Cliff Steele. Robotman. Former Professional Racecar Driver. He’d have no problem evading the police… if they weren’t from space! Your Major Spoilers review of Unstoppable Doom Patrol #3 from DC Comics awaits!

UNSTOPPABLE DOOM PATROL #3

Writer: Dennis Culver
Artist: Chris Burhham
Colorist: Brian Reber
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 23, 2023

Previously in Unstoppable Doom Patrol: The Green Lanterns are in hot pursuit of the World’s Strangest Superheroes! When a brand-new metahuman unwittingly becomes a galactic fugitive, Robotman and Negative Man embark on a cross-country road trip to save him! Cliff Steele may be the best driver in the DCU, but can he outrun its best GLs, Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner?

INMATES RUNNING THE ASYLUM

The chase is already on as this issue opens, with Robotman and Negative Man trying to get a new metahuman back to The Shelter for protection, only to have to repeatedly escape Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner, two of Earth’s Green Lanterns. The reason for their concern is quickly revealed (and pretty valid) to be Starro… Excuse me, Starbro, a hybrid of Star Conqueror and human boy created when the giant starfish’s alien spores infected a teenager just as his metagene activated. The resulting being is not only free of the alien’s influence but, for the first time, happy in his own skin. The combination of Cliff Steele’s skills as a wheelman, a little advanced technology, and Starbro’s telepathy has gotten them almost all the way home, but things get a little dicey when they hit the outskirts of Smallville, Kansas, home of You-Know-Who.

INCREDIBLY LIKEABLE

The high point of the issue for me is a brief conversation wherein Negative Man chides his old friend Robotman about refusing to use Starbro’s chosen name. He reminds Cliff that once upon a time, he was part of a being called Rebis, but Cliff refused to call him anything but Larry, which made it seem like he didn’t respect his friend’s identity. It’s more than just an argument between superheroes about chosen code names, and it helps to bolster the new Doom Patrol’s underlying mission of supporting the downtrodden and marginalized metas outside the hero/villain dichotomy. Add in truly expressive, exciting art from Burnham, and the whole issue really sings. Kyle and Guy’s unusual friendship is also a focal point in these pages, with both Lanterns’ voices feeling familiar and fresh all at once, as well as referencing pre-Crisis Doom Patrol stories that I’m happy to see once again being recognized.

BOTTOM LINE: YOU SHOULD BE READING THIS

There’s a lot of complaining about how DC’s output has become saturated with Batman books, but Unstoppable Doom Patrol #3 reminds us that verisimilitude, diversity, and off-the-beaten path storytelling is still possible in the confines of the shared universe, earning 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. If we want to convince the editorial departments that other comic properties can sell, we must support the weird books, and this one makes that proposition easy for readers by just plain being excellent.

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