REVIEW: ‘The Doom Patrol’ Issue 1

The Doom Patrol Issue 1 is published by DC Comics. Written by Darcy Van Poelgeest, art and colors by Niko Henrichon and letters by Lucas Gattoni.

As the Doom Patrol get dragged into a feline foray, their leader is making agreements that could kill them. At the start of the new series, The Doom Patrol Issue 1 dips into themes and aspects that had become synonymous with the rambunctious group. At home is a blunt darkness, which is clear from the very first page with a disturbing death.

The second is the chaos and madness, which also becomes apparent as soon as the team start driving in their van. From that moment, the pacing ramps up instantly, and The Doom Patrol Issue 1 has fantastic energy. The destination isn’t really known, and it feels like we have joined the team in the middle of a mission.

Even though The Doom Patrol Issue 1 is darkly funny and certainly zany, there is also a haunting sadness within it as well. It generates an atmosphere within the comic, which is crucial within any opening chapter of a series. That atmosphere sticks the reader to the series and keeps them invested. The comic gets much louder in the final act, with a ridiculous fight scene that only seems possible within the pages of Doom Patrol.

The cast is small within The Doom Patrol Issue 1, sticking to the core team. Niles Caulder, the extremely troubled leader of the group, is locked away in his study and bookends the issue. What happens within the study in both scenes is distressing and mysterious, and it’s difficult to understand both the timeline and its relevance to the field team. The actual squad is restricted to three members, and these are the most famous characters within Doom Patrol.

Negative Man, Robotman and Elasti-Girl have been the core figures, while the others have met more fatal and tragic ends. The narration is glib and harrowing, exploring the trauma that the trio have all experienced, and the lives they had to leave behind long ago. The dialogue also embraces that darkness. The team seem sad and frustrated, not really enthused about what they’re doing.

The real focus within The Doom Patrol Issue 1 is Larry, aka Negative Man. He looks the saddest and is the least talkative. The real interest is in his feeling of isolation and being smothered. He has the Negative Spirit within him, an alien being, and that spirit develops a growing importance as the issue devolves into mania. The conversation he has with an old woman in this issue is fascinating, beautiful and strangely serene.

The art is intriguing, with a very rugged art style that taps into the messiness of this team. The Doom Patrol are not the Justice League or Titans. They’re more violent and more disturbed, and that shows within every action. The art style brings a deliberate scruffiness to The Doom Patrol Issue 1. This style feels deliberate because of the precision it shows when needed.

It also means that every panel has a personality and beautiful detail. Even when the Doom Patrol’s van is moving through the town, every house has been painstakingly created. The town feels part of the story instead of just a story. Likewise, the old lady Larry visits has a house filled with trinkets, pictures, and history.

The characters themselves have also been spectacularly crafted. Robotman fills every room he’s in, a hulking being made of metal. Elasti-Girl is beautiful and glamorous, but her limbs twist and contort. Then there’s Negative Man. Every millimetre of his skin is covered in bandages, making him look like a mummy with cool black shades. His clothing consists of a big, baggy trench coat and a tie.

His restrictive appearance occludes any facial feature whatsoever, which creates a lonely-looking figure. Henrichon relies on body language for much of the book, and Larry often looks small. Doom Patrol Issue 1 also delves underneath the bandages, which completely alters the look of the comic with something much more dazzling.

The colors help to create a feeling of contrast. For much of The Doom Patrol Issue 1, the shades are very lum and dark. The color palettes for the heroes are gloomy and natural, with the trio choosing normal clothes instead of vibrant uniforms. It contributes to the tone of the whole comic. But when Negative Man’s bandages come off, there is something intensely bright and alien. The lettering is very easy to read while the edges of the balloon match the rough art style.

The Doom Patrol Issue 1 strips the team back and delivers incredible storytelling. What separates this group from many others in the DC Universe is clear, from the bonkers adventures to the lack of real leadership. The smaller cast lets the personalities of the three major characters really shine and be explored in great detail. The grittiness of both the dialogue and the art makes the comic extremely intriguing.

The Doom Patrol Issue 1 is available where comics are sold.