Giffen it to ya!

Keith Giffen recently had a little chat with Vaneta Rogers over at Newsarama.com. They spoke about Magog, Giffen's other new title. That said, Giffen couldn't NOT talk about Doom Patrol here and there throughout the conversation. Nothing exceptionally Earth-shattering, but certainly a nice check-in.

As excited as Giffen is about DP, it seems matched by his fervor for this title. He's just a sample.

And when you get an artist like Howard Porter on the book, that's just icing on
the cake. That guy's on fire. He more than recovered. It's gorgeous, gorgeous
work. With Matt Clark on Doom Patrol and now Howard on Magog, I'm in a real good
place.

Want more? Go check it out on the 'Rama.

Elasti-Girl Friday 10

Ten?! Really? Wow. I know that's only two-and-a-half months, assuming I posted an Elasti-Girl Friday every Friday, but for some odd reason, TEN seems more impressive to me.

In an earlier Elasti-Girl Friday, I cited the awesomely amazing Justice series from Jim Krueger, Alex Ross and Doug Braithwaite. Well, here's another page. This one bears a little more scrutiny though.

Not only does it give us a chance to breathe in some of Niles Caulder's headache-inducing line of thinking, but we get to see interaction between the Doom Patrol and some members of the Justice League. Additionally, we see Beast Boy with the DP. Note the green dog with Chief when he asks Rita to place Aquaman in the tank. Gar later becomes a bird, next to Robotman in the last panel on this page and in the page later on in this post, you'll see Gar getting catty.

The League has brought Aquaman to Caulder for medical attention beyond their perceived capacities, and no less than Martian Manhunter and Zatanna are the representatives of the League. These three Leaguers - Zatanna, J'onn and Arthur - were the three most often viewed as outcasts, discarded by League creators a little too frequently or too often.

Here, however, with the Doom Patrol, they fit. There's a certain sense of belonging that never gets stated on the printed page, but just seems right. On more than one occasion, the DP has met up with Aquaman, including the JLA: Year One segment I posted about earlier where the DP were trying to recruit Aquaman.

Caulder reaches the deduction that Aquaman is an amphibian and therefore, well, click and read it yourself.
Makes you wonder why Aquaman ever had a hook, eh?

Maybe someday all of the stars will align and Arthur will actually join the Doom Patrol. Until then, however, I look forward to more team-ups.

Until then, I've got this book and a few of those other team-ups to go back to. The more I read and re-read this book, though, the more I'm feeling the urge to splurge for the Absolute edition.

Buzz! Buzz!

Matthew Clark is up to it again! More sketchy goodness from Mr. Clark o over on his MySpace blog-thingee.

Quick side note here: Matthew had a heart attack about three years back and celebrated the anniversary of being able to celebrate anniversaries this past Saturday. So hoist a pint and give a "Hooray!" for Mr. Clark.

Then give an "OOooooo!" or "Ahhhhh!" for this latest sketch from Matthew.

Looks like Bumblebee might get a chance to sneak in on a page or two, dare we imagine?

Negative Monday 9

Sorry for yet another brief entry, but here it is.

The cover from the second volume of Doom Patrol. This is the first time that Doom Patrol would ever have an issue #5, but not the last. (Hmmm, I wonder what issue #5 of Giffen/Clark will hold for us?) This volume started off with Kupperberg on the words and Steve Lightle on the art. This issue is Lightle's last, but I thought the cover was appropriate for Memorial Day.

I'm looking forward to spending a little more time re-reading and reviewing this series - especially as it went Vertigo - but have to continue on with my current research project before I can do the "fun" research for this little blog-site.

No, that doesn't mean I'm going to stop doing this site, far from it. It simply means this site will be SO MUCH MORE once I get done with the current project load.

Look for another update tomorrow from the blogosphere of Matthew Clark.

Elasti-Girl Friday 9

Sorry, busy week.

At any rate, I'd like to share some mor eof J. Bone's crocheted heroes with you today. I think I may have shared Robotman earlier, but here's his yarny take on the fair Rita Farr. Follow the link for more.

Hopefully the three-day weekend will give me a chance to catch up.

Not Doom Patrol! But close. . . .

The Source - curse you Alex Segura for your behind the scenes awesomeness ! - is offering up a peek into the world of the Metal Men, the co-feature set to share staples with the Doom Patrol.

Have a peek, make a click and enjoy!

This book - Doom Patrol co-featuring Metal Men - is far and away the greatest thing to happen to my comics collecting interests in years! Maguire was the first artist I followed when I got back into comics (of course, I followed Byrne, Perez, Garcia-Lopez and Art Adams as well) when I met his work with Justice League #1.

Giffen + Clark + Doom Patrol = win.

Giffen + Clark + Doom Patrol + Metal Men + DeMatteis + Maguire = winner winner chicken dinner!

I love that DC is going to put these two franchises together and give them a chance to shine. More importantly, I am really keen on the fact that the talent locked in are THE right choices for these characters all the way around!

Personally, I don't see how they cannot succeed with this title.

Negative Monday 8

This is an exciting Negative Monday for me. The first issue of the Giffen/Clark DP is officially solcitied, and later today the rest of the August releases will be revealed. Check back tomorrow for a closer look at those releases that hold relevance for the DP.

For today, however, let's take a closer look at the page that was offered up on The Source last week.

Here's a panel with Larry and Cliff that closely follows the two panels below. In this panel, Larry has sent the Negative Man off to do his work, and as usual, Larry's a little drained from the experience, serving more as a liability here as he burdens Cliff to apparently watch over him. Or maybe this scene just depicts the two characters sharing a special moment since the two of them have always been so tight. Not.

In the two panels below we can see the actual Negative Man in action. Clark has rendered an energetic being quite unlike any incarnation of the Negative Man we've seen before. I like the crackles that emanate from the energy being as he's bustling about. Hopefully the color does this effect justice.This book has been keeping me buzzing - after all it was the impetus that sprang forth this blog - and now as we get closer, I'm more and more anxious to sit down and read the darn thing.

I'm sure there will be plenty more teases between now and August 5, but for now, we'll enjoy the pieces we have available.

Doom Patrol #1 cover

Well Newsarama has their August sneaks up, so I guess it's safe to give this away.

Here's the cover for Doom Patrol #1 - standard edition.The image above is the version I've been providing slivers from.

Here's the solicit cover:
Some subtle, but noteworthy differences between the two: the "background" cover and Rita's eyes and costume most noticeably. I know the version I've been giving peeks from is NOT the final version. As we all know, the version shown with the solicits very well might not be the final version either. We'll find out for certain in March!

And the solicit text from Newsarama:

DOOM PATROL #1
Written by Keith Giffen; co-feature written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis
Art by Matthew Clark; co-feature art by Kevin Maguire
Cover by Matthew Clark
Variant cover by Matthew Clark and Kevin Maguire
Come one, come all! The world's strangest Super Heroes are back, and they brought those robot guys along with 'em! Thrill to the strange adventures of the Doom Patrol, with script by Keith Giffen and art by Matthew Clark! Whether you think you know 'em or you wouldn't know 'em if they bit you on the behind, this Doom Patrol's for you! But that's not all! Read all the way to the back cover for the all-new adventures of those elemental everymen, the Metal Men, featuring the triumphant return of the creative team that brought you JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL! That’s 40 full pages of comic-bookery for just under four American dollars. So why not try some Doom Patrol with a side order of Metal Men today?
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. For every 10 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Matthew Clark), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Matthew Clark and Kevin Maguire). Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
On sale August 5 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US

Come one, come all indeed. Let the countdown to #1 begin.

Elasti-Girl Friday 8.1

I promised another cover sliver.
SHAZAM! Another cover sliver. . . oh, look! It features Elasti-Girl!

Elasti-Girl Friday 8

So I had a chance recently to have a little conversation with Matthew Clark about the preview images The Source hit us with earlier in the week. Read on, my friends. Read on.

My Greatest Adventure: What went into your design for Rita Farr?

Matthew Clark: A few things went into the design some will be revealed during the course of the series. I wanted to keep a slight retro feel to the look but update it for today's reader. The color scheme is still the same red and white. When I went into designing them I wanted something from their history to be in the designs. Rita is supposed to be a movie star so I wanted to bring that out a touch. I figure some of her movies (most B grade) were in the sci-fi genre. So I looked at costumes from Dune (movie), Avengers (BBC) Doctor Who and others. One of my early designs for her was a silent film look like Louise Brooks, but while a interesting design it wasn't very superhero. So after a few days I hit upon Rita's new outfit or using a DUNE reference this is Rita's Still Suit.

Louise Brooks

MGA: Did you have anyone specific in mind when you started drawing her?

MC: Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) from The Avengers, her outfits were awesome so that led me down the path we see in the outfit today. Clearly from the sketch i used Ms. Riggs as the model for the body position. On my blog I had done an Emma Peel sketch for a fan and that opened the flood gates. Initially, it was more 60's retro looking outfit but that was to close to Emma's classic Avengers outfit so I started adding onto it. I still want that feel though so I downloaded several Emma Peel images and keep them near my table when drawing Rita for inspiration.

Diana Rigg
Rita Farr

As you can see, Matthew had some great ideas. His Rita Farr has a classic elegance without being archaic. With all the subtle redesigns and modernizations, Clark is doing a fabulous job bringing the Doom Patrol into the modern age without sacrificing their original Silver Age charm.

I'm certain Matthew and I will be in touch a little more as the series draws closer. Until then, keep on coming back. Especially since there's another sliver popping up soon. . .

Awesome in T-minus 5 days. . .

Here's another sliver for you fans of the DP.

Official Word from DC

Alex Segura has made it official on The Source, offering up some concept sketches from Giffen and some finished pencils from Clark.
As hard as Clark is rocking the redesigns, the action and the characters themselves, I gotta say, his design of the Negative Man - not Larry - is pretty frickin' creepy.

Oh yeah, there'll be another sliver coming later this evening/early morning too!

Countdown to Awesome!

You got some more sneak peeks yesterday, but today, I've got a Doom Patrol sneak peek that just appeared in my email! Not only that, but it actually asked me to share it with you!

Crazy, I tell ya, and Grant Morrison's nowhere to be seen.

Every day today through Monday, I'll be adding a little more of a peek for you.

Here's the first:
That's right, readers and picture-lookers, you're looking at a My Greatest Adventure 80 blogspot exclusive image.

Maybe now that cover from the other day is starting to make some sense.

More to come. See you tomorrow!

Two For Tuesday

This post falls just after yet another Negative Monday and way too long before the next installment of Elasti-Girl Friday.

DC, on their little ol' blog The Source, dropped some charcter sketches on us today.

First up is Negative Man. I love how the "mummy wrappings" tie off on the back of Larry's head. The militaristic apparel gives Negative Man adistinct soldier of fortune look that will be interesting to see play out.
Elasti-Girl is straight forward and sassy. Nothing overly stunning, a serviceable outfit that wouldn't cause too many problems when Rita decides to employ her powers. After years of wearing a skirt into battle, it makes a little more sense to give Rita a more practical outfit.

If you want to check the direct link, make with the clicking here.

One thing is for certain, this is not your daddy's Doom Patrol.

Negative Monday 8

At the risk of being a complete jerk, I present you with the cover - and a crappy scan of it at that - to Doom Patrol (first go-round) #106, featuring a tale of the Private World of Negative Man - dun dun duuuuuuuuuun!

Why this image?

Why now?

Let's just say things will be a little more clear soon.

And yes, that's all I'm going to give you today. Happy Negative Monday!

Elasti-Girl Friday 8

A quick one today. This is from the Jim Krueger-Alex Ross-Dougie Braithwaite Justice series from 2005-2006. Ross claimed it was his love letter to the Super Friends, but he didn't hesitate in the slightest to include more of the DCU.

Available in floppies, hardcovers, softcovers and a soon-to-be-released Absolute edition, this book is an amazing spectacle of characters and creative talent. Not only did the Doom Patrol appear, but they once more took a shine to Aquaman (who is central to the action and plot of this story) and Elasti-Girl tussles with Giganta.

DC Direct went on a tear making figures from this story, but stopped just after the Justice League, some wacky variants and adjunct members Batgirl and Supergirl. I cannot help but wonder how cool it would have been for them to continue making figures and offer up a Doom Patrol based on Ross's art.

Negative Monday 7

It's Rebis time!Astute observers of this little blog may have noticed I haven't been resplendent with my observations of Morrison's time on the DP. There's a good reason for that - it chased me away! Morrison hit the DP around the time I was doing the whole "finding girls, learning to drive" scene. I just didn't need to try to figure out Morrison's take on the Doom Patrol when I was already spending precious braintime trying to figure out the fairer sex.

That said, Rebis needs a little love on a Negative Monday. What better way to introduce "hir" to these virtual pages than with a Who's Who entry, rendered by DP series artist (at the time) Richard Case.With my confession out of the way, as I begin to dive into Morrison's DP, I'll be taking the lot of you with me. I've read some of the issues when they were released a few since, but I walked away from Doom Patrol for a time, destined to return when the team returned to the DC Universe proper - not necessarily by design.

Please do not take this as Morrison bashing. It is quite the opposite, I just couldn't handle Morrison, girls, my first job, looking into college, driving, girls, and girls at the same time. Morrison's Animal Man remains one of my favorite titles ever, and it didn't cause me mental gymnastics as I recall encountering with Grant Morrison writing Doom Patrol.

Elasti-Girl Friday 7

From the same issue as Negative Monday for this week - as a matter of fact from the panel BEFORE Monday (time travel as only made possible when reading or talking about comic books) Giffen offers us a Rita Farr who is not afraid to take charge.

Not content with merely being the cheerleader of the Doom Patrol, Rita decides to dictate some strategy here. I'm hoping Giffen is just giving us a sample of the strong characterization we can hope to expect with his Elasti-Girl in the Liz Gehrlein-edited Doom Patrol coming up this August.

Did y'all catch the subtle mention of another member of the team pumping out DP for you this fall?