This may not be an appearance by the DC Universe version of the Doom Patrol, but in a pinch, this version works to provide readers with a quick hit of the Doom Patrol. The DP featured here is the original line-up of Elasti-Girl, Negative Man, and Robotman, with the addition of Beast Boy, but without Mento.

No sweeping origins are provided, the story simply moves forward, presuming that the reader either has resources to research the team should the interest of said reader be piqued. Torres is fond of the Doom Patrol and has mentioned that the team is an interest of his on more than one occasion. That is quite evident here, as he makes the Doom Patrol a fun, approachable group of misfits. The adventures here are fittingly light hearted. My nine-year-old has declared this title to be her absolute favorite, and was enthused to encounter the Doom Patrol, especially after hearing me carry on about the approaching series from Giffen and Clark.

This book is quite different thematically, but the characters essences are unchanged. J. Bone molds the characters into a cartoony facsimile of the world famous freaks older fans have come to enjoy, giving them an almost adorable quality. His rendering of the Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man at the end of the issue is especially priceless and has left me hoping that maybe there is more Doom Patrol in the near future for the double-J creative team. If DC wanted to capitalize on the moment here, and launch a new property, this book certainly offers a chance to do so, as "Beast Boy and the Doom Patrol" wouldn't be hard to imagine in the Johnny DC lineup. The perfect art team for such a book has submitted their application.

This book was fun, and it gave younger readers a chance to be introduced to one of the most dynamic franchises in comic books Batman's proclamation at the end of the issue was also a nice wink and a nod to older, more seasoned readers, as he decides, "Maybe I'll stick around. This could be my greatest adventure yet. . ." If you cannot wait until August 5 for the ongoing "Doom Patrol" to start, head on back to your comic shop and pick this up. It's good, clean fun.