DoomQuest #2- The Intellect of Doom is Unstoppable

With his rival Reed Richards having proposed a new form of time travel, Doctor Doom took it on himself to beat Richards to the punch, crafting the Doom Engine. Unable to fully stop Doom even with the help of the Avengers and the X-Men, Richards makes a calculated gamble. In DoomQuest #2, we see the cost of Richards trying to stop Doom from using the Doom Engine the only way he knows how: by sending Doom back to the sinking of the Titanic.

This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Megan and Shawn!

Creative Team

Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Francesco Mobili
Color Artist: Frank D’Armata
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Cover Artist: Alex Ross

Writing

Megan: Doctor Doom has always had many factors at his disposal when conquering his goals. His magic, his armor, his followers- all these things have helped him in every plan he’s put together. But now, he’s left with the only true weapon he’s ever truly needed: his mind. With his Doom Engine taken over by Reed Richards, Doom is now a prisoner of his own design. Reed has taken Doom’s time-traveling machine and used it against him. What was meant to be used to rewrite Latveria’s history so the country could come out on top has now been used to send Doom back into a point in time when all hope seemed to be lost for the victim of this travesty: the sinking of the Titanic.

Doom is trapped in a time loop of the same situation, right at the beginning of the sinking of the Titanic, right before the ship hits the iceberg. There seems to be no way to escape the inevitable, but with Doom using his most powerful weapon, there’s nothing he can’t accomplish.

I absolutely love the idea of Doctor Doom being stuck in real-life history, and Ryan North executes this idea perfectly. What really stands out for me is Doom taking a hopeless situation and doing the impossible with it. Doctor Doom shows exactly how he’s such a powerhouse of character in Doomquest #2. Running on sheer motivation and spite, Doom pulls off the impossible in a historically tragic event and comes out on the other side.

Shawn: Doctor Doom is nothing if not smart. In this issue, Ryan North allows us to see Doctor Doom in a way we rarely see him. Doom is stripped of his armor and his power, but not his mind. North creates an interesting idea in this series with Doom. While Doom himself may be doing things for his own benefit, he also appears to be doing them for his country. He genuinely seems interested in Latveria being offered the place in the world he thinks it deserves.

In DoomQuest #2, North shows us a version of the villain that, even if you don’t like him, forces you to admit that he is relatively brilliant. Figuring out the machinations of Richards is nothing new for Victor Von Doom, but doing so in a way that aids his country is a nice twist on the story. North already writes some of the best science-related comics in the industry, and it feels like adding in historical drama is right in his wheelhouse.

Art

Megan: Francesco Mobili, Frank D’Armata, and Travis Lanham capture the haunting events of the sinking of the Titanic expertly while making it a story all about Doctor Doom. Mobili recreates the look of 1912 while inserting Doom into the setting, somehow making him perfectly blend in while being the focal point.

D’Armata handles the coloring and mixes the muted tones of the story with the vibrancy of the high emotions. This brings so much depth to the story and makes you feel each emotion of the characters, particularly Doom.

Lanham wraps this beautiful package in a perfect bow with his work on the lettering. Capturing the tone of Doom perfectly, the reader can feel the emotions of the character with every kink in his plan coming his way. Together, the artists made this a truly memorable issue.

Shawn: Francesco Mobili, Frank D’Armata, and Travis Lanham were given a difficult task with this series. Not only is their time travel involved, but it is time travel to specific important events like the sinking of the Titanic. This requires Mobili to ensure he is accurately capturing all of the details that anyone familiar would expect to see as part of the story set on the Titanic. He does this wonderfully, capturing the period area costumes and dress as well as the scenery that would have been prevalent during that time. Mobili draws a very satisfying version of Doom that serves to capture his raw power and energy.

D’Armata does an outstanding job with colors in this issue. Colors seem particularly challenging on an issue like this because you were dealing with a character like Doctor Doom, who has a very visually distinct color palette, and combining it with the period setting of the Titanic, which is also very distinct in color. You combine these details with the limited lighting sources for panels during this setting, and you get a recipe for disaster. However, D’Armata nails it, capturing both the color of Doom’s aesthetic, as well as the colors of the Titanic perfectly.

Travis Lanham makes outstanding use of the distinct coloration of Doctor Doom’s world bubbles to help bring gravitas to the words of Doom. In doing so, Lanham helps add to the moment, the energy, and the strength of Doom that North is trying to showcase.

Final Thoughts

Megan: 10/10. Adding Doctor Doom into the historical events of our world shouldn’t work, but it works perfectly here. Ryan North is a genius when he writes for Doom, so there was never any doubt in this run. Any Doctor Doom fan needs to have this run on their pull list!

Shawn: 10/10. This team took on quite a challenge with this series, and two issues and they’re already crushing it. The historical setting allows North to showcase Doom’s brilliance in a whole new way. It also allows the art team to create a visually distinct identity where both the historical setting and Doom’s unique visuals are respected and enhanced.

Overall Grade: 10 / 10

What did you think about Doomquest #2? Let us know in the comments