From: sherman@oak.math.ucla.edu (The Ahkond of Swat)
Subject: Re: DC: Doom Patrol summaries
Organization: UCLA Mathematics Department
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 92 04:04:57 GMT


File number three of the latest summary project:


The following is a summary of events in Doom Patrol # 17 and 18,
 and the Invasion! series (as pertaining to the DP)
Prepared by Bill Sherman (sherman@math.ucla.edu).

It is meant only as a plot summary; no attempt has been made to
annotate the stories.


#14, "From Gil'Dishpan ... With Doom!"

Paul Kupperberg, writer; Graham Nolan, penciller; Timothy Dzon, inker

The Dominators' alliance has invaded the Earth; the Sea Devils and
Aquaman (at the head of an Atlantean army) encounter the Gil'Dishpan
ship under the Arctic ice cap.  (This issue takes place after Book One
of the Invasion series, as you can tell.)

Garguax, rejected by the Alliance, lands at DP headquarters and offers 
to help the Earth forces in their war (so that he can conquer Earth 
later).  The DP heads for the Arctic with Garguax and his warriors.
As they arrive, the Atlanteans et al are already attacking.

The battle goes against the alien forces, and the Gil'Dishpan commanders
decide to fire the ship's engines, thereby killing the Earth army
as well as many of their own minions.  One of the Sea Devils notices
that the engines are starting, and everyone evacuates the area ...
everyone but Arani, who futilely decides to try supercooling the
engine cowlings to keep them from firing.  As Josh observes, this is
useless against a ship which can fly through the supercold vacuum
of space, but Arani keeps trying and is killed when the engines 
become active.  

Invasion Book 2: "Battleground Earth"

Plot and breakdowns, Keith Giffen; Script, Bill Mantlo; Pencils
by Todd McFarlane and Keith Giffen; Inks by P. Craig Russell,
Al Gordon, and Joe Rubinstein, with Tom Christopher.

Of course, I will only be mentioning those events of the Invasion
which directly involve the Doom Patrol.

The Doom Patrol is present at the gathering of superheroes at the
UN building in New York, where strategy is discussed.  Negative
Woman is part of Superman's counterinvasion of Australia (captured
in Book One), along with most of Earth's most powerful heroes, such
as Firestorm and the Green Lanterns.

Cliff and Rhea are in Atlantis with Aquaman and the Sea Devils, and
help them in their successful attack on the Gil'Dishpan base.

Through a series of events far too complicated to relate (but climaxing
in the arrival of the proverbial cavalry in the form of a Daxamite
horde) the alliance is broken and driven from the Earth.

#18, "Endings ... Beginnings"

Kupperberg, Nolan and Dzon

The DP head home to bury Arani, and get a hero's welcome in Kansas City.  
Scott tells Rhea of his illness.  

Suddenly, Garguax's forces attack.  Larry is injured while trying to 
take off in a helicopter.  It is this accident from which Larry is 
recovering at the beginning of the Morrison run.  Negative Woman is 
disrupted by some sort of ray, and Val awakens, sans Negative Being, 
in her body.  Garguax is killed when the Chief uses a laser satellite 
to destroy his ship, and his forces leave.

Later, as the DP leave Arani's graveyard after her interment, the Gene
Bomb is detonated.  Dorothy Spinner was present at the funeral, by
the way, in the background.


Invasion Book 2: "World Without Heroes"

Plot and breakdowns, Keith Giffen; Script, Bill Mantlo; Pencils
by Bart Sears; Inks by Dick Giordano, Pablo Marcos and Joe Rubinstein, 
with Tom Christopher.

In an attempt to curry favor with his superiors, a member of the Dominator
race has activated a device which will kill all the superpowered humans
on earth.  This does not affect technological heroes like the Green
Lanterns or Rocket Red, nor does it affect heroes like Superman and
the Martian Manhunter whose powers are natural.  Of course, unpowered
heroes like Batman are immune as well.  The symptoms are as follows: the 
victim's powers rage out of control, until he or she slips into a coma, 
with death the inevitable result.  

In Kansas City, Cliff can't help them when Josh, Scott and Rhea are
stricken with the above syndrome.  Luckily, J'onn J'onzz (the Martian
Manhunter) arrives and kayos Josh; Rhea and Scott lapse into unconscious-
ness.  

The ailing superheroes are gathered together at a medical facility, but
the best minds of medical science can't stop their decline.  

The only solution is to obtain the cure from the Dominators' homeworld.
Cliff joins the special team consisting of Rocket Red, Starman, Earth's
two Green Lanterns and J'onn J'onzz for the mission.  

The team meets up with the Omega Men in space, as well as the Blasters,
and enlist their help in the project.

Scott Fisher dies.  As far as I know, he is the only superhero to
die as a result of the Gene Bomb.  If this is untrue, please let
me know.

Cliff accompanies J'onn on his secret mission on the Dominators'
homeworld, where J'onn telepathically reads the cure in the mind
of the Gene Bomb's inventor (in prison).  Unfortunately, the team
must go back to the Starlag prison camp (whence the Omega Men and
the Blasters have recently escaped) to obtain medical technology
for constructing a counter-bomb.  They do so, and return to Earth
with the antidote.  Earth's heroes are cured.

And the stage is set for Grant Morrison's issues.

--
 Bill Sherman     S^1 `--> S^(2n+1) -->> CP^n      sherman@math.ucla.edu
  The loudest mouth will hail the newfound way / To be King for a Day.
       - XTC, _Oranges and Lemons_, "King for a Day" (A. Partridge)