Unstoppable Doom Patrol (2023) #1 Review

Rejoice, Doomies, the gang is back! The last time we saw the Doom Patrol in comics was the amazing Weight of the Worlds run, created by Gerard Way and Jeremy Lambert. The Gerard-verse saw the introduction of the popular Casey Brinke, who recently made her live-action debut in HBO Max’s Doom Patrol. 

This present-day era of Doom Patrol brings new and familiar faces, dealing with the fallout of the events of Lazarus Planet (current crossover event where new metahumans have been created across the globe). The Unstoppable Doom Patrol team consists of our familiar favorites: Negative Man (Larry Trainor), Elasti-Woman (Rita Farr), Robotman (Cliff Steel), the many alters of one Kay Challis (aka Crazy Jane), with the primary being the Chief, and newcomers Beast Girl and Degenerate.

Let’s dive into this not spoiler-free recap and review!

Recap:

The new version of Doom Patrol drops into Gotham City, much to Cliff’s and every Gothamite’s chagrin. The team arrives to help/stop a newly created metahuman from the Lazarus event that Metagen Inc. has been experimenting on: incoming new member, Degenerate. Each team uses their unique set of abilities to subdue the horde that this particular metahuman has created, featuring Rita sizing up, Larry and the negative spirit, Beast Girl’s cool mental abilities, an alter named Shy’s memory plucking abilities, plus Mento in the background providing minimal help. 

But the team’s in Gotham City and this is DC Comics, so of course the Bat shows up with Robin (Tim Drake’s version specifically) because this is His Town. Chief and the Patrol get the metahuman under control, mostly due to Beast Girl and Robotman tag-teaming talking him down. They leave Gotham with a new member in tow. 

Plot B: Monsieur Mallah and the Brain break up…violently??? Mallah and the Brain go after General Immortus, fighting off his cult, to steal something from him. Unfortunately, things go awry for the Brain.

[SPOILER] Plot C: Peacemaker helped form the team to break them up??? Apparently, Peacemaker is plotting against the team in a small stinger at the end. Uh oh!

Review: 

The entire time I was reading this, I was thinking, this is so much fun! I’m intrigued by “the Chief” of this team not being Niles Caulder but an alter of Crazy Jane. This completely changes the energy and vibe of the team. The back-and-forth between Batman and Chief was excellent, even though it’s a bit irritating that DC doesn’t trust a lot of its new books to thrive without including a Bat in it. 

Overall, I think this new series has a lot of potential to be an ongoing. The focus on the new metahumans from the Lazarus event is a great way to rope in the weirdest team in DC Comics’ history. Beast Girl is adorable and I want to get to know her more, as well as Kay’s different alters. One thing I’m apprehensive about is the Peacemaker twist because it seems like more of an Amanda Waller role but because Peacemaker has a hit TV show, he filled in this role instead. We’ll see how the creative team makes it make sense.

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE WORLD’S STRANGEST HEROES ARE BACK IN THE DC UNIVERSE! After the events of Lazarus Planet, more people than ever have active metagenes! Most of these new metahumans have become misfits, shunned and imprisoned by a fearful society. They are hidden away in the dark, lost to a system that only sees them as weapons or guinea pigs-ticking time bombs that can only be defused by the Unstoppable Doom Patrol! 

Robotman, Elasti-Woman, and Negative Man are joined by their brand-new teammates Beast Girl and Degenerate and led by Crazy Jane’s mysterious new alter, the Chief, on a mission of saving the world by saving the monsters!

Written by: Dennis Culver
Art by: Chris Burnham
Colors by: Brian Reber
Letters by: Pat Brosseau
Cover by: Chris Burnham and Nick Filardi
Price: $3.99