Earlier today, Bleeding Cool reported on the increasing delays afflicting Gerard Way and Nick Derington's Doom Patrol, the flagship book of Way's Young Animal imprint at DC Comics. The book's fourth issue was originally scheduled for for December 14, but was pushed back to December 28 with Way posting the following message to Instagram:

Hey all— I wanted to take this opportunity to apologize for Doom Patrol Issue #4 being late. We put our all into this book and sometimes it takes longer than we expect. Your support and patience is amazing. We are working hard, and around the clock to deliver to you the best book possible. We will try and keep you updated on when the issue will ship, but it shouldn't be too much longer. Here's something from us to help hold you over while we keep it going. On Patrol together forever…we have so much cool stuff on the way…

Well, December 28 came and went, with no Doom Patrol #4 in sight. Instead, the beleaguered book has been pushed back to January 25, with more delays for subsequent issues – already pushed back once due to the original December delay – likely forthcoming.

Way took to Instagram once again today, but not to address the delays. Instead, he posted some inked artwork for Doom Patrol #4 with no comment on its lateness:

View this post on Instagram.

Tight? Yup. Awesome? Agree. Hashtag #SpaceCase? Uh, sure. But it looks alarmingly unfinished for a book supposed to come out two weeks ago.

Back on his website, Way did have something to say about the book as part of a longer post discussing recent events:

I have been extremely focused and busy with writing Doom Patrol and heading Young Animal. We are a little late at the moment with Doom Patrol, so I am doing my best to stay on top of things and Nick is working hard to make sure we can produce the best possible book for you guys. Through all of the work we still connect every day and fan the sparks of our ideas. The fire is very real there, and the thing that keeps us going and fighting hard is knowing that we have amazing things to share with you guys, so thank you so much for understanding that sometimes things take a little extra time. I have also been able to re-engage with Umbrella Academy as I catch up on Doom. Doom Patrol is a monthly book, so sometimes it forces you to make it a priority, and Umbrella Academy is a series of mini-arcs that come out when they are ready, so you can see the conflict there. Aside from working on myself mentally, I've also had to start adjusting to new ways of working, constantly striving to raise my output. I have always been detail-obsessed and perfection-oriented, so it takes a little learning to let things out into the world. You can only labor over something so long. I don't think I've ever finished an album or a comic, they just come out when they have to.

"A little late" is a bit of an understatement, while "monthly book" isn't exactly an accurate description. As for the comic coming out when it has to… well, it would seem this is simply not true. Still, it's good to know Way remains committed to the project, and we look forward to being able to read the next issue eventually.

Doom Patrol #4 will be in stores on January 25… we hope!