Episode 119: The Last Stand of Sameness OR Extra-Special!

HUZZAH!

It's a brand new post that ALMOST matches up with a brand-new episode of Waiting for Doom! YAAAAAAAAY! This one covers the extra-special WFD Episode 119 where Mike welcomes in extra-special guest Rift for an extra-special conversation about the extra-special Doom Patrol/Justice League of America Special featuring the extra-special conclusion to the extra-special Milk Wars saga. Check out the link right here. 

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes! Turn and face the strange; ch-ch-changes! Milk Wars is gonna change the Pa-trol!
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes! Turn and face the strange; ch-ch-changes! Paul's sick, this ep Mike is joined by Rift-y!
Milk Wars will change things; but Young Animal will be fine...
Doom Clock - 14:30Doomsplaining - 18:12 - Mike and special guest co-host Rifty discuss the Milk Wars finale in Doom Patrol / Justice League of America #1! The end of this strange adventure, and the future of the Young Animal line, is brought to us by Steve Orlando, Gerard Way, Dale Eaglesham, Nick Derington, Clay Mann, Tamra Bonvillain, Marissa Louise, and Clem Robbins!Mailbag O Doom - 37:14 - We respond to listener feedback as well as responses to the last Question of the Week, 'Which comic creator would you make exclusive to which comic company?'

So how about some wonderful images and stuff?!?

Clay Mann & Marissa Louise knock out the cover. 

Ibrahim Moustafa lent a hand on some of the Rita Farr-centric pages. Very Passion Play. 

Punching some cows with Dale Eaglesham, Tamra Bonvillain, Marissa Louise, and Clem Robins. 

Exactly my reaction at this point in the comic. 

Question of the Week: 

It’s the solitary Question of the Week:

Who is your favourite loner character in comics?

At This Stage

Here's the screenshot of the expected release date for Doom Patrol #11 (as of this posting). 

There you go, my friends! A bunch of extra-special, Doom Patrolly Goodness! With only half the calories and 10% less sugar! 

"Wait! What happened to all of the other posts that should have happened?!" you ask. 

(Actually, I'm not sure you asked, since no one has left any comments yet. Fee l free to do so though)

"They'll be here soon," I reply,"I'm following the Young Animal Doom Patrol Guide for Sequential Material Releases."

DOOMed February 2018 Solicits!

Solicitations for DC's February 2018 releases were shared yesterday. Among the biggest of the announcements - and right at the top of the list just under Metal - is Milk Wars! Broken into five parts, starting January 31, here's how it all is scheduled to go down: 

Cover by Frank Quitely

JLA/DOOM PATROL SPECIAL #1
Written by STEVE ORLANDO and GERARD WAY
Art by ACO
Backup story written by MAGDALENE VISAGGIO
Backup story art by SONNY LIEW
Cover by FRANK QUITELY 
“MILK WARS” part one! Welcome to the un-event of the year! Kicking off a line-wide adventure, DC’s Young Animal collides with the DC Universe to bring you a different kind of crossover. 
The Doom Patrol has discovered that an interdimensional corporation called RetCo has been stealing stories, reconfiguring them and repackaging them for new markets. Our gang of misfit heroes have felt the touch of this nefarious company, and it has already started to change them. Even scarier, though, is how deeply RetCo has embedded itself into current continuity, using the radioactive milk of psychic cows to quell the more dangerous impulses of the Justice League and turn them into heroes safe for the masses. And to kick this off, RetCo has gone all the way to the top.
Meet Milkman Man, heretofore unknown final son of Krypton, who was sent to our planet to save him from the destruction of his homeworld, only to be adopted by an evil dairy farmer and raised to love all things dairy!
Co-plotted by Steve Orlando and Gerard Way, with art by ACO (MIDNIGHTER), this extra-sized special starts “Milk Wars” with a splash!
Plus, who is Eternity Girl, and how does she connect to this whole scheme? A special four-part back-up feature by Magdalene Visaggio (Kim and Kim) and Sonny Liew (The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye) begins here. 
RETRO-SOLICITED • ONE-SHOT • On sale JANUARY 31 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T+

A dark and Quitely Knight. 

MOTHER PANIC/BATMAN SPECIAL #1
Written by JODY HOUSER
Art by TY TEMPLETON
Backup story written by MAGDALENE VISAGGIO
Backup story art by SONNY LIEW
Cover by FRANK QUITELY 
“MILK WARS” part two! Mother Panic has discovered a Gotham City transformed. What happened to her family and friends? And who moved into Gather House, the religious school that scarred Mother Panic as a young girl? It’s Father Bruce, the orphan millionaire who decided to give back to society by filling the deep demand for sidekicks. So many Robins in need of a nest! Plus, part two of the Eternity Girl backup story!  
ONE-SHOT • On sale FEBRUARY 7 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T+

Quite Quitely. 

SHADE, THE CHANGING GIRL/WONDER WOMAN SPECIAL #1
Written by CECIL CASTELLUCCI
Art by MIRKA ANDOLFO
Backup story written by MAGDALENE VISAGGIO
Backup story art by SONNY LIEW
Cover by FRANK QUITELY 
“MILK WARS” part three! Shade has been split into multiple parts, each representing a different mood, all in service to the perfect and beautiful Wonder Wife. But Happy Shade is starting to sense that not all is right in Wonderland, and she finds something strange staring back at her on the other side of the looking glass! Plus, part three of the Eternity Girl backup story! 
ONE-SHOT • On sale FEBRUARY 14 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T+

CAVE CARSON HAS A CYBERNETIC EYE/SWAMP THING SPECIAL #1
Written by JON RIVERA
Art by LANGDON FOSS
Backup story written by MAGDALENE VISAGGIO
Backup story art by SONNY LIEW
Cover by FRANK QUITELY 
“MILK WARS” part four! Swamp Thing has detected a disturbance in the Green, and his hunt for it has led him to RetCo headquarters. There he finds Cave Carson and his crew struggling against being assimilated into RetCo’s diabolical narrative. Is it possible for Swampy and Cave to destroy the organization from the inside? Plus, find out how their efforts help Eternity Girl in the final installment of her backup story!
ONE-SHOT • On sale FEBRUARY 21 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T+

DOOM PATROL/JLA SPECIAL #1
Written by STEVE ORLANDO and GERARD WAY
Art by DALE EAGLESHAM and others
Cover by FRANK QUITELY 
“MILK WARS” finale! As RetCo’s foundation shatters, the Young Animal teams come together with the Justice League and even more DC Universe heroes to finish the job. The only problem is, Milkman Man and RetCo still stand in their way. To right reality, the heroes of Young Animal and the DC Universe will have to unlock an outrageous power never before seen on any world!
This mind-blowing conclusion will establish new realities for all of the DC’s Young Animal titles. Look for the return of Cave Carson, Shade and Mother Panic next month! 
ONE-SHOT • On sale FEBRUARY 28 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T+

Scheduled is the key word there. Hopefully everything stays according to plan and we wind up with a February full of Young Animal mischief! I don't know about the rest of you, but having a weekly Young Animal read every week during the crappiest month of the year sounds like a winner to me! 
What say you?

Also, here's a Nick Derington Twitter-shared sketch from yesterday. 

Tomorrow (or tonight, if your comic shop is playing along with the Doomsday Clock release party adventure) brings us Doom Patrol (V6) #9. Look for a post to match Waiting for Doom later this week. 

JULY 2017 YOUNG ANIMAL

The folks over at Multiversity Comics have the first peek at the July offerings from the Young Animal imprint, including the return of the Whole Patrol!

Gerard Way Q&A from NYC

Posted by DephaniaKilljoy, this video gives us a few answers from Doom Patrol volume 6 writer Gerard Way. And it also puts some nice dots on the page for those of us really hoping to score some more Doom Patrol swag. . . 

Waiting for Doom Episode 74: Yeah He's Found His Weird OR Good Job, Casey!

New week! New issue of Doom Patrol!! New episode of Waiting for Doom!!!

Here's the description of this week's podcast straight from the Podbean, wherein Paul and Mike discuss Doom Patrol #2 from Gerard Way, Nick Derington, Tamra Bonvillain, and Todd Klein:

Episode 74: Yeah He's Found His Weird
New week! New episode! New Doom Patrol! LET'S GET PATROLLING!

Down on Derington Way - 8:48|Doom Clock - 13:04|Doomsplaining

As the boys mentioned down on Derington Way, here's the clown sketch from Nick Derington's Twitter.

Not so much floating as being carried, I'd say. 

And, as an extra bonus, because I cannot get enough of Derington's art, I presume you feel the same way, so here's an early Casey Brinke sketch he recently shared. 

She looks a bit younger in this one. 

They also mentioned the interview from iO9 that Evan Narcisse conducted from New York Comic Con this past weekend. Of note, to me, is this quote:

You can't just have weirdness for weirdness's sake. - Gerard Way

Feel free to sound off with your own preferred quote from the interview. 

For now, let's catch up to what Mike and Paul discussed and share some images with y'all. I'm going to keep the commentary sparse, mostly just the captions, as I'll give y'all my own review of Doom Patrol #2 tomorrow. For now, if you need another take on the issue, check out what my pal, Mexi Gremillion had to say over at Comicosity. 

Here are the covers.

Nick Derington's cover. 

The Allred variant as delivered to us by ComicBook.com

Sweet. My LCS just so happened to have both covers at, well, cover price. So I got mine. How about you? Which cover did you get? 

Oh. That's interesting. No. I didn't really hear you. I pretended I did though, which was kind of fun. Feel free to drop your cover option in the comments below. 

Now let's get on to the panels. I'm putting these in story order, and completely resisting the urge to just drop in the entire issue below. That's why some bits are only panels. If you really want to see the whole thing, but you don't have, well, I guess that means you should go buy Doom Patrol #2, right? 

Anyway, here are some panels. 

The runner-up for Doug's Dig. 

All of page 6. 

"Brain milk." That's how my youngest daughter described this panel,
which is her favorite of the issue. 

Who do you suppose Terry's going to tell?

An interlude with Niles Caulder. 

Mike was so inspired by this scene he wrote a song on Twitter this week. 

A bit of a mess. 

I'm ready. 

In lieu of a "Next Issue" page or blurb, artist Dan McDaid gives us this: 

And now, it's time for Doug's Dig. 

So there you have it, Patrollers. Click back tomorrow to get my actual review of the issue. 

BUT WAIT! It wouldn't be a Waiting for Doom related post if I didn't give you the Question of the Week:
What's your favorite sequel?

DOOM PATROL SELL OUT!!!

The first issue of Volume 6 - all six covers!!! - has sold out. What does that mean? Well, that means we're going to get a seventh cover, of course!! 

Check out the news on Previews World and spread the word, Patrollers!  

And, yeah, the article does quote my review of #1 from Comicosity. 

November 2016 Young Animal and More!! OR Here's My List - Thanks!

DC's December solicits hit the 'net yesterday as I type this, which reminded me I never finished  the post for November. Now seems like as good a time as any. 

As a Michigander, I'm not a big fan of November: sloppy road conditions, congested traffic for holiday travel and shopping, and the emergence of winter. That said, what better time to plan to stay inside a bit and do some reading? With November, all four of the initial Young Animal books will be on the shelves, so here's the solicitation rundowns for them and their respective covers as gleaned from CBR.

Here's the Young Animal books in release order:

SHADE, THE CHANGING GIRL #2
Written by CECIL CASTELLUCCI 
Art by MARLEY ZARCONE 
Cover by BECKY CLOONAN 
Variant cover by CHYNNA CLUGSTON FLORES 
Shade has settled into her adopted human body, but the rest of her high school isn’t sure how to deal with this strange new behavior from the girl they once knew. The more Shade learns about Megan’s former life, the more she realizes everyone hates her. It’s one of many fresh sensations Shade is getting to know. Being a human is galaxies different than being from Meta, and it’s not going to be easy balancing all of that with the madness that brought her here. 
On sale NOVEMBER 2 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS

DOOM PATROL #3
Written by GERARD WAY
Art and cover by NICK DERINGTON
Variant cover by SIMON BISLEY
Casey Brinke has stepped through to the other side—but where exactly is that? Given all the bizarre, unexplainable things that have come into her life over the last couple of days—robot men and talking ambulances and a guy who literally thrives on negative energy—surely this new and surprising world she has uncovered can’t be any weirder. Right?
On sale NOVEMBER 9 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS

MOTHER PANIC #1

Written by JODY HOUSER
Art and cover by TOMMY LEE EDWARDS
Variant cover by PAUL POPE
Variant cover by BENGAL
Meet Violet Paige, a celebutante with a bad attitude and a temper to match, who no one suspects of having anything lying beneath the surface of her outrageous exploits. But Violet isn’t just another bored heiress in the upper echelons of Gotham City’s elite. Motivated by her traumatic youth, Violet seeks to exact vengeance on her privileged peers as the terrifying new vigilante known only as Mother Panic.
On sale NOVEMBER 9 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS

CAVE CARSON HAS A CYBERNETIC EYE #2

Written by GERARD WAY and JON RIVERA
Art and cover by MICHAEL AVON OEMING
Variant cover by MATT WILSON
Something is rotten in the subterranean state of Muldroog, the ancestral home of Cave’s wife Eileen (a.k.a. Princess Mazra P’thrall), forcing Cave to step out of adventurer retirement to solve this mystery. To do that, he must to steal a massive piece of mobile technology and recruit an old friend for this mission. Also in this issue: How Cave got that cybernetic eye. And explosions. Lots and lots of explosions.
On sale NOVEMBER 16 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS

Last month I tagged Superman, Deadman, and Hawkman & Adam Strange. This month, DC has my attention with:
Deathstroke
Like a game of Six Degrees of Separation, Deathstroke connects to the Doom Patrol, but regardless of connections, this book is (literally) killer.



DEATHSTROKE #6

Written by CHRISTOPHER PRIEST
Art by CARLO PAGULAYAN and JASON PAZ
Cover by ACO
Variant covers by SHANE DAVIS
“The Professional” part six! Deathstroke’s honor is put to the test when he must help a tyrannical despot—Ja Zaki, a.k.a. The Red Lion—stop a civil war that he inadvertently caused. Plus: Enter Jericho!
On sale NOVEMBER 9 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

DEATHSTROKE #7
Written by CHRISTOPHER PRIEST
Art by CARLO PAGULAYAN and JASON PAZ
Cover by ACO
Variant cover by SHANE DAVIS
“The Professional” part seven! After Deathstroke confronts the enemy behind Wintergreen’s abduction and the attempted murder of his daughter, he soon finds himself abandoned on a suicide mission where he confronts an unbeatable foe—the Man of Steel!
On sale NOVEMBER 23 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
About time one of the Big Two comic companies tried something like this again. With the professional development courses DC is offering nowadays, it makes too much sense to not happen. I'm intrigued to see what tomorrow's comic book creators have in store for us today (even if some of the folks listed have books on the racks already!).

NEW TALENT SHOWCASE #1
Written by VITA AYALA, EMMA BEEBY, JOELLE JONES, HENA KHAN, MICHAL MCMILLIAN, MICHAEL MORECI, ERICA SCHULTZ, CHRIS SEBELA and ADAM SMITH
Art by BARNABY BAGENDA, JUAN FERREYRA, SONNY LIEW, DAVID MESSINA, KHARY RANDOLPH and more
Cover by KLAUS JANSON
In this new one-shot, Wonder Woman unleashes her true god of war against a parade of monsters! Superman discovers a new threat that might be bigger and badder than the joker himself! Hawkgirl solves crimes in the weird weapons unit for the GCPD! Carol Ferris and Kyle Rayner fight about ice cream in space! You’ll find all of this and so much more in NEW TALENT SHOWCASE #1, where recent graduate writers from the inaugural DC Talent Development workshop showcase some of their strongest work yet! See what they’ve learned from masters of the craft Scott Snyder, Jim Lee and Klaus Janson.
ONE-SHOT • On sale NOVEMBER 30 • 80 pg, FC, $7.99 US • RATED T

Art and Franco. Franco and Art. Always enjoyable and frequently fun.

SUPER POWERS #1

Written by ART BALTAZAR and FRANCO
Art and cover by ART BALTAZAR
Variant cover by FRANCO
Blank variant cover
Aw yeah, the World’s Greatest Heroes are back in a new, all-ages miniseries—except for Batman! Superman helps out by cleaning up in Gotham City, where he discovers a clue that sends Wonder Woman into space to find the Caped Crusader. Her journey brings her a step closer to Batman, but can she uncover the truth behind his disappearance? From the award-winning creative team that brought you TINY TITANS and SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES!
On sale NOVEMBER 23 • 32 pg, FC, 1 of 6, $2.99 US • RATED E


So there you have it, folks! Seven books to look out for in November (which is waaaaay too close for my preference). What are YOU looking forward to? 

Waiting for Doom Episode 71: The Wait is Over OR Gyros for Everyone!

IT
IS
FINALLY

HERE!!!

Two of my favorite Australians, Garve and Flanger grabbed their gyro covers, peeled off the stickers, slapped them on each other's foreheads and gave us Episode 71 of Waiting for Doom! You can get yours (Episode #71, not gyro sticker) right here on Comicosity.

Fire up the action chair, question normality, and take a drink (preferably a large one) as your favourite Patrologists get their hot hands on a comic they’ve been waiting for all this time: an all new Doom Patrol #1. What a time to be alive! LET’S GET PATROLLING!

• Down on Derington Way – 6:11

• Doom Clock – 7:48

• Doomsplaining – 10:55 – The moment we thought may never happen is finally here. Doom Patrol Volume 6, Issue 1. The beginning of the Way/Derington era! Enjoy. Potential spoilers for those who are yet to read this issue.

• Mailbag O Doom – 49:43 – We read your responses to the question, “What is something you didn’t know about comics at first?”

The bulk of the issue focuses on the introduction of Casey Brinke and her EMT partner Sam. It gets a little existential, but in a fun way, and, as the boys note in the podcast, Sam and Casey are immediately likeable.

Maybe we're all inside of someone else's gyro. 

Cliff even appears in this first issue of Doom Patrol. 

Could we actually be seeing Crazy Jane as well? 

I debated sharing this page, but how could I not? Just look at Niles Caulder's self-satisfaction in that bottom panel. Great job to Nick Derington! 

And Cliff fights his way back to our world, if for no other reason than to remind you to drink. 

DRINK.

Later on in the issue we meet Terry None through events that are rather spectacular. And bizarre. And bizarrely spectacular. 

The beginnings of a whole new Patrol? 

Zero days since the last Doom Patrol book. Well, maybe A day right now, but go back and re-read it! 

Or check out my review of Doom Patrol #1 over on Comicosity. 

One more shoutout to my LCS, Pieces & Pages for hooking me up with a Doom Patrol poster. And a Cave Carson poster. And a Shade, the Changing Girl poster. And a Mother Panic poster. Good people and good stuff over at Pieces & Pages. 

Question of the week: What did YOU think about the new DOOM PATROL #1? 

Way Aggregator - An Interview Collection

While we count down the last few Doom Patrol-less hours of 2016, I thought it might be helpful to pool all of the Gerard Way interviews. Y'know, in case you need something to read or watch while you're waiting to put your paws on the first Young Animal comic. 

Here's a bit from Blastr. 

CBR's interview can be found here. 


Rolling Stone had a sitdown with Way. 


PI Culture Blogs has an interview with him on YouTube. 

So does DC Comics. In this one, Way says, ". . . it's in a really strange place for Cliff to be. . ." Having read it, I can say, yeah. Yeah it is. Even for the Doom Patrol. 

AV Club was among the first to provide us with the solicits.

ComicBook.com sat down with Way and his Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye co-writer, Jon Rivera. 

Comicsbeat has this one for you. 

Of course you can find something about Way and the Young Animal imprint on EW.

. . .and let's close this one out with a bit from io9.


All of these bits are naturally copyrighted wherever the link takes you. All links shared under fair use. 

COMIXOLOGY SALE on Young Animal!

PATROLLERS!
Comixology is having an Intro to Young Animal sale! 

Morrison Doom Patrol! Most (all?) of the Vertigo Shade series! And Resurrection Man?! And War of the Gods?!? And The War That Time Forgot?!?!?! 

Huh.

I can see the Resurrection Man tie-in (I think) as Cave Carson appears with Resurrection Man in the banner on the sale page, but I'm not sure how the other pieces click in to Young Animal beyond the obvious Shade connection. 

I might pick up some of the Resurrection Man issues, since there is an obvious Forgotten Heroes homage or angle there and I didn't read the series the first time out. Might even dip my toe into that War That Time Forgot. 

How about y'all? Anyone going digital on the Doom Patrol? Plugging some holes or upgrading? 

The gents on Waiting for Doom will be covering Doom Patrol #53 this week, which is in this sale, if you want to follow along for 99¢. 

Sound off below and let us know how you're taking advantage of this sale. 

VARIANTS!

The fine folks over at ComicBook.com have an exclusive reveal of all of the variant covers for the Young Animal releases in October. Check out the full article here. 

As for the Doom Patrol precisely, here's the variant, courtesy of Mike Allred. 

I'm not a big variant guy, unless it's an action figure cover by John Tyler Christopher, but these Doom Patrol (and Young Animal on a larger scale) variants are all topnotch. 

YOUNG ANIMAL GROWS! OR A Very Sneaky Negative Monday

The October (really?! October?!) solicits for DC Comics hit the internets today. Well, technically, they hit sometime last week in some leak or some other thing, but, really, officially, they hit today. 

Gerard Way's Young Animal imprint triples in size, with Cave Carson and Shade, the Changing Girl joining the pull lists of many a comic book reader. 

The one we all REALLY care about, though, is 
DOOM PATROL #2
Written by GERARD WAY
Art and cover by NICK DERINGTON
Variant cover by MICHAEL ALLRED
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details. 
What happened to Larry Trainor? The hero known as Negative Man is still out there, but he’s not exactly the same guy he was back when Doom Patrol was still together. Like a Russian doll, there is man inside the man, and who knows how many other men inside of them, with the guy on top possessing a mind for mischief that incites violence.
Meanwhile, Casey has started rebuilding Robotman, even though she still doesn’t know exactly how Cliff Steele ended up crossing her path in the first place.
On sale OCTOBER 12 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS

You can catch the full solicits for DC Comics in October 2016 right here. 


This month I'm going to try something new. Every solicit going forward, starting right here, I'm going to take a spin through the DC titles and match the number of Young Animal titles with titles I'm going to take a look at and read. I'll do something quick about them once I've read them either in the form of a review over on Comicosity or on my other comic book catch-all blog: Tales of My Greatest Strange Adventures. 

Here we go:
Superman #8. I'm a big fan of Tomasi and Gleason working together. Add in a cover (and more?) by Doug Mahnke and dinosaurs, and I cannot even begin to present an argument against this book. 

The Prestige Format returns for Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love #1, written by Sarah Vaughn and drawn by Lan Medina. Boston Brand is one of my absolute favorite characters and just the thought of having two of Arnold Drake's creations available in their own titles in the same month is fantastic.

Hawkman is another character near to my heart, no matter how crappy the previous incarnation may or may not have been handled. All that matters now is that Hawkman and Adam Strange team up as once more Rann and Thanagar just can't seem to get along in Hawkman and Adam Strange: Out of Time #1. Marc Andreyko writes this one and Aaron Lopresti draws it, and I can't wait, even if it will be October. 

There ya go. Some Young Animal solicits and some books to keep an eye for as well.

How about you, gentle readers? Will you be buying all of the Young Animal stuff? What about the other three recommendations? Better yet, any books YOU are looking forward to the most?