Somewhere between revival and retcon, there lives… Yankee Doodle Dandy! And even by Doom Patrol standards, this one is weird. Your Major Spoilers Retro Review of Doom Patrol #51 awaits!

DOOM PATROL #51

Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciler: Richard Case
Inker: Stan Woch/Mark McKenna
Colorist: Daniel Vozzo
Letterer: John Workman
Editor: Tom Peyer
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $1.50
Current Near-Mint Pricing: $3.00
Release Date: December 12, 1991

Previously Doom Patrol: The second volume of Doom Patrol began in 1987 as a relatively standard superhero title under the pen of Paul Kupperburg. However, with issue #19, the book went from traditional right off the rails into the divine madness of Grant Morrison. In concert with Animal Man, Swamp Thing, and Hellblazer, the adventures of the Doom Patrol created a post-modern sensibility that would eventually become the foundation of the Vertigo publishing line. After rebranding the tired old Brotherhood of Evil into the Brotherhood of Dada, embracing the irrationality of the Avant Garde, the creators continued to up the ante. And like so much of the DC Universe, it all began with Showcase.

At the dawn of the Silver Age of Comics, DC’s editorial teams used Showcase as a testing ground for new features, including the revamped Silver Age Flash, Green Lantern, and Atom, as well as introducing characters like The Creeper, The Challengers of the Unknown, and The Metal Men. The editorial duties of the book rotated between DC editors, and issue fifty was prepared by Larry Nadle (also credited as Larry Nadel), the editor of Young Romance and The Adventures of Bob Hope. Sadly, Nadle suffered a fatal heart attack before the comic was created, but as was the style at the time, the cover had already been mocked up. After kicking around DC offices for several decades, Doom Patrol editor Tom Peyer brought it to Morrison’s attention, which brings us back to the events (and the cover) of this issue.

The leader of the Brotherhood of Dada, Mister Nobody, has begun a grassroots campaign for President of the United States, traveling across the country in a Partridge Family bus and committing acts of chaos and/or violence, and managing to gather an unexpected level of support. Nobody’s activities do gain the attention of law enforcement agencies, but any attempt to address them is mired down in the question of what is and is not actually illegal.

Deep within the hidden corridors of The Pentagon (a place long rumored to have arcane influences in its design and architecture), FBI Agent Roddick seeks out a weapon to counter the madness of Mister Nobody, seeking out the secret department behind the faceless Men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E., who previously menaced the Doom Patrol. (Remember the Doom Patrol? This is an issue about The Doom Patrol.) As the authorities and the Patrol prepare to confront Mister Nobody, Noddick hears the secret history of the agent code-named Yankee Doodle Dandy.

Perhaps the most fascinating part of this story for me is the important detail of the origins of John Dandy’s face, or the lack thereof. When Nadle and company (the art team for the cover is Mike Sekowsky, penciler of Justice League of America, and his frequent collaborator Frank Giacoia) conceptualized Yankee Doodle Dandy back in 1963, Steve Ditko’s Question did not yet exist. By the time this issue came out, not only was The Question a well-known character, he was actually in the DC stable. This allowed Morrison to use the detail that the creator of the pseudoderm mask that The Question used, Dr. Aristotle Rodor, as the source of Dandy’s similar faceless guise.

After an unknown number of years working undercover, Yankee Doodle took it upon himself to investigate the strange labyrinth under The Pentagon, a descent that led him not only to madness, but physically transformed him into… Well, scroll up to the top of the article again.

It’s hard to explain a man with Scrabble tiles for eyes, a comb for a mouth, and spectral heads encircling his without underselling the horrifying nature of it all. As the issue ends, that terrifying spectre appears for the first time, setting up the head-to-head battle between inexplicable supernatural forces. Sadly, Doom Patrol #51 doesn’t show us Mister Nobody and Yankee Doodle Dandy’s bizarre clash, but it does manage to create a sense of excitement about the new/old character, as well as allowing Morrison to get even more meta than usual, earning 3.5 out of 5 stars overall.

As a postscript, the idea of a master of disguise character whose real face was a blank slate was never quite abandoned by the DC editorial office and did eventually get to print as The Unknown Soldier a few years later. Even if Yankee Doodle Dandy didn’t make it past the cover stage, that’s a pretty interesting legacy to leave behind.

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DOOM PATROL #51

67%

67%

Reconstructive Deconstruction

Played like a revival, it's actually the debut of a whole new character, putting a topspin on what Doom Patrol does best, and even though I'm not a huge fan of the art, it's really engaging stuff.

• Writing

  8
• Art

  6
• Coloring

  6
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0