Above is a page from dead-comic-walking Doom Patrol #20. The Patrol, due to the machinations of the powers that be at Oolong Island, their former base, as well as the hissable Thayer Jost aka Mr. Somebody, have been evicted from their home.
They need transportation back to civilization, and Cliff Steele calls in a favor. And as you can see above, that favor is none other than JBS mascot Tadwallader Jutefruice, aka Super-Hip! You know, the fellow flying in the header at the top of this very blog.
Since this is such a momentous occasion, merely the first in-continuity appearance of Tad's alter-ego since, appropriately enough, the Mento-Elastigirl wedding in the later days of the first DP series, and I wanted to share it so much with everyone...well, I couldn't wait to get the comic and scan it, or download it, so I ganked it from CBR's preview, where I read it first. You all probably know how much I'm in the tank for this comic in the first place...and dropping Super-Hip, even older, fat Elvis-style Super-Hip...well, I for one was completely geeked by it.
Best of all, since Giffen is doing some of the best writing of his career right now, and dare I say in particular on this comic- he has done an unsurprisingly great job of reintroducing him. Many writers, especially those who perpetuate the sour tone that has become de rigeur at DC these days, would have made him a pathetic figure. Pill junkie, perhaps. What if it had been James Robinson? J.T. Krul? Shudder. But Giffen gives us an older Tad, like I said Fat Elvis or Wayne Newton style, living large in Vegas- perfectly logical and very gratifying for someone like me, who loves the character mostly because, well, I thought he was really neat and cool back in 1966.
My friend Jason (@jason1749) Last Name Unknown on Twitter said "Jeez, Giffen's writing that book directly at you now, isn't he?" and given that the sales figures for DP are so low, that may be true- I may be the only one still reading at this point!
Regardless, I thought that this was just far-out, fab, gear and groovy and wanted to share.
Oh, and DC? I beg of you- next time you need cannon fodder for your big multi-issue line-wide crossover doom-and-gloom event, please forget Giffen has done this, OK? Thanks.
Oh, and DC? I beg of you- next time you need cannon fodder for your big multi-issue line-wide crossover doom-and-gloom event, please forget Giffen has done this, OK? Thanks.
6 comments:
I'm reading it. I try to show love for the DP; they are my favorite concept in comics and between the original run by Drake and Premiani and Morrison's work on them, I have a permanent soft spot. It's too bad DC can never seem to get the concept right these days.
When I saw the preview, I knew the only one more excited about this than me would be good ol' Johnny B.
I dropped the series some time ago, however, because, er, well, I don't like it. At all. But with the increasing speed at which they've been relaunching Doom Patrol again and again, the next spin of the wheel may be more to my tastes.
Does Harvard-Harvard III show up, too?
Alas, he doesn't. But maybe next issue...
"bet a nickel that [Cronkite] had an assistant do it as a favor to ol' Chuck Schulz."
I'd take that bet. Walter was a word man by nature, and in those later years he wasn't exactly overworked - something he was not happy about. While there are people who have gone that direction -- Bill Cosby had a cowriter for his Peanuts intro -- I suspect Uncle Walter was not among them.
Well, OK- guess I'd be out a nickel! Still, I think you get my drift.
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