely possible to end up worse than dead.
The artwork is spot on from Richard Case as he is now in a confident groove. He continues that solid line work that started in volume 1 and is in perfect form on this one.
I can see the seeds of Morrison's later work "the invisibles" in Doom Patrol. But this feels more grounded and anchored. Most likely because it is still set in the DC Universe, so things cant change too much. But Morrison manages to push as far past the boundaries as possible, to the point that for most of the volume, I forgot that there were other heroes in the Doom Patrol world.
However I will say that there are moments towards the end of this volume, where it starts feeling like the story is being written weirdly simply for the sake of being weird, but then again, maybe that's the whole point.
I can see why these books are so highly regarded, and I'm anxious to read volume 3.
The second volume of Morrison's run on Doom Patrol cranks up the weirdness to 11. From teleporting sentient streets, to articulated spider leg upgrades, to the return of old villains that grew from a black spot on a painting, and much, much more, Morrison throws the psychedelic book at us.
Grant Morrison writes moments of characterization in the middle of or between the moments of madness, so that as we grew more accustomed to this weird world, we also develop a bond with Cliff Steel, Crazy Jane and Rebis. And since there is so much going on all the time, there is a real sense of danger for the characters as anything can happen and its definitely possible to end up worse than dead.
The artwork is spot on from Richard Case as he is now in a confident groove. He continues that solid line work that started in volume 1 and is in perfect form on this one.
I can see the seeds of Morrison's later work "the invisibles" in Doom Patrol. But this feels more grounded and anchored. Most likely because it is still set in the DC Universe, so things cant change too much. But Morrison manages to push as far past the boundaries as possible, to the point that for most of the volume, I forgot that there were other heroes in the Doom Patrol world.
However I will say that there are moments towards the end of this volume, where it starts feeling like the story is being written weirdly simply for the sake of being weird, but then again, maybe that's the whole point.
I can see why these books are so highly regarded, and I'm anxious to read volume 3.
July 12, 2023
What it's about: Book 2 kicks off with Danny the Street, Dorothy learning to access - if not control - her ability to manifest her subconscious in the real world, and the appearance of a group claiming to be the Men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E., who attack Danny because he is not "normal".
After defending Danny, the Doom Patrol sets up their new headquarters on Danny, which allows them to move all over with just a request. But shortly after, Rhea "Lodestar" Jones is woken from her coma in a new form, and then she and Rebis are kidnapped/recruited by an otherworldly group to help them end an ongoing war with Lodestar's renewed powers. In trying to track their teammates, Cliff and Crazy Jane end up working with the other side in the interdimensional conflict that has been going on for untold ages.
Meanwhile, one of Danny's passengers turns out to be an amnesiac Flex Mentallo, a "long lost hero" who built his muscles to such an extent that he can control his muscle vibrations and use them to affect changes on people and the world. His lover tries to track him down, but is co-opted by a dark force with the intention of insinuating her into Flex's life as a sleeper agent.
Meanwhile, at the Pentagon (Why is it a pentagon? For nefarious reasons, of course!), a new recruit is being inducted into the workings of the Ant Farm, a program that uses dark forces to strip the souls out of humans, creating "husks" - undead creatures that can be broken to the will of the military. These husks are trained to become the ACTUAL Men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E., who work for the military.
Flex's former lover finds him after Flex recovers his memory, but she is a plant that leads the Men from NOWHERE to Flex. He and Dorothy are taken to the Ant Farm, where they learn that the purpose of the Ant Farm is to create a machine that will remove chaos and impose order on the world - an order that can be easily controlled by the Pentagon. Flex and Dorothy are slated to become part of the Ant Farm's workings, as it turns out that Flex is actually the product of a boy's comic book - a boy with massive psychic powers who brought Flex to life. In doing so, the boy lost much of his power as he transferred it to Flex. The Pentagon plans to have Flex re-absorbed into his creator (who they've kept under their control for decades) so they can harness the psychic's full power. But instead, the psychic dies, and Flex regains his full range of abilities, including his ability to flex the world into submission - which he uses to change the Pentagon into a circle, breaking its dark mystic powers, with an assist from Dorothy's subconscious.
Next comes a story of The Beard Hunter - a lunatic version of The Punisher who kills people who have beards because he dislikes facial hair. The Chief's lush beard puts him in the crosshairs, and it's only through some quick witted work that the Chief is able to escape being killed and having his beard "scalped" as a trophy.
The Doom Patrol then gets a chance to rest for a while, before the appearance of the Shadowy Mr. Evans, an incredibly powerful and dangerous force of the absurd. But as the Shadowy Mr. Evans prepares to return to our plane of existence, a criminal finds himself compelled to take possession of the Painting that Ate the World, now transformed into a colorful but (seemingly) inert canvas after the Doom Patrol's previous work to stop the Brotherhood of Dada.
Meanwhile, Crazy Jane manifests a new sex-positive personality that Cliff doesn't know how to deal with, just in time for the introduction of the Sex Men, a group that works to contain libidinous energy. Turns out that the shadowy Mr. Evans has heralded his arrival by introducing massive amounts of sex energy into the world.
While the Sex Men and the Doom Patrol face the shadowy Mr. Evans, Rebis starts having sex with themself. And the once-inert canvas that was once the Painting that Ate the World releases a splotch that grows into Mr. Nobody, who re-forms the Brotherhood of Dada with new allies. Their mission: To use the bicycle of chemist Albert Hoffman - discoverer of LSD - to give the entire world a massive drug trip, altering perception forever, thereby adding more of the bizarre into the world. After encountering the Doom Patrol, the Brotherhood escapes, and prepares to wreak havoc once again.
What I thought: Morrison specifically stated he wanted to make the Doom Patrol crazy again. This is definitely mission accomplished. Book 2 goes even more weird and abstract than Book 1. I actually found it a little tough to enjoy because there was so much lunacy, but not much plot.
It's also a little tough to buy into Crazy Jane's story when it's all generated by dudes. She is a figure of tragedy, with sexual assault in her history - actually, it's the origin of her "powers" - and in this book, she has an entire storyline about being a harlot (in a story that is supposed to be sex-positive, but which seems to imply that anyone who enjoys sex is wrong).
On the other hand, this book does introduce a "transvestite" sentient street that manifests all sorts of "manly" shops and signs, but with distinctly feminine touches, like the gun shop decorated with flowers. There are also directly cross-dressing guys featured in Danny's ongoing revue.
Why my chosen shelves: CW: Anxiety, body issues, mental health: Cliff and Crazy Jane both have anxiety about not being normal enough; dark, death-dying, violence: There is plenty of violence and people dying, though it's generally not very gory (mostly), though there is a graphic depiction of a humanoid creature that has hung itself; Character: LGBT, Trans, nonbinary: Danny the Street is specifically identified as being a "transvestite" and it is implied that he is either gay or trans, and Rebis is nonbinary; Diverse: While the main characters are, like in the first book, mostly white, there are some other ethnicities included (mostly Black); Genre: Fantasy, horror, sci fi: This book is all about weird and creepy and supernatural; humor, satire, superhero, weird: This series definitely plays with tropes and expectations of the superhero genre and style in some fun ways; Friendship-found family: The Doom Patrol is definitely a found family, relying on each other in a world that otherwise shuns them; topic: sex: This story very specifically deals with sex in two different stories, and one character is presented as being a "harlot" and having sex with anything and everything she can; sociology: Morrison uses this series to explore the social mores and norms, and presents the Doom Patrol as a force for moderation against antagonists that would either completely control or completely unleash humanity's impulses.
Why I rated it like I did: I appreciate that Morrison is willing to push boundaries and make a comic book for adults. And I can appreciate the creativity involved in going so far off the reservation. But I liked the first collection better, where the insanity had a purpose in telling the story.
After defending Danny, the Doom Patrol sets up their new headquarters on Danny, which allows them to move all over with just a request. But shortly after, Rhea "Lodestar" Jones is woken from her coma in a new form, and then she and Rebis are kidnapped/recruited by an otherworldly group to help them end an ongoing war with Lodestar's renewed powers. In trying to track their teammates, Cliff and Crazy Jane end up working with the other side in the interdimensional conflict that has been going on for untold ages.
Meanwhile, one of Danny's passengers turns out to be an amnesiac Flex Mentallo, a "long lost hero" who built his muscles to such an extent that he can control his muscle vibrations and use them to affect changes on people and the world. His lover tries to track him down, but is co-opted by a dark force with the intention of insinuating her into Flex's life as a sleeper agent.
Meanwhile, at the Pentagon (Why is it a pentagon? For nefarious reasons, of course!), a new recruit is being inducted into the workings of the Ant Farm, a program that uses dark forces to strip the souls out of humans, creating "husks" - undead creatures that can be broken to the will of the military. These husks are trained to become the ACTUAL Men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E., who work for the military.
Flex's former lover finds him after Flex recovers his memory, but she is a plant that leads the Men from NOWHERE to Flex. He and Dorothy are taken to the Ant Farm, where they learn that the purpose of the Ant Farm is to create a machine that will remove chaos and impose order on the world - an order that can be easily controlled by the Pentagon. Flex and Dorothy are slated to become part of the Ant Farm's workings, as it turns out that Flex is actually the product of a boy's comic book - a boy with massive psychic powers who brought Flex to life. In doing so, the boy lost much of his power as he transferred it to Flex. The Pentagon plans to have Flex re-absorbed into his creator (who they've kept under their control for decades) so they can harness the psychic's full power. But instead, the psychic dies, and Flex regains his full range of abilities, including his ability to flex the world into submission - which he uses to change the Pentagon into a circle, breaking its dark mystic powers, with an assist from Dorothy's subconscious.
Next comes a story of The Beard Hunter - a lunatic version of The Punisher who kills people who have beards because he dislikes facial hair. The Chief's lush beard puts him in the crosshairs, and it's only through some quick witted work that the Chief is able to escape being killed and having his beard "scalped" as a trophy.
The Doom Patrol then gets a chance to rest for a while, before the appearance of the Shadowy Mr. Evans, an incredibly powerful and dangerous force of the absurd. But as the Shadowy Mr. Evans prepares to return to our plane of existence, a criminal finds himself compelled to take possession of the Painting that Ate the World, now transformed into a colorful but (seemingly) inert canvas after the Doom Patrol's previous work to stop the Brotherhood of Dada.
Meanwhile, Crazy Jane manifests a new sex-positive personality that Cliff doesn't know how to deal with, just in time for the introduction of the Sex Men, a group that works to contain libidinous energy. Turns out that the shadowy Mr. Evans has heralded his arrival by introducing massive amounts of sex energy into the world.
While the Sex Men and the Doom Patrol face the shadowy Mr. Evans, Rebis starts having sex with themself. And the once-inert canvas that was once the Painting that Ate the World releases a splotch that grows into Mr. Nobody, who re-forms the Brotherhood of Dada with new allies. Their mission: To use the bicycle of chemist Albert Hoffman - discoverer of LSD - to give the entire world a massive drug trip, altering perception forever, thereby adding more of the bizarre into the world. After encountering the Doom Patrol, the Brotherhood escapes, and prepares to wreak havoc once again.
What I thought: Morrison specifically stated he wanted to make the Doom Patrol crazy again. This is definitely mission accomplished. Book 2 goes even more weird and abstract than Book 1. I actually found it a little tough to enjoy because there was so much lunacy, but not much plot.
It's also a little tough to buy into Crazy Jane's story when it's all generated by dudes. She is a figure of tragedy, with sexual assault in her history - actually, it's the origin of her "powers" - and in this book, she has an entire storyline about being a harlot (in a story that is supposed to be sex-positive, but which seems to imply that anyone who enjoys sex is wrong).
On the other hand, this book does introduce a "transvestite" sentient street that manifests all sorts of "manly" shops and signs, but with distinctly feminine touches, like the gun shop decorated with flowers. There are also directly cross-dressing guys featured in Danny's ongoing revue.
Why my chosen shelves: CW: Anxiety, body issues, mental health: Cliff and Crazy Jane both have anxiety about not being normal enough; dark, death-dying, violence: There is plenty of violence and people dying, though it's generally not very gory (mostly), though there is a graphic depiction of a humanoid creature that has hung itself; Character: LGBT, Trans, nonbinary: Danny the Street is specifically identified as being a "transvestite" and it is implied that he is either gay or trans, and Rebis is nonbinary; Diverse: While the main characters are, like in the first book, mostly white, there are some other ethnicities included (mostly Black); Genre: Fantasy, horror, sci fi: This book is all about weird and creepy and supernatural; humor, satire, superhero, weird: This series definitely plays with tropes and expectations of the superhero genre and style in some fun ways; Friendship-found family: The Doom Patrol is definitely a found family, relying on each other in a world that otherwise shuns them; topic: sex: This story very specifically deals with sex in two different stories, and one character is presented as being a "harlot" and having sex with anything and everything she can; sociology: Morrison uses this series to explore the social mores and norms, and presents the Doom Patrol as a force for moderation against antagonists that would either completely control or completely unleash humanity's impulses.
Why I rated it like I did: I appreciate that Morrison is willing to push boundaries and make a comic book for adults. And I can appreciate the creativity involved in going so far off the reservation. But I liked the first collection better, where the insanity had a purpose in telling the story.
September 12, 2018
I remain a sucker for this. I was warily attracted to Morrison's deeply British brand of surrealism when I first read this series back in high school, but it hits me much more in my sweet spot nowadays. It ALMOST threatens to take itself seriously from time to time, but for the most part these stories are a high-middlebrow lark in which he seems to be daring himself to top whatever weirdness came before - which generally works, surprisingly. This collection introduces Danny the Street, a cross-dressing sentient street that travels from city to city mysteriously popping up and taking in transients, which is probably the main thing you need to know if you're deciding whether or not to read it.
Oh, and a note on the art - I'm not the biggest fan of the regular series artists, but I've come to the conclusion that the straighforwardness of the visuals do a better job of foregrounding the weirdness of the writing than something more arch might do. That said, this book features some guest art by Jamie Hewlett and Rian Hughes, and the covers by Simon Bisley are, as always, top-notch.
Oh, and a note on the art - I'm not the biggest fan of the regular series artists, but I've come to the conclusion that the straighforwardness of the visuals do a better job of foregrounding the weirdness of the writing than something more arch might do. That said, this book features some guest art by Jamie Hewlett and Rian Hughes, and the covers by Simon Bisley are, as always, top-notch.
February 26, 2017
Morrison's Doom Patrol is stunning. The comic book equivalent of modern poetry. With the proper Shibboleth's engaged you can walk away from it with a deep appreciation of what he is attempting and occasionally achieving. Without those in-roads, and I doubt anyone but Morrison himself understands all the references, it can come across as a chaotic mess. However, it's always beautiful and always trying. While not as comprehensible as his later work, neither is it restrained by a desire for market share. It's been said before, but it really is a miracle that this book was put out by the biggest mainstream publisher of comics in the nineties.
February 18, 2017
It was during his run on "The Doom Patrol" that Grant Morrison's startling and original imagination really cut loose for the first time.
Surrealism! Psychedelia! Gender fluidity! "Alternative" spirituality! Sex! Death! Horror! Comedy!
All in a mainstream, superhero comic published by DC, the home of Superman.
It's no wonder these stories hold up after 27(!) years. They're still pretty radical today.
Surrealism! Psychedelia! Gender fluidity! "Alternative" spirituality! Sex! Death! Horror! Comedy!
All in a mainstream, superhero comic published by DC, the home of Superman.
It's no wonder these stories hold up after 27(!) years. They're still pretty radical today.
November 14, 2019
Przy tomie drugim tak popapranej serii miałem niemały zgryz co do wystawienia oceny, bo w moim odczuciu pierwsza część była ździebko lepsza, aczkolwiek drugi tom jest jeszcze bardziej zwariowany pod względem zrzucanym nam na głowę pomysłów. Kreatywność Morrisona i wizja rysowników zaskakiwały mnie tak naprawdę co strona, dostarczając naprawdę dużo wrażeń.
Mamy cały kalejdoskop dziwactw, które sprawiają że nie pozostaje mi nic tylko pochylić czoła przed autorem. Mamy tu żyjącą ulicę, która koniec końców dołączy do Doom Patrolu. Mamy wojnę między wymiarową pomiędzy istotami tak dziwnymi, że sam kształt by mi nigdy na myśl nie przyszedł. Mamy zagadkę dotyczącą Pentagonu, tłumacząca skąd u lich ten budynek ma taki kształt. Mamy łowcę bród. Mamy w końcu powrót jednego z przeciwników z pierwszego tomu, który za upodobaniem pomyka teraz na rowerku, który roztacza wokół efekty podobne po zażyciu LSD.
To w żaden sposób nie wyczerpuje motywów jakie nam tutaj przedstawiono. Ludzie z Nigdzie. Historia Flexa Mentallo i jego muskułów. Doktor Silence i jego obraz. Dymne psy i to co dzieję się z Cliffem po spotkaniu jednym z nich. Seksludzie, którzy się pojawiając wraz z nadmiarem erotyzmu w społeczeństwie. Człowiek bez ramion, ale za to i tak ubierający specjalne rękawiczki. Przeczytacie, zrozumiecie.
Wszystko to ma o dziwą ze sobą sporo wspólnego, łączy się w swojej pokrętnej logice, dając nam unikatowe przeżycie. w sytuacji kiedy już zdajemy się wszystko wiedzieć. Klops. Morrison znów miesza, ale bez wprowadzania nadmiernego zamieszania, które i tak w jakimś stopniu się tu pojawia, bo historie są zakręcone. To już miejscami nie był komiks a czyste szaleństwo, jakim dzielą się z nami autorzy. Jeszcze to zakończenie, które obiecuje "momenty" w trzeci i ostatnim tomie. Cóż mogę rzec. Idę sobie zrobić jajko na twardo i sięgnę do tego po dziwne szczypczyki, jakie mi się pojawiły na blacie kuchennym. Wam też radzę po to sięgnąć. Finalnie daję więc 4 gwiazdki, choć na dobrą sprawę jest to 4.5.
Mamy cały kalejdoskop dziwactw, które sprawiają że nie pozostaje mi nic tylko pochylić czoła przed autorem. Mamy tu żyjącą ulicę, która koniec końców dołączy do Doom Patrolu. Mamy wojnę między wymiarową pomiędzy istotami tak dziwnymi, że sam kształt by mi nigdy na myśl nie przyszedł. Mamy zagadkę dotyczącą Pentagonu, tłumacząca skąd u lich ten budynek ma taki kształt. Mamy łowcę bród. Mamy w końcu powrót jednego z przeciwników z pierwszego tomu, który za upodobaniem pomyka teraz na rowerku, który roztacza wokół efekty podobne po zażyciu LSD.
To w żaden sposób nie wyczerpuje motywów jakie nam tutaj przedstawiono. Ludzie z Nigdzie. Historia Flexa Mentallo i jego muskułów. Doktor Silence i jego obraz. Dymne psy i to co dzieję się z Cliffem po spotkaniu jednym z nich. Seksludzie, którzy się pojawiając wraz z nadmiarem erotyzmu w społeczeństwie. Człowiek bez ramion, ale za to i tak ubierający specjalne rękawiczki. Przeczytacie, zrozumiecie.
Wszystko to ma o dziwą ze sobą sporo wspólnego, łączy się w swojej pokrętnej logice, dając nam unikatowe przeżycie. w sytuacji kiedy już zdajemy się wszystko wiedzieć. Klops. Morrison znów miesza, ale bez wprowadzania nadmiernego zamieszania, które i tak w jakimś stopniu się tu pojawia, bo historie są zakręcone. To już miejscami nie był komiks a czyste szaleństwo, jakim dzielą się z nami autorzy. Jeszcze to zakończenie, które obiecuje "momenty" w trzeci i ostatnim tomie. Cóż mogę rzec. Idę sobie zrobić jajko na twardo i sięgnę do tego po dziwne szczypczyki, jakie mi się pojawiły na blacie kuchennym. Wam też radzę po to sięgnąć. Finalnie daję więc 4 gwiazdki, choć na dobrą sprawę jest to 4.5.
February 16, 2019
I read this right after Out of the Ashes, which means I missed about 10 issues that I'm going to have to circle back to and read, but it honestly didn't matter that much. The stories are self-contained enough that most of it makes sense (as much sense as any of it ever does) immediately. This is the volume where Morrison seems to be utterly unfettered in his plotting. We've got the whole Flex Mentallo arc, where bulging biceps lead to mental prowess; we get Rhea's transition from coma to veritable goddess; we get Mr. Evans and his periscope head and his antagonists the Sex Men; the Beard Hunter; and the New New New Brotherhood of Dada. It is off the rails in the best of ways, utterly off-kilter but almost charming in its absurdist glee. Doom Patrol as a team usually plays the straight men and are rarely the center of attention, being eclipsed by the parade of wild freaks that inhabit their corner of the DC Universe. It works way better than it has any right to, and I enjoyed most of it. And I love the concept and execution of Danny the Street; I believe this is his first introduction and he makes for a very unique character. All told, if you want your heroes off the rails, with amazingly out-there antagonists but with a story that still has a toe-hold in traditional storytelling (something Morrison occasionally loses in his later works), this is definitely recommended. Some of it moves a bit slow, and it takes a while for some pieces to pay off, and there are occasions where you'll be completely lost, but it all usually fits together in a comprehensible way eventually. Just lose yourself in it along the way.
March 25, 2024
"I'm warning you--I have a boiled egg and I know how to use it! I think you all know what I mean." So threatens the returning villain Mr. Nobody as he takes Danny the Street hostage. Danny the Street, the Doom Patrol's newest member in this volume, a transvestite sentient street that can teleport to anywhere in the world.
Yep. That's not even the craziest thing that happens in this volume.
Rhea Jones, Lodestone, wakes from a coma and becomes a transcendental, mystical being embroiled in an ancient conflict between the Mesh and the Kaleidoscape. Flex Mentallo joins the fold, a hero from the 50s (a parody character of 50s macho beach men) who can alter reality when he flexes. A secret government agency houses a terrible creature under the Pentagon, an eldritch creature that was called forth when Bell spoke the first words into the telephone.
"It's time to stop defending a world sick with reason!" declares Mr. Nobody in the landmark 50th issue. And I feel like that was Morrison presenting their central Doom Patrol theme: the rational world versus the insane one and everyone is just caught in-between. And I am here for that nutty ride!
This series continues to be fun, weird, thought-provoking, and thought-draining. It's impossible to describe, yet doesn't feel inaccessible or weird to just be weird. There are things to be said and found here, and part of the heart of this is that you might just need to be a little nutters yourself to get it all.
The art continues to be a great fit, very psychedelic and bright. Some of the guest artists were also wonderful, especially during the Flex Mentallo arc.
Yep. That's not even the craziest thing that happens in this volume.
Rhea Jones, Lodestone, wakes from a coma and becomes a transcendental, mystical being embroiled in an ancient conflict between the Mesh and the Kaleidoscape. Flex Mentallo joins the fold, a hero from the 50s (a parody character of 50s macho beach men) who can alter reality when he flexes. A secret government agency houses a terrible creature under the Pentagon, an eldritch creature that was called forth when Bell spoke the first words into the telephone.
"It's time to stop defending a world sick with reason!" declares Mr. Nobody in the landmark 50th issue. And I feel like that was Morrison presenting their central Doom Patrol theme: the rational world versus the insane one and everyone is just caught in-between. And I am here for that nutty ride!
This series continues to be fun, weird, thought-provoking, and thought-draining. It's impossible to describe, yet doesn't feel inaccessible or weird to just be weird. There are things to be said and found here, and part of the heart of this is that you might just need to be a little nutters yourself to get it all.
The art continues to be a great fit, very psychedelic and bright. Some of the guest artists were also wonderful, especially during the Flex Mentallo arc.
December 27, 2025
I had read the first book in Morrison's Doom Patrol run back in college, but just recently read through the silver age run collected in DC Finest. It's definitely a bit of whiplash between the two, and really shows how much the medium has transformed. The framing of the Doom Patrol as a superhero team going out on episodic adventures to fight crime is completely out the window, with Grant Morrison free to fully indulge their ideas of outcasts and surrealism. It's definitely a bit more of a focus on ideas over story, with a lot of the wacky characters espousing nonsense dialogue and showing off a really clever concept that doesn't necessarily go anywhere. This writing style lends itself a lot better to a series like Doom Patrol rather than, say, New X-Men, in that it's okay for these characters to be operating in a sort of dream logic. You end up with a lot of weird cutaways that build up a lot of suspense for some "Big Bad" that ends up dissipating without too much fanfare. You don't get a lot of satisfying conclusions, but you seldom do in dreams.
That being said, a lot of the ideas here are brilliant. The introduction of Danny the Street and Flex Mentallo are both incredible, and the whole conspiratorial build-up to the mystery of what is hidden beneath the Pentagon is genuinely unnerving. The designs for the Men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E., the Mesh and the Geomancers, and Mr. Nobody are all great. The feeling reading this scratches the same itch for me as Doctor Who (while suffering from some of the same problems). At its best, though, this beats with a real heartbeat of a dream.
That being said, a lot of the ideas here are brilliant. The introduction of Danny the Street and Flex Mentallo are both incredible, and the whole conspiratorial build-up to the mystery of what is hidden beneath the Pentagon is genuinely unnerving. The designs for the Men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E., the Mesh and the Geomancers, and Mr. Nobody are all great. The feeling reading this scratches the same itch for me as Doctor Who (while suffering from some of the same problems). At its best, though, this beats with a real heartbeat of a dream.
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September 25, 2025I don't know if I'm going to continue with this series. You are bombarded with new strange abstract concepts one after another.
The artwork follows along with the prose, coming off just as schizophrenic and unrelenting. As impressive as the writing and artwork can be, it isn't enjoyable to read. It's a constant struggle of trying to determine what the hell is going on.
It's like a guitar solo that although very technically impressive and proficient has gone on too long and doesn't know how to end and connect back to the song. So it creates a sense of stagnation, like the same thing is happening over and over, just slightly changed.
I keep expecting some great moment to pop out of the pages as has happened in many other "difficult" reads that I've experience. It hasn't' happened yet.
If I do continue to read it will be in the hopes that one of these moments will present itself.
The artwork follows along with the prose, coming off just as schizophrenic and unrelenting. As impressive as the writing and artwork can be, it isn't enjoyable to read. It's a constant struggle of trying to determine what the hell is going on.
It's like a guitar solo that although very technically impressive and proficient has gone on too long and doesn't know how to end and connect back to the song. So it creates a sense of stagnation, like the same thing is happening over and over, just slightly changed.
I keep expecting some great moment to pop out of the pages as has happened in many other "difficult" reads that I've experience. It hasn't' happened yet.
If I do continue to read it will be in the hopes that one of these moments will present itself.
December 6, 2017
While the plots remain as trippy and surreal as one could wish, I did not entirely love this trade. Mostly, I wanted to like Rhea far more than I did. She didn't really get much character development for someone who was once part of the team. Despite the massive power up, and the fact that the fate of a world hinged on her choice, we didn't get a lot of information about her motivation, thought process, or personality. After literally exploring the mindscapes of other characters repeatedly, I'd grown to expect more of Doom Patrol.
Perhaps I'm being unfair and this is a teaser to introduce the character. Only her departure seemed relatively final. Either way, the Brotherhood of Dada also came back to play in this trade, which I positively adored. So long as there's fun with art and truly bizarre adventures, I'll keep reading.
Perhaps I'm being unfair and this is a teaser to introduce the character. Only her departure seemed relatively final. Either way, the Brotherhood of Dada also came back to play in this trade, which I positively adored. So long as there's fun with art and truly bizarre adventures, I'll keep reading.
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