Let's Review Doom Patrol vol. 1: Brick by Brick

First off, I should point out that while I haven't read every Doom Patrol comic ever, I feel like I've read enough to understand the basics and know quite a few of the characters, which was a big help in reading this series. Prior to this series by writer Gerard Way, artist Nick Derington and colorist Tamra Bonvillain my reading of the Doom Patrol consisted of the Grant Morrison run on the team and the Keith Giffen series. That helped in two significant ways while reading the current volume: 1) I knew that I should go in expecting it to be weird and possibly not make sense at first and 2) Way bringing back characters like Flex Mentallo, Crazy Jane and Danny the Street (now Danny the Ambulance) was appreciated rather than confusing.

And that's the thing here. Someone online asked me recently if they should pick up the new Doom Patrol even though they had never read a DP comic in their life. I suggested they should read the Grant Morrison run first before reading this one. I suspect new comic readers or readers new to the Doom Patrol may be put off by the strangeness of the stories or even by the characters themselves. Familiar characters such as Robotman, Negative Man and Niles Caulder (who were all members of the original Doom Patrol team) are introduced without much backstory. We're told they know each other, but unless you have at least some knowledge of the Doom Patrol their history and importance may be lost on you. Way's run on Doom Patrol so far feels like a tribute to Grant Morrison's time with the team, with mentions of events in Giffen's run and even the "Invasion" era Doom Patrol under Paul Kupperberg.

What might make it easier for new readers is a new character named Casey Brinke, whom Way and Derington have created to introduce us to the madness that surrounds the Doom Patrol. Casey is an EMT who, at first glance, seems to be living a normal life. However, we suspect that her life may not be quite so normal when she mentions what happened during her prom:

"We were attacked by Phantahawks and my date turned into a pool of lavender membrane."

It is here that we begin to realize that Casey Brinke is not a normal woman or, at the very least, not a woman who has lived a normal life. This is later confirmed for us, though I won't spoil the details here. Nevertheless, the weirdness that soon engulfs Casey's life opens the doorway (so to speak) for former members of the Doom Patrol to be brought in to the story. We learn where some of them have been since the last series (which DC has yet to reprint in its entirety) and see them face off against new foes in a story that involves aliens, sentient worlds, time travel and a cult dedicated to a woman with 63 personalities.

As I said, it's a lot to take in, especially for new readers. For long time Doom Patrol fans however this is a real treat and I think if new readers stick with the first volume they'll end up enjoying the book just for the sheer imagination that has gone into it.

Of course, I can't talk about this book without mentioning the fantastic art of Nick Derington who brings the characters to life vividly and makes the madness so much fun to look at and experience. His work is given even more flair thanks to the coloring of Tamra Bonvillain who makes it feel as if we're watching an adventurous animated show on television rather than reading a comic book.

If you like the Doom Patrol you'll love this book. If you've never read the Doom Patrol before I think this might be a touch confusing for you but it also give you some incentive to track down  at least the Grant Morrison run (which can be found in trade or omnibus versions) to get some backstory on most of the characters. Either way I think you'll have fun. You just need to sit back and enjoy the trip.