Doom Patrol

The team comic came of age during the 1960s, and Doom Patrol was one of the best examples of a purpose-built group. Like the Fantastic Four as a reaction to the Justice League, Doom Patrol was a reaction to Fantastic Four, and apparently the X-Men was a reaction to Doom Patrol. Comics in the 1960s were a twisted web indeed. The classic series is one of the most fascinating of the Silver Age. The team was gathered by wheelchair-bound Doctor Niles Carter and consisted of Elasti-Girl, Negative Man, Robotman, Mento, and perhaps most telling of influence on the X-Men, Beast Boy, whose secret identity was, wait for it… Garfield Logan! The adventures were great, and surprisingly less hokey than many Silver Age adventures. Like Fantastic Four, they wore largely matching uniforms, and they were often shown battling foes from The Brotherhood of Evil, something like the Doom Patrol's version of Flash's Rogues Gallery. Doom Patrol has been re-launched half-a-dozens times over the years, attracting some of the biggest names in comics writing and art, but it's that first team that will always captivate! Why it's on the list: An essential DC comic team, and one that made even secondary Silver Age teams seem very cool!