Unstoppable Doom Patrol #4 – Dennis Culver, Writer; David LaFuente, Artist; Brian Reber, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: This series has been an unusual one, switching gears dramatically with every issue—but never more than with this one, with guest art by David LaFuente. Instead of taking the characters on another adventure, it grounds the entire story in the realm of one character—the mysterious Dr. Syncho, a strange cosmic being who serves an important function. They’re the Doom Patrol’s therapist, and trust me, this team needs them. So this issue is all about one by one, the Doom Patrol filtering into Syncho’s office and baring their souls with varying openness. Given how much of the Doom Patrol’s story is grounded in concepts of trauma, disability, and mental illness, this is actually a brilliant concept and one that probably makes for the best episode of the series so far. This series is now confirmed as a seven-issue mini—which makes this the midway point, and it works really well with that role.
Each segment features one or two double-page spreads, taking us through the lives of these Doom Patrol members in brilliant fashion. They’re very surreal in places, but they manage to nicely get across what these characters have been through. Elastigirl’s fear of losing control again, Degenerate’s unwillingness to open up, and Robotman’s confusing journey to figure out if he’s truly human anymore are some of the highlights, but my favorite was probably the team’s newest member, Beast Girl, as she takes us through her traumatic metagene activation. The Doom Patrol are some of the only characters at DC that are reminiscent of the way the X-men are often perceived, and it’s clear that Beast Girl’s chipper approach is covering up a lot of pain. This is one of the most psychologically honest books DC has put out in a long time, and this done-in-one issue might work as a great evergreen story.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
