Dubbed "The World's Strangest Heroes," the Doom Patrol used to be a relatively obscure DC superhero team that only had a loyal cult following of hardcore comic book fans. Since the team debuted with its DC Universe web series, the Doom Patrol has entered pop-culture mainstream and interest in their comic books has appropriately surged.
RELATED:The 10 Weirdest Members Of The Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol has risen in popularity comparable to DC's flagship teams like the Justice League and Teen Titans. As new fans can't get enough of the dysfunctional heroes, it's often difficult to know which comic books to start reading. Fortunately, we're here to help suggest the best stories to add to your Doom Patrol reading lists.
10 Doom Patrol #1-6, "Brick by Brick" (2016)
After Gerard Way's widely successful run at comic books, including the popularThe Umbrella Academyseries which was adapted for Netflix,DC gavehim the reins of theDoom Patrol comic for a six-issue run.
RELATED:Who Would Win? Umbrella Academy vs. Doom Patrol
Way tapped into Grant Morrison's run at the title as inspiration forThe Umbrella Academy and getting a chance to put his personal touch on the world's strangest heroes proved to be a successful mix. The result is this story arc, titled "Brick by Brick," which is an excellent modern take on the superhero team.
9 My Greatest Adventure #80, "The Doom Patrol" (1963)
Marking the first appearance of the original Doom Patrol lineup consisting of The Chief (Niles Caulder), Negative Man (Larry Trainor), Robotman (Cliff Steele), and Elasti-Girl (Rita Farr), this comic laid the foundation for the Doom Patrol's successful first comic book series.
While most titles at that time were transitioning into more campy tones,Doom Patrol'sunconventional take on the superhero genre resonated with a lot of fans as the more character-driven focus of the comic was equally refreshing and engaging while still able to deliver weird characters that are inherently funny without seeming out of place in DC comics.
8 Doom Patrol Vol. 1: Notable First Appearances
- Doom Patrol Vol. 1 #89 – First Appearance of Animal Vegetable Mineral Man (1964)
- Doom Patrol Vol. 1 #91 – First Appearance of Mento & Gargaux (1964)
- Doom Patrol Vol. 1 #99-100 – First Appearance and Origin of Beast Boy. (1965)
Speaking of those weird characters, these issues feature some of the most iconic characters from the series including Beast Boy (Garfield Logan) who would famously become a future key member of the Teen Titans.
Also, Animal Vegetable Mineral Man and Mento appeared on the first season of the web series.
7 Doom Patrol Vol. 1 #121, "The Beginning of the End?" (1968)
This issue marks the end of the firstDoom Patrolcomic book run. Without giving out too much about its plot, which one might be able to surmise based on its cover title, this comic is one of the Doom Patrol's most iconic stories.
It deviates from the formulaic comic book dynamic between superheroes and villains as it concludes the series in an atypical yet satisfying fashion.
6 Crisis On Infinite Earths #5, 9 and 10 (1985)
- Issue #5 First cameo appearance of the Anti-Monitor
- Issue #9 DC debut of the Charlton character, the Ghost
- Issue #10 Death of Starman (Prince Gavyn)
Apart from the aforementioned key appearances, the original members of Doom Patrol (along with virtually every DC character) make appearances in these three issues of Crisis On Infinite Earths.
RELATED:Crisis On Infinite Earths: 10 Things Fans Never Knew About The Iconic Event Comic
Although the web series version of the Doom Patrol never appeared on the CWverse's Crisis crossover, there's always hope of seeing it happen in either an animated or live-action flick in the future.
5 Doom Patrol Vol. 2: Notable First Appearances
- Doom Patrol Vol. 2 #14 (1988) – First Appearances of Dorothy Spinner
- Doom Patrol Vol. 2 #35 (1989) – First Appearance of Danny the Street
- Doom Patrol Vol. 2 #36 (1989) – First Appearance of Flex Mentallo
In the first two seasons of theDoom Patrolweb series, these three characters play integral roles that drive the plot of the show forward.
So these issues from the comic books are must-reads for fans wanting to get enlightened on the source material characters.
4 Doom Patrol Vol.2 #19-22, "Crawling from the Wreckage" (1989)
After a mediocre run from 1987-88,the Doom Patrol comic was reinvigorated when Grant Morrison was given control of the title beginning with this story arc titled "Crawling from the Wreckage."
This four-part series features the first appearance of Crazy Jane (Kay Challis), who is brilliantly portrayed by Diane Guerrero on the show. It also marks the return of Cliff Steele and Regis (the intersexed version of Negative Man hinted at in season 2) who make their triumphant returns to the team lineup.
3 Doom Patrol Vol. 2 #23-24 Red Jack Saga (1989)
This two-part mini-series featured the introduction of Red Jack, DC's equivalent of the mysterious Jack the Ripper serial killer. In this version, he's an entity that feeds on pain, which he extracts by torturing his victims and then subsequently turning them into butterflies once dead.
In season 2 of the web series, Red Jack appears in the episode "Pain Patrol" where the villain captures Negative Man to lure Niles Caulder and Rita Farr to his transdimensional realm.
2 Doom Patrol Vol.2 #26-34, "The Painting That Ate Paris" (1990)
This series of issues is the quintessential Grant Morrison Doom Patrol story arc. It features a number of first appearances by key Doom Patrol characters including Mr. Nobody (Eric Morden),Willoughby Kipling, the Cult of the Unwritten Book, and The Decreator – who were all adapted in multiple episodes of season 1 of the DC Universe web series.
It also includes a crossover with the Justice League in issue #29 and debuts the concept of the Underground (Crazy Jane's mindscape of 64 personalities) in issue #30.
1 Doom Vol. 2 #44-61 The Candlemaker Saga (1992)
- Issue #45 –First appearanceof the Beard Hunter
- Issue #48 –First appearance of theSex Men
- Issue #57 –First appearance of the Candlemaker
If seeing potential spoilers forDoom Patrolseason 3 isn't a concern, then reading this epic saga that builds up the mysterious Candlemaker against theDoom Patrol is a definite must-read.
Also, Beard Hunter appears in season 1 while the Sex Men appear in season 2, so it's safe to assume there are likely other characters in this story arc who might make a future appearance on the show.
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