Doom #1

DOOM #1 (1996)
written by Steve Behling and Michael Stewart
art by Tom Grindberg

Considering the grudge between Doctor Doom and Mephisto, it was only a matter of time before he attacked Hell itself.

It’s a little strange to see Doom going into battle without his armor, but it’s not like he actually needs it.

Just in case you were wondering why Doom stopped using the gun he used to carry around: “guns are for wusses”.

Being the smartest man on the planet, Doom figures out that being huge means you have huge guts. That’s just plain logic.

Guns are for wusses people who don’t need to fight a huge-ass demon.

Now… we don’t actually know where we are, what Doom is doing here and why he’s without his armor or his scars, or why there are demons and zombies running around.
But there IS a chainsaw, so everything works out.

Except, and this is where the comic jumps from pretty generic to revolutionary, why use a chainsaw when you can trade your gun… for a bigger gun?

Truly one of the best romantic scenes in the history of comics.

I have to admit, I was pretty skeptical when I was first introduced to this interpretation of Doom; but it’s clear now that this is supposed to be a prequel that expands on how he gets his scars.

Don’t get fooled by what I’ve shown so far. This comic focuses on strong characterization and good dialogue, but there’s also some action.

As always, Doom is a master of clever insults.

And a thousand memes were born.

But the legendary status of this glorious panel doesn’t even capture its depth, because while the “Now I’m radioactive! That can’t be good!” speech is memorized by every comic book fan, the rest of the panel is actually a serious environmental message.

I stand corrected. THIS is the best romantic scene in the history of comics.

Wise words for the ages.

And so we end with Doom defeating a cyber-demon with roughly a gazillion bullets.

Amen to that indeed.

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Doom significance: 10/10
Turning Doctor Doom from a science wizard wearing power armor into a testosterone-fueled dudebro high on fumes was a risky move, but it completely redefined the character for the 90s.

Silver Age-ness: 10/10
Sure it would not have passed the Comics Code in the 60s, but don’t tell me you don’t see Doctor Doom slicing through demons and surviving a swim into radioactive waste.

Does it stand the test of time? 12/10
Stan Lee used to argue that if you could get Shakespeare to write a story and Rembrandt to illustrate it, no one would contest the fact that it was art. Clearly he didn’t anticipate that someone would produce a comic that would put even that to shame.

It was a Doombot all along
Doobots are for wussies!!!

Crazy tech
Doom needs no tech! He’s a 12.0 on the 10.0 scale of badness!

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April fool’s!!!

Obviously this comic has absolutely nothing to do with Doctor Doom.
It’s a 16 page promotional comic for the Doom videogame, which would’ve been rightfully lost to the dust bin of crappy 90s comics if it wasn’t ABSOLUTELY BONKERS.