3 Years After HBO Max Series Cancellation, DC Is Resurrecting Their Most Underrated Superhero Team

Published Sep 7, 2026, 7:30 PM EDT An experienced Editor representing Canada via ScreenRant's Team Anime, J.R. has been reading manga since the first printing of Shonen Jump in North America. This passion drove him to write about anime, manga, and manhwa since 2022, having recently served as Lead Anime Editor for ComicBook.com. His favorite moments in media coverage include reviewing the series premieres of Zom 100 and Bleach: TYBW Part 2 back-to-back and briefly meeting Junji Ito at a VIZ gallery event in 2023. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Nearly eight years ago, the ill-fated DC Universe streaming app launched ahead of a handful of live-action and animated series. Some live-action shows had their moments, like Swamp Thing or Titans, and it had some reasonably exciting animated series, including the resumed Young Justice and impressively-resilient Harley Quinn. But the most critically-acclaimed DC Universe original to come out of that era and migrate to HBO Max was Doom Patrol, a series so perfectly bonkers it honored the legacy of its most famous contributing author, Grant Morrison. Now, three years following its streaming cancellation, and an equally conspicuous end of its 2023 comic, the best of both worlds came out in September 2026's first wave of new comics. The Doom Patrol, the first DC Comic featuring The World's Strangest Heroes since 2023's Unstoppable Doom Patrol, renders a familiar scene for its central team facing wretched conditions. While put to the page and not featuring the affable cast members, including an early-Brenaissance-era Brendan Fraser, Robotman is joined by Elasti-Girl and Negative Man in a sad state of affairs, pushed to the gig hero economy with a non-zero number of lies and cons along the way to make a quick buck. If anything, it feels right at home as their strange new adventure starts with Chief Niles Caulder's latest upsetting vision, alien abductions of cats, and a mysterious girl named Evelyn. The Doom Patrol Is Broke & So Back In 2026 Featuring the creative team of writer Darcy Van Poelgeest and Niko Henrichon, The Doom Patrol released its debut issue on Wednesday, September 2. It was a strong first issue, quickly earning highly positive ratings on aggregators like a 4.3 from 2,449 League of Comic Geeks users in the days since. It's hard to see why not, either, as it quickly lays out the group's wretched financial state, Chief's regrets for the actions that put them there, and the morally questionable work, including lying and trying to replace a missing house cat they were hired to track down, only to find dead. But as Chief's recurring nightmares risk becoming a reality, the plot shows signs of an enticing mystery and plenty of odd moments ahead. Each participating member is characteristically facing their own latest woes in The Doom Patrol #1. Rita Farr, aka Elasti-Girl, airs her grievances about at one point being a movie star, only to now pick up roadkill, losing her grasp on the purpose she once found after her new powers upended her old life. Cliff Steele aka Robotman, is feeling the squeeze of their work, undeniably shaken by the loss their client will face upon learning her cat is deceased. But Larry Trainor, aka Negative Man, is perhaps the most wistful of all, clinging to memories of his team's better days, haunted by tragic deaths of past teammates, and wanting to make things right. It's here that, of course, chaos suddenly erupts. As it turns out, Ms. Green's fears of a UFO abducting local cats were absolutely not unfounded, and the issue reveals the first strange threat for the Doom Patrol to face: a bizarre alien amalgam of local cats, while Chief's visions of his own death may finally be broken. At the cost of "everything", Chief pledges he'll help a strange cloaked woman who pays him a visit, all while issue #2's teaser synopsis strongly suggests the aliens are in some way connected. It's a fantastic issue with a promising future ahead, as DC's initial reveal teases a "ghost of the team's past" that'll soon cross over into their world once more. DC's Next Level Started September With A Bang Last week, The Doom Patrol's New Comic Book Day debut was accompanied by a pair of other heavy-hitters, Teen Titans and Legion of Super-Heroes and, perhaps unsurprisingly, each were especially well-received, another win for DC Next Level. While they're certainly unlikely to challenge the dominance of the Absolute lineup, particularly Snyder, Dragotta, and Martin's Absolute Batman, they're propping up reasonable entry points for three different varieties of readers in the process. As icing on the cake, DC Black Label's Superman: The Stranger dropped last week as well, featuring a strong and nuanced portrayal of the original Golden Age Superman in an Art Deco Metropolis. The Doom Patrol is certainly that level of approachability, bringing in impressive talent while not taking drastic measures like starting from zero with an immediate origin story. For many, it's the perfect point of reentry following the demise of the beloved 2019 streaming series, blending the usual absurdity and bonkers, larger-than-life threats with the perpetual melancholia of its downtrodden central heroes. While it's uncertain whether the comic will feature similarly immortal moments like a sentient street bringing simultaneous...release to its visitors and denizens, The Doom Patrol is set up for success going into its second issue, available digitally and at local comic book retailers on October 14, 2026. Release Date 2019 - 2023-00-00 Network DC Universe, HBO Max, Max Showrunner Jeremy Carver Directors Omar Madha, Kristin Windell, Dermott Downs, Harry Jierjian, Rebecca Rodriguez, Bosede Williams, Glen Winter, Carol Banker, Rachel Talalay, Rob Hardy, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Samira Radsi, Stefan Pleszczynski, T.J. Scott, Amanda Row, Larry Teng, Jessica Lowrey Writers Marcus Dalzine, Steve Yockey Franchise(s) DC Universe