Written by Gerard Way
Art by Nick Derington
Published by DC Comics (Young Animal imprint)
I have it on good authority (from Gothic Harry Potter fanfiction) that Gerard Way is “a major hottie.” And I have personal experience that his Umbrella Academy series prove him to be a daring creator, blending elements of the fringe into something consistently entertaining, if not always easy to follow on the first read. And I know for a fact that he is headlining this November’s North Carolina Comicon.
This week sees the first book from his new DC imprint, Young Animal, a collection of books aimed to enhance the stranger aspects of the DC universe. It’s fitting that he goes first, giving us his interpretation of notable DC weirdos, the Doom Patrol.
I have read this issue a couple of times, and a plot summary won’t really explain the book, but I’ll try: Casey Brinke is the best ambulance driver in town. She and her partner take a break from spiritual philosophy to respond to a hit and run. Instead of a human, they find a battered robot that Casey takes home, setting a chain of events including a violent change of roommates, a tiny universe inside a half-eaten gyro, and an interdimensional business meeting to market a new kind of meat.
It’s strange, but it’s compelling, and just like Umbrella Academy stories make for great trade paperbacks, I am sure that Doom Patrol will have a sixth issue that completely changes the way we read this opening chapter. Grab a copy to get signed when Gerard and his Young Animal team come to town in two months, and keep an eye out for Durham’s own Tommy Lee Edwards on Young Animal’s Mother Panic series November 9!
-MATT CONNER for Ultimate Comics