The Doom Patrol #2 Review

 

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 Now, he ferries his team around in an outdated van.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.