Doom Patrol #100 (1965)
by Arnold Drake & Brubo Premiani
In the same issue that gave us Beast Boy’s origin story, Robotman also gets an extended origin.
I’m guessing he was the most popular member of the team, considering this will be a four-part serial spread across different issues.
Although the part dedicated to how he became Robotman is VERY short: we spend only TWO panels before he’s injured.
And we’re already at the point where his brain is being transplanted into the robot.
As always, Robotman’s origin is sheer body horror.
It’s hard not to sympathize with his anger here, considering how everyone keeps telling him he should be grateful and suck it up.
Although maybe he’s overdoing this a little.
These guys look a liiiiittle too excited at the prospect of restraining someone.
Robotman keeps rampaging until Chief knocks him out with gas.
You’d expect this to transition to him meeting the Doom Patrol and end the story.
But no, we’re now introducing an extended continuity insert saying that Robotman was considered a threat to humanity for a while.
On Chief’s recommendation, they try to reason with Robotman…
…and they fail miserably.
This certainly puts into a different light the idea that the general public doesn’t trust the Doom Patrol. Which has BARELY been used up to this point, but really, could you blame them for being suspicious?
And he’s such a threat that the Mayor wants to use nuclear weapons? WHAT!?!?!?
If you’re thinking this is incredibly out of character for Robotman: you’re right, Chief accidentally turned him evil.
Robotman decides to strike at a baseball stadium, with is drawn with gorgeous details by Premiani.
Specifically he’s threatening to KILL EVERYONE with electricity.
Although given the alternative, is he truly evil?
(Apologies to baseball fans. I will never understand you.)
And so we end the first part of this serial with the still evil Robotman facing the man who turned him into a robot… something that breaks continuity, because remember that he didn’t know Chief was the same guy at the beginning of the first Doom Patrol story.
Historical significance: 0/10
I’m reasonably sure nothing added to the origin after the accident is going to stick.
Silver Age-ness: 6/10
It’s THAT easy to turn someone evil.
Does it stand the test of time? 4/10
The beginning is very solid, with the usual Robotman body horror and frustration. However once he becomes evil he’s basically a completely different character, so what’s even the point?
It’s also 7 ½ pages long, which doesn’t help.
Hey I’ve just thought about something. Will you cover the Doom/Doomsday fusion from the Amalgam universe ? That’s a story from the 90s you didn’t do.
I might come back to it when I get to the next batch of What Ifs.
“…something that breaks continuity, because remember that he didn’t know Chief was the same guy at the beginning of the first Doom Patrol story.” I don’t know what the next three parts reveal, but he clearly doesn’t know Chief is his maker here either. If he did he’d have said “The guy who put me in this metal body – YOU made the mistake.” rather than “- HE made the mistake.” He doesn’t connect “Whiskers” to that at all yet. Unless Chief tells him he’s responsible later on, continuity is preserved.