Doom Patrol (4th Series)

    (DC, 2004-2006)
™ and © DC Comics, Inc.

There wasn’t anything “wrong,” exactly, with the last version of The Doom Patrol. Still, it made the usual mistake of assuming it was about a super–hero team instead of the support group for victims of mad science it’s supposed to be.

John Byrne, the man who almost invented the “going back to basics” concept, clearly gets it—and his approach of ignoring everything but the series’ original run works beautifully. Speaking of beautiful, he’s clearly a bit smitten with Rita Farr (who’s never looked lovelier) and has come up with a more modern, much scarier design for both Larry Trainor (what appears to be an S&M mask instead of Invisible Man–style bandages) and his Negative Man other self (a flying black skeleton).

It’s sharply written, and Byrne’s art hasn’t looked this good for years. Doug Hazelwood’s able inks give his pages both a much–needed polish and a touch of genuine warmth. Keeping a series going these days gets harder and harder, but here’s one that deserves attention.

— S.A. Bennett
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  • 1
    #1
    Aug 2004
    Cover: $2.50
    W: John Byrne  ·  A: John Byrne
    9 copies from $1.68
  • 2
    #2
    Sep 2004
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    W: John Byrne  ·  A: John Byrne
    Origin of Negative Man
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  • 3
    #3
    Oct 2004
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    W: John Byrne  ·  A: John Byrne
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  • 4
    #4
    Nov 2004
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    W: John Byrne  ·  A: John Byrne
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  • 5
    #5
    Dec 2004
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    W: John Byrne  ·  A: John Byrne
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  • 6
    #6
    Jan 2005
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    W: John Byrne  ·  A: John Byrne
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  • 7
    #7
    Feb 2005
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    W: John Byrne  ·  A: John Byrne
    8 copies from $0.99
  • 8
    #8
    Mar 2005
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    W: John Byrne  ·  A: John Byrne
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  • 9
    #9
    Apr 2005
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    W: John Byrne  ·  A: John Byrne
    7 copies from $3.50
  • 10
    #10
    May 2005
    Cover: $2.50
    W: John Byrne  ·  A: John Byrne
    Origin of Grunt; Origin of Nudge
    6 copies from $3.50
  • 11
    #11
    Jun 2005
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    W: John Byrne  ·  A: John Byrne
    Origin of Grunt; Heroscape Insert #3
    8 copies from $2.75
  • 12
    #12
    Jul 2005
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    W: John Byrne  ·  A: John Byrne
    Origin of the Chief
    4 copies from $4.00
  • 13
    #13
    Aug 2005
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    W: John Byrne  ·  A: John Byrne
    4 copies from $4.00
  • 14
    #14
    Sep 2005
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    W: John Byrne  ·  A: John Byrne
    5 copies from $2.25
  • 15
    #15
    Oct 2005
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    W: John Byrne  ·  A: John Byrne
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  • 16
    #16
    Nov 2005
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    W: John Byrne  ·  A: John Byrne
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  • 17
    #17
    Dec 2005
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    W: John Byrne  ·  A: John Byrne
    4 copies from $4.00
  • 18
    #18
    Jan 2006
    Cover: $2.50
    W: John Byrne  ·  A: John Byrne
    Final issue
    7 copies from $2.50