I don't think any character is "damaged goods." I reject the premise. Creators can be damaged goods, sure. But characters? No character is damaged goods in the hands of a writer with vision... Continuity is the devil; consistency is the watchword. Accessibility balanced with respect for history, with the understanding that readability trumps all. It's all kind of gut-check stuff tempered by common sense.
~Matt Fraction, interviewed by The Spurge at The Comics Reporter.
Shame about Casanova: Book Three not having the backmatter. I loved that stuff; it's what made me fall harder for the book. Oh well.