Lead Feature Written by Keith Giffen. Lead Feature Art by Matthew Clark; John Livesay; Pat Brosseau; & Guy Major.
Back-Up Feature Produced by Keith Giffen; J.M. DeMatteis; Kevin Maguire; Guy Major; Nick J. Napolitano; & Sean Ryan.
Cover Art by Matthew Clark & Guy Major.
SUMMARY:
Entitled “Earth Science,” DC Comics released this issue for December 2009. Dispatched to Germany, the original Doom Patrol (Rita Farr/Elasti-Woman, Cliff Steele/Robotman, & Larry Trainor/Negative Man) confronts a sentient black hole capable of channeling itself through humans, individually or in mass. Yet, its expendable mortal pawns then incinerate once this black hole moves to another host body.
With more than 125,000 civilian lives at stake in the city of Cottobus, Niles “The Chief” Caulder prods Steve Dayton to use his psychic Mento helmet to help thwart this menace. At Caulder’s bidding, Dayton reluctantly takes over his ex-wife Rita’s mind (without consent) via remote from the team’s Oolong Island base.
Note: A variant cover featuring The Metal Men by Matthew Clark, Kevin Maguire, and Guy Major was produced.
REVIEW:
Keith Giffen’s quirky storytelling is superb, but the bleak sci-fi/horror details don’t lend to a casually entertaining adventure. Instead, this cerebral take on the Doom Patrol belongs to DC’s Vertigo Comics imprint, even if it isn’t billed as such. Case in point: the creepy interaction between Caulder and a repentant Dayton alludes that the ex-Mento has secretly invaded his ex-wife’s mind innumerable times before. It’s an intriguing plot point that Giffen effectively mines for later issues (i.e. Issue # 13), along with playing up Rita/Cliff/Larry’s comradery to its satisfying potential.
Even better yet, the art squad’s visuals are superbly rendered, including the cover image. While Doom Patrol # 3 isn’t meant for kids, it’s a mature exploration (without senseless profanity) of these underrated characters.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The Metal Men’s ten-page back-up tale is entitled “I … Robot Hunter!” Seeking to prove herself a good neighbor, Copper naively stumbles into a hostage situation next door perpetrated by an unhinged TV actor, with a vendetta against all robots. Meanwhile, Dr. Magnus accompanies his other six Metal Men to the local DMV to obtain their driver’s licenses. This sitcom is mildly amusing, but it doesn’t reach the LOL potential of its premise. Suffice to say, the Metal Men’s well-crafted artwork surpasses the decent scripting.
The last page is Dan DiDio’s “DC Nation” column. With Weather Wizard’s ‘help,’ he teases a special event meant for the one-month break pausing the Blackest Night saga.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
