Damage #1 review



Ethan Avery has beaten rival Major Liggett to be transformed into super-soldier Damage, a military monster ready to follow orders. But something’s gone wrong. 


He’s on a murderous rampage and Liggett, wearing advanced armour, may be the only person on the scene who can take him down. 


Ooh, tantrum! While he’s assumed to be utterly mindless, Damage does seem to have an angel on his shoulder. 


And a devil. 


The brute evades his handlers. Ethan can become Damage for one hour out of 24. Can Colonel Marie Jonas, the woman in charge of the super-soldier project, catch up to him before he transforms again?


It’s the New Age of Heroes and Damage is the first to arrive. And if he’s representative of what’s to come, this sub-line isn’t for me. The credits give top billing to artist Tony S Daniel, ahead of writer Robert Venditti, under the banner of ‘storytellers’ - presumably they’re co-plotting, with Daniel getting first pass. And it shows. More than half the book is a massive fight, comprising huge panels, the rest is Col Jonas and co - we don’t actually meet Ethan in any meaningful way. I can’t get invested in a rampaging Hulk-alike if I don’t know the person inside, and there’s nothing new here to drag me back for the second issue. 

Sure, the art by Daniel, inker Danny Miki and colourist Tomeu Morey is eye catching. With the amount of massive splash panels we get, how could it not be? But it’s not serving very much at all. Of the characters we do meet, Liggett seems to be your typical comic book gung-ho military type, while Jonas, well, look at her - eye patch over scar = hardass. Maybe Venditti will transcend the visual cliche and make something of her, but at the moment she seems to be just an Amanda Waller wannabe. 

Oh, and there’s a pilot reported dead, Captain John Nichol - same name as the British airman who was a high-profile hostage in Iraq during the Gulf War. It’s an unfortunate coincidence. 

The triple-size digital foldout cover by the interior art team is something new, and a nice bonus given this book costs just $2.99. Better, though, would be a story that’s more than a big fight scene with the minimum of context.  

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Damage #1 review, DC Comics, Tony S Daniel, Robert Venditti, Tomeu Morey, Danny Miki

Comments

  1. Judging from the previews, these New Age of DC Heroes titles will be very hit and miss for me, and I had already pegged this one as a miss. I'm sorry to see that your review bears my first impressions out.

    Right now, of the ones previewed so far in the backs of DC comics, I'm most excited about The Terrifics, and to a lesser extent Silencer. There's a slight chance I'll give Sideways a look, but there's only so much money to go around. Damage, from the start, was the one that seemed least likely to engage me, so this isn't much of a surprise.

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    1. I’ll certainly try Sideways, I’ve a soft spot for the Spidey archetype, and we may get some fun alternate world stuff.

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  2. You know what would be funny? If this only lasted 6 issues, but then Damage would make appearances in other books until his popularity increased. One highlight would be if he duked it out with Aquaman. Another might be if he fought Blue Beetle in caves in the American Southwest, and then another appearance in The Terrifics' book where he fights Metamorpho. Special appearances by Snapper Carr!

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    1. I’d like it if he had a girlfriend who got irradiated and became a sphinx, and fell for a purple-skinned Girl from the Macroverse!

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  3. Half of these new books look worth at least a few issues bought. Damage wasn't one of them for me. It's hard to trust this kind of thing anyways after so many times being burned by imprints like this over the years...

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    1. It’s weird that even though I hate the friendly assassin bit, and have less time for JR JR’s art as time goes on, I liked the preview about the retired killer mom.

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  4. Wasn't OMAC meant to be "the post New52 Hulk"? Haven't there been some other character(s) meant to fill that niche?

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    1. Oh, probably Loose Cannon and Doomsday and ...

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  5. This was such a disappointment. I didn't expect it to be amazing, but thought it would be an enjoyable alternative to The Hulk, as I'm not interested in that title itself. It felt like a throwback to the "bad" of the 1990's, focusing on style over substance, with "extreme" storytelling showcasing characters screaming, splash panels and lots of explosions. Even the original "Damage," though coming from the 1990's, did focus on Grant and his legacy in the DC Universe. While I applaud DC trying to expand their books and trying something "new," I do wish talent and money would bring us a new Legion and JSA titles.

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    1. You know, I’d love to read a new Grant Emerson strip, that kid had so many interesting connections. We just need Earth 2 back!

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    2. Earth-2 or just more Rebirth of Pre-Flashpoint history. It would be nice if Grant had his face back but not be a jerk with it.

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    3. Yeah, Damage was one of the better Nineties series, alone with Chase and Chronos, the character deserves to come back.

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