DOOM PATROL #10 By Leroy Douresseaux May 21, 2005 - 9:54:00 PM

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DOOM PATROL #10
WRITER: John Byrne
PENCILS: John Byrne
INKS: Doug Hazelwood
32 pp., color, $2.50
COVER: John Byrne

John Byrne’s DOOM PATROL has been so up and down in terms of quality that, in a tight market, it’s hard to imagine that its sales wouldn’t slip gradually every month. In fact, everything about the book is uneven, but issue 10 stands out as a good issue. Entitled “Hearts & Minds,” the issue depicts some of the events that led to the partnership of “junior” DP members Nudge & Grunt. Heartbreaking and poignant, the story rings with truth in its portrayal of how misfortune can destroy and ruin young lives.

Byrne’s script moves between two plots: Nudge & Grunt’s “origin” and the Doom Patrol’s attempt to help guest star Metamorpho, who went on a rampage in issue nine, control his powers. The latter plot line is barely of mild interest, being mostly a series of talking heads. On the other hand, the former is a smoothly flowing tale of family drama, teen melodrama, and horror in which a group of young people fight to maintain control of their lives in a world going crazy.

The art is also a mixed bag. Byrne can certainly draw, and he certainly understands storytelling by narrative art, but the actual art is average. There is something strange here, a mixture of blandness and a lack of inspiration. I think some call it hackwork – shortcuts instead of visual shorthand, characters with vague physical characteristics and facial features, and mediocre figure drawing. In spite of that, there are several moments when Byrne’s pencil strikes the right note, but ultimately this is pedestrian fare.

I buy this every month because I’m still a huge Byrne fan. However, until this series really heats up, there is no longer any reason to repeat the same criticisms. C+

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