Comics are a unique medium. It can be tough to transition from writing books or movies into a story told in static panels. It’s also tough to re-launch an old superhero series. Do you make it a nostalgic romp? Do you create an entirely new pitch? How do you balance old and new readers? “Damage Control” #1 is not a bad comic by any means, but it struggles with answers to these questions.
Written by Adam F. Goldberg and Hans RodionoffCover by Carlos Pecheco
Illustrated by Will Robson
Colored by Ruth Redmond
Lettered by VC’s Clayon Cowles
FROM THE CREATOR OF TV’S THE GOLDBERGS! Marvel’s Unsung Heroes finally get sung! After the mega-powered battles and Hulk-level catastrophes, Damage Control is always there to clean up the mess and get things back to normal. But Damage Control is much more than just a glorified cleanup crew, and this new series will pull back the curtain and reveal the secret inner workings that were previously only available to people with Clearance Level Eight. And we’ll witness it all through the eyes of Gus: a fresh-faced, eager newcomer to the company who has no idea how chaotic his life is about to become. ADAM F. GOLDBERG (TV’s The Goldbergs) and HANS RODIONOFF team up with WILL ROBSON to take you into the secret labyrinth of Damage Control, where it’s totally common to run into familiar faces like Moon Knight! Nightcrawler! She-Hulk! And more! Plus: A second story by DAMAGE CONTROL creator Dwayne McDuffie’s McSpouse, Charlotte Fullerton, as the Damage Control crew must clean up after the Infinity Gauntlet!
“Damage Control” first showed up in 1988, a creation of the late, great Dwayne McDuffie, and the late, great Ernie Colón. It’s actually one of the few 80s series I own in floppy issues, and it is great. If you read the letters pages in the back, it’s clear that the comic was supposed to be an American sitcom, the superhero equivalent of <i>Cheers</i> or <i>Seinfeld</i>. It makes a lot of sense then, to tag in a writer most famous for working in American Sitcoms. This issue of “Damage Control” is written by Adam F. Goldberg and Hans Rodionoff, both credited writers of the 2013 TV show <i>The Goldbergs</i>. I’ve seen a few episodes of <i>The Goldbergs</i>, my brother was really into it. It’s something to watch.
The new series of “Damage Control” opens on Gus. He’s our new protagonist and he’s trying to become an intern at Damage Control, sitting for an interview with Bart Rozum, who was a harried personal assistant in the original “Damage Control.” The rest of the issue follows Gus’ whirlwind first day, as he gets into some hot water and teams up with various well-known superheroes.
The story is paper-thin. The protagonist is not much better. Gus barely has a motivation (beyond “don’t get fired”) and has less in the way of personality. He seems deliberately vague, like maybe he’s supposed to be an avatar for readers to sink into, relate to? It doesn’t work; there’s nothing there. So that leaves us with three things.
The first is the artwork. “Damage Control” #1 is illustrated by Will Robson, a talented guy who has done art for “Fantastic Four” and “Spider-Man” books. Robson has an easy style. Your eye can always follow the action, and there aren’t too many blank backgrounds. His characters are on-model, if a little cartoony. Robson’s strong sense of how to draw a comic keeps this issue from totally going off the rails. But it doesn’t have that unique hook to make a reader look past the lack of concrete stakes and character motivation. Robson should clearly team up with a more experienced writer to try and establish a signature series.
Next are the jokes. This comic has a bunch of them, and they are competently written… but… they are very, very sitcom-y. There’s a bit where a barista gets a name wrong on a coffee order. Gus’ first assignment is to deliver an ice cream cake, but he doesn’t know his way around and it is melting fast. Later Gus shreds the wrong document, and needs to dive into a dumpster to find all the paper strips. They are jokes that would work for a sitcom I have on in the background while I play with my phone. They’re less engaging as my sole focus on the comics page. I’ve seen all these jokes before, on inoffensive sitcoms.
Continued belowFinally, there’s the Marvel universe of it all. I assume Goldberg and Rodinoff are big Marvel fans, and their chance to play in the sandbox must be a dream come true. And you definitely get a good handful of cameos, often superheroes pulling Gus out of hot water. The issue runs past Moon Knight, Ghost Rider, She Hulk, Quicksilver, Nightcrawler… mostly used for quick gags. Nightcrawler helps Gus the intern on his first day by teleporting him around to deliver the mail. I don’t mean to nitpick but… doesn’t Kurt have his hands full? He sits on the Quiet Council of Krakoa, he’s creating a new mutant religion. I don’t need every appearance of his to crawl through his continuity, but I need a little something. Why is Nightcrawler helping the least interesting boy in the world deliver office mail? Doesn’t he have anything better to do?
I suppose if the jokes were better or the art was more absorbing, I’d enjoy the presence of one of my favorite X-Men. In this series he’s definitely there, but he’s reduced down to “nice guy who bamfs.” It doesn’t demand that I return to read issue two. The cliffhanger is the simply promise that next time, Gus will get more busywork. I’m sure he will mess it up in a way that’s funny, but not too funny.
Final Verdict: 6.2 – Without a stronger hook, the new “Damage Control” feels like a disposable sitcom.
