Doom Patrol Weight of the Worlds #4: Cramping into Infinity

The tale of the Secret Spandex comes to light in Doom Patrol: Weight of the Worlds #4, a story full of muscle-bound lifters strutting their stuff around Jupiter’s Gym while Skarg with his crew are determined to keep messing up their beach paradise.

So to help this story make sense, Mentallo once donned a cursed spandex that turned him into “the anti-flex”. Though he lost the powers into a black hole, we now see Skarg using the secret spandex to win the strongest pose at Destiny Beach. But its the beach itself that judges. Thanks to Rita and her super awesome control over her abilities, the competition stood no chance, but it came at the cost of exiling Mentallo into space with the spandex.

Does that sound like a crazy enough Doom Patrol story to you?

There are a lot of hilarious moments and even some surprisingly insightful ones in the latest issue of Doom Patrol. However, this is the first issue that feels as though weirdness takes precedence over the character development. Cliff’s arc takes an entirely new direction as he upgrades the new metal body and becomes Cliff Fixit, but that plot takes a backseat to the strange Destiny Beach competition going on.

The muscle cramping inwards, potentially cramping the poor Babyface into infinity, is a prime example of the seriously funny writing this series pulls off so often. They are so good, they even mask some of the scripting issues that come with such a wild storytelling approach. Doom Patrol: Weight of the Worlds #4 has a lot going for it, but it wavers in its focus on the characters and their dynamics as it strives to deliver one strange plot after another.

The visuals leave almost nothing to complain about. The panel design has fortunately taken a more controlled approach, helping the reading experience to become more enjoyable. There are plenty of spectacle moments such as Rita’s crazy flex and Cliff Fixit rocketing off into space that contribute to this issue feeling expansive.

Overall, Doom Patrol: Weight of the Worlds #4 isn’t a bad issue by any means, but it isn’t quite as captivating as the few leading up to it. Hopefully the setup proves worthwhile and next issue delivers more clarity on where this team is heading. Meanwhile, let’s also hope Mentallo, the Hero of the Void, can hold on long enough because it seems Cliff Fixit has all the upgrades required to be the hero he needs!