In the 1980s, John Byrne was a stalwart of the comic-book industry (just check the text piece at the back of this new comic book... he says so himself). I honestly don't know if his work on Fantastic Four has ever been matched, and he brought credibility to Superman with The Man of Steel. He did some great stuff with some creator-owned properties, such as Next Men and Danger Unlimited, but he never seemed to reach that same pinnacle of creativitity... or of popularity. That's not going to change with his revival of Doom Patrol, but I have to give credit where credit is due... he offers up a light but entertaining story in the traditional super-hero vein here, as well as an accessible one.
A group of young metahumans touch down on the abandoned Civil War-era prison that has been converted into the headquarters of the Doom Patrol, ready to join the ranks of the fledgling group of freaks. They're met with violence, though, as someone has mysteriously released three captive super-villains, who are squaring off against Robotman, Negative Man and Elasti-Girl. Meanwhile, the Batman ponders the encounter the JLA and the Doom Patrol recently had with a legion of vampires, and he realizes the heroes overlooked a loose end... and a potential threat.
For a while there, Byrne seemed to ink all of his own pencilled work, or at least it seemed so. The thing is that his art is usually at its strongest when inked by someone else, someone who brings a greater sense of definition to it. Fortunately, the latter approach is the one taken with the line art on this title. Hazlewood's inking style suits Byrne's pencilling efforts quite well. He adds depth and detail to Byrne's work, but he never submerges his distinct style in the process. I also like the designs for the new characters; they seem to fit in well with the simple and weird qualities of the Doom Patrol.
This new storyline seems to flow right out of the recent JLA story arc that dusted off the original Doom Patrol concept. It really seems to read as though we're in the middle of one continuing plotline, though, as opposed to kicking off a new series. It's not that I'm taking issue with Byrne's decision to revisit the villains from "The Tenth Circle;" it's just odd that he opts for it so soon. To be fair, Byrne's script -- though awkward and bit too obvious in its expositionary goal -- is thoroughly accessible. I didn't read the Chris Claremont/Byrne six-parter in JLA, but I had no trouble getting up to speed here.
Though the villains are generic, I like the new, nostalgic status quo for the Doom Patrol. The redesign of the Silver Age heroes are simple but effective, and the wide-eyed, student-like qualities of the new heroes -- Nudge, Vortex and Grunt -- serves as a grounded gateway for the reader into the fantastic lives of these unusual figures.
