Doom Patrol: The Silver Age Vol. 2

Doom Patrol (1964) #96-107

by Arnold Drake, Bob Haney, Bruno Premiani (Artist)

Out of the Silver Age of Comics came a very different comic book team, featuring a new breed of superheroes. Cast out of society due to their deformities, the Doom Patrol were a group of misfit loners not blessed, but cursed, with unnatural powers. These human oddities--Elasti-Girl, Negative Man, Robotman and the Chief--save the world one strange case at a time.

The Doom Patrol takes on bizarre villains like "Killer" Keller, Mr. 103, Ultimax and more.

Doom The Silver Age Volume Two completes writer Arnold Drake and artist Bruno Premiani's beloved 1960s series with tales from Doom Patrol #96-107, Challengers of the Unknown #48 and The Brave and the Bold #65.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics

360 pages, Paperback

Expected publication January 2, 2079

About the author

Arnold Drake was an American comic book writer and screenwriter best known for co-creating the DC Comics characters Deadman and the Doom Patrol, and the Marvel Comics characters the Guardians of the Galaxy, among others.
Drake was posthumously inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2008.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a big volume that includes a dozen issues of Doom Patrol (#96-107; June 1965-November '66), as well as a Challengers of the Unknown and a Brave & Bold team-up with The Flash. Each issue's cover proudly claims them to be "The World's Strangest Heroes!" along with the twelve-cent price tag. The roster includes Negative Man Larry Trainor, Elasti-Girl Rita Farr, and Robotman Cliff Steele, who are led by The Chief, wheelchair bound Niles Caulder. Beast Boy Garfield Logan is introduced and occasionally participates in the adventures in this book, though curiously his name appears to be Craig for the first few appearances. The stories are for the most self-contained in each issue, though there is good character continuity and development. There's more dialog and text than in more modern comics, and sentences never end with a period! Exclamations points rule! You can't have too many exclamation points!!! The art is very colorful and vibrant and depicts action quite well; it's very much in the Jack Kirby style. Robotman is always shown with a a pair of black briefs or trunks, which seems odd since only his brain is organic. (What's he hiding?) Rita's costume is an impractical mini skirt like a cheerleading outfit, but since it was the mid-'60s it somehow always kept her modestly covered. The Chief's wheelchair leads to comparisons with Prof. Xavier, and it's worth noting that Doom Patrol debuted a few months prior to Marvel's X-Men so the influence is more than likely. As a kid I never cared for Beast Boy, and I still was annoyed by his green haircut pasted on top of every animal form he took. Adding a teenaged sidekick to your superhero team is rarely a good idea. Despite the aging and a few drawbacks that I missed back when LBJ was in office, it was a very enjoyable and nostalgic read. (!!!!!)

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, after an initial great start with the first volume, this volume gets pretty silly. Yes, I still enjoyed it, but the "comedy" gets a bit too over-the-top for my tastes. And while it was still entertaining and enjoyable, the quality of the writing gets progressively juvenile instead of, what I was hoping for, increasingly absurd. I think this is an indicator of a larger trend from that period, to embrace a kind of loose, and don’t-sweat-the-small-stuff kind of attitude. A lot of popular culture was trying to get-with-it and not take things too seriously, but just acting like you don’t care, doesn’t mean that the integrity of a story or narrative should be cast aside. Narratives still need an internal logic to hold together, these stories start to feel like they are losing such cohesion.

As for the volume itself, it was nice to get the first half of the Challengers of the Unknown crossover and it was nice to include the Brave & the Bold team-up with the Flash.

[Christopher M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Silver Age stories are a little linear and fight based, but the character development is strong for the era, particularly for the pleasingly plucky Elastigirl. There are some lengthy flashback origin stories included here too that go beyond the standard lab accident, some wacky villains, and an interesting thread where characters such as Mento and Beast Boy (destined for fame with Teen Titans) audition for the team and don't get on. Weirdly, it ends on a cliffhanger but there's no Vol. 3!

[Norman Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume collects Doom Patrol #96-107, Challengers of the Unknown #48, and The Brave and the Bold #65 (featuring The Flash) from 1965-66. Negative Man (Larry Trainor), Elasti-Girl (Rita Farr), and Robotman (Cliff Steele) are led by The Chief, wheelchair-bound Niles Caulder. They are eventually joined by Mento (Steve Dayton) and Beast Boy (Gar Logan) (who is inexplicably called Craig in one of the stories). They go against a number of silly antagonists, such as Mr. 103 who can miraculously transform into any of the (then known) 103 elements, in any combination. There are some back-up stories that delve into each character's back-story (with Negative Man's cut short with a cliffhanger, presumably continued in the next collection). The science really doesn't make sense (for example, why does Elasti-Girl's costume grow and shrink with her?), but that's not why you read this sort of pulp fiction. The artwork by (primarily) Bruno Premiani is well done, with exciting action sequences. Like a lot of comics from this era, the dialog and exposition gets wordy and almost every sentence ends with an exclamation point! If you want to turn off your brain and have a little fun, this is a good book to read.

[Christopher (Donut) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel the same way I felt when I got to the end of Star Trek TOS season two (which was endless), and realizing there was a third season.

Except that TOS season two didn't end on a cliffhanger. 😒

If there's a "season three," I'll read it, but I liked volume one more than this one.

[Stavo · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Es el mamut, el abuelito del elefante"

Estoy un poco decepcionado, por que estaba muy ilusionado de leer a Chico Bestia en sus orígenes, pero de nuevo mis expectativas lo arruinan todo

Chico Bestia es genial, un verdadero "fenómeno" y su historia y personaje me parecen geniales, pero todos los miembros de la Patrulla Condenada se portan como cretinos con el, hasta el jefe.
En especial Robotman, no pude soportarlo es este volumen, cayó muchísimo de mi gracia este sujeto.


Odio que el equipo perdiera toda la profundidad que estaba construyendo, y sus villanos son cada vez más débiles y aburridos.
Quitando el hecho de que el mismo villano aparece en casi todos los números, es aburrido leer 3 números y ver que aun no campuran a Mr. 103, se vuelve tedioso y lento.

Y odio sobremanera que Negative man y Robotman no pueden decir una frase sin "insultar primero".... Cabeza de lechuga, cabeza de momia, cabeza de hojalata, cabeza de bla bla bla, es ridículo

Lo único bueno de este número es el matrimonio de Rita, y ver su interacción con su esposo Mento, además de la introducción de chico bestia, pero no más

[Robert Kimberlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a brilliant collection. I absolutely love the original Doom Patrol. Arnold Drake was a genius, even better than Stan Lee. He came up with very unique characters and villains. There was plenty of action and great comedy. Robotman and Negative Man were my favorites. I do like Elasti-Girl and Beast Boy. The Chief of course was brilliant. I had to buy issues 108-121 individually because they never came out with another collection. It was worth it though.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as good, but it really had its moments!!

[Gaël Sauvajon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beast boy

So good to have Mento and Beast Boy and an awkward team of misfits who don't always get on. I want more!

[Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

More silver age goodness and even the early appearances of Beast Boy!

[James Bowman · Rating 3 out of 5]

As entertaining as the first volume, for the most part. There is some awkward stereotyping in some stories, though, and the two crossovers with other characters (the Challengers of the Unknown and the Flash) seem to lose a certain something that makes the rest of the stories work. Mr. 103 is probably the best villain in the collection - even though, or especially because, his powers get pretty crazy. The backup stories with Robotman and Negative Man's origins are also pretty solid. Unfortunately, this volume ends in the middle of a storyline... (B+)