2026 is shaping up to be the year of Doctor Doom over at Marvel, with the villain’s MCU debut in Avengers: Doomsday spawning numerous books to take advantage of the few movie fans who will actually go and buy a comic. MCU synergy is hated by most comic fans, but the House of Ideas is putting their best foot forward, with some of their best creators on Doom-centric books, starting with Doomquest. This 12-issue series is written by Ryan North, the writer who has made Fantastic Four into one of the best superhero books of the last five years, and artist Francesco Mobili, who has worked on numerous great books. Together, they give readers a great first issue for an intriguing Doom story.
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Doomquest #1 sees the Latverian monarch inspired by Reed Richards, creating a machine that will allow him to make Latveria great again. Over the course of the issue, North gives readers Doom’s greatest plan and it’s a great read. It’s not perfect and there are some expected weaknesses from it, but it’s definitely a fun comic.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
| Pros | Cons |
| North writes an amazing Doom and comes up with a cool new plan for the villain | This is pretty much a standard Doom story, which is fun but uninspired |
| Mobili’s art is fantastic throughout the book, bringing the story to life brilliantly | The book doesn’t really establish when the story takes place |
| The ending takes things in a very interesting direction, ensuring readers will pick up the next issue |
North Gives Readers an Entertaining Yet Basic Doom Story
Ryan North wrote One World Under Doom last year, and did a fantastic job with the character. North had been killing it writing the Fantastic Four and his Doom was a highlight of the run, so he’s the perfect choice for this book. If there’s any drawback to North’s Doom it’s that he doesn’t really bring anything new to character and Doomquest is more of the same. If you enjoy Doom as a character, you’ll like this book a lot but if you’re expecting something different from the villain, this first issue isn’t going to give you any of that. This honestly makes sense; this book is as much for new fans as it is anyone else but that does hold it back a bit.
That said, there are lots of cool little things that North adds in that makes this such a fun read. Doom’s entire plan – he wants to change the past so that Latveria is greater in the world – is inspired by Reed Richards giving a key note address and he learns about the address because he basically has a Google alert set to anytime Richards is on TV. North always remembers to throw stuff like this in and it really adds to the story. When the heroes come to destroy his machine, the banter between them is fantastic and North is able to capture Doom’s resolve to use the machine. The ending completely changes the story and it’ll be interesting to see where North takes things over the rest of the series.
Mobili’s Art Is Exactly What This Story Needed
Doctor Doom is Marvel’s greatest monster but it’s easy to get him wrong artistically. Luckily, Mobili doesn’t. Doom has one of the coolest costumes ever and various artists have modified it in all kinds of different ways. Mobili’s version changes the arms and legs to something more akin to medieval armor and it looks fantastic. There have been many different variations of Doom armor over the years, and Mobili’s is one of the coolest ever. His art for the rest of the book is just as fantastic.
One of the best parts of the art is the colors from veteran colorist Frank D’Armata. Coloring techniques have changed a lot over the years, and D’Armata has always been on the cutting edge, something this issue shows. There’s a richness to the colors that really helps the images pop and looking closely at each panel reveals an almost painterly-quality to the color. The pencils are fantastic throughout the book, with great detail, deft character acting, and exciting action, and the colors take it all to the next level.
Doomquest #1 is everything you’d expect from a book by this creative team and that’s a good thing. North isn’t trying to rewrite who Doom is but that’s okay because he writes a fantastic rendition of the villain. Mobili and D’Armata make for an outstanding art team, their work bringing the story to life. This is a perfect comic for both old Doom fans and any new ones looking to give him a try before his MCU debut.
Doomquest #1 is on sale now.
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