Doom Patrol Weight of the Worlds #7: We All Turn Into Babies if We’re Lucky

In Doom Patrol: Weight of the Worlds #7 we find a hasty conclusion due to the series early cancellation, but at this point, it’s good to just have a final ending even if it doesn’t make a LOT of sense. It’s plenty of fun and manages to bring some heart to the story as it wraps up and even pushes some characters in interesting new directions.

Unfortunately, it seems the Weight of the World’s story is destined to be lost in the forgettable bulk of comics that start with the best of hopes and fizzle into less than exciting moments. You might remember where these characters end up as the story closes, but the wild writing gymnastics that occur in this issue just to bring it to a sensible close tells a very different story behind the scenes than what we get on the page. Flex’s wordy explanation about how he survived, Casey’s confusing time travelling shenanigans and the ultimate distillation of Cliff into a baby all somehow find a way into the issue making it a bit difficult to keep up.

If the rushed storytelling is offputting, there is a least one final display of some awesome artwork that manages to shine with some great pages. Planet Cliff and Casey’s foray into Jane’s past unconsciousness (yes, you read that right) are highlights that help to make the issue feel worthwhile. The pacing feels a bit off as we jump from one important moment to the next in order to reach a momentous finale, but with all things considered, it’s still a well executed book with a lot to enjoy. Especially the solid lettering from Simon Bowland, who has elevated the series since arriving.

The story is rushed, there is no getting around it. The plans for a few more issues weigh heavily on the events in Doom Patrol: Weight of the World’s #7 and restrain it’s real potential. Sadly, this is the nature of comics and it’s something creatives must work with all the time. Adapting a conclusion is among the hardest to deal with when a series is cut short, but Way and the rest of the team did something good for fans by giving a real ending that wraps up all of the narrative threads in an enjoyable way. The series definitely deserved better in my honest opinion because it needed time to flesh out these rather whimsical concepts, but the “never the end” tag does give me hope that we can pick up on the story sometime in the near future.

If you haven’t been following the series, there likely isn’t a rush on picking it up anytime soon especially with a lackluster ending. But for those who have stuck with it, you will definitely want to see how the story wraps up. And maybe someone can help me understand what exactly the moral relevance is in everyone, if their lucky, turning into a baby!