Man, the order of stories in this comic is totally reversed. The Metal Men backup is funny, entertaining, and has great characters. The lead with the Doom Patrol is weird and too cerebral for me. The odd style of interjecting journals to provide background is somewhat effective, but there has been very little combat so far. I'm not even sure how Mento used Elasti-Girl to shut down the sentient black hole. Having Mento be a pervert who "rode-along" in EG's mind is an interesting idea. I like that he thought he was catering to her every whim to make her happy, but at the same time she had no privacy and he was actually controlling her when she'd be asleep. That's villain-behavior. Having Chief being ok with covering it up makes him not much better than a villain too, especially since Cheif seems to have all the weirdness on tape. Giffen does play up the differences in the cast when he has the Chief talk about how Robot Man and Elasti-Girl feel the need to "Tilt at Windmills" for the greater good.Matthew Clark's artwork is fine. I liked his take on the Mento helmet in particular. I would have preferred the climax with the black hole be a little clearer though.
The Metal Men strip is essentially a comedy fluff piece, but it is great. This is the most I've ever liked the Metal Men. Giffen and DeMatteis have given the group a wonderful set of conflicting personalities. The extra panel time spent with Copper this issue is a treat too. She's a fun addition to the group. Kevin Maguire's detailed art is a joy, as always.
Doom Patrol - Fair
Metal Men - Good
1 comment:
Both strips worked for me, though I too was confused by how Mento/Rita saved the day. Kind DCMB posters tell me she grew so big that she blocked the Black Hole Guy's hive-mind signal or somesuch. A bit weak but I nevertheless was happy with the strip - Keith Giffen really thinks through his characters so the dynamics are a dream.
And the Metal Men - just perfect!
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