Doom Patrol #106 (1966)
by Arnold Drake & Bruno Premiani
Now that the Robotman serial is mercifully over, it’s replaced by a Negative Man one.
It’s a good idea, as I think that up to this point he’s the member of the team we know the last about.
This acts as an extended origin story for Negative Man, which is easier to accomplish than for Robotman since he actually has an active role in it.
The Doom Patrol is compared to the X-Men all the time for good reasons: they debuted very close to each other and they’re both teams of misfits.
But the influence of the Fantastic Four is quite visible in their dynamics, and of course Negative Man’s origin of being hit by cosmic rays is quite on the nose.
Whenever DC Comics needs a badass pilot, they always go to Hal Jordan. Which I find baffling because I don’t see Hal managing to pilot AND LAND an experimental plane while UNCONCIOUS FOR MOST OF THE FLIGHT.
The pilot makes it out alive, but this doesn’t really help his looks.
His first use of his new powers is to call the attention of the rescue plane.
Much to the horror of the guy rescuing him!
Has Premiani done any work on horror stories? He seems to be a natural, going by this delightfully terrifying panel!
Good thing the 60s were so full of radioactive stuff running around that a lead-lined truck is always around the corner.
Then again this is the Silver Age DC Universe, where like 5% of the Earth’s mass was Kryptonite.
The fact that Negative Man is given this much stuff to eat at an hospital is more far-fetched than them having some Discount Doctor Octopus arms.
Surprisingly enough, Negative Man’s mother is a character in this serial!
Too bad he literally has a face that not even his mother could love.
I mentioned the DC connection earlier, but honestly sometimes I kind of forget the Doom Patrol is a DC series. Possibly because I think that it’s the only series that acknowledges that RADIATION IS HARMFUL TO HUMANS and not just Kryptonians.
This is to set up that Chief is the only reason Negative Man is able to get out of his radiation-proof cage, since he’s the one who invented Anti-Radiation Bandages™.
Which I don’t mind too much, but since Chief is already linked to Robotman’s origin… is this also going to break continuity?
Negative Man is initially ecstatic about being able to get out into the public again…
…until he actually meets people.
Which I guess makes him the most relatable superhero ever.
But as a superhero story, the chance to have an adventure is right around the corner.
Although A HOSTAGE TIED TO A TIME BOMB might be a little too hardcore!!!
You’d expect him to use the energy body to search all those cars at the speed of light, but instead he uses X-Rays to turn cars invisible.
Either Premiani is making an unusual attempt at a weird perspective that doesn’t really work, or Negative Man used to have stretching powers.
Good news: he saved the girl!
Bad news: he’s still a horrifying radioactive skeleton.
Also she took so much radiation during this adventure that she eventually looses her hair.
At least she gets a happy ending by becoming a model for a famous Norwegian artist.
We actually have an example of her work!
And that’s already our depressing finale.
Historical significance: 2/10
We don’t really learn anything groundbreaking. Except maybe the acknowledgment that Chief was the one who created the original bandages, but I believe it was mentioned before.
Silver Age-ness: 8/10
Only in the Silver Age you’re not asking yourself “how is the girl in the trunk still alive?”. Unless you’re being a smartass during a review.
Does it stand the test of time? 10/10
Wonky science aside, you can basically do the entire thing today. It’s a VERY straightforward origin story, which on one hand is refreshing but on the other is very bare bones.
However I must praise this WAY above Robotman’s story because this actually feels like the origin of a hero, since Negative Man genuinely tries to do the right thing… while Robotman was just going on an insane crime spree.