Doom Patrol #2 Discussion and Spoilers

[Gitaroo_Dude]

Really solid issue. Last issue's villain wasn't really impressive or impressionable at all, but I really like this "First Scientist" thing. His speech quirks amuse, as does his boundless, childlike curiosity. Clark's art is good too, though I still have problems with some of his action scenes. One or two panels still tend to be weird to workout what's going on.

And I gotta say, the Metal Men backups are worth the $3.99 alone. Great banter, McGuirre's art, and really well-defined characters. Even the new villain is pretty funny. The neuroses and delusions of Gold and Tina really come across well in just about everything they do.

[protege]

Frankly, I couldn't follow the whole "Sentient black hole" business. I'm giving this book until the end of "Blackest night" to interest me-- as for Metal Men, well, the only character I like, aka Iron wasn't even in this issue. I'd rather they were the lead, and Doom patrol was the backup; that being said, I'm getting real tired of the "E-motal-men."

[Green Griffin]

I didn't get my copy. My Shop had to send them back because they were damage.

[Doc Goblin]

I'm loving this book. Never been a fan of the Doom Patrol, but I'm becoming one now. This issue got a little hard to follow at a couple points. Still, it was overall a fun read. Interesting too. Giffen is putting a lot of interesting ideas into this.

I even enjoyed the Metal Men co-feature, which was a big surprise to me. Always thought they were lame before.

I don't really get the poor CBR review. Giving the Doom Patrol crap for not being more of a fun book? I don't know about that. Seems more like coming into a book with the wrong expectations.

[SeritoNiN]

Don't care for the book. Gave it a chance, not for me. #2 is my last issue until something possibly interests me further down the line.

[Gitaroo_Dude]

Yeah, I thought the review was pretty silly too.

Yeah, fun is one of those "different strokes for folks" thing but I actually think the doom and gloom hovering over the title is what's responsible for a lot of the humor. I'm not sure if I'd go far enough to call it gallows or dark humor but there is a sense of... levity I suppose among everything going on. The black hole's detached attitude toward everything, his use of Wiki, Larry's humor in the face of doom and gloom... eh, it's my kind of humor.

[Thok]

I don't really get the poor CBR review. Giving the Doom Patrol crap for not being more of a fun book? I don't know about that. Seems more like coming into a book with the wrong expectations.

I think it's not so much that it needs to have more fun, but a bit less angst (Rita, in particular, comes off as just perpetually frustrated.)

I like Metal Men, although the dialogue feels a bit too much like something out of Superbuddies (one could imagine Gold/Tina/Copper being replaced by Booster/Fire/Mary Marvel without that much change in the dialogue.)

[Doc Goblin]

Yeah, I thought the review was pretty silly too.

Yeah, fun is one of those "different strokes for folks" thing but I actually think the doom and gloom hovering over the title is what's responsible for a lot of the humor. I'm not sure if I'd go far enough to call it gallows or dark humor but there is a sense of... levity I suppose among everything going on. The black hole's detached attitude toward everything, his use of Wiki, Larry's humor in the face of doom and gloom... eh, it's my kind of humor.

Yeah, exactly. I enjoy the mix of humor and darkness Giffen has going in this book. The tone seems very appropriate for a Doom Patrol title. That's part of what makes it a great read. One moment a character is cracking something funny and the next something comes up with some dark and disturbing subtext to it.

If the Doom Patrol feature was more like the Metal Man co-feature, I'd quit reading. No offense to the Metal Men co-feature though. It's great as a co-feature, but not something I'd want Doom Patrol to be.

[Gitaroo_Dude]

Yeah, exactly. I enjoy the mix of humor and darkness Giffen has going in this book. The tone seems very appropriate for a Doom Patrol title. That's part of what makes it a great read. One moment a character is cracking something funny and the next something comes up with some dark and disturbing subtext to it.

If the Doom Patrol feature was more like the Metal Man co-feature, I'd quit reading. No offense to the Metal Men co-feature though. It's great as a co-feature, but not something I'd want Doom Patrol to be.

Yeah, it actually reminds me a lot of Secret Six in that it finds the humor in really dark situations.

Or as Paul Cornell put it much better than I could in the introduction for the SS trade, it balances dark situations with absurdity. It's absurd that a black hole could be sentient and then want to negotiate terms, but it's also really funny and a hoot to read about.

[Karl O'Neill]

I will wait for the trades now instead. Cannot afford to buy it in singles but i did enjoy the first issue. It was fun and quirky.

[petar_g]

Loved it.

The only Doom Patrol series I've read over the years has been the entirety of Grant Morrison's run, and parts of the original series. But I can already see myself growing attached to this current incarnation, which incorporates elements of both those runs.

The Doom Patrol aren't supposed to be 'fun'. Or happy, or friendly, or excited. It's all about doom and gloom and how they suffer through it. In that sense, they remind me of.....well......humanity. I know people who are more similar to the DP, than they are to the shining beacons of the JLA, or the Justice Society. Yes, Rita is quite negative, but could it be possible that there's a reason for that? Perhaps next issue's appearance of Mento could be the turnaround for her (No spoilers - see #3 cover).

I'm also enjoying the Metal Men backup much more than I thought I would. It's a terrific and 'fun' complement to the main story.

For those who aren't enjoying the Doom Patrol, especially the latest issue....... well, it's not that you're "just not getting it", but perhaps you're expecting something different, perhaps a little more "DC superteam mainstream"? I'm only surmising. I just know I'M loving every page of it.

Petar

[Den]

The members of the Doom Patrol are pretty troubled psychologically , sort of like Marvel's Sentry...but, you know, the Doom Patrol members actually have theirs written well and are interesting. ;)

It is pretty dark with a touch of gallows humor, and I find it fascinating reading, but I admit I'll get tired of it quickly if they don't improve. My hope is that the readers will get to watch their struggle to reclaim their humanity, strengthen their sanity, heal and grow.

[jAWSH!]

This is a definate improvement over the last issue. I'm half tempted to pick up the 4 Horsemen mini to get a better grasp of Oolong Island.

I'm appreciating the mystery behind the exact origins of the "First Scientist." I think that ambiguity works really well with the Doom Patrol. It's part of why I appreciate Morrison's work, too. You don't always get everything all wrapped up in a nice little bow or spoon fed to you.

The Chief, what an enormous douche-bag! I'm really looking forward to his pending reunion with Celsius.

All in all, Doom Patrol is on the upswing. Here's hoping that trend continues.

Grade: B+

Metal Men was brilliant as usual. I like how Magnus takes on side jobs to fund his research and experiments. Satellite repair? LOL

Grade: A

[md62]

I really enjoyed the issue. Giffen writes "twisted" stories & I mean that in a good way. I got a bit of a headache trying to follow the black hole guy. I like that Giffen is focusing on the original 3 of the DP. And wow Caulder is a CIB (Cold Insensitive Bastard)! Matthew Clark's art is a joy to look at. I still hope Giffen finds a way to have the Challengers in a story arc.

The Metal Men story was perfect. An old fashioned FUN comic book story.

[pariah-1972]

I liked the Doom Patrol part but some of it was hard to follow especially the action parts.

The Metal Men backup is ok it seems most of Giffens humor comes from people arguing and yelling at each other at leas this was the case in JLI and it got old fast since it took a back seat to everything,
but the (semi meta commentary ?)with the out of work tv actor had me really interested in where it was going and how it is going to work with the metal men at least i hope there is a connection between the two and it's going to be followed .

Anyways like i have said before Metal Men just doesn't really do anything for me as it seems one of those weird silver agey concepts that just don't make any sense to me at all .

[Artificial idiot]

Considering that, at the moment, Doom Patrol is one of the few comics I'm reading that doesn't feature zombies ripping peoples hearts out (yes, I know, it's coming! :D) I find it odd that anybody would give it a poor review for not being fun enough. Negative Man's characterisation is especially brilliant, he's endearing and his one liners come in all the right places. Yeah, Rita is incredibly frustrated and angry... But considering we have the Bumblebee and psychiatrist sub-plots running for her, I imagine there has to be a reason for that and it will be explored in the future. All in all, a great book. The sentient black hole was a bit hard to follow at first, it took awhile for it to sink in that he could put his face onto several different people at once (I thought we were dealing with a race of star-faced beings for a minute) but I'm still enjoying this. Along with R.E.B.E.L.S and Madame Xanadu, it's one of the books I most look forward too each month. :)

Metal Men back up is all kinds of fun. Yes, it's very close to JLI and some of the new characterisations are kind of odd after having read some of their old stories (they all seem to have personalities as exaggerated as Mercury now) but it's still great fun. Hopefully people will settle into it more when Douglas the Robot Hunter makes his debut and we get some action. :smile:

[lead sharp]

I love it, it's just the right level of everything to set itself up for better to come.

They actually feel like real people though I am keen to see the other characters get more page space.

Lets put it this way, if this had been the follow on from Morrison's run I'd be happy. The Metal Men is nice and light after the main course to.

[Melfice]

I have the first three trades of Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol run I want to read before the new run on Doom Patrol. Even tho I have #1 and 2 already (I added the series to my pull list).

But, I'm thinking about going ahead and reading the books before I finish Grant's run. We will see because it will take a while to buy all the trades and then read them all too. I'm very interested in the new series, just I wanted to read some of the older titles to get a better feeling for the chars and team...that is all

[The Crime Dentist]

I have the first three trades of Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol run I want to read before the new run on Doom Patrol. Even tho I have #1 and 2 already (I added the series to my pull list).

But, I'm thinking about going ahead and reading the books before I finish Grant's run. We will see because it will take a while to buy all the trades and then read them all too. I'm very interested in the new series, just I wanted to read some of the older titles to get a better feeling for the chars and team...that is all


There's no connection between the two whatsoever. DC has basically spent the last decade + pretending Morrison's run never happened. The tone is very different between that run & the new book, and the characterizations are different - heck, except for Robotman the characters are different.Don't worry about the order you read them in.

[Melfice]

Thanks for the info, Crime Dentist! I will read both books tonight then. Yeah, it was getting harder and harder to wait anyways LOL

I did read the first issue of Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol and really liked it. I wonder why DC wants to forgot about it lol I'll post my impressions after I'm done with Doom Patrol #1 and 2.

[Melfice]

Ok I read both books and I'm very impressed with what I have read so far :)

First, Doom Patrol is unlike any other team book I have read to date! I mean, Nudge gets killed after a few pages, and she already grew on me haha. Also, I wonder what happened to the Monkey dude. One more interesting thing to...Niles really does not care about his team other than their results. And, a priest who counsels...very different take indeed.

I like the humor and dialogue of the book and I'm there for the long haul. Now, I need to read the trades I have for Grant Morrison's run! I want some more Doom Patrol and the Metal Men feature is a lot of fun to read. I like these chars and I want to see what Dr. Caulder has planned for the Black Hole...it next month.

Yeah, this series has a lot of heart and soul with an unique theme/feel going on here. I'm glad I read these issues instead of waiting. At least I can compare them to the trades I have.

Oh, and I love how the series connects with the DCU and other chars btw. Edge and Superman to name a few have been mentioned so far etc

[BeastieRunner]

Doom Patrol

I really enjoyed the second issue. Now I'm reading more DC than Marvel. Crazy. I really enjoyed the Negative Man & science bits. I can't say I'm impressed with the Priest panels so far. 4/5 stars.

Metal Men

World's Greatest Superhero.

"Wait, Superman is with you!?"

Classic.

And the birth of a nemesis for the Metal Men.

[Karl O'Neill]

I will get the first TRADE when it comes out.

[Gitaroo_Dude]

I will get the first TRADE when it comes out.

It's DC, so you'll be waiting for about a year or more.

And you won't even get the Metal Men!

I think we all know you should be picking up the singles. :wink:

[Melfice]

Doom Patrol

I really enjoyed the second issue. Now I'm reading more DC than Marvel. Crazy. I really enjoyed the Negative Man & science bits. I can't say I'm impressed with the Priest panels so far. 4/5 stars.

Metal Men

World's Greatest Superhero.

"Wait, Superman is with you!?"

Classic.

And the birth of a nemesis for the Metal Men.

Haha yep! I enjoyed the Negative Man char a lot. And the science stuff in #2 was a lot of fun to read. Can't wait to see what happens in #3 :biggrin:

[Zoomzip]

Doom Patrol had a rough Issue #1 with me, but #2 was fantastic in terms of being interesting. It had the ability to incorporate Grant Morrison's wacked out science ideas but not become solely about that, which I loved that Giffen could pull off.

Metal Men featured the greatest Daily Planet headline ever. For that alone, my wife and I loved the co-feature.

[Melfice]

I love the second features in DC's comics books, and Metal Men is the best one of them all in my eyes. 9 pages of goodness each month