Comments on: Back Issue Bonanza: John Arcudi’s Doom Patrol

By: Professor Fury

Professor Fury — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 14:29:16 +0000

CF, thanks for commenting! You’re right that Celsius was a character with a lot of potential that went untapped. It’s troubling that Kupperberg (or was it Morrison?) dismissed her as a pathological liar obsessed with Niles Caulder, but then again, since Morrison demonstrated that Niles wasn’t exactly forthright and honest himself, that might open the door to a re-consideration of her character. Who knows? Everybody gets at least one resurrection.

By: Celsius Fan

Celsius Fan — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 08:53:01 +0000

I feel that the Doom Patrol still has a place within the DCU.
I am obviously a Celsius fan and liked that in the 1970s/1980s we get a woman from India who is immortal and a martial artist who can control and manipulate her core temperature and project extremes of heat and cold. She is forthright, directional, manipulative BUT also lonely, hardened, obssesive.
There were times she laughed, times she cried. She kills her demon portal father Kalki in issue 3.
She was a child bride to Niles who gifted her immortality- that alone makes her stand alone….
If I wanted a Doom Patrol it would be
The Chief- Scientist and leader
Celsius- estranged wife and co leader
Mento- financier
Elasti Girl- wife of Mento- power house
Robotman- Vehicles land
Negative Man-
Changeling-
Crazy Jane-

By: Polly

Polly — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 16:42:37 +0000

i swear to god, Gorj’s dying words will be “i used to LOVE Doom Patrol, then that damn Erik Larsen came onboard and ruined it!!”

I’m somewhat surprised that comics run letters pages any more at all. many don’t. you can do that on an online msg board now and those pages could be ads to pay for the comics you aren’t selling anymore.

As for superheroes as a coporate entity, Rob Liefeld wrote the book on that. he called it Youngblood! (*Count it!*). Read that and know what sharp writing is all about.

Xstatix, like much of allred’s work is pretty crap. i kept reading it over and over, no matter how bad it sucked because of the art. there were a few high points, but they were few and far between…still it was at least as readable as any collection of X-Force issues i’ve ever seen.

as for 52, i just saw the issues up to date and need to read them!

By: Professor Fury

Professor Fury — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 15:51:59 +0000

You know, I could never get into Steve Lightle’s artwork. He was going for realistic and detailed, but everything came off looking…grubby. Not that Larsen was a great improvement. One of the best things about those Kupperberg issues is that virtually every letters page is filled with people complaining about the story, the art, or both. I don’t think DC or Marvel have the guts to run so many negative responses anymore.

I remember JLQ fondly, too, though I think the Arcudi DP tackles the corporate thing with a bit more depth (not that JLQ was going for depth—that’s not a criticism). And perhaps you’d be enticed if I told you that it turns out the the Robotman in these early issues turns out to be the figment a certain gorilla-faced girl’s imagination… Well, no, you probably wouldn’t be. But I did forget to mention that.

Next month: Geoff Johns presents Star-Tsar v. The Privateer, in a terrific tale we just had to call “My Manhunter… Myself!”

By: gorjus

gorjus — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 15:27:44 +0000

BWAMSH! That’s a heckuva sound effect.

Quite simply, Kuppenberg had no idea what he was doing. All the characters were tortured rejects, which . . . yeah, I got that, ten years ago, from Claremont. The worst of it was when the incredibly detailed and quasi-realistic Steve Lightle left and was replaced by . . . the goony faux-McFarlanism of Erik Larsen. That was just TERRIBLE.

I didn’t pick up the Arcudi work, and I think I’m still going to stay away. Giffen & DeMatteis already nailed the “superhero as sponsored entity” gig in JLQuarterly #1, featuring . . . the Conglomerate! Yes, with Booster Gold leading, the team featuring Gypsy and . . . Vibe’s brother?? was plenty delicious, and because it wasn’t “serious” it was fine to have lame folks, because they were lovingly lame. Having a team with bad, loathesome characters, even if it’s supposed to be a joke, makes the book suck. See X-Statix.

Also: the Star-Tsar? Oh, man. Let the nerd-slapfights begin!