The Doom Patrol #2 Review
Writer: Darcy Van Poelgeest
Artist & Cover Artist: Niko Henrichon
Letterer: Lucas Gattoni
Variant Cover Artists: Kyuyong Eom, Eric Canete & Pete
Woods
Editors: James Reid, Ben Meares & Rob Levin
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99 US/Variant $4.99 US (Card Stock)/Variant $6.99
US (Foil)
Release Date: October 14, 2026
Cliff Steele drove the fastest cars on Earth. Now, he ferries
his team around in an outdated van. Rita Farr competed against the world's best
on the Olympic stage and starred on the silver screen. Now she searches the
streets for lost cats. Larry Trainor flew the US Air Force's newest jets as a
test pilot. Now, he hides his face behind bandages to prevent anyone nearby
from getting cancer. Robotman, Elasti-Girl, and Negative Man are ready to move
on with their lives. Yet they are all that they have left.
Can the Doom Patrol remember the reason they once felt like
a family? And how will their boss, Niles Caulder, threaten their future
together? Let's leap into The Doom Patrol #2 and see!
Story
Like Dick Grayson, Niles Caulder has struggled with his
sleep. Every night, a girl invades his mind via a recurring dream. Yet the
nightmare varies. In a recent dream, he spoke with the girl. Her name was
Evelyn. After dying in one dream, Niles promises to help her in another. Worn
down by the nightmares, it may not have seemed like a great sacrifice. Yet as
Larry Trainer transforms into Negative Man to investigate an alien's pain, he
emerges with a physical object that further troubles Niles.
As Niles types up his incident report on Robotman,
Elasti-Girl, and Negative Man’s battle with the alien, Niles imagines his
subordinates’ experiences. Then, in The Doom Patrol #2, he calls his team in
for a briefing. The promised income from their next assignment lifts Rita’s
spirits. As Cliff contemplates the ethics of Niles’ instructions, he remembers
the crash that ended his racing career. Unlike his teammates, Larry’s former
life holds little allure. Niles' instructions also trouble him. Yet, Larry
mourns a death no one else cares about.
As Darcy Van Poelgeest’s story unlocks a new power set for
Negative Man, a villain arises to menace them. Like Robotman, Elasti-Girl, and
Negative Man, the villain seeks a return to greatness. As they drift farther
apart, the team seems ill-prepared to fight him. The villain ignites a spark of
levity in the ominous atmosphere. Still, the team's demise may be nearer than
they realize in The Doom Patrol #2.
Art
Images of Negative Man traveling through a memory support a
silhouette of Niles typing his report. An alien ship lies beside a burning
firehouse, flames surrounding a family photo. As he leaves the spaceship via a
conduit-filled tunnel, Negative Man picks up a stuffed cat with a heart pendant
on its collar. Yet the alien ship in Niles' imaginings resembles the spaceship
that Robotman and Elasti-Girl attacked.
As Niko Henrichon adorns Niles’ mental images in green and
blue, autumn colors surround the team in The Doom Patrol #2. Their yellows and
oranges find echoes in the villain’s observation post and the evil the team
prepares to confront. Yet a poster in the villain’s hideout links with the
violet and indigo in the family photo. While Robotman’s blue trousers clash
with his mood, they link him with a schematic of their destination. Vibrant
green surrounds Elasti-Girl as she envisions a better future. Still, a vignette
of Niles and Larry evokes Niles' dream of sprawling on the floor, with his head
resting in a pool of blood.
Thick white letters in colored boxes denote time and space.
Small, lowercase black letters in beige boxes convey Niles’ typed report. Uppercase
black letters fill tan narrative boxes. Then, the box color shifts to blue as
the story veers toward its conclusion. Lucas Gattoni fills white balloons with
black uppercase letters. The dialogue shrinks for lowered voices, grows bold
for intonation, and swells with raised voices in balloon shapes that differentiate
the teammates. Cliff and Larry’s enlarged dialogue in white and orange balloons
haunts their memories. Yet orange music notes accompany Rita’s enlarged
dialogue as she attempts to lift their spirits. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing
this story with us.
Final Thoughts
Negative Man remembers happier times when his teammates were
heroes. But as Elasti-Girl and Robotman seem headed in opposite directions, a
character who fears he’s losing his connection to his Humanity demonstrates his
heart in The Doom Patrol #2.
Rating 9/10
To look inside see The Doom Patrol #2 Preview.
For why cats have started disappearing in their neighborhood, see The Doom Patrol #1 Review.
