Saturday, February 6, 2010

DP09-AA Giffen Period synopsis

.....[As of this writing, the Giffen period is roughly six months old and plans have been announced for its first trade collection, "We Who Are About To Die", to be released later this year. For obvious reasons it is impossible to analyze the work this early in the game. What can be said is that the series' early momentum was undercut somewhat by the need to participate in the DCU crossover "Blackest Night" in issues #4(01/10)- #5(02/10). Although the default background mood for any good Doom Patrol series dovetails nicely with the premise of "Blackest Night", and it did here, it can't avoid putting numerous subplots aside for the duration. This entry will necessarily be updated when it is seen how, if at all, those plot elements are resolved.]

Friday, February 5, 2010

DP08- AT Trade Format Survey

[This page is a dedicated list of trade format Doom Patrol publications and as such is not a permanent fixture, but will be subject to periodic revision. The nature of future revisions may or may not include: adding new titles; adding details regarding differences between original magazine format publications and trade reprintings; noting the solicitation/publication of new printings and/or revised editions; making release dates more specific as/if more accurate information becomes available; and original list prices.]

.....This list of trade format publications strives to be complete, be chronological and include the ISBN number for each title. The information should refer only to authorized U.S. publications (primarily DC Comics). Although there are legitimate authorized overseas and foreign language trades (such as Titan in the U.K.), I'm less confidant that I could provide a comprehensive and complete listing for them. I would recommend to anyone searching for foreign language editions that they search by author and be aware that the books' titles may not necessarily translate literally.

.....Ideally, each of the titles here will be individually 'reviewed', meaning that they will have entries contemporary to their publication that note contents, credits for any new materials such as introductions or cover art, page count, list price, contemporary advertising (if any), etc. What they will not do is reiterate the critical reviews of the individual stories, which would have already been written in most cases. They will also not include information on current market prices and availability of used copies because those would fluctuate too frequently. Trades for other titles reprinting guest appearances or cameos that have been noted in the period synopses will not have their own entries nor will they be on this list of trades.


.....In order to include both 10-digit and 13-digit ISBN's but minimze the space they use, I've adopted the following notation: "[978] x-xxxxx-xxx-a [-b]". The 10-digit codes will consist only of the x's and the a. The 13-digit codes will consist of everything but the a.




  • [RPG] "MOONSHOT"(from Mayfair Games)0588-238MFG0900 written by Paul Kupperberg and Ray Winninger. ISBN# [978] 0-91277-150-X [2] / UPC# 0-29877-00900-00047. Mayfair generally marketed gaming adventure 'modules' separately from reference 'sourcebooks'. Both were supplements to the basic role-playing sets. The "DC HEROES" RPG was released in 1985. "Moonshot" was a package containing both a module and a sourcebook of original materials about the Doom Patrol released in 1988 while Paul Kupperberg was writing the monthly title. The letters' page of Doom Patrol #19(02/89) cites this sourcebook as a reference for DP chronology.

  • TP "CRAWLING FROM THE WRECKAGE" reprinting Doom Patrol #19(02/89)- #25(08/89). ISBN# [---] 1-56389-034-8 [-]. This first edition was solicited to ship June 30th, 1992, six months before the Vertigo imprint launch and it was uncertain A) if it would sell enough to justify a second trade and B) if an additional trade would be competing with or synergistic with the monthly series after Morrison left. In order to keep this edition self-contained, five pages from the last four issues were deleted because they were entirely foreshadowing of the next story arc. Presumably a second trade would relocate the pages to its front as an introduction, but years later the question became moot.

  • [M1]TP "CRAWLING FROM THE WRECKAGE" (revised 2nd edition) reprinting Doom Patrol #19(02/89)- #25(08/89). ISBN# [978] 1-56389-034-8 [-5]. April, 2000. The deleted pages were restored (see above). Also, following "Totems" and the belated acceptance of graphic novels and comics in bookstores and Hollywood there was a renewed interest in putting pre-Vertigo materials back into print. Eventually complete runs of Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol and Animal Man and both Alan Moore's and Rick Veitch's Swamp Thing became collected for the first time but retroactively under the Vertigo imprint. Ironically most actual Vertigo issues for those titles, as of this writing over fifteen years later, have still never been collected.

  • [O1]HC "DOOM PATROL ARCHIVES" Vol.1 reprinting My Greatest Adventure #80(06/63)- #85(02/64) and Doom Patrol #86(03/64)- 89(08/64), except for the non-DP back-up stories that appear that appear in #'s 81-86. ISBN# [978] 1-56389-795-4 [-5]. April, 2002.

  • [O1]HC "DOOM PATROL ARCHIVES" Vol.2 reprinting Doom Patrol #90(09/64)- #97(08/65). ISBN# [978] 1-40120-150-4 [-0]. August, 2004.

  • [M2]TP "THE PAINTING THAT ATE PARIS" reprinting Doom Patrol #26(09/89)- #34(07/90). ISBN# [978] 1-40120-342-6 [-9]. October, 2004.

  • [M3]TP "DOWN PARADISE WAY" reprinting Doom Patrol #35(08/90)- #41(02/91). ISBN# [978] 1-40120-726-X [-7]. November, 2005.

  • [O3]HC "DOOM PATROL ARCHIVES" Vol.3 reprinting Doom Patrol #98(09/65)- #105(08/66). ISBN# [978] 1-40120766-9 [-3]. February, 2006.

  • [M4]TP "MUSCLEBOUND" reprinting Doom Patrol #42(03/91)- #50(12/91). ISBN# [978] 1-40120-999-8 [-5]. August, 2006.

  • [M5]TP "MAGIC BUS" reprinting Doom Patrol #51(01/92)- #57(07/92). ISBN# [978] 1-40121-202-6 [-5]. January, 2007.

  • [M6]TP "PLANET LOVE" reprinting Doom Patrol #58(08/92)- #63(01/93) and Doom Force Special #1(07/92). ISBN# [978]1-40121-624-2 [-5]. January, 2008. This is the end of the Morrison run.

  • [O4]HC "DOOM PATROL ARCHIVES" Vol.4 reprinting Doom Patrol #106(09/66)- #113(08/67). ISBN# [978] 1-40121-646-3 [-7]. February, 2008.

  • [O5]HC "DOOM PATROL ARCHIVES" Vol.5 reprinting Doom Patrol #114(09/67)- #121(09-10/68). ISBN# [978] 1-40121-720-6 [-4]. August, 2008. This is the end of the Original run.

  • [B&W]TP "SHOWCASE PRESENTS DOOM PATROL" Vol.1 reprinting My Greatest Adventure #80(06/63)- #85(02/64) and Doom Patrol #86(03/64)- #101(02/66). ISBN# [978] 1-40122-182-3 [-9]. April, 2009. {Omits six non-DP back-up stories from #'s 81-86; was originally solicited to include Challengers Of The Unknown #48(02-03/66) but shipped without it}
  • [G1]TP Vol.1 "WE WHO ARE ABOUT TO DIE" reprinting (?) ISBN# [978] 1-40122-751-1 [-7]. June, 2010. {All information tentative}
  • [B&W]TP "SHOWCASE PRESENTS DOOM PATROL" Vol.2 reprinting Brave And The Bold #65(04-05/66), Challengers Of The Unknown #48(02-03/66) and Doom Patrol #102(03/66)- #121(09-10/68). ISBN# [978] 1-40122-770-8 [-8]. August, 2010. {All information tentative}

.....With further digging I hope to find out if trades were ever solicited for Flex Mentallo or the Arcudi or Byrne Periods. I am reasonably certain that none were published.