Unstoppable Doom Patrol #4: Look Into Your Heart…You Will Find….

Originally solicited as a six-issue mini-series, Unstoppable Doom Patrol’s early success awarded this creative team a bonus seventh issue. Unstoppable Doom Patrol #4 serves as that bonus issue, replacing interior artist Chris Burnham with David Lafuente, following the recently introduced Dr. Synchro, who delves into the psyches of the Doom Patrol team.

Chris Burnham may not do the interiors here, but he still lends his immense talent to this issue’s beautiful cover, depicting Dr. Syncho as she psychically scars the team members. This cover does a great job of establishing the issue’s tone while also highlighting this new character, giving potential new readers a glimpse into this series. This also emphasizes the weird nature of the Doom Patrol, which provides them with their signature flair to readers. Overall, this cover is great and perfectly sets readers up for the emotional, strange, and heartwarming journey that is about to unfold.

Dennis Culver starts this issue with the reintroduction of Dr. Syncho in a hilarious play on repetitive origins where she is told, “You say the same damn thing every session.” This metatextual joke immediately hilariously sets the tone. It also serves that dual purpose of the old saying that every comic is somebody’s first. Fans of this series will likely recall Dr. Syncho’s introduction in Unstoppable Doom Patrol #2. Still, if they forgot or missed out on that issue, the reintroduction of that character removes any confusion. 

The entirety of the issue revolves around the different sessions that Dr. Syncho has with the other members of the Doom Patrol. While this bonus issue does not push the overall narrative forward, it allows the reader to understand the current state of mind behind all of our main players. Culver also uses this as an opportunity to explore the new and old characters’ origins in a way that modernizes them. Beast Girl and Degenerate are the ones that benefit the most from this since they are the new characters in this series. Learning their origins and how their different circumstances led them to completely different spots helps reinforce the idea of what therapy is all about, which reinforces the entire concept behind this series. Understanding these characters makes their goal of assisting similar metahumans seem attainable and allows readers to empathize with this cause. 

David Lafuente’s art pairs very well with this storytelling style, with the prominent use of double-page splashes to convey the origins of the various Doom Patrol members. Lafuente uses all of the page real estate possible to convey the critical moments in each character’s lives while also drawing the crazy conceptualized fifth dimension that Dr. Syncho is tapping into. This fantastic expose of emotion and style fits right in with Burnham’s art in the previous issue, making this feel like a perfect fit once this series is collected. Usually, fill-in artists can make a dramatic shift that hurts the series, but here Lafuente can keep up with Burnham’s crazy sensibilities.  

Brian Reber continues coloring this series, adding a great deal of consistency with the artist shift. Reber’s colors slash onto each page, bringing them to life by giving each character a sense of being unique. This also dramatically shifts the scenery between the regular room and the semi-fifth-dimensional space the characters enter during these therapy sessions. All the different aspects are brought together here in a wonderful way, exposing the depth behind these heroes while also making this world look beautiful. 

Pat Brosseau ties this all together with lettering that helps guide the reader through the expansive double-page splashes. This helps create a cohesive story amongst all the craziness Lafuente and Reber bring to life on each page. Brosseau is also flexible in that his style mixes well with the various situations in each Doom Patrol member’s inner thoughts. This makes the issue read seamlessly, allowing all of Culver’s drama and characterization to shine through.