More Good Reasons for An Animated DOOM PATROL....

Things have been busy (will write more later this week), but for now, a follow-up to a past Doom Patrol post....






(No, I'm not forgetting any....there are only three videos in the series. Blame DC for wonky numbering)

An Open Letter to Dan DiDio Re: Doom Patrol

C2E2 - Dan Didio 01
Originally uploaded by Gordon D

Dear Dan,

I don't know if you remember me, but I'm the guy who suggested that DC put out Showcase Presents: The Inferior Five at your panel at last year's C2E2. With the show coming back this year, I wanted to see if you and I could sit down and talk about a really huge mistake you are about to make.

I'm talking, of course, about canceling Doom Patrol with issue # 22.

Now, I realize that you may be citing less-than-stellar sales for the book, but if this blogger's online petition doesn't convince you, please consider this:

You're dealing with a group of characters with a small - but passionate - following. So much so that DC, in the past, has made various attempts to revive the concept, and there are the numerous copies of Doom Patrol # 1 to prove it.

What Keith Giffen and Matthew Clarke are doing is, in short, to combine aspects from past efforts - with a healthy dose of Arnold Drake-esque humor - into a pretty solid read. And rather than put efforts to build that readership, it seems as if DC is doing the old let's-let-the-franchise-cool-down-and-we'll-start-again-later trick.

(I know all about that one. I saw it on Get Smart once).

But why wait until news of a newer iteration of the Patrol - say, an animated series - arises? Why not take a stand and say, "Hey, we admit - this isn't a huge seller. But the people who read this book love the characters. And we're standing by them...even if it means telling Geoff Johns he can't write the book, because we absolutely adore Giffen and Clarke's work"). Why not support a book that may not have the pull of Brightest Day....but then again, must every comic be an event comic? Can't we have a plain and simple good read?

I say, "Yes", and would strongly encourage you to un-cancel Doom Patrol.

But I would like to speak with you face to face in an effort to...well, bribe you. I can take you for an expensive meal - my foodie pals at Chicago Bites can make great recommendations for any type of cuisine you would like.

But really - please reconsider canceling Doom Patrol. Why not do something that can actually save the company money, like cut down on JMS' Oreo budget, or something?

And, while you're at it, please make Paul Cornell's Knight and Squire an ongoing.

Thanks again, and looking forward to hanging with you in March.

Your pal,
Gordon

5 Reasons We Need An Animated Doom Patrol Series

Recently, I caught the "Last Patrol" episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold (featuring one of my favorite teams), and the episode got me thinking...

What America needs, now more than ever, is an animated Doom Patrol series

You may be asking yourself, But Gordon, why exactly do we need this? Well, taking my cue from another, better blog, here are five reasons for an animated Doom Patrol series:

1. Immediate Audience Identification - an animated series geared more towards early-mid adolescents would hit upon the themes of alienation, dysfunction, and support. Everyone, at one point, feels like an outsider: these are characters who anyone can identify with...and in all honesty, that makes for better drama. Speaking of which...
2. We need an animated DC series that doesn't quite take itself so seriously - if Batman: The Brave and the Bold proves anything, it's that you can do a slightly tongue-in-cheek animated series without going over the top. Given that the source material had a slightly loopy sense of humor - and that most animated DC features are "tentpole" events - bringing a Drake/Giffen-esque sensibility to animation would make it all the more appealing.
3. Bruce Campbell as the voice of Larry Trainor, aka Negative Man - There. I said it. I will fight you if you disagree.
4. I smell "franchise"...and I hate that word:  If you're reading DC's Legacies miniseries, it's established that the Doom Patrol's "demise" began a darker age in the DC universe. The fact that the group has left and been reinvented several times over says that there's life in this team. Let's face it - this is a concept that could easily be, say, an Addams Family-esque take on superheroes. And we need more of that in our animated entertainment.
5. So many different takes = one consistently engaging series. I've written about my love for the series multiple times...and at least one blog post was highlighted by pal Chuck. With such a diverse range of stories, an animated Doom Patrol series would be many things...except boring

So come on, America - who do we hassle to make this a reality? Who's with me?

Admit it - you would watch this. Seriously.

Doomed as Doomed Can Be

Quite bluntly, Doom Patrol # 13 is the best comic I've read all week. In fact, I'm surprised more people aren't talking openly about how good this book is - it's one of the underpraised gems of the DC Universe.

Granted, I've made no secret of my love for the Doom Patrol...and I've been quite amazed at the quality of Keith Giffen's writing. I find some of his humor a little grating (yes, a little Ambush Bug can go a long way), but in this book, he tones it down, giving the proceedings a nice sense of absurdity without going overboard. He's also pulling from various eras in the group's history - from Arnold Drake to Grant Morrison - and mixing them in a way that seems as it if were planned...but is overwhelmingly fresh.

Issue 13 focuses on Rita Farr, Elasti-Woman...or the "normal looking" member of the group. Granted, in other hands the story presented might seem a little trite or overdone...but Giffen is able to do two things: create a plausible situation from past "continuity"...and inject what used to be a cipher with some degree of emotional weight. All of this interspersed with both "classic" Doom Patrol dynamics mixed with some of the "revelations" of the Morrison era. This is a story that is both simultaneously creepy and engaging...and this is a breather from the usual superheroics of this book.

The other strength is in Matthew Clark's art - he has a great sense of storytelling and pacing. It's the kind of art you don't mind looking at repeatedly - in fact, in a way, you may not fall in love with Rita Farr...but you will definitely develop stronger feelings for her.

Much like DC's previous efforts to revive the group, Doom Patrol is not one of their larger selling books. It's not the reinvention of classic graphic literature....but it is a pretty solid read. If you don't believe me, check out some sample pages from DC's blog.

Many other deserving titles often get swept under the rug. Be sure that Giffen's Doom Patrol isn't one of them.

Their Further Greatest Adventures

For me, at least, Giffen can often try way too hard to convince the reader he's being funny...and compared to the tone of Drake's work (which Giffen is wanting to emulate), it might be a bit overwhelming.

But I'll keep an open mind, and at least read the first three issues....just don't be surprised if I stick around for any longer. After all, Giffen's no Grant Morrison...or Arnold Drake.

Four issues in, I have to say...I'm really liking Giffen's Doom Patrol.

I'm not as head over heels about it as I have been other iterations (mostly the classic run, although I love Morrison's & Rachel Pollack's run via Vertigo). Granted, I've blogged enough about the series (although I'm probably not as dedicated as these DP-focused blogs) to admit my appreciation, but I have to say that Giffen's writing (and Matt Clark's art) have helped me like the latest Doom Patrol a lot more than I probably would.

As a very wise man once pointed out, Giffen's tendency towards humor usually is encouraged by J.M. Dematteis (if you're crazy about the bwah-ha-ha, the Metal Men second feature in the book won't disappoint), but the first three issue arc - about our intrepid band of misfits facing a sentient black hole - seemed to effortlessly mix Drake's offbeat humor with Morrison's flat-out surrealism. (Matt Clark's art helped matters)

But it was issue # 4 - the obligatory Blackest Night crossover - that won me over.

Much of it was the way it began mixing in other aspects of DP history - from Kupperberg's "new" Doom Patrol to an integration of Rachel Pollack's more identity-bending work (trust me, it's slightly obvious, but it's there) into a rather consistent brew of super-heroics. Even the last page cliffhanger, without spoiling it, is one of the most obvious - yet clever - twists that I have experienced in comics.

No, Doom Patrol is not the second coming of Watchmen...but it is a pretty solid, decent book that's worth reading.

And I'm loving every minute of it.

Larry Trainor's Blues

Can't really blame Mr. Bacardi for this one - after all, he was just a messenger via Twitter.

However, I was very perturbed to hear what should have been good news - after all, DC announcing a new Doom Patrol series focusing on the original team at NYCC seemed interesting. Granted, previous attempts to take the team "back to its roots" were dismal failures, and John Byrne's take (the last) was one of the more mediocre attempts in the past few years.

(Of course, I'm holding the series to high standards, having just read all five volumes of the Doom Patrol Archive, as well as enjoying the heck out of Grant Morrison's run on Vertigo. I even liked Geoff Johns' take on the DP as the Addams Family of the DC Universe. So maybe I take my Doom Patrol a little too seriously).

But then, I read who was going to be the main creative force behind the new/old DP.

Keith Giffen.

And my heart sank into my chest.

Now, don't get me wrong - I loved Giffen's work on Legion of Super Heroes, and will defend to the death the SW6 Legionnaires and "Five Years Later" arc. After the sturm und drang of Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns, his bwah-ha-ha, more comedic approach in Justice League was a breath of fresh air. (And, of course, there's always Ambush Bug).

But there's something about Giffen's sense of humor that....well, grates after awhile. There's nothing wrong with being tongue in cheek, but sometimes, Giffen's sense of humor grates. He's like the co-worker who is so convinced he (or she) is right that nothing gets done because you spend so much time filling them in, or convincing them that their job is not to do what they want, but to complete the assignment.

For me, at least, Giffen can often try way too hard to convince the reader he's being funny...and compared to the tone of Drake's work (which Giffen is wanting to emulate), it might be a bit overwhelming.

But I'll keep an open mind, and at least read the first three issues....just don't be surprised if I stick around for any longer. After all, Giffen's no Grant Morrison...or Arnold Drake.

Your Saturday Birdfighting Moment of Zen

(From The Doom Patrol, issue 117, February 1968)

Life, Death, & the Doom Patrol

To be honest, yesterday was not one of my better days.

Not work-related, mind you - I had received a call from my aunt about my mom's recent visit to the transplant center. (Mom has liver damage due to diabetes). The good news - the transplant center rarely turns anyone away, and they had accepted her as a patient.

The bad news - her situation was worse than originally thought.

Ironically, I was working my way through Doom Patrol Archives, Vol. 4. I've blogged about my love for these characters before - but these are stories that I had never really read. (Whether they were reprinted and I missed them, I have no idea). But as I read these stories, there were two things that came to me (and I'm sure I'll get flamed for these being statements of the obvious).

First, death is a theme that permeates throughout the series, perhaps even more than it would in other Silver Age books. From covers that showed increasing damage to Cliff Steele, from plots that involved fake deaths (including a mega-crossover in this Archive Volume that involves several DP foes, a fake death, and a traitor within the villain group...and even if I wanted to spoil it, I wouldn't). Even the final issue of the original run featured the "death" of the Doom Patrol (with writer Arnold Drake breaking the fourth wall). Amongst the wisecracks, bad puns, and rather goofy humor (Aside to Mike Sterling - I'll see your goddammed Batman and raise you one [Samuel L. Jackson's favorite epithet] Negative Man), there's a slight edge of darkness, of almost black humor.

But on the other hand, another prevalent theme seems to be building a family - most notably in the Elasti-Girl/Mento (the freshmaker!)/Beast Boy subplot. It's notable in that not only does Mento (Ok, his civilian guise, Steve Dayton) fight the wicked guardian not through punching, but through aggressive lawyering and legislation. In addition, given Mr. Dayton's ego and Ms. Farr's, well, stereotypical 1960's female behavior (wanting to be a superhero during the day and a mother at night)....makes one wonder whether Gar Logan really needs adoptive parents like that?

But on the other hand, that sense of family extends to the team itself - Robotman and Negative Man engaging in a back-and-forth like two bickering brothers. the Chief acting like a slightly neglectful father...there's something refreshingly familar with the team. Ok, granted, I may be reading too much into it - news about my mom coloring my perception of these stories - but there's something especially comforting about seeing a group of "freaks" bicker and fight while taking on alien invasions, talking apes, and brains connected to neon bodies.

(And to be honest, I think it's a lot more fun than that other team with a guy in a wheelchair leading a group of rejects and "freaks". But that's just me).

Finally, for those of you new to the Doom Patrol, not comics fans, and/or willing to check them out - since the Archives are somewhat pricey, I suggest waiting until April, when DC releases their Showcase Presents collection for about $20. Yes, it's in black and white, but personally, I'm thinking that it will showcase Bruno Premiani's art).

But all in all, what is the point of this post, besides marking time? Perhaps it's that part of the reason why comic fans love the form so much is that, hidden within the pages of four-color splendor, lies hidden meanings and subtle messages that reach us when we least expect it.

But personally, I'll stick to the talking apes. Especially if they have machine guns.

Steppin' in the Ring, Part Deax

negmansnap
Originally uploaded by Gordon D

Balactus' Friday Night Fights are back, and I've decided to throw down...

...because the only thing worse than getting a head butt in the kidneys...

...is being called "lead head"

(Panel from Doom Patrol # 105)

Arnold Drake RIP

Just heard this through Mark Evanier's site - also, as you all may know, I'm a big Doom Patrol fan.

Their Greatest Adventure

It began in high school, when I was reading the Wolfman/Perez run on New Teen Titans. Gar Logan, aka Changeling, aka "the jerk with a heart of gold", was on a quest to "avenge" the death of his former teammates. Within months, DC released one of their dollar reprint digests, and I was hooked. Having just reviewed all five archive editions - and at risk of getting publicly stoned - I want to offer the following:

DC needs to do a Showcase edition of the Doom Patrol. Immediately.

Well, they'll probably do so in light of news of a potential film project, and the inevitable comparisons with X-Men will arise, but make no doubt - the Doom Patrol is probably one of the few Silver Age comics with a slight indie sensibility.

Much of it has to do with the writing - at a time when DC was camp, and Marvel was angsty, Arnold Drake smashed the two together - the early adventures (created for a dying anthology entitled My Greatest Adventure) have a slight moodiness to them, but eventually it got displaced by a slightly loopy sense of humor. Wisecracking, feuding between members, and flat-out surrealistic humor - this is a comic unlike no other. Drake seemed to have a damn-the-torpedos-full-steam-ahead attitude: when the comic was ending, Drake chose to break the fourth wall and show the DP giving their lives, and urging readers to vote to bring them back....which didn't happen for a long time. It's a knowing, not-quite-camp-but-not-quite serious sensibility, shared by only one other then-contemporary pop culture artifact, in my opinoin.

Even his handling of storylines had a certain loopy charm - for example, the irony of a "famous actress" (Rita Farr, aka "Elasti-Girl") being known as a "fabulous freak." The Chief is confined to a wheelchair, Negative Man wears special bandages, Robotman is a brain in a metal body, and Rita's only "freakishness" - she can grow or shrink. When Steve Dayton, aka "Mento" (neither the Jamaican musical style nor the freshmaker!) decides to "woo" Rita away, he's shown as being, well, an arrogant jerk with a crappy Jay Garrick-lite helmet. Rita doesn't just shrug off Mento's personality and instantly fall in love with him - there's a give and take, where she attempts to balance her desire for a relationship with her desire to stay in the Doom Patrol. In the mid-60's, seeing a woman trying to balance relationships and career....probably was not as prevalent. Yes, she's treated with a slight patronizing attitude (after all, a male was writing her), but such thinking about women seemed....unusual. And was trailblazing at the same time. Yes, she eventually married Mento, and began one of the first "extended families" in comics.

(This is also what made John Byrne's revamp such an abomination - denying that those stories took place and essentially starting from scratch was an insult to the characters, to the concept. Thankfully, his version didn't last too long. I liked what Johns did recently in Teen Titans - made the DP kind of creepy - but seemed to lose the loopy humor. Except, of course, for Mento's (the freshmaker!) threat to the Chief that, if he ever disrespected his family, Mento would "reduce [the Chief's] IQ to that of a chimp's".)

Two other aspects of the book insured that it would be an interesting ride - the first is the art of perenially undersung Bruno Premiani. Just thinking about seeing his art in black and white makes my fanboy heart beat a little faster. It's a very clean style, but on the early stories, there's a slight noir-ish moodiness to it. Even as the stories got loopier, there's still an expressiveness to Premiani's art - why he never got full accolades, we'll never know. He got robbed, ladies and gentlemen.

The final one - Drake chose to integrate some unusual concepts which, if you read the original stories in context of Greg's analysis, provided some great material for Grant Morrison's run on the title. Larry Trainor and "Negative Man" arguing, Robotman going into a rampage when he finds out his condition, even the Chief as manipulator...all first suggested by Drake in his storylines. Even Gar Logan, when first presented, isn't seen as the "jerk with a heart of gold", more as "mouthy jerk who is hard to like." (Eventually, we learn that Rita and Mento "adopt" Gar as a son).

Right now, in the midst of mega-crossovers and badly-written continuity-driven titles, we need a nice, little corner of the superhero universe for a group of misfits. For forty years, these characters have toiled in relative obscurity, being dusted off for various revivals, some more successful than others...but what we need now is a team whose adventures don't follow formula, but gently push against the boundaries...and can provide a welcome breath of fresh air.

And that could be the Doom Patrol's greatest adventure.