The Doom Patrol #1 Review

 

The Doom Patrol #1 Review

Writer: Darcy Van Poelgeest

Artist & Cover Artist: Niko Henrichon

Letterer: Lucas Gattoni

Variant Cover Artists: Clayton Crain & Ian Bertram

Next Level Variant Cover Artist: Hayden Sherman

1:25 Variant Cover Artist: Ashley Wood

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: September 2, 2026

 

Dr Niles Caulder has been contemplating the cycles of life. The Chief has led his team through good times and bad. He has always believed that endings, no matter how painful, give birth to new beginnings. But recently, something has shaken his confidence. A recurring dream robs him of sleep, leaving him weakened. It's so extraordinary that he decides to file an incident report. Why does the nightmare bother Niles Caulder so much? And what is his team doing while he draws inward? Let's leap into The Doom Patrol #1 and see!

 

Story

Once, the world needed them. They battled villains and saved the Earth from destruction. But now, Robotman, Elasti-Girl, and Negative Man are helping their neighbors. When they find Milo in the street, Negative Man is disheartened. He knows how much Ms Green will miss her companion. Robotman urges him not to get sentimental. It’s bad enough that they’ve been reduced to finding lost cats. But Elasti-Girl has a plan. She may not be doing something important. Still, she can make an aging, lonely woman happy.

 

While The Doom Patrol #1 provides a glimpse inside the Chief’s psyche, it also covers the team’s desperate attempt to get through another dreary day. With the team on the wane, Robotman and Elasti-Girl recall the incidents that shipwrecked their earlier careers. Negative Man wants to take comfort in all their victories. Yet even he wonders if the team that gave them a second shot at life has outlived its usefulness.

 

In Darcy Van Poelgeest’s story, Robotman and Elasti-Girl need a reason to keep going. Life may have dealt them another failure. Still, Elasti-Girl has a plan to reverse their fortunes. But Negative Man quietly disagrees with his friends. Unless he is going into battle, Negative Man cannot reveal the truth about who he is for fear of hurting others. And he’s tired of hiding.

 

His team may be at a crossroads. His boss may be withdrawing due to lack of sleep. Still, Negative Man wants to face the facts. If these are his team’s final days, he wants to go out by recognizing the situation for what it is, instead of what he’d like it to be, in The Doom Patrol #1.

 

Art

As Niles sits at his desk, a framed photo shows him with Negative Man, Elasti-Girl, and Robotman in happier times. Yet, no smile relaxes his taut features. The cloaked girl who appears before Niles lacks his blemishes and wrinkles. After his stony features transform into shock, an overhead view reveals Niles sprawled on a white background. But in the street, an upshot shows the team looking down at a corpse. While they may be in the cat rescue business, Elasti-Girl has a bag ready. Still, when she holds it out for Robotman, she looks away as he drops the still body in the bag.

 

While Niko Henrichon adorns Niles’ office with brown and green, Negative Man’s red tie links him with Elasti-Girl’s dress in The Doom Patrol #1. The yellow sky hangs over Robotman’s yellow body as he contemplates another losing situation. Yet the sky turns white as they travel in their throwback van adorned with fall colors. The remaining orange leaves cling to the mostly bare trees as the team pursues its plan. Yet Ms Green's green earrings and skirt link with Negative Man's memory of his team as he decides how best to resolve the situation.

 

Lucas Gattoni fills white balloons with black uppercase letters. The dialogue shrinks for lowered voices, grows bold for intonation, and swells with raised volume in balloon shapes that differentiate the teammates. While the narration fills beige boxes in Act One, yellow boxes adorn Act Two, before transforming to light indigo boxes in Act Three. After Niles’ clacking typewriter fills the air of his study, the team pursues its mission despite animal sounds, knocking, and a cry for help. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Through their ups and downs, Niles Calder has insisted that Robotman, Elasti-Girl, and Negative Man remain by his side. Yet, as the Chief struggles with haunting dreams, the team wonders if the cycles that turn losses into new opportunities are winding down in The Doom Patrol #1.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see The Doom Patrol #1 Preview.