Unstoppable Doom Patrol (2023) #1

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In between the Titans relaunch and Justice League’s inevitable return, now’s the time for the Doom Patrol to thrive in the spotlight, reminding readers that the DCU is just as welcoming to its misfits as its legends. And in that sense, the Doom Patrol are legends themselves, uninterested to what the world that they’re saving thinks of them as long as they have each other. Body Horror: Poor Metawoman ends up a horribly mutated blob when she tries to adapt herself to take on the entire Doom Patrol at once. DENNIS:Well, in the preview art, they’re going to Gotham City, and I don’t think anyone’s ever gone to Gotham City without running into Batman. And no one’s happy. Batman’s not happy they’re there, and they’re not happy Batman is in their business. It’s problems for everyone.

Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1 opens with two hooks. But the main focus remains on the team's unfortunate adventure in Gotham, pitting them against an overwhelming antagonist. Culver uses the moments between the action to show the individuality of each character, making their interaction colorful despite the stressful work environment. The same can be said about Brain and Mallah in their scenes. The two narratives do not clash in style, as the hectic nature of the events keeps the book pushing through rapid developments. Culver makes good use of the Lazarus event to create the core of the conflict. However, the book feels relatively tame, considering the Doom Patrol's history and the current state of the DC Universe. So I texted Burnham, and he was immediately like, ‘Hell yeah.’ It evolved from there. From Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1. The series places the team front and center in the DCU to take on a nefarious supervillain team-up as Monsieur Mallah and General Immortus join forces for their latest fiendish scheme. Initially planned to run for six issues, fan support ahead of the series’ launch led to an interlude being added, extending the title’s run to seven issues as a testament to the quirky ensemble’s enduring appeal. Burnham: Yeah, and the fact that she's looking in the mirror and the scratch-off is like that reflective metal, it's totally perfect. It's amazing. It all worked out [ laughs]. Meanwhile, the US Government has taken an interest in the revitalized team, and has assigned General Blanche and Peacemaker to keep an eye on them.

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THE CHIEF, Jane's new alter created to lead the new Doom Patrol team. This isn't just Jane wearing a mask but a wholly new identity. Da Chief: This time around, Kay Challis is the new Chief, having created a new alter that specializes in team management. DENNIS: Looking at the previous runs, in my mind all that stuff happened to Doom Patrol. Where they were riding around in the ambulance with that last series, that sparked an idea in me — what if they were superhuman EMTs? What does that look like? That’s why we shifted their color to orange, instead of red. I wanted it to feel like these were first responders when they show up at the scene. The finale issue features the return of Danny the Street, in ruins in the Bleed, as well as the Batwoman Who Laughs. DENNIS CULVER:I was having a call with my editor, Ben Abernathy,as Future State: Gothamwas wrapping up, talking about what’s next. [ Chris Burnham] and I — along with Josh Williamson— had worked on a section of Justice League Incarnatewhere Burnham drew the history of every crisis that has ever happened. So Ben said, you guys work so well together, you should do something together.

Culver: Burnham brought a really cool visual to Flit [and] the way her teleportation works in that Lazarus Planet special. He's killing it. I love how he makes each of those identities really distinct.The first issue of Unstoppable Doom Patrol also introduces Degenerate, who perfectly personifies the pain, alienation, and misunderstanding that the Doom Patrol has come to be defined by, with their powers more like curses than gifts, and the team successfully talking him down from causing further violence and convincing him to join them peacefully.

Culver: Well, Issue #1, if you look at the art, they're going into Gotham City, so Batman and Robin are definitely showing up. It's Batman and Tim Drake, and nobody's happy about it. Batman's not happy they're in Gotham, and the Doom Patrol's not happy that Batman is getting in their business. We've got some other cool surprises too. Like I said, this is a Doom Patrol that's firmly rooted in the DC Universe.

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Superman Stays Out of Gotham: Defied in the first issue, which opens with the Doom Patrol fighting a company experimenting on a metahuman in Gotham. Batman chafes at their intervention, but gets brushed off as not making enough effort to insure the safety or well-being of metahumans. Issue 3 has Kyle Rayner and Guy Gardner discuss this and how they're stepping on a lot of toes, with Guy thinking they're not so bad if they stood up to Batman. The same issue has Robotman attempt to shake off the pursuing Green Lanterns by cutting through Smallville, reasoning that they'll stay out of Superman's home turf. It doesn't work. A preview for Unstoppable Doom Patrol introduces readers to Beast Girl, a brand-new character who will be joining the titular team of heroes. DC also revealed at WonderCon that Unstoppable Doom Patrol, originally announced as a six-issue miniseries, is getting a bonus issue with Unstoppable Doom Patrol #4, which will be drawn by David Lafuente. Finally we have another BRAND NEW alter named SHY. What's her deal? You'll have to read Unstoppable Doom Patrol to find out. I'll give you a hint though, she's TERRIFYING. DENNIS:I re-read everything, and I’m hitting all of it. If you’re a lifelong Doom Patrolsuperfan, you’re going to see the easter eggs in there. But I make sure you have everything you need in there if you’ve never read any. Personally, I grew up reading the Grant Morrison run, so that’s kind of my home base of Doom Patrol,but I’ve followed every version before and after that. I think Burnham, you like the original stuff, right? Atrocious Alias: Robotman and Guy Gardner aren't impressed that a metahuman consisting of a Starro probe merging with its human host chose to call himself "StarBro".