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Damage Control #1
- Writer:
- Adam F. Goldberg, Hans Rodionoff, Charlotte Fullerton McDuffie
- Artist:
- Will Robson, Jay Fosgitt
- Letterer:
- VC's Clayton Cowles
- Cover Artist:
- Carlos Pacheco
- Publisher:
- Marvel
- Price:
- $4.99
- Release Date:
- 2022-08-24
- Colorist:
- Ruth Redmond
When heroes and villains destroy the city, there's only one team that's able to clean up the mess. Damage Control #1 starts a new miniseries that reintroduces Marvel's most underrated group in a hilarious fashion. The first issue features a main story penned by the writers Adam F. Goldberg and Hans Rodionoff, with art by Will Robson, colors by Ruth Redmond, and letters by Clayton Cowles. The backup story, "Zapped and the Mother of Invention," is written by Charlotte Fullerton McDuffie, drawn by Jay Fosgitt, colored by Redmond, and lettered by Cowles.
The main story, "Into the Mailstrom," beings with Damage Control's new intern, Gus, meeting the head intern, Bart Rozum, and being inducted into the company and its various protocols. Gus is like a fish out of water and treated like the new guy, i.e., the person who receives the work that no one else likes to do. When he fails to deliver all the mail, he quickly realizes how important the job functions at Damage Control are and the seismic impact they can have on the fate of the entire world.
In the lead-up to Damage Control #1's debut, some readers compared it to The Office. It's easy to see why, as there are more than a few funny moments that fans of the sitcom and any ordinary office worker can relate to. Goldberg and Rodionoff's mockery of the "we're like a family here" shtick that most companies feed their employees is outstanding, as is the co-worker's response to it. Apart from the brilliant sense of humor and tongue-in-cheek conversations, the writing successfully merges the comedy with the greater Marvel Universe without feeling like too much of a parody. The cameos add something to the story.
Robson's aesthetic augments the overall tone of the book. The style is far more playful and easier on the eye than traditional superhero books, but it never degenerates into a caricature of Marvel's characters. Redmond's colors and Cowles' lettering play an equally important role in complementing and shaping the message of the art, as they enhance the mood and ensure the audience embraces the spirit of the story. This isn't a book that's trying to reinvent the wheel or change the landscape of comics; instead, it's about bringing back the fun and letting the reader get lost in an entertaining and humorous story for a short while.
The backup story lets loose with cartoonish charm and an even more good-humored approach. Fullerton McDuffie, Fosgitt, Redmond, and Cowles put fun at the forefront and tell an outlandish tale that leaves a smile on the reader's face. It's a self-contained wild ride, which features a guest appearance from the Mad Titan himself, Thanos.
In Damage Control #1, Bart makes a statement to Gus that Damage Control is like a steppingstone to S.H.I.E.L.D. But judging by the debut issue, Damage Control seems like the place where all the fun takes place, while S.H.I.E.L.D. is packed with bureaucratic sycophants. If the rest of the series is anything like this first issue, there might be more people dreaming about signing up to work at Marvel's most unappreciated team instead.