Since issue number one, a lot of things have been getting very weird for young Casey, but have you ever stopped to wonder why? Your Major Spoilers review of Doom Patrol #3 awaits!
DOOM PATROL #3
Writer: Gerard Way
Artist: Nick Derington
Colorist: Tamara Bonvillain
Letterer: Todd Klein
Editor: Jim Chadwick
Publisher: Young Animal/DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in Doom Patrol: The original freak heroes, Negative Man, Robotman and Elasti-Girl gave way to a whole new generation of strange and uncanny folks. When last seen, they were all on Oolong Island, trying to rebuild their life, but somehow Robotman ended up in pieces in the hands of paramedic Casey Brinke. But why her? Danny The Street may have the answers…
WEIRD IN ALL THE RIGHT WAYS
As this issue opens, Flex Mentallo welcomes Casey to the Cabaret, which is somehow located within her ambulance which is also somehow the location of Danny The Street/Danny The World. It’s very metaphysical, and all makes perfect sense in the context of the story, as Danny greets Casey, welcoming her home. As for Cliff Steel and Larry Trainor, the Robot and Negative men, they’re having issues dealing with Larry’s new situation, including three utterly nauseating holes in his chest that seem to be full of negative energies. Larry explains where he has been since the Patrol disappeared from Oolong Island: He was abducted…
…BY ALIENS!
As for Casey, she is a little bit freaked out to find Danny explaining that she’s not actually a real person at all, but a fictional being created within the comic books of the world within him, and that she was so popular that she lasted for many years, many incarnations. Danny explains how incredibly proud of her he is, now that she’s become real…
OH, THAT’S BAD
But outside the ambulance that is his universe, a group calling themselves The Vectra arrive with clear negative intent, and begin attacking the uni-bulance with pure brute force. As the issue ends with everyone we think of as a hero in grave danger, some terrible body-horror, and Casey’s roommate quietly reading a book on the couch…
So, yeah, it’s weird. But I love it. This issue’s narrative is told partly through a comic-within-the-comic, using the pages of a story to tell Casey about her past as Space Case, hero of the multiverse, and every page is wonderfully creative (and referential.) No matter how strange the plot gets, though, the art of Nick Derington grounds it all with rock-solid blocking and story-telling, and the design of The Vectra is utterly perfect. Best of all, Casey’s travels end up being a broad visual retelling of the history of the Doom Patrol, with references to previous stories, members and arcs, with an incredibly effective cliffhanger that still has me feeling anxious.
THE BOTTOM LINE: THRILLING ADVENTURE STORIES
In short, this Doom Patrol is as good as our heroes have had it since Morrison took over the book back in the 80s, taking into account all the previous stories while expanding the concepts into something new and different for a modern audience. Doom Patrol #3 is an incredibly entertaining story, both as a traditional narrative and as something entirely bizarre, featuring strong art and a real sense of danger and urgency, earning 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. I am happy to say that, so far, the Young Animal experiment has been a rousing success for me…
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Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.