Wednesday, August 29, 2007

TOP TEN :: Top Ten Single Issues Ever :: #6


Doom Patrol #34, "The Soul of a New Machine"
by Grant Morrison and Richard Case

Doom Patrol #34 is the kind of comic that you sort of tell all your friends they have to read but have no way of describing it without coming across like you are insane. This is early Grant Morrison writing at its loopy, post-modern finest and Richard Case's art grounds this story as much as it plays up the lunacy of everything. Describing the contents of this book to others will only succeed in making you sound like a lunatic. For example, the following happens: two brains fight to the death. Gorilla fights a robot. And it ends with the most explosive kiss between a robot and monkey ever. See? I've just described three events in this book which clearly do not make sense outside the context of the issue. That's what makes this issue so great. It completely revels in its utter insanity and as a reader you can only get caught up in that. However, you’ll still sound like a lunatic describing it to friends and family.

1 comment:

Andy Mansell said...

and believe it or not... the cover says it all. This is the warped disturbing story that messes with the mainstream. Why does this belong in the top ten and Powers does not? To me a clarity of vision permeates Grant Morrison's insane run on Doom Patrol. This story makes sense inthe context of the series. The Powers is just a gimmick--albeit a well done and very successful gimmick. OK, readers-- be gentle