It's been a while since I visited with Cliffe Steele and his thoroughly dysfunction super-hero team. Arcudi provides a solid jumping-on point for new readers this month, and while I loved the work of the title's regular artist, it's a pleasure to see Seth Fisher's work again. This issue boasts a nice balance for the traditional super-heroics that serve as the concept's Silver Age foundation and the more surreal tone it took on in the late 1980s and 1990s.
There's still friction among the young members of the new Doom Patrol, and Cliff Steele, AKA Robotman, longs for a simpler time. He gets his wish after reading an inscription on a piece of jewelry that mysteriously turns up at the team's hom. The whole team discovers that their minds have been transplanted into the bodies of the original Doom Patrol... years in the past, during the Doom Patrol's early adventures and a confrontation with the Brotherhood of Evil.
Seth Fisher's organic style manages to maintain a surprisingly consistent tone with the angular approach of regular artist Tan Eng Huat. I think the reason that it makes for a tidy visual flow in the overall context of the series is that despite the differences in their styles, they both bring sharply detailed work to bear. Here, Fisher reinforces the surreal tone of the characters and of the Doom Patrol property in general.
The far-fetched nature of the plot is eclipsed by the fun and character development opportunities is provides. The comedy of the most innocent, naive member of the new team being trapped in that of the original roster's most manipulative and brilliant was great, and seeing Robotman react with anger, nostalgia, confusion and concern over the predicament really said a lot about who he is and how he came to be that way.
Arcudi introduces the reader to the relevant back history of the original Doom Patrol, amking for a thoroughly accessible look at the early days of the team. On the other hand, he tells us almost nothing about those characters who make up the team today. The young members' powers and what they're up to isn't touched upon in even a cursory way. Nevertheless, the overall tone is an accessible and entertaining one, and those curious about the book will find this is a pretty good point from which to start.
