Continuing on with our out-of-context celebration of the creative life of the late Mr. Arnold Drake, who (along with co-writer Bob Haney and artist Bruno Premiani) created DOOM PATROL, a silver-age favorite of mine. I came to Mr. Drake's work through Grant Morrison's early nineties DOOM PATROL revival which, for all of it's modernity, flash, drug use and crossdressing, is a surprisingly close tribute. Flipping through these great books again, I'm startled by how close a tribute it is, which speaks, I think, to the genius of Drake and what he was doing with the book.

I mentioned René Magritte yesterday in connection with one of these panels, and today's batch has only served to reinforce my feeling that, surely, if Magritte liked FANTOMAS (which he did) he would have loved DOOM PATROL and its gentle, loping surrealism, leaps of dream logic, and the pride in which the book took in its own disquiet and unrest.

(Not to suggest this was deliberate on Drake's part, necessarily, only that, like FANTOMAS, the pulp realities on serial production makes for strange, sleep-deprived bedfellows. Then again, I never met Drake, nor do I recall reading interviews with him. He may have been going for precisely that kind of madness in his work, I dunno.)

Drake's DOOM PATROL is a kind of anti-Kirby, or an inwards-Kirby; as pyrotechnically imaginative and bombastically hyper, but in an introverted, introspective sort of way. The epitome of post-war psychosis manifesting itself in Silver Age, DOOM PATROL is a disturbingly-colored question mark to match Kirby's primary-colored exclamation point.

More to follow tomorrow, as this entire process has been completely delightful for me.

Today's Lessons:

1. Those Bandages are There for a Reason
(Doom Patrol #87, stupidly omitted from yesterday's images)

2. Shapes are Scary
(Doom Patrol #91)

3. Erm...
(Doom Patrol #91)

4. Let's See Tolstoy Pull THIS Off
(Doom Patrol #92)

5. 4X Beam Clockface Frog Assaulter = Best Character Ever
(Doom Patrol #92)

6. If Dan Clowes Didn't Exist, Arnold Drake Would Have to Invent Him/Doom Patrol! Movie! Starring Christopher! Walken! (tie)
(Doom Patrol #92)

7. Robot in a Trenchcoat/Having Emotions but Not Feeling Them Paradox (tie)
(Doom Patrol #93)

8. It Helps if You Work with Bruno Premiani
(Doom Patrol #93)

9.1. The Gorilla Performs Surgery
9.2. What's He Doing With That Forceps?
(Doom Patrol #93)

10. Again, Don't Sweat Perfection.
(Doom Patrol #94)

11. Label Everything for Reader Convenience
(Doom Patrol #94)

12. Things that Are Awesome: Speed Lines (Check); Turbans (Check); Suits (Check); Skeletons (Check)
(Doom Patrol #94)

13. It's Okay to Laugh
(Doom Patrol #94)

14. I Would Give My Left Nut to Write Anything as Great as "He's a Freak for Keeps"
(Doom Patrol #95)

15. GIVE THE ROBOT A BEARD
(Doom Patrol #95)

16. Put the Baby Under Heavy Stuff
(Doom Patrol #96)

17. If You're Going for Freaky, then Go
(Doom Patrol #97)

18. Always Think Toyetic
(Doom Patrol #97)

19. Rogues Gallery Roll Call: Mooshyfaced Schoolmarm; French Gorilla; Admiral Grandpa
(Doom Patrol #97)

20. Zen Is
(Doom Patrol #98)

21. THE CHIEF FOUND THE SUICIDE SOLUTION
(Doom Patrol #98)

22. Just Take It In and Shut Up
(Doom Patrol #98; click for more profound appreciation)

23. Is It Me, or is That Guy's Mouth Really Profoundly Disturbing?
(Doom Patrol #99)

24. (Omitted)

25. Finding a Pin Brings Good Luck if You're into Giantism and Have a Foot Fetish
(Doom Patrol #99)

26. That Fish with the Green Boy's Face Just Totally Busted on You-- Hurry, Grab Him
(Doom Patrol #99)

27. I Thought This Every Day in High School
(Doom Patrol #99)

28. REEEEEEE
(Doom Patrol #100)

29. Always Bust Out of the Freak Factory
(Doom Patrol #100)

(More Tomorrow.)