Doomed #3 Review

Written by: Scott Lobdell
Art by: Javier Fernandez and Ulises Arreola
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: August 19, 2015

We're All...

I am not going to sit here and tell you that Doomed is a perfect book.  Seriously, is there really such a thing?  What I will tell you, however, is that I enjoy the hell out of it.  Scott Lobdell is some sort of magician because he took a story event that I really didn't like, came up with a story idea I thought was ridiculous and made it into a fun book I already look forward to each month.  That's some black magic voodoo going on there, my friends.  It's all about the character work that Lobdell is putting into Reiser, but also the supporting cast that make this book go.  That continues this month and even though I want to find out more about Doomed (we really need a better name for the Monster...how about "Monster"?!?), I don't mind that being a slow burn while the rest of the book is so good.  I don't want to give too much away in this introduction paragraph, so let's get on with the review.




Scott Lobdell continues fleshing out the side characters this month by going back three years for a little Alpha Centurion origin story.  I don't like to spoil major stuff in my reviews, but if you didn't catch on that Reiser's roommate, Roman, was the Centurion, then I feel bad for you.  The guy's name is "Roman" for Christ's sake!  He used the exclamation "Spartan's Blood" last issue.  Do I need to continue?  So, now the cat is out of the bag and we can move along, right?  Not really.  Roman has only come out of the closet to Reiser about being gay, not having an ancient Greek god inside him, and no, that's not the same thing.  I love the fact that they both have very similar problems, but are too afraid to tell each other about them.  Just wait until they become enemies...

Back to the issue, after Roman leaves, Reiser decides he has to confide in someone about his "condition", so he goes to see Jayne, his S.T.A.R. Labs intern partner.  I guess he figures she can help him, but even though she seems a little nicer here, I'm not really sure what he was thinking.  Jayne did not come off as the understanding type during the little time we've seen her in this book and she proves that she looks out for numero uno...herself.  However, I would not be surprised if she becomes his confidant in the issues to come and maybe I will grow to like her a bit more.

Someone I do like makes a brief appearance during this scene...Miles.  Yep, the little bounty hunter that could is waiting in the shadows for Reiser and springs at his chance to confront him.  His bait is Oui Oui the dog and while that may be the worst dog name I have ever heard, the little bugger does the job.  While Reiser transforms into "The Monster", Miles springs into action and looks set on getting his bounty.  This isn't what I was hoping for.  I wanted Reiser and Miles to team up and...wait a sec, they are teaming up after all.  Awesome!  I'll tell you that the reasoning behind Miles helping Reiser feels a little forced, but I don't care.  The best part is that Miles can understand Reiser's monster talk (actually, it's called Monstre) and that can only lead to a Han Solo/Chewbacca type dialogue.  I can't wait.

The issue ends with a trip back to S.T.A.R. Labs and while it's still unclear how much they are aware of with this whole Doomed situation, they've called in some heavy hitters to find out.  I am not a huge fan of the members of said group that have arrived, but it makes sense in a whole bunch of ways for this book.

This book continued being a whole bunch of fun.  Sure, it's not reinventing the superhero wheel, but Scott Lobdell isn't trying to here.  I can't speak for him, but if he's trying to make a book that is fun to read and features very likable young characters, mission accomplished.  I hope that this book finds an audience because it would be a shame to not see it through, at least for a good while.

While I thought this issue had a rough start in the art department, after the Alpha Centurion origin, things get back to normal.  Javier Fernandez's art is a great fit for this book and helps accentuate the fun and vibrant story it illustrates.

Bits and Pieces:

I don't know how many times I can say "fun" in a review, but here comes another one.  This book is so much fun and we are only just getting started,  The more I learn about Reiser, Doomed and all the crazy supporting cast, the more I fall in love with it.  I know that the premise is crazy and may be hard to get your head around, but give it a try, you may like it as much as I do.

9.0/10