#Joshua Clay

[wanderingmind867]

Paul Kupperberg did, what, 17 issues of the Doom Patrol before killing off most of his own characters? I raise him one better. I can at least plot out 20 issues, and I can have none of the Doom Patrol members die. So while i'm at school waiting for class to start, i'm gonna start planning this out:

Issues #1-2: I'd have this be a two parter, and I'd have it keep the same general concept as Paul Kupperberg's Doom Patrol storyline. In issue one, we watch as Arani goes to the remains of the caribbean island where the original Doom Patrol died, and she discovers proof that the original members of the Doom Patrol might still be alive. Larry's bandages, Rita's headband and Niles' Wheelchair were all floating in the waters. This makes her deeply suspicious, so she decides to investigate the bottom of the island for a closer look. Then she falls into a trap, and part one ends with her having to call the other members of the Doom Patrol for help.

Cliff, Josh and Valentina receive her signal, and they rush to the caribbean to rescue Arani. It turns out she fell into a trap laid by Niles. Back when Niles first set up his secondary headquarters on this island, he built a series of deathtraps to protect himself and his allies from enemies. Turns out the traps still work, and they're now being used against the Doom Patrol (the group they were initially designed to protect). So the Doom Patrol have to break free of The Chief's old traps.

But once they have, they see the floating debris Arani found floating in the water earlier. And that's when they all realize: the original members of the Doom Patrol might still be alive, somewhere. But where? And how to find them? Those are the questions at hand…

Issues #3-4: Following up on the only lead they still have, the Doom Patrol realizes that they have to find Madame Rouge and General Zahl; to interrogate them on the events of many years past. But in order to find them, they're gonna need some help. Which means the re-entrance of Mento (Steve Dayton), who's absolutely ecstatic that his wife might still be alive somewhere. After she died, he lost all the humility she helped him to gain. Now he's a washed up, deeply bitter man. And only the news of her possible survival is enough to pull him out of his slump.

Anyways, he uses his wealth and connections to help the New Doom Patrol locate Madame Rouge and General Zahl. From there, it's all a simple matter of infiltrating their new hideout and getting them to tell them everything they know. But of course, nothing ever goes according to plan. They manage to find and fight their way to Madame Rouge and the General, and they do manage to learn that they barely recall the events of that night. It's all a blur to them, almost as though someone was dictating their actions…

But before either of them can say any more on the subject, General Zahl drops dead from a heart attack, and Madame Rouge turns into mist and fades away in front of their very eyes. Nobody knows what's going on, but they realize they have to flee before anyone gets suspicious of them and thinks they killed these people. So they flee in a helicopter and begin heading back to the US.

In case anyone was wondering what did happen to Zahl and Rouge, by the way: it's Mister Nobody. He used these two as pawns to strike back at the Doom Patrol years ago, and he can't have them leaking his secrets. So he used his powers to kill Zahl and abduct Rouge. And now he realizes the Doom Patrol is slowly figuring out the truth, too. They're so close to finding his trail. So now he has to deal with them…

Issue #5: Mister Nobody needs to get rid of the Doom Patrol fast, and he's found a very weak willed pawn, capable of doing exactly what he needs. Specifically, he manages to use his sanity draining powers to short circuit Mento's helmet, and make him think the New Doom Patrol are the ones who actually killed Rita, Larry and The Chief. Now that the insane but powerful delusion has been placed into his brain, Mento turns on them and starts using his strength and his telekinetic helmet to try and force the others out of the helicopter.

A struggle ensues, a violent struggle on the very thin battleground that is the helicopter. And as can be expected from a battle in the skies over the atlantic ocean, it goes very poorly for our heroes. Mento successfully manages to push them off the helicopter, and then he flies back to his estate on the mainland, all alone. In the meantime, Cliff, Valentina, Josh and Arani all fall into the ocean; hitting the water hard enough to knock all of them unconscious (besides cliff, who was powered down by mento's helmet). And then they drift out to sea, all in different directions…

[differenzeartistiche]

Joshua Clay custom figurine by me.

[nitpickrider]

Is there ANYBODY in this business you don’t happen to know personally, Clark? Anyone at all?

[dcbinges]

Doom Patrol #10 (1988) by Erik Larsen & Paul Kupperberg

[avengers-goober-behavior]

Robotman and Tempest after reading this blog.

[wanderingmind867]

I don't know much about this era of the Doom Patrol, but the characters Paul Kupperberg created (I think he created them) seem okay. I heard somewhere that Celsius may have been the first south asian superhero. If that's actually true, then props must be given there.

[pavonisgiron]

It's time... I have WAY too many pieces stored that just aren't receiving the love they deserve, so I'm listing a bunch of art for sale throughout today in chunks. Prices will range from $35-130, all are on bristol or watercolor paper. These three pieces are from 2020, and while I still have an enormous fondness for them, it’s time for them to find a new home.

1. Clay dog in the desert. Acrylic and oil pastel. 15x11in. $125 (CLAIMED)

2. Study of a clay dog. Had a lot of fun with this one! Acrylic. 9.5x13in. $75  (CLAIMED)

3. Joshua Tree. Another old one but still a fav! Gouache and acrylic. 15x11in. $115

If you are interested in any of these pieces, please comment, message me directly, or respond to the Twitter thread here. First come, first claimed. Paypal preferred!

[beepboopappreciation]

Omg I forgot to post the "finished" computer sketches from a few days ago!

Also some bonus tech related sketches :]

[ceiiru]

Took some requests on twitter for this!

[bluestarsabove]

🪽 — ANDRE / DRE / DASHIE

He/they/shi

Bisexual Aroaceflux Hyperromantic Hypersexual

Age regressor (SFW only)

Joshua Smith enthusiast! Would love for him to talk to me..

DM's and anon asks on!!

Favs;; Salvador R , Nikita L , Artyom A , Joshua S , Leighton L

[archivegoblin]

See my other polls for the rest of round 1. Characters are in no particular order.

[wanderingmind867]

Issue #6: Josh wakes up in Gotham harbour. He doesn't know where Arani, Val and Cliff are, and he's shocked he even managed to survive. But he stumbles through the streets of gotham, and eventually discovers a tv in a show window that's broadcasting some really dramatic news. Steve Dayton has told the press that The New Doom Patrol is responsible for the death of the original Doom Patrol members, and they need to be brought to justice immediately!

So for the first time in their long career, the Doom Patrol have become enemies of the law. Josh has to try and hide in plain sight, but Mister Nobody isn't letting any of these Doom Patrol members go down without a fight. So he uses his powers to create a new villian to fight Tempest and his solar blasts: meet ____, the oppressive unknown. is everything and nothing. They're the unexplainable darkness you sometimes see. They're a shapeless, formless void, capable of swallowing anyone whole. And now they've come for Josh, and they won't stop until they get their target.

Josh tries to fight them, but a true predicament presents itself: how do you fight the concept of the void? Turns out: oppressive light. So Josh has to pretty much cause a solar flare in Gotham, all just to destroy ____ (and he still didn't destroy them fully. He merely managed to defeat them for a time). And after the Solar Flare manages to save Josh, he finds Val. She landed in the caribbean, and she was flying all the way to Midway City when she spotted Josh. Now they team up to head back to Midway City. Hopefully from their mansion headquarters, they can use their tech to find Cliff and Arani.

Issue #7: Arani wakes up in Iceland. Just like all the others, she's absolutely lost. She doesn't know where Cliff, Josh or Val are, and she's never been to Iceland before. But she's currently more focused on getting back to Midway City, where she can use her husband's supplies to find and locate Josh, Val and Cliff. But before Arani gets the chance to do any of that, she runs into a young man crying near a lake.

This young man is named Finnar Adnesson, and he's a 14 year old mutant/metahuman, exiled because of his uncontrollable powers. His power? He can control and create ice and snow. Also, he's got a pair of fairy wings, and his skin is so white that he looks like he's made of snow. How can this be? Well, his mother was infertile, and she prayed for a son. And he was born, but he came from the land of the fae. Growing up, he was taught to hide his wings and suppress his magical powers. But a few weeks before Arani showed up, Finn accidentally lost control and summoned a blizzard when some of the kids at school bullied him. Now he's been hiding out in the forests, trying to avoid everyone.

But Arani shows Finnar that she can control Ice too, and that he's not alone in having special abilities. In fact, Arani has a home for him, back in Midway City. If his own countrymen won't accept him, she'll gladly bring him back with her to the US. So that's what they do. Finnar uses his wings to help fly Arani back to Midway City, where he can hopefully find a home with her.

As you can probably tell, this issue isn't very action packed. It's more character based, as Arani finds a kindred spirit in this young boy. He's pretty much going to become her adopted son, a child whom she can train in the ways of the world. I suppose you could see him as the new Beast Boy figure for the team, but I insist they're different enough for that comparison to only work on the most basic of levels.

Issue #8: Josh and Valentina arrive back in Midway City, only to find a horrible reception committee waiting for them: a legion of highly skilled mercenaries, the best money can buy. Hired by Steve Dayton to attack and punish the Doom Patrol for killing Rita, they've been waiting to ambush them at the mansion for hours now. Josh and Negative Woman manage to fight their way into the mansion, but they quickly become overwhelmed after around an hour or two of defending their ground. And just when things start looking grim, that's when Robotman reappears to save the day!

Cliff then explains what happened to him. He woke up in the Miami area, somehow having been pulled there by the tides. And after seeing the news about Steve Dayton declaring the Doom Patrol public enemy no. 1, Cliff hijacked a car and drove frantically cross country. He's been driving for almost 24 hours non-stop, and arrived back at the manor just in time to save them from certain death at the hands of these two-bit mercenaries. From here, our trio end up having to try and work out plans to defend the mansion from the mercenaries, using all the old tech left behind by The Chief.

Issue #9: Arani and Finnar arrive in Midway City just as Josh, Val and Cliff are finishing a battle with some mercenaries hired by Steve Dayton. It's at this moment that they have to tell Arani that Mento seems to have lost his mind, and he's currently blaming them all for the deaths of Rita, Larry and Niles. So the team can't stay here in Midway City. Steve knows all about this mansion, and he's got men coming every which way to harass them. They need to escape.

But before they can escape, Arani insists on entering the house and searching for something. She's looking for copies of the letters her and niles sent each other back and forth. She saw them in the mansion once, but she's lost them and needs time to find them. So in the meantime, Cliff, Josh and Valentina end up having to fend off more and more of Steve's hired hands. Finnar tries to help them, but he's young and unused to combat.

Still, Arani finds the letters eventually, and then the team takes off in an already prepared ship, leaving their home in Midway City far behind them. And while Valentina flies the ship, Arani reads over the letters from Niles and cries. The letters show us that he truly did care for her. Despite their startling age gap, it is made clear that Niles actually did want to come back for her one day. And although the letters never say this, I think it's clear that the main reason he stayed away from her was because he didn't want her to see him in his crippled, wheelchair bound state. He was so full of self pity that he didn't want to let her in…

But he sent her letters detailing everything about the Doom Patrol. She knew all about his team and their missions. He never left any details out. He said he wanted her to meet them one day. She was his love. And every day without her was a day of pain and anguish. Still, he couldn't ever bring himself to visit her. He couldn't bear to see her reaction to his wheelchair bound form. He was always scared she'd reject him, since he'd never had anyone who loved him before, in the way that arani loved him. He was terrified to lose it.

And realizing all of this as she reads back the letters, Arani just cries. If Niles is still alive, she will find him. He means the world to her, and she will do anything to bring him back. Meanwhile, Mister Nobody just watches from the shadows, overconfident in his success over these wannabe heroes…

[graphicpolicy]

Recognized #1 is a good introduction to LGBTQ+ history

Recognized #1 is a good introduction to LGBTQ+ history #comics #comicbooks #lgbt #ncbd

Recognized is an anthology series that celebrates LGBTQ+ heroes like Alain Locke, Sylvia Rivera, Bayard Rustin, and Larry Kramer. Originally a team-up between the New York City Department of Education and Good Trouble Productions, it delves into their impactful legacies, featuring stories by a fantastic lineup of comic creators. It’s a solid comic to begin to dive into the history of the movement…

[nitpickrider]

Clark’s constant habit of referring to other superheroes, even ones that are acquaintances at best, as if they are old and trusted friends just warms my heart.

[dcbinges]

Doom Patrol #10 (1988) by Erik Larsen & Paul Kupperberg

[thisaintascenereviews]

Cautious Clay - Karpeh

The landscape of physical media has changed quite a lot over the last decade or so. I have fond memories of going to Best Buy, Target, and even Walmart sometimes, and finding random albums, some of which were completely new to me. I’m still of the mindset of checking out an album with a cool cover, but sometimes looks are deceiving. If a cover looks cool enough, I’ll check it out. I’ll also check out an album if the price is right, and there’s only a few places you can do that nowadays. One of my favorite places to go now is Half Price Books, because you can find almost anything if you go every couple of weeks. Things change constantly, but you never know what you’ll find.

That’s exactly what happened when I found copies of two 2023 albums in the clearance section, both of which I had on my radar, yet never listened to. The first one is Best Coast frontwoman Bethany Cosentino’s solo debut, Natural Disaster, and I’ll talk about that one soon, too, but the other album I found was the sophomore album by Cautious Clay. Entitled Karpeh, this album caught my attention for a couple of reasons, namely that he signed to legendary jazz label Blue Note, and he shifted his sound from an alt-R&B/pop sound to a jazzier and more soulful sound.

I love jazz, and I’ve made no secret about that, so I was really ecstatic when I saw this album in the clearance section. I got both of these albums for a dollar each, and that’s a steal, basically. For that price, if I didn’t love the album, I wouldn’t be mad about it, because I only spent a dollar, but if I did love it, it would be an awesome deal to say that I got. Sure enough, I really like this album, and I kinda love it, at least parts of it, anyway. I’ve got some issues with this thing, but it’s a solid little record. I know I typically don’t review stuff that isn’t “new,” but I wanted to talk about these two albums I got, because they’re albums I wanted to check out.

The thing with Karpeh is that I like this album quite a bit, and what it tries to do, but this album feels like it’s two albums at the same time. What do I mean by that? Well, this record has two different distinct sounds, whether it’s a jazzy sound that shows up a lot, or an R&B/soul sound. Sometimes a track might lean into one or the other, but sometimes it also leans into both at the same time. And that’s where the album loses me, at least somewhat, because it doesn’t balance these two sides of his sound well. I love individual moments, or certain songs, but the album itself just doesn’t flow well.

It’s not even that the album is bad, because it’s a gorgeous album, but I’m not finding myself wanting to go back to it as much as other albums, or even as much as I want to. It just bums me out each time I listen to this album, but his performances are great, and the sounds are good, but they’re not coming together. I keep listening to this and wanting to really get into it, but I’m left liking single songs every time, and not quite getting into the full experience. I’d say this album is good, damn near great if it wasn’t for how messy and jarring it sounded, but it would have most likely been on my honorable mentions last year if I heard it then.