Gerard Way makes his return at long last alongside co-writer Jeremy Lambert and artist James Harvey to dust off the fan favorite title yet again. The trio bring the world’s strangest superheroes back from obscurity once more just in time to catch that tv series hype train. Acting more as an issue 13 to the previous run rather than a brand new start, new readers are still eased into the world surrounding the heroes as each character gets their own proper introduction throughout the overarching narrative.

Following the events of Milky Wars from last summer, the series picks up immediately where it left off as Cliff Steele, still in his reconstituted human form, pays his dying mother a visit while the cast of characters regroup and set off for outer space on their next adventure. While Cliff is met with nothing short of grief from his mother, Flex Mentallo and Rita Farr continue to develop their new relationship as they complement one another particularly well. Reaching a planet obsessed with fitness, the heroes must uncover the truth about their god and expose a shady personal trainer.

Although Nick Derrington makes an appearance on the series once again this time with his beautiful cover of the whole team, James Harvey takes interior duties and truly makes the series his own. The unique artistry of Harvey creates a new aesthetic to kick off this brand new run and delivers a flavor different than even the previous run with Way and Derrington. With the help of Sajan Rai, Harvey paints his own pencils with muted hues and unorthodox beautiful color pallets. Harvey fits the world’s strangest superheroes like a glove and kicks off the new arc in exciting fashion.

My Chemical Romance frontman and writer of the Umbrella Academy, Gerard Way finally graces comic shops once again after nearly a year of absence from the title. Previously plagued by one delay after the next, these problems will hopefully be remedied by co-writer Jeremy Lambert as well as the new artistic team to help keep up with deadlines. Albeit late, the return is a complete true to form restart for new and old fans alike as readers are reintroduced to their favorite bunch of weirdos.

With Young Animal standing as the last of the DC imprints, Doom Patrol will continue to tow the line despite such great lengths of time between issues. With a new direction and creative team to back Gerard Way up in the creation process, fans cross their fingers in hopes of this niche title’s continued survival and success.

Grade: A