Iron Maiden
Sidekick
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- Nov 8, 2004
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A Doombot, the return of Boris and yet another prisoner added to Doom's fun little cell block of prisoners at Castle Doom. Thus ends the latest version of Doctor Doom's storied origin. I think Ed Brubaker succeeded in what he set out to do, which is to craft a story that would stick to the basics but at the same time seem fresh to those of us fans who know the story so well or those not so familiar. It loses some of the "fairy tale gone wrong" quality of the Lee/Kirby version but Victor's origin needed to be retold in more contemporary terms.
Also worth noting is the attention Brubaker gives to some of obscure details, like explaining that the story's narrator was the Doombot that ruled Latveria for a time. In retrospect, this makes perfect sense because although it would appeal to Doom's ego to have his biography published there is also that part of him that prefers to zealously guard his privacy. By using the Doombot as a surrogate, he is able to have it both ways. The reporter got her story but nobody else will, except Boris.
The issue begins with the final battle to take the throne and it diverges a bit from the way it was told Doom's solo series in Astonishing Tales. That version showed a bloodless coup where Doom takes the throne with a bit of chicanery, using a robot double of Prince Rodolpho to announce his abdication of the throne to Doom. I think it is more satisfying, and true to Doom's character, to have him killing the King personally in Brubakers enhanced version. King Vladimir's fate is less certain in the older tale. Brubaker has Doom spare the country further bloodshed by using some kind of sorcery to turn the King's soldiers against him. Again, he keeps that element of the older story -- there is only one man that dies in Brubaker's story when Doom finally prevails and that is King Vladmir. I also like how we learn that Doom's well-known cloak belonged to the the dead King Vladimir, a symbol of his final victory that he replaces his more humble version with that of the King.
Sometimes it's the little things that makes a story for me and Brubaker has put enough of those throughout the series to show me that he has read quite a bit of the Good Doctor's many appearances. He adds some specifics of the bargain Doom made to free his Mother's soul that serves to explain the change in the way Latverians have come to regard their sovereign. He is much revered in FF annual #2 but the terms of the bargain took away some of that each year that he lost the battle to free her soul. A fair bargain for a man like Doom, who cares not a whit for what others think of him...it's enough that he knows how magnificent he is
I can see where some may roll their eyes and lament the use of a Doombot in this story. The Doombot card got played far too many times over the years but in this case, Brubaker was actually surprised me for once.... and I can usually smell a Doombot fake out a mile away! When the Doombot revealed his visage to the reporter, I briefly thought Brubaker and the artist Pablo Raimondo were trying to convey that Doom had become a cyborg and was purging himself of his human side, literally, by replacing the flesh with machinery.
My favorite part? We finally see Boris again! Now if only Brubaker would retcon Valeria's gruesome fate at the hands of Mark Waid, I mean the Hazaareth demons...
Also worth noting is the attention Brubaker gives to some of obscure details, like explaining that the story's narrator was the Doombot that ruled Latveria for a time. In retrospect, this makes perfect sense because although it would appeal to Doom's ego to have his biography published there is also that part of him that prefers to zealously guard his privacy. By using the Doombot as a surrogate, he is able to have it both ways. The reporter got her story but nobody else will, except Boris.
The issue begins with the final battle to take the throne and it diverges a bit from the way it was told Doom's solo series in Astonishing Tales. That version showed a bloodless coup where Doom takes the throne with a bit of chicanery, using a robot double of Prince Rodolpho to announce his abdication of the throne to Doom. I think it is more satisfying, and true to Doom's character, to have him killing the King personally in Brubakers enhanced version. King Vladimir's fate is less certain in the older tale. Brubaker has Doom spare the country further bloodshed by using some kind of sorcery to turn the King's soldiers against him. Again, he keeps that element of the older story -- there is only one man that dies in Brubaker's story when Doom finally prevails and that is King Vladmir. I also like how we learn that Doom's well-known cloak belonged to the the dead King Vladimir, a symbol of his final victory that he replaces his more humble version with that of the King.
Sometimes it's the little things that makes a story for me and Brubaker has put enough of those throughout the series to show me that he has read quite a bit of the Good Doctor's many appearances. He adds some specifics of the bargain Doom made to free his Mother's soul that serves to explain the change in the way Latverians have come to regard their sovereign. He is much revered in FF annual #2 but the terms of the bargain took away some of that each year that he lost the battle to free her soul. A fair bargain for a man like Doom, who cares not a whit for what others think of him...it's enough that he knows how magnificent he is
I can see where some may roll their eyes and lament the use of a Doombot in this story. The Doombot card got played far too many times over the years but in this case, Brubaker was actually surprised me for once.... and I can usually smell a Doombot fake out a mile away! When the Doombot revealed his visage to the reporter, I briefly thought Brubaker and the artist Pablo Raimondo were trying to convey that Doom had become a cyborg and was purging himself of his human side, literally, by replacing the flesh with machinery.
My favorite part? We finally see Boris again! Now if only Brubaker would retcon Valeria's gruesome fate at the hands of Mark Waid, I mean the Hazaareth demons...
