I said I wasn't going to do a lot of DC pre-reboot last issues, but this book fell a little short of that finish line: Doom Patrol #22, "Doomsday (No, not him)" Written by Keith Giffen, pencils by Ron Randall, inks by Art Thibert.
The Doom Patrol had been working out of Oolong Island--think Mad Scientist Island. Even before the Chief shot himself full of Kryptonian DNA and went nuts, the team's relationship with the island's president Veronica Cale was strained; but the team gets thrown out when she's taken over by Mr. Somebody. (Formerly Mr. Nobody, a villain from the Grant Morrison run: I loved that in Giffen's book, all versions of the team were canon.) The island's super-science was now under the control of Mr. Somebody Enterprises, and DP associates Ambush Bug, Crazy Jane, and Danny the Bungalow (formerly Danny the Street, again from Morrison) were stuck on house arrest. (MSE couldn't make them leave, but they couldn't go anywhere, either.)
Fighting their way past their old foes (and recent MSE hires) like Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man; the Doom Patrol faces Mr. Somebody and his corporate guard, when Ambush Bug arrives with a mysterious package and a whispered message for Somebody:
And that's it: apparently not seeing the profit in this enterprise anymore, Mr. Somebody takes his ball and goes home. The freed Cale allows the Doom Patrol to stay on the island, no strings attached; except for an ominous closing note...
Some might consider this one a little anticlimactic, but I did enjoy Giffen having a little fun with his editor-in-chief ("What's a DiDio?") before the two would relaunch OMAC. (Or O.M.A.C., I guess, although I steadfastly refuse to type those periods every time...) And Robotman has returned in My Greatest Adventure, a reboot version. I just read the second issue yesterday, as I write this, and it was pretty good! Here's hoping it leads to another Doom Patrol...
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