DC Pride: A Celebration of Rachel Pollack #1
Chad Burdette
Recap
In the 1990s, writer Rachel Pollack did the impossible: she raised the bar for surprise and strangeness in her beloved run following Grant Morrison’s career-making Doom Patrol!
Now for Pride 2024, DC Comics proudly spotlights Rachel Pollack with the rerelease of her out-of-print work that made her a Pride pioneer and the return of her most beloved character to the mainstage in DC Pride: A Celebration of Rachel Pollack #1
Introduction by Stuart Moore
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Doom Patrol #70 (August 1993)
- The Laughing Game
- The debut of the iconic Coagula, DC’s first transgender superhero
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Vertigo Visions: The Geek #1 (April 1993)
Corruption of the Innocent
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Original Untitled Story
Rachel’s most beloved creation, Kate Godwin, a.k.a. Coagula, returns to the spotlight in tale of triumph over death itself written by Joe Corallo, Rachel’s longtime friend and collaborator, and drawn by Rye Hickman
Review
DC Pride: A Celebration of Rachel Pollack #1 first & foremost is a walk down memory lane of some of the late Rachel Pollack’s groundbreaking work for DC’s Vertigo line of comics from the ’90s and continues the story of The Doom Patrol following the conclusion of Dennis Culver’s 2023 Limited Series
In the final story of the issue Joe Corallo, a friend of and collaborated with Pollack seizes on the opportunity to bring Coagula back to the DCU. This return is not simply a “Coagula walks in the room and asks what’s been happening,” but Corallo pulls from Pollack’s “The Teiresias Wars,” revealing that part of Kate still resides in Robot Man. Will Magnus helps Robot Man access these remaining memories which then play out as the part of Kate that has resided in Cliff must figure out what is real as she journeys back to reality.
This part of the story reintroduces the Wild Children, Crowdark, and FoxFur along with a very different Doom Patrol than Kate was a part of originally. There is also a cool sequence where Coagula is given a second chance to join the Justice League ala the first appearance of the Legion Of Superheroes cover on Adventure Comics #247. The walk down memory lane continues with George and Marion (Doom Patrol Members The Bandage People) who met Kate back in Doom Patrol #70.
Hickman’s art compliments both the style and feeling one would expect from a Doom Patrol story and compliments Corallo’s story perfectly.
The reprints of Doom Patrol #70 (August 1993) and Vertigo Visions: The Geek #1 (April 1993) will delight readers from the Doom Patrol’s Vertigo days and hopefully entice those who haven’t checked them out to do further reading of Pollack’s Doom Patrol.
Stuart Moore’s introduction is a heartfelt tribute and recounting of why Pollack was chosen to follow Grant Morrison’s run on the title is insightful on how fans initially got to experience Pollack’s take on the team.
Final Thoughts
DC Pride: A Celebration of Rachel Pollack #1 is a fitting tribute to Rachel Pollack and her many contributions to the comic industry as a whole. Corallo and Hickman both bring their A-game to the tribute story and leaving fans of Pollack's Doom Patrol run satisfied and wanting more.
It will be interesting to see if DC will give these two more opportunities to build on the story that began here in the issue and further develop Coagula as a character.
For more on Rachal Pollack, her Doom Patrol run, and more check out Comic Watch contributor Travis Hedge Coke's commentaries
Celebrate The Genius of Rachel Pollack in DC Pride: A Celebration of Rachel Pollack #1
- Writing - 10/1010/10
- Storyline - 10/1010/10
- Art - 10/1010/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10
