Doomed #2 Review

Written by: Scott Lobdell
Art by: Javier Fernandez
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: July 15, 2015

Banana in the Tailpipe

While I am still settling in with this whole "DC You" thing, there are already a couple of books that have been pleasant surprises...Black Canary, Omega Men, Section Eight and this book, Doomed.  In fact, Doomed may be the biggest surprise of them all.  Coming out of an event many didn't care for and introducing a brand new character does not seem like a recipe for success, but hey, weirder things have happened.  It doesn't hurt that Scott Lobdell is giving us a book that is fresh, fun and the closest thing to a Spiderman book that DC fans may ever get.  I have been hooked since the sneak peek and while last month's premier issue was a small step backward, I still have hope for this book going forward.  Does this issue start the good times engine up and race down kick ass street?  Let's find out...



Since we are still trying to settle into this book and figure things out, Scott Lobdell doesn't need to add more mystery to the proceedings, but that's exactly what he does.  In fact, as I read through the first five pages, I wasn't even sure I was reading the right book.  It was like that dream I have when I show up for school and I'm a naked Minotaur and...too much info already, but it's just like that.  We get a new character named Miles who is way more than he seems and is now my second favorite character in this book.  It looks like he'll be around for a bit and I am so glad.

Lobdell then gives us a one page recap of the series and if you haven't read last issue, you will be right up to speed in no time.  It may seem silly to some to recap things this way, but I wish every book started with a page like this.  I'm not talking every now and again, I'm talking every issue.  A page like this is a godsend to a dummy like me.

We finally get into the meat and cheese of the issue when we see Reiser all Doomed out and winning at a game of chicken with a metro bus.  Actually, him and the bus both lose and when he goes to check on the driver, we get the dual Reiser's mind/Doom's actions juxtaposition that is hilarious, but something we've seen already.

Remember when I said that Miles was my second favorite character in the book?  If you don't, you have a horrible memory because it was a couple of sentences ago.  Well, my favorite character is actually two...Jerry and Steve, the two police officers that show up to arrest Reiser.  They came out of nowhere and actually made me laugh out loud.  I love these guys.  They're like Taggart and Rosewood and I hope you know what I'm talking about.

While I could (and will) complain a little about the whole story not moving forward enough this issue, there are some things that make you go hmmm.  We see Clarice on a balcony watching the whole bus-Reiser-awesome cops scene and when Reiser finally goes home, he walks in on his roommate Roman making a very interesting and mysterious call.  Okay, I'm going to do some math: Roman + mysterious call + "Spartan's Blood" = Alpha Centurion, right?  Things are going to get weird in that apartment real soon.

The issue ends with my two favorite cops making me laugh again as Miles shows us why he is in this book in the first place.  I really hope these three are in this book for a long time because they are great.

This issue isn't perfect.  It doesn't move the story forward much and as an early fan of the book, I want more information about Reiser.  There is not much of that here at all.  However, there is a lot of fun and some great side characters that made me laugh.  I hope that Lobdell gives us some answers soon, but I am enjoying the ride so far.

I like Javier Fernandez's character work, but I wish his backgrounds had a little more detail.  Some scenes just seemed to happen in empty space and it's a shame because what we do get looks really good.

Bits and Pieces:

For the second issue in a series, Doomed #2 is more recap than I expected and while the story doesn't move forward much, I still had a ball reading it.  Scott Lobdell focuses on some new characters and I loved them. While I hope we get some more information on Reiser and his "affliction" real soon, I am enjoying myself and that's something I can't say about some other higher profile books at the moment.

8.0/10