DC Comics/Young Animal’s Doom Patrol #10, by Gerard Way, Nick Derington, Nick Fowler, Tamara Bonvillain and Todd Klein returns after a brief hiatus to drop the group into its latest mind-bending and meta-narrative adventure.
Doom Patrol #10
Written by: Gerard Way
Art by: Nick Derington
Inks by: Tom Fowler
Colors by: Tamara Bonvillian
Letters by: Todd Klein
Writing
There really is no comic out there like Doom Patrol right now. Every issue is filled with so many ideas and so much energy that the book almost vibrates. Issue #10 is no different, as we once again find the Doom Patrol in the middle of…something weird and crazy. It seems that people have been ingesting the new product $#!+ and the shit has hit the fan. Reality itself is breaking apart, and the ‘villainous’ Mr. Nobody is pleased as a peach, going as far to appear on the local news. There’s also tap dancing, Niles Caulder (The Chief), and the mysterious organization Retconn.
The real beauty of this title, which is highlighted in this issue, is how at its heart this is a comic about finding a group to belong too. The theme of family is explored here with not only Lucious and his parents (The kid actually says “I’m not going anywhere without my family”) but with the growing relationship between Terry None and Casey Brink, a ‘nobody’ and a ‘nothing’, who are also about to have a child of some kind. What Gerard Way has done here is quite clever and beautiful when you think about it; underneath all the insanity we have families getting together and same-sex couples having children. But the insanity is there, as is the humor, and we great some fantastic character moments like Negative Man in Lucious’ room, Cliff Steele’s line of ‘I think my bike used to be a person’ and pretty much anything Flex Mentallo says.
Art
Derington, Fowler, and Bonvillain are creating some of the most eye-popping and page leaping pop art in comics today. There is genuine energy and movement to the images, with the colors adding a great sense of atmosphere. The best thing that can be said is the art easily compliments the story; the two simply are a perfect blend.
The page layouts and designs are also clean and sharp. Everything is crisp. It’s one of the most eye-pleasing books out there.
Todd Klein’s letters are also worth a mention, as some the sound effects and fonts are simply wonderful.
Conclusion
Doom Patrol may not be your typical superhero team book, but that is exactly the reason this book needs to exist and why you should pick it up. There is so much stuff packed in in its pages you will take something from it and have a great unique experience as you do so.
