Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Negative Monday 6 - the Tuesday Edition

So I've focused a bit on those folks negative. I've also had some killer art from Matthew Clark, but what I've blatantly ignored, mainly because I just haven't gotten around to it, is Keith Giffen's handle on the Patrol of Doom.

Below is one single, solitary panel from issue #4 of the 52 Aftermath: the Four Horsemen mini from last year (or late 2007) featuring Negative Man WRITTEN by Keith Giffen. Here Larry's negativity is rendered by Pat Oliffe on pencils, John Stanisci on inks, Hi-Fi on colors and Pat Brousseau on letters.

I like it a lot. A sarcastically scalding Negative Man. Negative Man being negative = positive, right?

Note to self, check in with Matthew Clark to see who rounds out the creative team for August's DP launch. . . .

Whoops.

I just realized today is Tuesday. Which means yesterday was Monday. Which means I didn't post a Negative Monday. Which means I suck as a blogger when it comes to regularly scheduling my posts. Time to step that up.

Honestly, I have no legitimate excuse that goes beyond just saying that life got in the way.

After posting nearly every day last week, I got a little lazy about Monday. I'll drop a Negative Man image - and in my opinion a very cool one - this evening. Might even add a couple more for good measure.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Mento Sunday

Just a little change of pace. Matthew Clark blogged up another sketch recently. He also gave a little insight as to the sketches he's been sharing.

Here's his Mento. Looks cool to me. Some folks in other places raised concerns about the Jay Garrick-like helmet and lightning bolt, but as Matthew states, this isn't the final design.

On his blog, Matthew says, "Working on Doom has been fun and challanging and I'm putting extra time in on the first issue, everyone who's scene pages have left jaws dropped." Maybe I shouldn't say this, but I have one of the dropped jaws.

No, I won't share.

At lest not until Matthew gives the all clear.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Weekend Exclusive from Matthew Clark!

Ok, so it's a little old and it's just one quote, but shortly after Doom Patrol was announced, Matthew Clark started posting sketches over on his blog. Somewhere about then, I started this blog. I asked Matthew if he'd like to do an interview for the blog at some point. He politely requested to wait until closer to the time the series comes out.

Until then, he did give me this quote:


I love the" Doom Patrol" ----a quote from me.

Look for more from Matthew Clark here soon.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Elasti-Girl Friday 6

Another Friday, another shot of Elasti-Girl. This one is from the original edition of Who's Who Volume VII. John Byrne provided the art and gives us a very nice, wholesome Rita Farr. I would have loved to have seen Byrne given free reign to draw the Doom Patrol around this time. When he updated the DP in 2004, I think something was lost in translation. That's not to say his stuff was bad, I'm just saying it was a DIFFERENT Doom Patrol.Here's the Paris Cullins rendered cover. Rita is in her 50-foot phase so she wouldn't get lost in the group shot. These covers were nothing but fun - or a continuity expert's absolute worst nightmare.

J. Bone's Doom Patrol

As a follow-up to the interview run yesterday with J. Torres and J. Bone, I have another image. This image was provided by J. Bone as his take on the Doom Patrollers if they were added to the DC's Super Friends line.


J. said, ". . . attached is my Super Friends style approach to the characters. Wouldn't they make adorable little toys?"

I'd buy a set or three.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Interview with J. Torres and J. Bone

My Greatest Adventure 80:So the solicits for July shipping comics hit today. In there is a solicit for Batman: the Brave & the Bold #7, which features Batman teaming up with the Doom Patrol. Both of you have professed a strong affinity for Doom Patrol - now you're there. How did that happen?

Torres: For me, I think it started with the Blue Ribbon Digest that collected a bunch of Silver Age Doom Patrol stories. This was in the early 80s and I bought it at a corner store. I was also reading New Teen Titans at the time, so I'm guessing that's where I ran into them next.

Bone: How did I get into the Doom Patrol? Or how did we get them into an issue of Batman: The Brave and the Bold? First one’s easy - I bought some cheap issues from fifty cent bins at comic conventions. Mainly for the gorgeous Bruno Premiani artwork which very quickly led to my love for the characters themselves.

The second part started with me seeing artwork from the new animated cartoon. The designs for the characters are right up my alley. All the clips from the show promised fun! So I e-mailed my editor at DC, Rachel, and asked her if she was editing the Brave and the Bold to please, please, PLEASE put my name on the list of possible artists. She asked me about teaming up with my old pal J. And what characters might I like to draw. Knowing that Torres is as much a fan of the Doom Patrol as I am I requested they be the main team-up.

MGA80: The two of you have worked together before - for the readers' sake - when was that?

Torres: It was about 7 or 8 years ago on Alison Dare, a series about the Indiana Jones-like adventures of a girl whose mother was a world famous explorer and father was a superhero called the Blue Scarab. Oni Press published the original miniseries and one shots, and then collected them in two trades. But next year, Tundra, the children's book publisher not the former comic publisher, will be reprinting the collections.

MGA80: While the Doom Patrol has appeared in the classic Brave & the Bold comic, they teamed up with the Flash, not Batman. This team-up was revisited a couple years back when Waid and Perez re-teamed the Flash (at the time Wally West) with the DP. Did the two of you realize that you would be making history here?

Bone: Ah, but how does this fit into DC continuity?

MGA80: I guess it doesn't, but it is still interesting to note.

Torres: History was one of my best subjects in school!

MGA80: Which Doom Patrol will be present in the team-up? Is it the team that we've seen on the Teen Titans cartoon and Teen Titans Go! comic or is it a different team?

Torres: As much as I'd love it to be the same team from the Titans stuff, maybe an earlier incarnation, I'm not sure where they fit in continuity-wise. This incarnation is led by The Chief, not Mento. Beast Boy's already met Batman, but we don't know where Robin is yet. Maybe once they flesh things out more on the B&B cartoon, some clever fan will figure out a plausible timeline.

MGA80: Why those members?

Torres: It's the classic line-up and considering the spirit and style of the B&B cartoon, I thought it was the best fit. And as much as I wanted to somehow include Mento, it just got too crowded. Plus, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to write Beast Boy again and hopefully attract some former TTG fans to this series.

Bone: Because they’re the best!

MGA80: Did the two of you get a chance to recap the origins of the team for this story?

Torres: I wish we had room, but we really had to hit the ground running.

MGA80: J. Bone, did you do a series of character studies before diving into this issue, or did they just come naturally?

Bone: Hmm...good question. I’ve drawn the Doom Patrol a lot, and have a definite idea of how I want them to look. But I also wanted them to be familiar to readers who might be coming in from the Teen Titans animated series. Plus those are just fantastic designs. So the answer is that I did character studies based on all of that information!

MGA80: Did the two of you receive any restrictions for the Doom Patrol characters you could use or how you could use them? I'm thinking some of the Morrison characters might have been labeled off-limits.

Bone: I’m really unfamiliar with the Morrison incarnation, but as far as I know there were no restrictions. Not on using the original DP, anyway.

Torres: No, not really. But like I said, the classic line-up seemed a good fit for this series. There is, however, a little wink at the end of the story to the Morrison incarnation, which I also loved.

MGA80: Which Doom Patroller is your favorite character?

Bone: Impossible to answer. Yeah...totally impossible :)

Torres: Elasti-Girl. Rita. Sigh.

MGA80: Given DP's compulsion for outrageous adventures, do the two of you find them relatively easier or more challenging to write and draw?

Torres: I had so much fun writing this story that it didn't seem like I was working, even when I scrapped a whole scene, and had to rewrite a bunch of other stuff. It's almost like a labor of love. And a comic kid's dream come true.

MGA80: Since a few of the characters are facial expression challenged (Robotman and Negative Man) - how do the two of you choose to portray their emotions?

Torres: For me, it's in what they say, of course. I hear their voices in my head and try to put that on the page. If I did my job right, then readers should hear something similar.

Bone: Bah, emotions are for the weak. Doom Patrol is strong!
In truth, I followed Premiani’s example and give the characters 'cheated' expressions. Cliff has a solid jaw but his upper lip is capable of smiling, and Larry has expression through the bandages.

MGA80: Do you foresee the opportunity to bring the Doom Patrol back to the pages of B&B at somepoint?

Torres: Boy, I hope so!

Bone: I foresee many things.

MGA80: J. Torres, this issue would mark your third Batman: Brave & Bold issue, are you on for the long haul?

Torres: Boy, I hope so!

MGA80: J. Bone, as we've talked about before, I'm well aware of your work on the Super Friends covers, If I'm not mistaken, you've done interiors a couple times, what else do you have going on?

Bone: True. I’ve got another issue of Super Friends coming up...a special Focus on Batman issue. I’m starting another issue right after I wrap Brave and the Bold. I'm hoping for more Brave and the Bold issues (although I'm hard pressed to request too many because I LOVE Andy Suriano's art on the series). Outside of comics I do a lot of work for Canadian children’s magazines and school text books. I also update my blogs whenever I can.

MGA80: Thank you both, so very much for your time. I'm looking forward to reading the results of your collaboration, which I will more than happily cover here.

Torres: Thanks, Doug :)

Bone: Thanks, Doug.

There you have it. A real early tease for what awaits readers later this summer in Batman: The Brave and the Bold #7. If that wasn't enough for you, here's a sample of the character designs that J. Bone roughed up before working on the issue.


Monday, April 20, 2009

July 2009 Doom Patrol Goodness

DC hit us with their July 2009 solicits Monday evening. Let's take a look and see what Doom Patrol-related books might be waiting for us.

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #7
Written by J. Torres
Art by J. Bone
Cover by Scott Jeralds
Here comes the Doom Patrol! And they want Batman to help them out with…General Immortus? But we just shipped him off last issue!
On sale July 29 • 32 pg, FC, $2.50 US

Hot diggity! The Brain has made an appearance on the cartoon, General Immortus is in the issue before this one, but now we get the DP in action alongside Batman! Interestingly enough, in the Doom Patrol's two appearances in B&B prior to this one, they've never teamed up with Batman. Of course, this isn't exactly DC Universe canon, but it IS cool nonetheless. Look for a little more about this very issue right here, real soon.


TINY TITANS #18
Written by Art Baltazar and Franco
Art and cover by Art Baltazar
School's over, but the Tiny Titans can't leave yet – they're stuck in detention! How did that happen? Meanwhile, elsewhere in the school, Principal Slade's got some dirty jobs...and Darkseid's gotta do them!
On sale July 22 • 32 pg, FC, $2.50 US

Even Mallah looks awesomely adorable when drawn in the Tiny Titans style. Aw yeah, Doom Patrol!


THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD: THE BOOK OF DESTINY TP
Written by Mark Waid
Art by George Pérez and Jerry Ordway
Cover by George Pérez
Collecting issues #7-12 of THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD in trade paperback! The Book of Destiny's been opened, and it will take the combined might of Superman, The Flash, the Metal Men, the Blackhawks, the Atom, Hawkman, Aquaman, the Teen Titans, the Newsboy Legion and more to prevent certain doom!
Advance-solicited; on sale August 19 • 160 pg, FC, $17.99 US


Huh. I wonder why DC left the Doom Patrol off the solicits and cover for the Brave and the Bold TP. This includes the issue where they teamed up with the Flash. Flash is on the cover.
At any rate, not much for the DP here, but August solicits should bring the first issue of the Giffen/Clark/Livesay extravaganza.
If you want to check out the entirety of the July DC solicits, click on over to CBR. They'll be happy to help you out.

Negative Monday 5

Let's try and get this train back on track.

Monday in Michigan is kinda rainy, drab, and gray - perfect for a little negativity!

Remember when there would be team-ups between the Justice League and the Justice Society - the teams would splinter off and you'd wind up with fun clusters of heroes? Issue #6 of JLA Year One provides that electricity with the Doom Patrol sharing the limelight. Aquaman and Robotman team together, as do Martian Manhunter, Black Canary and Elasti-Girl. The remaining trio - Flash, Green Lantern and Negative Man also make a terrific trio, using their compromised abilities to topple their foes.The mysterious group known as the Locus, in tandem with the Brotherhood of Evil, have stolen the powers of the JLA, and in the case Green Lantern and Flash this means they are without their right arm and legs, respectively. Kitson does a good job of creating prosthetics with a Doom Patrol flair as we discover the powers don't make the heroes - their heart does.

Following the return to normalcy (or what passes for such in a book with the Doom Patrol and the Justice League) Waid and Kitson give us a glimpse of the shared world these two teams have.


Alluded to elsewhere since then, Hal Jordan and Larry Trainor have worked together in the past and, hopefully, we'll see more of this in the future. As a fan of comics in general, I always feel a special enjoyment for stories that world-build. Those subtle little nods to the fans of more than one character or more than one book always make me smile. Although not necessarily intended as such, it feels like a shared secret between the creators and the reader. Waid is certainly a master of this art, and this title, especially, hammers that home. If you haven't ever read JLA Year One, do yourself a favor and chase it down, whether it's a copy from a pal, issues from the back issue bins or the copy from the local library. You'll be happy you did.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

The Brain

I have seen the future and it is cool.

Matthew Clark is sharing more Doom Patrol sketchbook goodness over on his myspace blog.

For the clicking challenged, here's the image.

Link

Friday, April 17, 2009

Elasti-Girl Friday 5

Sorry for the massive delay and resultant Doom Patrol void in your lives. Hopefully you used your time wisely and found the Showcase Presents Doom Patrol book.

I've got some plans in the works for a some original content here, as well as in other spots, so I've been a little busy. Rest assured that I have not given up on this Doom Patrol blog and I intend to make it the best little Doom Patrol site out here.

That said, let's hop back into an Elasti-Girl Friday. Today's Rita Farr image comes to My Greatest Adventure courtesy of Titans Tower, a beauty of a fansite run by Bill Walko. If you haven't checked it out, please do so. Here's an additional link to the portion of the site dedicated to the cartoon.
This is a model sheet from the Doom Patrol's appearance on the Teen Titans cartoon. Elasti-Girl was voiced by Tara Strong, who also voiced Raven.

The DP's appearance on the show was a two-parter and was handled quite well. I'll expand on that some other day and time.

There's another Elasti-Girl Friday for you all. Have a great weekend and come on back Monday as I try to get back on track with this blog and provide another installment of Negative Mondays.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

New Comics Wednesday!

There's some Doom Patrol goodness hitting the shelves this week!

No, it's not the new Giffen & Clark series. It is Showcase Presents Doom Patrol Volume 1. These Showcase Presents volumes, in case you've been living under a rock, really pack a punch for not much scratch. Granted, the stories are printed in black and white on newsprint, but good luck tracking down any single issue reprinted in this book for less than the $16.99 cover price.
Volume 1 contains My Greatest Adventure #80-87, Doom Patrol #88-101 and Challengers of the Unknown #48. Over twenty issues in one easy to carry book. If I were a professor and this were Doom Patrol 101, this would be the text book waiting for you at the campus bookstore. Of course, if that were the case, none of you would ever read it after paying $84.95 for it at the campus bookstore.
These are the Arnold Drake (with Bob Haney) and Bruno Premiani stories that inspired generations of DP creators since. Sure, they might be a little far fetched and kinda wacky, but it IS comics, after all.
Do yourself a favor, skip some of those books you've been buying but haven't been enjoying and pick this up this week. You'll thank me for it.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Menace!

Matthew Clark is up to sneaking us some peeks again!

This one is the classic Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man.Enjoy the peek and here's the link to Matthew's site.
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