R.I.P. Arnold Drake

[Clem Robins]

Arnold Drake, arguably the best writer this medium ever had, and without doubt the best writer DC had in the Silver Age, died on Sunday night.

A brilliant, funny, and generous man. And, for what it's worth, the author of the first story I ever got to letter, a gazillion years ago.

If you've never read the original Doom Patrol series, and particularly the last two years of its run, you'd be well rewarded to check these stories out. It's for writing like this that the medium has earned the right to be taken seriously.

He was in the process of writing a Doom Patrol prequel story for DC, and I was hoping to get to letter it. I guess this will not happen now. Nobody could ghost-write Arnold.

He'll be deeply missed.

[cyxodus]

I'm sorry to hear of his passing and I'll make sure to pick up issues from his run on Doom Patrol.

[Clem Robins]

see if you can find issues from #107 to the end of the run. there's one story arc, in which the deliciously evil Madame Rouge is held hostage at Doom Patrol headquarters, and attempts to seduce the Chief. it is an absolute classic.

Drake had it all: economy, pacing, a sure ear for dialogue, humor, and the ability to invent characters you believed in and cared about. he also had a great partner in the late Bruno Premiani, who could draw absolutely anything.

in fact, the only thing DP never had, except for one fill-in issue by Gaspar, was a decent letterer.

Arnold Drake was the best there ever was.