no easy task taking on a classic set of characters but Gerard does it brilliantly, he takes all the fun quirky bits that make the group an interesting family. really fun reading

I actually heard of Doom Patrol because of my 16 year old daughter. She is a huge fan and I wanted to see what was going on when I saw this graphic novel. Definitely different then most comics which I don't mind. We are a comic book family but sometimes they do get a bit repetitive. All of the Young Animal comics captivate her and have even inspired her to come out a bit of with her artwork. I'm sure some of it had to do with Mr. Way being the author to begin with but I think she would have liked it anyway.

When Gerard Way
Took over the reigns
Of my beloved
Doom Patrol
I was none too happy.
His comic resume to that
Point was the
Mediocre
Umbrella Academy.
And dammit
This is the Doom Patrol.
On of the greatest
Vertigo comics.
Ever.
But I gave it a chance
And was instantly
Taken not just by the
Incredible story telling
But the manner in
Which Way had somehow
Managed to capture
That magical cool insanity
Vibe that was at the heart of Doom.
I loved this.
Didn’t think I would. But I did.

First off I have to say that I didn't really like the original series. But this was amazing. I have read the author's other books the Umbrella Academy, and being that he is also a comics fan I knew he wouldn't let a fellow fan down. This had just the right amount of surrealistic element mixed with mystery and suspense to keep me interested. This is another series that I will continue to read more of.

Pretty bad. I actually kind of liked Way's work on The Umbrella Academy, but everything of his I've read since then has not been very good. The Fabulous Killjoys was terrible. His take on Doom Patrol is also pretty bad. Grant Morrison was not above weird stories and weird twists, but at least his work had an internal logic to it, that is sorely missing from Way's take. About the only saving grace here is the artwork by Nick Derington. A big disappointment.

I requested this graphic novel from NetGalley because I'm a big fan of Gerard Way's band. After reading this, I think I'll stick with his music. The artwork was pretty good, but the story itself was just okay. It almost seemed like there were too many little storylines trying to compete to be the main plot, but instead everything just felt underdeveloped. I might check out the next volume, but I won't go out of my way to find it.

'Doom Patrol Vol. 1: Brick by Brick' by Gerard Way with art by Nick Derington is a reboot of a classic DC series. It's part of the new Young Animal imprint and I really liked it.

Casey Brinke drives an ambulance with her partner Sam. Her life is pretty crazy, but it's about to get even more surreal. She finds a broken up robot with a human brain. She meets up with his teammates too, a man wrapped in bandages, and a talking ambulance for starters.

This is a weird comic, and as reviewer states states, it's more to be experienced than read and understood. It's best to just jump in and enjoy the ride. The art by Nick Derington is some of my favorite, and I really like how the main character is so upbeat. The funny thing is, I'm more familiar with Gerard Way from his work on comics than his musical fame. I've enjoyed everything by him I've read, but I think this is my favorite.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from DC Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

A delightful, if strange graphic novel that defies description. Weird, wonderful are two words that immediately spring to mind. More please DC

Impenetrable, self-indulgent and plain stupid nonsense.

This pretty much falls under "what the heck did I just read?" While I am not an obsessive geek about Doom Patrol, I am familiar with the concept enough to appreciate it. This volume was pretty much a mess in terms of plot and story. Also, from what I have gathered from other reviewers, you probably will not appreciate it much unless you are seriously hardcore about these characters, and it likely helps if you are also a fan of the previous run by Grant Morrison. I have observed fans of the Morrison run either like this one (because it reminds them of that) or hate it (because it is nothing like that). I have not read the Morrison work, so I come to the comic mainly as a new reader, and I can tell you that based on this I would not pick up the next part of the series.


Let me give a bit of the book's description as reference:


"Flex Mentallo, Robotman, Rebis, Crazy Jane, and more are back to twist minds and take control. This new take on a classic embraces and reimagines the Morrison run's signature surrealism and irreverence. Incorporating bold, experimental art and a brash tone to match a new generation of readers, Gerard Way's DOOM PATROL establishes radical new beginnings, breaks new ground, and honors the warped team dynamic of the world's strangest heroes"



The above sounds a lot better than what you actually get. The premise is that of heroes in our world who for whatever reason have forgotten they are heroes and have powers. They need to be reminded fast since there is a new threat. Our protagonist, Casey Brinke, is a young female EMT ambulance driver, but it turns out she is more than that, and so is her ambulance which is actually a vehicle as well as the embodiment of a higher being. It goes downhill from there as you struggle to figure out what is going on. You don't really get the hang of it until about the third issue (this volume collects the first six issues of this run, so that means you have to read at least halfway into the series to get your bearings).


So, are there any redeeming qualities? To a small extent, some elements of the story are reminiscent of the film They Live (yes, the Roddy Piper film) of a secret alien world just under ours. The other redeeming element is the art. If you like surreal and "trippy" art, this may be a volume for you. But it is not really a volume to read for the story, which is basically a convoluted mess I would not recommend to anyone. Only readers I see picking this up are hard fans, and I get the impression even some of those will pass.


This is a title I would not order for my library, and I do not recommend it to other libraries. If a patron asks for it, get it via Interlibrary Loan for them. This is just not worth purchasing for a collection.

I'm not even going to try and give a plot synopsis because it's so convoluted that I'm not even sure what the hell happened. I was very excited to see a new Doom Patrol book. It's always been one of my favorite books at DC. I liked the Kupperberg run, the crazy weird Grant Morrison Vertigo run, and Keith Giffen's run from about 10 years ago. Gerard Way didn't even scare me away. Umbrella Academy was actually pretty good. But this just sucked.

The Good: Way brings back most of the team from Morrison's run and brings back plot points from more than one of the previous Doom Patrol runs.

The Bad: The plot threads Way brings back are from 10+ years ago and yet he gives very little reference so you don't really know what's going on.

The Ugly: The plot was a mess. There's so much going on I couldn't keep it all straight. The book was weird but it wasn't interesting. I found myself not really caring what happened.

Received an advance copy from DC and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Despite never having read any Doom Patrol before I did recently enjoy both volumes of Gerard Way’s Umbrella Academy and I was keen to read his latest book.

Doom Patrol seems to be a good fit for Way’s writing; it has the same madcap exaggerated energy that I enjoyed in Umbrella Academy. This meant that on the whole the book was a captivating read. However the fact that the book is essentially an origin story for the team hindered the pace of the story, as it felt like all the elements were only truly in place by the end of the book. (This may however be the nature of the trade-paperback format and I can see how on an issue by issue basis this might have worked better).

The strongest element of the book by far is the art team. Nick Derrington’s art itself is confident and able to show even the most abstract elements of the story; while every scene is clearly drawn and efficiently staged. Derrington’s work is elevated by Tamra Bonvillain’s colours giving the whole book a luscious retro feel. Ultimately while the pacing of Doom Patrol may not always be the smoothest, this is offset by the strength of the art on offer.

I generally like off-beat titles, strange concepts, and twisted tales. But Doom Patrol: Brick by Brick just does not trip any of my triggers. An ambulance that used to be a city, a cabana, and a host of other things, fine. A host of strange characters who have lost their memory, not a problem. Parental issues, OK. But combine these with art that would look better under black lights and with the reader high on something, a storyline that meanders pointlessly in time and space, and you get the idea. Read only if the cereal box is blank.

Unless you are a fan of the original series, you may not get this one. Way too disjointed and too many moving parts that seem to not match up at all.

Gerard Way's Doom Patrol Vol. 1: Brick by Brick represents a "rebirth," to be sure -- the rebirth of a mainstream, superheroic mature readers line at DC Comics. Even when things get dire for the characters, there's a levity to the proceedings, buffeted in no small part by Nick Derington's art. With Tamra Bonvillain and company's bright peppy colors throughout, Brick by Brick is a breath of fresh air romp of the kind it seems DC Comics's Rebirth is meant to evoke, even if it isn't a Rebirth title itself.

This is a trip of a book, and I think it will work more for people who are familiar with Morrison's Doom Patrol. I haven't read any Doom Patrol before, so I was a bit lost at times, and a lot of references were lost on me. It was really bizarre and sometimes confusing. I enjoyed the artwork. If you're a fan of Doom Patrol, you will probably enjoy this more than newcomers.

In my head as I started this comic, the Doom Song from Invader Zim kept popping into my mind. It has exactly zero relevance here and yet, as I write this review and think Doom Patrol again, it’s back.

Doom Patrol is one of the big books coming out from DC’s latest imprint (for the youths!), Young Animal. Gerard Way returns to comics post Umbrella Academy with this series that he clearly has a deep passion for and to give it a shot alongside artist Nick Derington.

The story follows an EMT team, Casey and Sam, as they go out on their rounds and do their thang… saving lives, eating burritos, saving more lives. The usual.

While on patrol (not THE patrol… you know, the DOOM Patrol… just a regular patrol), they come across a few strange things starting with a robot man thing (Way’s words, not mine). From there, things start to get interesting as Casey inherits a strange new roommate (which I have some questions about…….) and a sentient ambulance (actually, I think I just generally have a lot of questions).

I won’t tell you too much more of the plot here but there are a few things going on within this volume and several characters to be introduced to.

The first thing that struck me when I started reading this book, before the writing or art, was the colours. Oh my god, the colours. Tamra Bonvillain has always been a good colourist (in my opinion) but with Doom Patrol, she takes it to a whole new level for me. I was honestly super mesmerized by her work here and couldn’t help but notice all these amazing things that were put into the book solely by her.

Colourists and letterers do not get enough credit, they truly don’t. I’m guilty of not always saying stuff about the lettering but someone once told me that you shouldn’t necessarily notice the lettering. The only time you’ll super notice it is when it’s bad. I think that’s sort of true but you also notice it when it’s really exceptional too and there’s no one better in the business than Todd Klein who happens to be the letterer on this book. What can I say about Klein that hasn’t already been said with 90% of the lettering in comics awards at the Eisner’s and Harvey’s? He’s freaking great.

But I’ve gotten sidetracked here…

As mentioned, Bonvillain NAILS the colours here and I was floored.

The line work is amazing too. I’m sure I know Derington’s art from elsewhere although without doing any Googling, the name doesn’t automatically register for me. That being said, beCAUSE of Doom Patrol, he’s definitely someone that I’ll remember now going forward. His style was fantastic, incorporating some really great elements from older classic comics and blending them with a modern and unique style.

And then Gerard Way’s writing in the book… it was hella fun. There were several moments when I genuinely connected with the book and laughed out loud, smiled or thought about taking a photo of a panel to show a friend who would appreciate it. I held off on reading Umbrella Academy for a long time because of My Chemical Romance, which I know is a crappy thing to have done. It’s not that I don’t like MCR but I felt like since it wasn’t music I would naturally seek out to listen to regularly, the books might not translate to something I would enjoy either.

Then I realized that Way has always loved comic books and that his music career just happened to happen for him before comics did. Once I saw it that way, I realized I was being silly and I dove into Umbrella Academy, which was just brilliant (with the equally brilliant Gabriel Bá on art). Doom Patrol is the same calibre of comic as Umbrella Academy but better. Way has had years to read more, grow more and hone his craft and he comes to Doom Patrol with a passion for the book and the medium that shows through.

I adored Casey so much and wanted so much more of her character development in the book but it’s a team book and I know Casey had to share her page space… but hot damn, she’s so rad.

My biggest issue with Doom Patrol is the fact that I always felt like I was missing something. Doom Patrol isn’t a new series and folks like Grant Morrison (nbd) have worked on it in the past. I generally enjoyed the book and the characters but it doesn’t do an excellent job at providing you context for the characters. I couldn’t tell if they were new, pre-existing or whatever. It all felt a bit jumbled to me.

Because of this, some of the big AH HA moments where there’s a reveal or a plot twist didn’t really hit it home for me. I was taken out of the book continually as I tried to process if what was happening should be a bigger deal to me. Did I miss something earlier? Is this an Easter Egg for fans of previous iterations of Doom Patrol? Am I just not getting it? were things that I couldn’t turn off.

The writing was a lot of fun and I smile, laughed and enjoyed the ride but it didn’t ultimately leave me feeling satisfied.

Verdict:
Buy it! Despite the fact that some stuff didn’t really work for me overall, I still think that the calibre of writing, the art, and the colours (oh my god, the colours!) are well worth your hard-earned dollars.

Not to mention that I think Young Animal is the kind of imprint that DC needs right now to bring in a more diverse audience. Young Animal has become the new Vertigo as it takes on titles that we formerly would have seen under that umbrella. I don’t know exactly what that means for Vertigo but that’s something to be elaborated on in another article on another day.

I’ll leave you with this: a comic that includes a whole scene with an epic burrito world war (IN burrito world war) is definitely one to be checked out.

"You don't know what's going on inside of someone, really. There's a hidden universe in there... full of secret stars."

In this issue of Doom Patrol, Gerard Way puts his own unique spin on a classic set of characters. While you may recognize the cast, everyone can find something brand new to love in the beautiful, bold artwork and zany dialogue of Brick by Brick.

---

The afterword of this graphic novel summed up so many of my thoughts regarding the book. Gerard wrote, “We want you to feel like it’s 3am and you have no idea what’s going on, but somehow you do,” and that is such a fantastic fucking way to phrase how I felt throughout the entirety of this comic book. I wasn’t raised on comics much (because I didn’t have a lot of access to them or exposure), so this was my very first taste of Doom Patrol. I’ll be upfront with you guys: I requested this ARC on NetGalley primarily because I have never outgrown my absolute adoration for My Chemical Romance or Gerard Way as an individual, and when I saw his name on it, I had to have it. That said… I thoroughly enjoyed this comic book.

The characters are absolutely brilliant. I wanted most of them to be real just so I could befriend them all, because they’re so clever and enjoyable. The dialogue is fun, and I’m certain it will bring a smile to your face, though more than once, it made me pause and think for a moment, too (as with the quote I used at the top of this review). The artwork is glorious, and colorful, and vibrant, and everything that I want in a graphic novel.

Overall, though, I’m going to have to agree with the thoughts I’ve seen from a lot of reviewers, as well as the reviewer that Gerard himself quoted in his afterword: I can’t review this story. It isn’t that I didn’t love it – because I did – and it isn’t that I was confused by it – because I wasn’t (not by the end, at least). It’s just that this comic is such an experience. Like any other roller coaster ride, someone could tell you about it all day long, but you’d never fully understand the delight of it until you strap yourself in.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys Doom Patrol, DC comics, or just a damn good story. I can’t wait to see what else Gerard has in store for the world.

It's hard to say anything about a story as weird as this one, even more when it was written by one my favorite singers, Gerard Freaking Way, because I didn't understand half of what is happening, just as he said at the end of the book.

This is like the strangest sex I’ve had ever with a comic book. I couldn't put it down since the beggining, and had to actually force myself to do it so I could sleep a little. I wasn't thinking on next morning and that I would need myself to be able to work, to be able to even walk, but only that I wanted to know what the heck was happening next. This is so addictive it shoud be illegal, really.
There are a few ideas that become clear and understandable, proposals that gave me little problem, if no one at all, but the others were just so strange and bizarre I couldn't get them. This may be because it's the first volume, the first real chapter of this story, which has been promoted as with "the weirdest heroes," and sure Way kept himself loyal to the idea, so it may be right for him to help newcomers to understand a little bit more of what's going on.
Now that I touched the point, I need to say that I knew nothing, absolutely nothing, of these guys, the Doom Patrol, but the concept is great. A Western, American, old-style comic book that reminds me of Ugly Americans with a high dose of SciFi and absurd humor. Despite the fact that it's hard to follow, you still manage to find the greatness on it, you get really into it and entertains more than you might expect.
I'm not part of those who like the art, but considering the style, the tone and the real nature of this comic book, well, it the best one you can use. There are some panels and pages that impressed me, like the one with people coming out of one Danny to get into the other right next it, or the very first page, which I love because... I'm still trying to know why.
You can expect me to read the next volumes in this series, and now that I had my first time with Way (no pun intended, you dirty minders,) I'm most likely to love them. Also, thanks a lot to the publisher for this ARC!

I really want to love this comic. It's weird, and funny, and has a great style to it, but in spite of my best efforts to make sense of it all, I was left very confused. I'll probably try one more volume of this when it comes out to see if I can make the sundry insane story elements come together in my head.