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.
