Doom All-On-One #1
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Alessandro Cappuccio
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Marvel is really hitting the "Doctor Doom" button hard these days. Any idea why that is...?
Doom may be getting Joker-level overexposed, but when all of the material is at such a high level of quality, it's hard to complain too much. Take Doom All-On-One, for example. Is it gimmicky? Heck yeah. But it's written by Al Ewing, who knows Victor Von Doom quite well, and there are fifty "widescreen" splash pages by freaking Alessandro Cappuccio?
I, for one, welcome our Latverian overlord.
(DOOM ACCEPTS YOUR FEALTY. ALTHOUGH HE IS STILL KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON YOU.
"FANTASTIC..." BAH!)
Oh, um, we're doing this again? I thought I changed the locks after last time?
(DOOM GOES WHERE HE PLEASES.)
Awesome...
The Road to Hell
Backstory time!
When Victor Von Doom was a child running around and conquering other kids' sandboxes (BY COMBINING THE CONTENTS OF SEVERAL SANDBOXES INTO ONE, THE CHILDREN WOULD HAVE A MUCH LARGER SURFACE AREA TO PLAY IN—AND THEY WOULD OWE DOOM A BOON. WHICH HE WOULD COLLECT AT LUNCHTIME, WHEN HE DESIRED DESSERT, his mother, Cynthia, made a literal deal with the devil. In order to free her nation, she made a pact with Mephisto, the lord of Hell. But the demon betrayed her and took her soul, damning her to spend all eternity being tortured in the Pits.
As you might imagine, this did not sit well with Victor. (I BELIEVE THEY CALL THAT AN UNDERSTATEMENT.)
As Victor grew to adulthood, he studied both the sciences and the arcane arts in an ongoing effort to combine the two and use that power to free his mother's soul. In fact, the lab experiment in college that scarred him was actually an attempt to open a portal to Hell itself (DOOM'S DESIGN AND REASONING WERE SOUND. IT WAS THE ACCURSED RICHARDS, ALWAYS SECOND BEST, WHO ALTERED DOOM'S CALCULATIONS IN A FIT OF JEALOUSY.)
Every year, on Midsummer's Eve, the walls between Earth and Hell are thinned. If one has the right tools, at that particular time, it is possible to gain access to the Abyss. Doom intends to do just that and to challenge Mephisto for his mother's soul. Little does Doom know that the demon has a (Marvel) universe full of surprises in store for him...
Too Much of A Good Thing
This definitely wasn't the best Doom story I've ever read—that honor would probably go to either Books of Doom or Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment—but it was still a fun time. (FUN? YOU CALL DOOM HAVING TO DEFEAT THE GATHERED "HEROES" OF HIS UNIVERSE IN LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES "FUN?" YOU ARE CORRECT, THAT IS "FUN." PERHAPS DOOM JUDGED YOU TOO HASTILY...)
Oh wow, did Doom actually say something nice about me?
Once Doom arrives in Hell, Mephisto reveals that he's gathered a large amount of the Marvel Universe's heroes to his service. Are they the real deal, somehow under Mephisto's control? Or are they demons that have been magically given the looks and powers of the heroes? We don't know, and Mephisto doesn't say. Instead, he tells Doom that he has five minutes to defeat the heroes and free Cynthia from her prison. If he does, then she goes free. If he does not, then it's back to the Pit for her.
And then Doom takes on everyone. You might say it's an All-On-One situation...
(THAT WAS TERRIBLE. DOOM TAKES HIS PRAISE BACK.)
Challenges of Doom
Between this book and the Challenges of Doom series of one-shots, Al Ewing has absolutely nailed Victor Von Doom's character. Doom is truly brilliant, with a high level of skill in both science and sorcery. His tactical mind is unparalleled. (YOU ARE FINDING YOURSELF BACK IN DOOM'S GOOD GRACES.) But he's arrogant and petty, with his ego being his own worst enemy. (DOOM TAKES IT BACK AGAIN.)
There is a particular school of comic fans who will tell you that, given sufficient prep time, the Batman can beat literally anyone. Doom can do the same, except he doesn't need prep time. Doom is prep time. That sounded better in my head... One by one, Doom takes on—and defeats—Earth's greatest heroes. Captain America's shield is used against powerhouses like Thor and Captain Marvel. Science is used against the sorcerers, and sorcery against the scientists like Iron Man. In a nice callback to Challenges of Doom: Spider-Man, also by Al Ewing, Spidey's very Spider-Sense is used against him. One by one, all fall before Doom.
Alessandro Cappuccio is an incredible artist—his work on Moon Knight with Jed MacKay was absolutely amazing. When I saw that he was doing the artwork for this book, my excitement level grew considerably. I have to say, he does not disappoint. Although the "widescreen" splash page format is very gimmicky, it does allow for some great images. Doom entering hell through a portal that looks like flames, his cape billowing behind him, looking like a boss. Spider-Man getting the drop on Doom. Wolverine scoring first blood. The Hulk doing Hulk stuff. Every page is gorgeous, but there are a few that would make awesome pin-ups or posters. (EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A POSTER OF DOOM ON THEIR WALL. A REMINDER OF WHAT TRUE PERFECTION IS LIKE.)
Colorist Rachelle Rosenberg is simply one of the best in the business right now. The reds and oranges of Hell could easily become very repetitious, but she manages to make each page look fresh and unique. There are a ton of heroes here, and an insane amount of power effects. She handles it all with ease, making sure everything looks unique and that the powers themselves stand out.
After four minutes, Doom stands alone, his enemies all unconscious around him. He has one minute to blast the hourglass cage and free Cynthia... but the Fantastic Four appear. "You don't need to fight us," Reed Richards says. "All you have to do is blast the hourglass from a distance and you win. There's no need for us to fight. We'll always beat you anyway." Doom knows his onetime friend is right—and that's the problem. In Doom's mind, Reed Richards cannot be right. So Victor Von Doom takes on the Fantastic Four. In the end, I don't think I'm spoiling anything too badly to say that Cynthia remains in Hell, and Doom has a year to prepare for the next attempt. (ONE DAY, MOTHER, YOU WILL BE FREE. DOOM SWEARS IT.)
Ego Check
Doom All-On-One #1 is a very enjoyable one-shot that has great writing and incredible art and covers. If you're a fan of Victor Von Doom at all, you'll have a good time with it. The "every page is a horizontal splash page" idea is a total gimmick, and it doesn't always work, but for the most part the book is full of cool things to look at. Now for the big question: is it worth the $7.99 price tag? Probably not. I get that the issue has extra pages and whatnot, but that's still a pretty steep price for an issue that's basically one big fight scene, no matter how cool it is. If you can get it at a nice discount, or if you just really love Doctor Doom, pick this issue up. (OR ELSE.)
FINAL SCORE: 8 out of 10
Highly Recommended
(DOOM APPRECIATES YOUR EFFORTS. HE ADMIRES A MAN WHO DARES TO SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER, WHICH YOU HAVE DONE SEVERAL TIMES HERE.
HOWEVER. DO NOT MISTAKE ADMIRATION FOR TOLERANCE. YOU ARE NOT DOOM'S FRIEND, WE ARE NOT COMRADES. DOOM COMMANDS—NAY, DEMANDS—YOUR RESPECT. THE NEXT TIME YOU ARE SO GLIB AND DISRESPECTFUL TOWARDS DOOM, YOU WILL NOT LIKE THE RESULTS.
THAT BEING SAID, AN 8 OUT OF 10 IS A RESPECTABLE SCORE. DOOM ACCEPTS.
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN...)