Steele. Cliff Steele.

In my spare time (yes, I'm laughing too) I like to check out the cool drawings and other assorted pieces of creative magnificence over on DeviantArt. On one recent expedition, I happened across this brilliant piece and needed to share.

Drawn by A.J. Jothikumar under the handle *hyperjack08, this piece speaks of a different Cliff Steele from another time. Maybe someday we'll see more of Cliff in a setting that would be in line with this image.

For now, however, be sure to check out some of A.J.'s other masterworks!

Beast Boy in the Top 100

My other site (or one of them) on these here internets, CBR, has a Top 100 DC (and also a Top 100 Marvel) characters for 2011 on the Comics Should Be Good blog. Even with minimal exposure throughout the year (unless he popped up in one of the New 52 books I simply am not reading) good ol' Garfield Logan is weighing in at #100.

Snazzy little drawing of Gar from Mike McKone's "Teen Titans" days.

I'm interested to see if we get any more Patrolers on the list. Any thoughts in that direction?

Be sure to check the list out for more fabulous characters.

DP on DC Nation

Hello again my friends! Busy, busy, busy. Yet, somehow, I keep finding ways to get even busier.

It's not that I don't still love the Doom Patrol, I'm just all over the map right now, reviewing for CBR, doing other stuff for Back to the Past, working, being a dad, y'know, stuff.

At any rate, a little while back, I caught the trailer for the DC Nation and thought I saw something Doom Patrolish.

I did.

Larry, Larry, Larry. Why, it's almost enough to bring back Negative Mondays, isn't it?!?

Then, while doing some reading of those wonderful sites over there (-->) I happened across this from Sue of DC Women Kicking Ass site.

Sorry, Sue, it was so Doom Patrolriffic, I had to snag it first and ask permission later (if at all).

Looks like the DP is going to be a regular bit on this new DC Nation.

Imagine Charlie Brown's happy dance. That's all me right now, my friends.

I'll be making a better effort to give you more. Soon. I promise.

MY GREATEST FOUR-STAR REVIEW

My Greatest Adventure hit the stands last week and my review hit the internet shortly thereafter. 

This time out, the tale is not only the lead in this anthology book, but it is also the only story of the three that is written and drawn by two separate creators. Matt Kindt narrates this new Robotman’s exposition through the words of Robotman, himself. He gives us a tight overview of Robotman’s personality but only eludes to Robotman’s past, choosing to grow the character over the course of the storyline.

To see the whole review, give a little click. 

The First Issue

For funsies, I thought I'd do some digging on the Interwebs to uncover what the first issue of the original My Greatest Adventure looked like, seeing as we're just days away from the newest go-round.

Feast upon this friends. 

"My Cargo was Death." THAT sounds like one great adventure. I don't own any of the pre-DP issues, but I've always been curious to know how they hold up. How about you, my friends? Anyone a bigtime old-school MGA fan? 

My Greatest Adventure #1

Hey Patrolers! Don't forget that My Greatest Adventure returns to comic racks this week, bringing Robotman with it! The solicit goes a little something like this: 

The adventures of WEIRD WORLDS’ Garbage Man and Tanga continue in MY GREATEST ADVENTURE, a new six-issue anthology-style miniseries. And this time around, they’re joined by the quirky and self-destructive Robotman.

Meet Robotman as he takes on a restaurant full of zombies. Follow Garbage Man as he makes his return to Gotham City and seeks out the only friend he has left. And watch Tanga suffer the consequences of defying King Za.

Robotman’s “Uncanny Valley, Part 1” is written by Matt Kindt and illustrated by Scott Kolins. “Garbage Man Returns” comes to you from Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan and “Tanga: Restrained” is by Kevin Maguire.

MY GREATEST ADVENTURE #1 goes on sale this upcoming Wednesday.

DC's Source has a preview of the issue, including the Garbage Man and Tanga stories, but I'm sharing the Robotman preview right here with you. 

AW YEAH, DOOM PATROL!!

The day is finally here, my friends. Today we are treated to the Franco and Art Baltazar-crafted "Crosswalk of Doom" story in Tiny Titans #44.

As always, I read this issue before my youngest ran away with it, and I gotta be honest, I'm fighting the urge to sneak into her room and steal it back. This issue was fun, funny, and enjoyable. I laughed out loud more than once and loud enough that my dear wife, from upstairs, started asking my children what was wrong with me.

"He's reading Tiny Titans," was my youngest's reply.

"That's it?!" my wife asked, completely befuddled at the sheer entertainment this book provides. Go and get it my friends. Laugh a little and thank me later.

My Greatest Adventure - in December!

The DCU relaunch continues in December with the continuation of My Greatest Adventure. Here's the solicits: 

MY GREATEST ADVENTURE #3
Written by AARON LOPRESTI, KEVIN MAGUIRE and MATT KINDT
Art by AARON LOPRESTI, KEVIN MAGUIRE, MATT RYAN and SCOTT KOLINS
Cover by RICK LEONARDI and DAN GREEN
On sale DECEMBER 14 • 40 pg, 3 of 6, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
From a giant snake smashing through Zanzibar – and through Robotman – and an ancient reptile stalking the alleyways of Gotham City, to the endless plague of titans attracted to Tanga on a faraway planet, our heroes are put to the test as they face off against their demons!


Robotman vs. a giant snake. . . hmmm. Not the most convincing and exciting comic plot I've seen solicited recently. 


At any rate, the issue comes out almost two weeks before Christmas, and six days before Hanukah, but that doesn't mean that you can't get yourself a little DP present for the holidays, does it?


Also don't forget to grab the latest Tiny Titans this week for some Tiny Titan-ish Doom Patrol action. 

The Return of MY GREATEST ADVENTURE!!!!

Wow. That was a longer break than I expected to take. I’m getting back to the swing of things and will be explaining that here, sort of, which is the real reason for my absence here.

Got that? No?

OK. How about this: I simply bit off more than I could chew.

I’m pulling it all back on track now, and hope to have more for you real soon. In the meantime, maybe you’ve heard, DC has a planned relaunch in a matter of days now. One of the eventual fruits of said relaunch is a revisitation to the title that spawned not only this blog’s title, but the book that gave us the Doom Patrol.

That’s right, friends and neighbors, My Greatest Adventure returns to DC Comics’ publishing schedule. The first issue hits in October and features a story about the DC nu version of Robotman.

Here’s the solicits for the October and November issues.

MY GREATEST ADVENTURE #1
Written by AARON LOPRESTI, KEVIN MAGUIRE and MATT KINDT
Art by AARON LOPRESTI, KEVIN MAGUIRE, MATT RYAN and SCOTT KOLINS
Cover by AARON LOPRESTI
On sale OCTOBER 12 • 1 of 6, 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
The adventures of Garbage Man and Tanga from WEIRD WORLDS continue – and now, these offbeat heroes are joined by the Robotman, who has a disturbing knack for self-destruction!

MY GREATEST ADVENTURE #2
Written by AARON LOPRESTI, KEVIN MAGUIRE and MATT KINDT
Art by AARON LOPRESTI, KEVIN MAGUIRE, MATT RYAN and SCOTT KOLINS
Cover by SCOTT KOLINS
On sale NOVEMBER 16 • 40 pg, 2 of 6, FC, • $3.99 US • RATED T
When Batman goes hunting for answers Garbage Man might be able to provide, things start to look up for the toxic man. Meanwhile, Robotman follows a zombie trail from Zanzibar to a strange island filled with even stranger creatures, and Tanga encounters an alien monster that might be too much even for her!

Once again, we're treated to a book with Cliff Steele in it AND Kevin Maguire art under the same cover. I, for one, am extremely enthused about this book.

For more about the book - specifically the Robotman segment from the very mouth (or keyboard) of Matt Kindt, here’s a link to an interview with Matt Kindt on CBR. Kindt, interviewed here by Josie Campbell, will be writing the story for Scott Kolins’ pencils.

That's what I've got for now, Patrollers. I'll be back soon. Promise.

Aw yeah, Doom Patrol!

It's been way too long, my friends, but here I am. Where have I been? What have I been doing? I'll tell you. Later.

First, some important news: with the September crazy line-wide relaunch, the Doom Patrol is back! Sort of.

From the DC September Solicitations:

TINY TITANS #44
Written by ART BALTAZAR and FRANCO
Art by ART BALTAZAR and FRANCO
Cover by ART BALTAZAR
It’s the issue of doom! Join the Tiny Titans as they – walk to school! Beast Boy takes a wrong turn when confronted by the crossing guards he calls The Doom Patrol. Plus, witness Beast Boy’s first encounter with the Crossing Patrol Boys of Doom! Crossing the street has never been so tough!
On sale SEPTEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED E


Aw yeah! 

Reviews for you

Hi all!
The final countdown is on, but the book is still chugging along. Giffen opens the floodgates on this issue and the end result is a fun, entertaining read. Here's a link to my review over on CBR, where I say:

Giffen jams a lot into this book, from an appearance by the long-forgotten Arnold Drake and Bob Oksner creation, Super-Hip, to a return of one of the Doom Patrol’s oldest foes. At the same time, M.S.E. lurks in the background, seizing the opportunity to claim Oolong as their own and using that as a launchpad to further denigrate the Doom Patrol’s image.

I gave it four out of five, as it suffers from severe art multiple personality disorder. Matthew Clark's stuff is good, but few and far between, and when juxtaposed with Randall's work, the book just seems off. It works best in the spots where the artist changes are isolated, for example, Scott Clark's two pages hold their own and seem really strong partially because there's no direct conflict in style. Ron Randall's art is the most prominent in this issue, but this volume of DP will always be Matthew Clark's in my mind.


Our friend in Doom Patrollery, Petar, has a review of his own over at Doompedia, so make with the clicking and check it out. 


So, my friends and followers, what did YOU think of this third-to-last issue of the Giffen-Clark era DP? 

Negative Monday 38

Not to get too negative, but there are only three issues of this title left.

This Wednesday is the first of the those three and it looks a little something like this:

I'm thinking it's a bit chilly on that rock. Larry's gotta be a little freaked about the circling pelicans, too. 

Continued DP Salvation Efforts

Our pal in Doom, Petar, has provided a link on his Doompedia site to a blog known as Dangermart. Martin Gray, the proprietor of Dangermart has a call to arms of sorts for DP fans everywhere. You can check it out via Doompedia or right here.

Save the DP

Our friend in all things Doom Patrol and curator of the DOOMPEDIA, Petar, started a petition to save the Doom Patrol, and effectively, Keith Giffen's life as well.

Here's a link to the petition.

Here's a link to Petar's entry on Doompedia about said petition.

Go.

Sign.

Save.

Here's some more Doc Shaner stuff to inspire you to make with the clicking above.

An Appointment with "Doc"

I've sung the praises of Evan "Doc" Shaner once or twice before in other parts of these here internets, and I'll continue to do so again and again. I dig the young fella's style immensely, and well, now you can too:

Check out the almighty Twart to catch the vibe. This is one of the best pieces I've seen on the Twart, of the DP, and from Doc Shaner in particular. It's awesome in a can. I especially dig the chalk-like drawings of the villains in the background. Great, great stuff.

How Shaner doesn't have a regular gig somewhere drawing something is completely beyond me. His style, to me, is timeless, in the way that Mike Parobeck's was.  Check out more of Shaner's stuff.  Thank me later.

Quick side note: I do not know the entire selection process that went into Chris Samnee declaring that the Doom Patrol would be the Twart selection of the week, but I find it stunning to see that the majority of these entries tie in to the "classic" Doom Patrol, without a Negative Woman, Celsius, Tempest, or Dorothy Spinner to be seen yet.

Andy Kuhn Twarted!

The colors are the first thing I noticed on this Twart piece. It's a simple gradient, red-to-black, but it is applied to the line art rather than the background, so it presents a different vibe altogether. Pretty sharp!

This one's by Firebreather co-creator, Andy Kuhn. Kuhn's work, moreso than his fellow Twartists, tends to take the subject on from a wider angle. In this case, the DP are small compared to the beastie they're about to be consumed by. Looks like a fun tussle in the works. I'd like to see DP team up with Duncan, or at the very least make a journey over to Dinosaur Island. That's gotta be somewhere near Oolong, right?

Kuhn had this to say of his piece:

I don't know much about the Doom Patrol,but I always thought they were pretty cool characters.
I bought all the issues that Ted McKeever drew,
so that's something. Thanks for looking.

While we're talking Firebreather, I once interviewed Andy's co-creator on the book, Phil Hester, for Comicbloc.com. Among the questions I asked Phil was, "What's your 'holy grail' - what one thing do you have to do before leaving comics?"
Phil's answer, "As a writer, the Fantastic Four and Doom Patrol. As an artist, Ragman or OMAC (the real one). The Question would be cool, too." Think about that and take another look at the image above. 

Doomed in May

It's a balmy 40 degrees in Michigan as I type this, so thinking forward to May and sixty-degree weather sounds alright to me.

Unfortunately, it looks like May isn't going to be any too kind to our favorite freaks.

DOOM PATROL #22
Written by KEITH GIFFEN
Art by RON RANDALL
Cover by MATTHEW CLARK
It’s all been building to this! To retake Oolong Island, The Doom Patrol must face a pan-galactic array of foes, old and new alike. Hanging in the balance is the fate of the team, the island – and maybe even the world!
On sale MAY 4 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US, FINAL ISSUE • RATED T

The DP also make their presence known in this collection, reprinted yet again for your edification.

JUSTICE HC
Written by JIM KRUEGER and ALEX ROSS
Art by ALEX ROSS and DOUG BRAITHWAITE
Cover by ALEX ROSS 
The best-selling 12-issue series illustrated by Alex Ross is now available as a single volume hardcover at DC’s standard trim size. 
The villains of the Legion of Doom — led by Lex Luthor and Brainiac — band together to save the world after a shared dream that seems to be a vision of the Earth’s demise. They are confronted by the Justice League of America, who doubt their motives—and as their true plans unfold the two teams do battle. 
On sale JULY 27 • 384 pg, FC, $39.99 US


Nuts. "It's all been building to this!" Seems to me like there might have been a little more waiting for us on the other side of issue #22, but sales are what drives this business.

Hmmm. Maybe a groundswell of support could save the book similar to what Spider-Girl enjoyed so many times. . .

Negative Monday 37 or Mike Hawthorne's Twart

Happy Monday friends! Happy Valentine's Day too! I wish I had some DP Valentines to send you all. Those could border on creepy, couldn't they? A card with Mento on it, or one with Crazy Jane. . . hmmmmm. . . .I think I might be on to something here. . .

At any rate, the Twartiness featuring the DP continues on. Mike Hawthorne, who I have to admit I am painfully unfamiliar with save for his Twart endeavors, has added this little piece.

Mike's got some Conan, Star Trek, and Fear Agent experience, but I'm not a regular reader of any of those.

Regardless, I thought it was a nice Negative Monday addition, as Larry is featured so prominently.

Speaking of creepy, I'm not sure what's up with the fella holding the mic with the hoody and Dr. Doom-like mask, but there it is. Not too sure about the snake either, maybe that's supposed to be Gar? Let's pretend it is.

At any rate, Mr. Hawthorne's DP looks pretty snazzy to me, I like the oddity of the tech Cliff is sporting here, and the bands around the tops of Larry's boots are a nice element that plays off his belt. More Twartiness still to come, my friends. Have a great Monday!

Declan Shalvey

More Twartiness from me to you.

Declan Shalvey's had a go at the Thunderbolts recently, and here's his masterful piece of DP loving.

Commentary and such are available here.

I love the movie poster vibe radiating off on this one.

Fowler Twart

Tom Fowler dropped an awesomeness bomb on the ComicTwart Doom Patrol goodness for the week.

Check out the awesomeness and the comments via clicky.

Heroclix - Beast Boy

I've got to admit, I'm enamored with Heroclix, but I have absolutely no clue how to play the game. The figure assortment allows for molded bits of plastic featuring characters who otherwise don't exist in the round. It also features tons and tons of characters that saturate the market otherwise, but it's a nice additional niche for comic fans to dip their collecting toes into.

I'll occassionally pick up a 'Clix (is that even proper slang?) or two at shows, and have amassed a nice collection of characters I like, including most of the Doom Patrol. Since we started talking about the role playing games with Gar, I think we'll start a Heroclix investigation with Salad Head, from the DC 75th Anniversary Heroclix set coming out that it includes a wide array of Gar.

While I don't have any of these new Beast Boys, I'm certainly keen on expanding the set I do have with, at the very least, the T-Rex. How awesome is that? I have less than no clue how to play this game, but that doesn't stop me from recognizing coolness. Hopefully some other Doom Patrollers will get some love in this 75th Anniversary set.

Here's a look at the first Gar Logan-related Heroclix, which branded the boy as "Changeling."

As I previously mentioned, I've got a pretty good cross-section of the DP, and it seems as though the Heroclix makers sought to make a cross-section rather than single out any one specific lineup. My Heroclix DP includes the Gar shown above, Elasti-Girl (sold as part of a Giants collection that included Chemo and Atom Smasher), Robotman, Mento, Chief, and Negative Woman. They'll all get a turn in the spotlight here eventually.

Salas' Doomed Twart

Continuing my love affair with this week's topic over on the ComicTwart, here's the latest from over there.

It's by Ron Salas and you can check out what he has to say about it, right here.

Francesco Francavilla's Twart

Francesco Francavilla delivered his Doom Patrol Twart piece today, and I love it!

I love it so much, I'm just going to tease it, just like Francesco did.

If you're not reading Detective Comics right now, you're missing out on some great Francavilla art in the Commissioner Gordon backup. Francavilla will also be handling the art for an entire issue coming up soon. Scott Snyder, of American Vampire fame, is penning the work over in Detective. Do yourself a favor, Patrollers, check that stuff out.

Francavilla's also working on Black Panther as well.

DP on DP

This DP is from DP - Dan Panosian. I loved ComicTwart before, but this week has been something else entirely.

Again, I point you to the Twart.

I can empathize with Larry as he's depicted here. That's the way I certainly felt after the last time I had my car's oil changed.

TWART is Doomed! (with awesomeness!)

Hey kids!
It's been a long, long time since I've posted, and I'm sorry. I've been very busy with work and busier still with extracurricular activities. But enough about me.

Let's talk about Comic Twart. For those of you that have never dared to click through some of the links I house to the right here, you've missed out - completely - on Twart. It's a collective of artists who draw characters and tweet the drawings. The artists choose a character and go from there, with each submitting their drawing. Check out the Twart to see the list of artists and the characters they've rendered to this point. There are some wonderfully fun choices, and some headscratchers, but the end result is enjoyable art all the way around.

Wellllllllllllllllllll, this week, Chris Samnee (I'm told it rhymes with "omni") stepped up and chose the Doom Patrol. I'm a big-time Chris Samnee fan as it is. His stuff was amazingly good on Thor: The Mighty Avenger, and his style is unlike many others. I've been patiently waiting to see what Chris does next, and given that he chose this week's topic, looks like he'll be doing THE DOOM PATROL! For a single drawing at least. Sorry, went all caps for the dramatic effect.

At any rate, the Twartists have started submitting their DP drawings, beginning with the newest Twartist of all: Dave Johnson. Johnson's no stranger to comics, but hasn't done much interior work of late (that I'm aware of, please let me know otherwise), opting for cover work. Naturally, he's a perfect match for the Twart.

I'll share the image with you here, but please, do yourself a favor and check out the site yourself. You will not be disappointed.

I like Johnson's work, especially his Freedom Fighters covers of late. Seeing him deliver Cliff Steele here is an amazing piece of work. Looks like it's going to be a good week.