To quote Yelena Belova in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Doom Patrol #1 finds the World’s Strangest Heroes in a decidedly “small potatoes” situation of rescuing a cat. However, Darcy Van Poelgeest and Niko Henrichon make everything wackier and wilder with Niles Caulder up to his usual machinations at the beginning and end of the comic. This first issue puts the focus squarely on the classic Doom Patrol trio of Robotman, Larry Trainor, and Rita Farr trying to find purpose as superheroes again. The plot isn’t groundbreaking, but Van Poelgeest creates a great deal of empathy for these characters, especially Trainor, who has a majestic moment of self-actualization and embracing the Negative Spirit. Henrichon’s visuals are stunning and continue the recent tradition of DC hiring star artists like Nick Derington and Chris Burnham to draw Doom Patrol.

The Doom Patrol #1 has a slice of life, yet slightly askew approach to its story and art. Recognizable things like kitty cats, houses, and vans become a bit surreal under Niko Henrichon’s thick brush strokes. He handles the book’s colors too, and I love his take on the Negative Spirit, especially during the issue-concluding action sequence. The Doom Patrol #1 does have memorable action, and without a word, Henrichon shows how Rita still struggles with stretching and elasticity abilities. There’s a panel where her arm is various length, and, of course, there are cats flying everywhere. The line works and colors combined give The Doom Patrol a worn-in feel, which is fitting for a book starring the team’s oldest members and also fits the mood of superheroes trying to climb back from the bottom rung. (And they still can’t pull off a “save the cat” mission.)

Darcy Van Poelgeest uses a cyclical story structure for The Doom Patrol #1. It’s not a full time loop, but there are recurring images of cats, a mysterious woman, and glimpses at the team’s origins. There’s a feeling of something blocking Robotman, Rita, and Larry and keeping them from embracing their true potential and finding freedom a la the ending of Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol run. Van Poelgeest and Henrichon spend valuable time looking back at the past trauma of this golden trio, which makes the book both new reader friendly and easily establishes an emotional core for the book. Driving a tacky van down the street while being roasted by Gen Z’ers transform into Robotman’s accident with thick lines and jarring colors acting as a visual representation of his pain. Seriously, Niko Henrichon’s take on these flashbacks plus his absolutely shifty Niles Caulder makes me want to see him draw a Doom Patrol Year One book.

Doom Patrol is a comic book known for its feelings not fisticuffs and also being bat shit crazy, and both Darcy Van Poelgeest and Henrichon deliver with their feline take on the typical alien invasion plot line. There’s definitely a long term mystery arc being teased out with Niles Caulder, but The Doom Patrol #1 merely feeds readers a few juicy morsels before focusing on a done-in-one adventure that re-establishes the team as a lovable bunch of screw-ups that get caught up in situations that would only happen to the JLA if the Joker laced the Watchtower’s water supply with LSD. It feels like a book gearing up for a 30-50 issue run, which is actually feasible in the current DC editorial climate.

Story: Darcy Van Poelgeest Art: Niko Henrichon Letters: Lucas Gattoni
Story: 7.8 Art: 9.3 Overall: 8.6 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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