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Doom Patrol (2001) - TV Tropes

  • ️Mon Sep 02 2024

Doom Patrol (2001) (Comic Book)

Years after the previous volume ended, volume three of Doom Patrol began publication in December 2001, this time under DC Comics proper rather than the Vertigo imprint, with John Arcudi writing and Tan Eng Huat illustrating.

With Robotman seeming to remain the one team member constant for every roster, a new team is formed by a billionaire named Thayer Jost, with the new team members consisting of Fast Forward, Fever, Kid Slick and Freak.

The series was cancelled in September 2003 at 22 issues, with the next run being a Continuity Reboot by John Byrne.

Doom Patrol (2001) contains examples of:

  • Adoption Angst: A flashback sequence shows that Dorothy Spinner reacted poorly to hearing that Mr. and Mrs. Spinner were not her biological parents and that her birth mother gave her up for adoption.
  • Bookends: The first issue shows the rest of the team reflected into Robotman's head, causing him to think "We're doomed". The final issue repeats this, only with the other teammates appearing to be robotic and Robotman remarking "I was right. We are doomed."
  • The Bus Came Back: Beast Boy resurfaces after a long period of sticking to appearing in Teen Titans comics, notably appearing in a Doom Patrol comic for the first time since the very first series ended. Amusingly, he leaves the series on a bus after Cliff’s body is rebuilt, but returns for the final arc.
  • Bus Crash: It's revealed that Kate Godwin was vaporized and that Dorothy Spinner became comatose since sometime after the conclusion of the previous volume, with this series ending with Dorothy Taken Off Life Support.
  • End-of-Series Awareness: The 22nd issue completes the Bookends of Robotman thinking "We're doomed" while the rest of the team is reflected in his head by showing robotic versions of the team reflecting in Robotman's head while he remarks "I was right. We are doomed." Also, the title on the cover is modified to read "Exit the Doom Patrol".
  • The Ghost: With Mr. and Mrs. Spinner revealed to not be Dorothy's biological parents, it is mentioned that Dorothy's biological mother is still alive, but little information is revealed about her aside from mentioning that she lives in Kentucky and was unable to visit her comatose daughter when Cliff faced the decision to unplug her.
  • Given Name Reveal: The seventh issue reveals that Dorothy Spinner's mother's first name is Margaret.
  • Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Shyleen has blond hair and is one of the most good-natured members of the team.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Flash Forward is obnoxious and condescending, but also has a more caring side to him. When Ava begins having an anxiety attack (Remember that Ava houses an Eldritch Abomination inside her), he gently calms her and promises her she'll be alright, even seeing into the future to ensure her safety).
  • Killed Offscreen: The man Dorothy Spinner believed to be her father is established to have died in a thresher accident at some point between when Dorothy moved in with the Doom Patrol and the conclusion of the previous volume, meaning that unlike his wife Margaret Spinner, we never get to see what Mr. Spinner looked like or learn what his first name was.
  • Mood Whiplash: The Doom Patrol finds itself trapped in Hell. Then Flash Forward's phone begins to ring — It's his mom.
  • Naked People Are Funny: Fever is subjected to a recurring gag where she winds up naked due to her difficulty in controlling her powers causing her to accidentally burn her clothes off.
  • Nightmare Face: Tycho Bray's face.
  • Playing with Fire: A variation of it. While Fever can't control flames, she is able to rise the temperature, around her.
  • Prehensile Hair: Freak's power is that her hair can move like tentacles
  • Puff of Logic: Robotman disappears when Metamorpho points out he’s been thought dead for years; it turns out, unbeknownst even to him, he was one of Dorothy’s “imaginary friends”, her idealized version of Cliff.
  • Slick and Stick: Kid Slick is a metahuman that can create a frictionless force field, allowing him to slide without effort and deflect attacks.
  • Taken Off Life Support: Cliff can't bear to see the comatose Dorothy Spinner waste away, so he requests that the plug be pulled on her.
  • Tomato in the Mirror: Partway through the series, what is assumed to be Robotman fades away after he realizes he's actually an imaginary friend created by a comatose Dorothy Spinner, which leads to the rest of the team's current roster having to find out what happened to the real Robotman, unearthing his remains from the aftermath of Dorothy's meltdown four years ago and hiring a Russian immigrant scientist to rebuild him.
  • Two Girls to a Team: Fever and Freak are the only two female members on this iteration of the Doom Patrol.
  • Unseen No More: Dorothy Spinner's mother Margaret Spinner finally appears physically in this series when she was only mentioned in the preceding volume.