DAMAGE #1 [Review]: ‘Metal’ Implosion.

Somehow spinning out of the pages of DC’s Event that won’t go away (aka METAL), the first of the “New Age of Heroes” artist-focused line of comics has arrived! DAMAGE is on the scene and well, things get damaged! Let me preface this by saying that I enjoy Tony Daniel‘s work. I saw him birthred from the primordal ooze that was Comico’s last attempt at The Elementals. I gobbled up his Marvel work, his Image books, his Dark Horse titles. I missed him during his sabattical from comics. His return to DC with Teen Titans; his graduation to Batman where he did double duty of drawing and writing the title for a pretty healthy and consistant run. I’ve shared a meal with this man (but that’s a tale for another time.) This book LOOKS great. It’s loud. It’s bombastic. It’s…1998. This entire issue feels like an Image comic launch from 1998.

We are sort-of introduced to a new hero –who I’m guessing–is code named “Damage”, like a shaved Gorilla with some cool alien-splcing going on. But he doesn’t have a nose (hi Pitt!). He’s got nostrils that you usually only see on a skull. This book screams 1990’s. Damage escapes from.. a shadowy Goverment agency.. there’s some interal monologe coming from Damage, maybe? Sure. Go with that. The book is also barely tied to the DCU thanks to a single panel with Amanda Waller, and a one-page appearance of The Suicide Squad. Whoop. Dee. Friggin. Doo.

Robert (X-O Manowar, The Surrogates)
Vendetti is a wonderful writer who not only took a backseat billing wise to Daniel, but pacing and storywise as well. Nothing really happens here. It’s all sizzle, with very little steak. The artistic tag-team of Daniels (The Tenth, Batman) & Danny Miki is working hard to fill these pages with tons of details and hatching lines. Tomeu Morey’s color choices service the art as well. This is a great LOOKING book. But sadly, thats all it is. Something pretty to LOOK at. 2.5/5 Bibles.

-Sean Farrell

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