Doom Patrol #121 (1968)
by Arnold Drake & Bruno Premiani
cover by Joe Orlando
Despite the title, this wasn’t just the beginning of the end for the Doom Patrol… it was just the end of the series.
Weirdly enough, penciler Bruno Premiani and editor Murray Boltinoff start the story by breaking the fourth wall. That’s already unusual, but also weird to have the editor instead of writer Arnold Drake… I’m guessing he wasn’t keen on ending the series.
Premiani in particular doesn’t want the Doom Patrol to die.
The heroes are actually quite fond of having been part of the team…
…except Robotman, which is VERY on brand for him.
But after that odd fourth wall break, we REALLY begin with Madame Rouge attacking the Brotherhood of Evil. Which, since both General Immortus and Garguax have already left, only includes The Brain and Monsieur Mallah.
And then Madame Rouge bawha-wha-whooms the Brotherhood.
Spoiler alert: we will learn waaaaaaaaay later that they’re still alive.
In fact, MOST of the people who die in this story would eventually be revealed to have survived.
Comics, everybody!
Another spoiler: the Doom Patrol relaunch will feature Chief’s wife.
But apparently Madame Rouge was still the first woman he loved… and despite the marriage being a retcon, it still kind of fits.
After that warning shot, Madame Rouge tries to just shoot him in a drive-by.
Which doesn’t work, but it’s just a ruse to have Robotman carry a hidden bomb inside.
You know, if Madame Rouge had been THIS awesome maybe the series would have lasted longer!!!
Mento is STILL complaining about Elasti-Girl having adventures with the Doom Patrol, while SHE is still being supportive of his job.
Sometimes I wonder if I’m being too harsh on Mento.
And then he throws a fit when his wife wants to visit her father figure after he’s survived an assassination attempt.
You know superheroes mean business when they’re PACKING HEAT.
Madame Rouge is going all-out, ordering a bunch of helicopters to OPEN FIRE ON THE DOOM PATROL BASE.
Where the heck was THIS Doom Patrol in the last, say, twenty issues? THIS IS AWESOME!
This are so bad that THE US GOVERNMENT asks the Doom Patrol to move their base out of the city. Which honestly is way more realistic than what usually happens with superheroes, considering the ludicrous amounts of property damages that follow them.
The Doom Patrol is having none of it.
Also, while the emphasis is on protecting the heroes… isn’t this kind of a prototype of superhero registration?
Chief agrees with the request.
I’ve previously called the Doom Patrol “the most Marvel of all DC series in the Silver Age”.
And while it definitely got lost along the way around the midpoint of the series, it’s VERY apparent here.
You probably figured out that the reason why Chief agreed to leave is that he already has a new base ready for the team.
What you probably didn’t anticipate is that he has his own private army base ready!!!
You might also have wondered how the heck can Madame Rouge, a former French movie star, able to get her hands on all this military equipment.
That’s because she allied herself with a Nazi, General Zahl to be precise, who wants revenge on Chief for having invented radar in World War II (what?).
Despite the HUGE importance General Zahl has on this series, this is his first appearance; he’s not connected to any Nazi who showed up in previous issues.
Still, it’s just a bunch of regular humans against superheroes. How dangerous could they possibly be?
VERY dangerous, because out of nowhere General Zahl has the perfect weapons to counteract the Doom Patrol.
That include “radio resistant sand” that can block Negative Man’s powers…
…and a net that can trap Elasti-Girl.
This one doesn’t make any sense: even if she can’t break it and if it’s too heavy for her to lift if she returns to regular size… what’s stopping her from shrinking to being one inch tall and sneak past it?
He also magnetizes Robotman so that he can’t move, and Chief… well he doesn’t do anything to Chief.
This would normally be where the villain just kills the heroes…
…but Zahl wants to destroy their spirits, not their bodies.
So he’s holding hostage a small nearby fishing village…
…and he will spare the Doom Patrol only if they beg him to kill the village instead.
The Doom Patrol does the heroic thing, including a somewhat cheesy reference to the pilgrims and to the Bible.
It is important to note that Madame Rouge doesn’t REALLY want to kill the Doom Patrol… her revenge against Chief for messing with her mind is to show them that they’re not better than her.
Except the Doom Patrol would rather die than allow the senseless deaths of some civilians.
AND THEY DO.
Who would’ve thought General Zahl wouldn’t keep his word.
Jokes aside, this is a powerful moment that showcases the heights of heroism.
(even if I think that Elasti-Girl should logically have escaped from that net)
Aren’t you glad you wasted your last moments with your wife instead of using your powers to actually help her?
Mento dedicates the rest of his life to avenge Elasti-Girl’s death (he won’t), and we close with a plea from the editor: will the readers save the Doom Patrol?
Well, it will take another NINE YEARS for an attempt for a relaunch, so I’m guessing the readers weren’t particularly interested.
Historical significance: 10/10
Vital for the various relaunches, but also for Beast Boy’s character growth.
As mentioned, MOST people who seem to die here are eventually revealed to have survived:
1977: Robotman
1981: Brain and Mallah
1987: Negative Man
1988: Chief
2004: Elasti-Girl is KIND OF resurrected… it’s complicated and dumb.
Silver Age-ness: 3/10
Just because of the fourth wall stuff.
Does it stand the test of time? 8/10
If it wasn’t for that pesky fourth wall break which feels VERY out of place, the fact that General Zahl is out of nowhere (his role should’ve been taken by General Immortus), and the fact that the trap for the heroes isn’t very believable… this might even have warranted a 10/10, as I don’t have other complains. Where was THIS Doom Patrol hiding in the previous couple of years???
The ending might have been abrupt, but it was REALLY ahead of its time.
Times Robotman has been damaged: 31
Issues when Robotman is never damaged: 20
Number of Robotman robot bodies: 8
And that’s a wrap on the series! Doom Patrol would continue until #124, but the last issues were reprints. We are not quite done with the retrospective though, because I’ll give a quick overlook at the second incarnation of the team and at the Teen Titans storyline that acts as the epilogue of this very story.
Next time, however: the Doom Awards!