Victor von Doom has a fatal flaw, one that's consistent in his character and has been exhibited as far back as the original Secret Wars, if not further back. An unhealthy obsession with his collegiate rival Reed Richards has forced him to self-sabotage almost everything he's ever done and clouds his work even here as he is poised to become the world-renowned hero he always wanted to be.
The cover of Doctor Doom #9. Credit: Marvel
At the beginning of this series, the famous Richards made some scientific errors that led to humanity's possible extinction. It looked like Doom was at fault, but he was eventually exonerated. Now he's gonna fix everything … if only he can get a moment of peace and freaking quiet.
As Joyce Carol Oates said. "The only thing that's bad for writing is being interrupted. You have to have time to write. And while that seems obvious, you're probably living a life with a lot of interruptions." If that's true for writing, imagine how bad interruptions must be for science that could literally end or save the world. Christopher Cantwell's script examines this in detail as Doom flies into space to try and make things right, with intricate plans on how he can atone for past misdeeds only to let his fatal flaw rear its ugly head once again.
The beauty of the visuals presented by Salvador Larroca, Guru eFX, and Cory Petit is unmistakable as they take on stellar skyscapes and armored contemplation with equal degrees of craft and ability. However, the sad predictability of the character's compulsion made this less a work of entertainment and more a hamster on a spinning wheel. You could pay to watch that, sure, but would you?
There were elements of Doctor Doom #9 that had great quality, but they couldn't outshine the gravitational pull of predictability. RATING: MEH.
After growing the Latverian empire through bloodshed, Doom turns his attention to the potential apocalypse that is the black hole in Earth's orbit, as he's the only brilliant scientific mind left that has any chance of preventing catastrophe. But in the wake of all he's been through, Victor grapples with a profound change of heart… one he dare not show his enemies, else they see his weakness as opportunity!
Hannibal Tabu is a writer, journalist, DJ, poet and designer living in south Los Angeles with his wife and children. He's a winner of the 2012 Top Cow Talent Hunt, winner of the 2018-2019 Cultural Trailblazer award from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, his weekly comic book review column THE BUY PILE can be found on iHeartRadio's Nerd-O-Rama podcast, his reviews can be found on BleedingCool.com, and more information can be found at his website, www.hannibaltabu.com.
Plus, get free weekly web comics on the Operative Network at http://bit.ly/combatshaman.
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