Doom Patrol #98 (1965)
by Arnold Drake & Bruno Premiani
Am I the only one who thinks this looks like a Metal Men cover?
We begin with the end of the Doom Patrol.
That’s right: Chief just ends it because the team has not captured a single villain.
Historical significance: 6/10
A new Doom Patrol will be introduced in 1977, but won’t be as successful as the original team.
Silver Age-ness: 1/10
Chief is forgetting that the Doom Patrol actually HAS taken care permanently of some villains, just not the interesting ones.
Does it stand the test of time? 1/10
I can grant that it’s kind of realistic to have the team disband if it’s not working out, but what was up with the cover promising a whole story?
Well that WOULD be the ending if the rest of the team didn’t have any other plans.
Namely, construction working!
I’m kind of surprised they’re doing this for their own base and not to get a job, because construction work seems to ALWAYS be the default option when superheroes need to get a job.
Meet the NEW headquarters of the Doom Patrol, people!
Which is a copy of the original headquarters, since Negative Man copied the blueprints.
That’s all well and good, but how are they paying for all this stuff???
I suppose Elasti-Girl must have money left from her acting career, but it can’t be THAT much.
Notice Robotman once again taking the side of everyone Elasti-Girl cares for, much like he did for Mento.
But why would Chief abandon the Doom Patrol? Because he discovered he’s dying of Mentor Figure Disease.
Yeah you care about them SO much that you abandoned them with no money, no resources, nobody to fix Robotman’s body, nobody to find a cure, nobody to check if Elasti-Girl’s powers are still killing her (remember THAT plot?), and making them think that the only person who showed compassion for their condition actually hated them.
That’s MUCH better than using the last three months of your life to actually help them get through this.
Chief is just. The. Worst.
And then THIS GUY decides to rob a bank.
This is Mr. 103, who has the power to transform himself into any of the 103 elements known at the time.
He’s basically Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man with a more limited range and a shorter name.
Although that depends on how you read “Mr. 103”. I’m assuming you’re supposed to read it as “Mr. One-Oh-Three” which is kind of catchy, but conceivably he could be “Mr. One Hundred and Three”.
I cannot believe this guy is not a Metal Men foe.
The Doom Patrol is on the case, deciding to use their supercomputer to figure out the secret identity of Mr. One Hundred and Three.
I get this is 1965 so nobody took a picture and there were not CCTVs, but couldn’t you just get a sketch from the bank’s guards? It can’t be so difficult to remember THIS FACE.
Too bad nothing is happening in this big metropolitan city.
But eventually Negative Man spots Mr. One Hundred and Three trying to rob another bank.
Alright, I can buy that he can turn into different elements and I can buy that he can change his shape once he’s transformed…
…but I can’t buy he can do THIS without a couple of additional powers.
Arnold Drake does this bit SO many times throughout the course of the series that at this point I’m convinced he actually believes radioactivity makes everything invisible except bones.
Well that’s embarrassing. It’s hard losing to Lead without losing your dignity.
I think this might be the only time ever when Negative Man stays still and Larry is the one reconnecting the two.
And so the team IMMEDIATELY decides to get back to Chief.
Also, Robotman, you might be confusing Mr. One Hundred and Three with Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man.
Holy crap did things get serious! This must’ve been shocking to see in 1965.
But he’s not dead, just barely alive and surviving thanks to an iron lung.
Incidentally, at the time of this writing there is only ONE patient in the entire United States still using an iron long.
The team finds Mr. One Hundred and Three’s base, where he’s subjecting himself to an experiment.
But that’s completely useless since he immediately escapes.
With that NOT taken care of, time to find out why Chief is dying.
At least the science is believable by comic book standards, since there ARE radioactive isotopes of copper.
Chief deduces that this guy basically accidentally gave himself powers when he disintegrated himself.
So he’s basically Dr. Manhattan with pants.
Mr. One Hundred and Three has basically zero personality and spends the entire time just dumping science lessons, but man does the Premiani artwork elevate this!
The Doom Patrol tricks him into transforming into nitrogen, which can conveniently be frozen by one of Chief’s weapons.
By the way nitrogen CAN freeze at −210°C (−346°F).
As you might have expected, the team is going to use the machine to cure Chief.
Although I thought they were going to transmute radioactive copper into something harmless, but instead they transmute HIM into copper!!!
So now Chief is cured, and the Doom Patrol donates the new headquarters to an orphanage.
Those orphans will sure appreciate the rocketship in the basement.
Historical significance: 4/10
Mr.103 will meet the original Doom Patrol another two times, and manages to stick around with another few apperances here and there before being killed off in 2005.
He’s technically more successful than Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man, but he doesn’t seem to have captured readers the same way.
Silver Age-ness: 8/10
That is some peak Silver Age science, but slightly lowered by having the courage to show some harsh imagery.
Does it stand the test of time? 7/10
It’s not a bad story, but it has two things that hold it back: Chief pushing away the Doom Patrol (which is as cliché as they come and is dropped almost immediately), and the fact that Mr.103 is extremely bland as a character. Not that AVM Man was particularly deep, but he brought a level of sheer horror that just isn’t there with this Metamorpho wannabe.
Times Robotman has been damaged: 11
Issues when Robotman is never damaged: 10
Interesting letters: the Doom Patrol was doing well with the public.
The Doom Patrol was nominated, but the Fantastic Four actually won; I couldn’t find by how much, since not all percentages of the vote are recorded.
I did manage to recover the results of the 1964 Alley Awards; other winners include:
Best editor: Stan Lee, with Julie Schwartz in second place.
Best writer: Stan Lee again, with Garner Fox second place.
Best hero: Spider-Man
Best villain: Doctor Doom
Best New Strip: Captain America
Strip Most Desired For Revival: the Spectre
Best Supporting Character:
1) The Thing (with over 50% of the vote)
2) J. Jonah Jameson
3) Hawkgirl
4) Cyclops
I don’t think we’re using the same definition of “Supporting Character” here, since I would count everyone except JJJ as a protagonist.
Best Adventure Hero Comic Book:
1) Amazing Spider-Man (39% of the vote)
2) Fantastic Four (26% of the vote)
3) Hawkman (19% of the vote)
Best artist:
1) Carmine Infantino (26% of the vote)
2) Russ Manning (23% of the vote
3) Jack Kirby (19% of the vote)
Worst Regularly published Comic:
1) Wonder Woman (46% of the vote)
2) Superman (8% of the vote)