Everybody loves a great villain. Self-sacrificing heroes are all well and good, but we are simultaneously attracted and repelled by the lure of the Dark Side. Would anybody really care about Luke Skywalker if he didn't have Darth Vader to throw down with? I seriously doubt it. They say you can judge a hero by the caliber of his enemies. How did the Fantastic Four get to be "The World's Greatest Comics Magazine?" They had the world's greatest villain! The ruler of Latveria. The man in the iron mask. The one and only, Dr. Victor Von Doom! And I am NOT talking about that lame yuppy Doom from the FF movie.
Books of Doom #1, by Ed Brubaker and Pablo Raimondi, is the first issue of a six book series devoted to chronicling the life story of the Marvel Universe's greatest villain. The story is narrated by Doom himself, and he truly begins at the beginning with memories that start in his mother's womb. (Victor was clearly a precocious young fella.) We learn about Victor's earliest days, about the dark path travelled by his mother, and about the events that set him down that same path.
Doom has always been such a compelling character because of the two very different sides of his personality. On one side, he is a noble and honorable man who fiercely defends his people, and who risked the depths of Hell to save his mother's soul. On the other side, he is an arrogant tyrant capable of absolutely heartless and despicable acts of cruelty. A man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
Brubaker's story in Books of Doom does an excellent job of delving into Doom's character and showing readers his development from all sides. The traumas of Victor's youth clearly and logically shape him into the villainous Dr.Doom who would grow up to terrorize the heroes of the Marvel Universe. Raimondi's beautiful, yet somber, art perfectly captures the harsh Latverian countryside of Victor's youth.
Tempt not the wrath of Doom, feeble readers! With all haste, rush to Four Color Fantasies where you may purchase the stirring tale of Doom's earliest days! It is guaranteed, so you risk nothing. If you choose to ignore the dictates of Doom, and leave this book on the shelf, you risk everything! Do not follow in the footsteps of the accursed Richards and his blasted foursome! Doom does not forget his enemies. (Curse you, Richards.)
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