The Doom Patrol Archives, Vol. 5 by Arnold Drake

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book collects the last eight issue of the epic Doom Patrol run from issues 114-121 and there's so much to commend the book.

The Madam Rogue storyline where the Chief reforms her briefly by removing the evil from her is a great story arc, with some unusual psychological imagery that really does build pathos leading right up to the book's ending.

The book finishes up Beast Boy's origin story and we get to see Elastigirl and Mento as adopted parents for Beast Boy, and how they try to help that very different boy survive in a difficult world. While there are some scenes that make modern reader. wince a bit, the family moments feel real and are quite touching.

The villains are mostly pure silver age. They're all okay but aren't quite as memorable as earlier villains like General Immortus, but they're still fun to read. A couple are quite relevant to 1960s life. One is a guru with suspect motives in a time when gurus were popular, even being followed by celebrities. The Wrecker in Issue 120 was a lot like many of the anarchists of the day. My favorite part of that story is that we get to see Robomen in a lot of robot stories.

And then there's the ending...It's gutsy, brave, and heroic. It's the end of the Doom Patrol and they do it in a way that feels true the team and the heroes they've become. It's a believable end to the journey that that began back in My Secret Adventure #80 from embittered outcasts to truly noble heroes. The end hurts because the writing was so good and the characters truly felt real. The only problem I had with the issue was the intro and exit lobbying for kids to buy comics to save the Doom Patrol. It was probably meant to soften the blow for young fans who originally read it, but it feels a little distracting all these years later.

Overall, Drake's Doom Patrol is an all-time classic Comics run. For Silver Age greatness, it's as solid as Stan Lee's work on Spider-man and Fantastic Four runs. Really a must-read for any comics fan.



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