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geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
'Damage Vol. 1: Out of Control' by Robert Venditti with art by Tony Daniel is part of the DC New Age of Heroes line. Once you start reading this, that will seem like a confusing title for this character.
Ethan Avery volunteered for a project with the military called 'The Damage Project.' That should have been his first warning to run away. Instead, he got turned in to a monster that wreaks havoc blindly on everything around. The good news is that this only lasts for an hour, then he becomes poor old Ethan again and can't Hulk, er, Damage out again for 24 hours. After he wreaks some Havoc on Atlanta, Suicide Squad XL, then Wonder Woman tries to take him out. Damage makes pretty quick work of them and flees. This isn't what Ethan signed up for. Can he figure out how to control Damage and become a kind of hero?
There isn't much plot in this volume. It's kind of one big running slug-fest, and, yes, it is reminiscent of the Hulk. Honestly comics do this kind of thing all the time, so that didn't bug me. I kind of like the idea of a massive heavy hitter working alongside Superman and Batman. The Ethan persona needs to be given more to do. His character is flat and lifeless and we don't really feel a lot of sympathy for this hapless guy who signed up for the wrong experiment.
I did really like the art in this. The Damage character looks a bit like Doomsday without the spines, and that joke is even made along the way.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from DC Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Ethan Avery volunteered for a project with the military called 'The Damage Project.' That should have been his first warning to run away. Instead, he got turned in to a monster that wreaks havoc blindly on everything around. The good news is that this only lasts for an hour, then he becomes poor old Ethan again and can't Hulk, er, Damage out again for 24 hours. After he wreaks some Havoc on Atlanta, Suicide Squad XL, then Wonder Woman tries to take him out. Damage makes pretty quick work of them and flees. This isn't what Ethan signed up for. Can he figure out how to control Damage and become a kind of hero?
There isn't much plot in this volume. It's kind of one big running slug-fest, and, yes, it is reminiscent of the Hulk. Honestly comics do this kind of thing all the time, so that didn't bug me. I kind of like the idea of a massive heavy hitter working alongside Superman and Batman. The Ethan persona needs to be given more to do. His character is flat and lifeless and we don't really feel a lot of sympathy for this hapless guy who signed up for the wrong experiment.
I did really like the art in this. The Damage character looks a bit like Doomsday without the spines, and that joke is even made along the way.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from DC Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
jordannedunn's review against another edition
3.0
First, a thank you to Edelweiss and DC Comics for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Review
This book introduces a new character to the DC mythology, one Mr Ethan "Elvis" Avery who for one hour every day turns into a hulking, huge, living weapon of mass destruction controlled and operated by the military. I’ll be honest, I didn’t realise he was brand-brand new at first. I felt certain I’d seen this character before but now I’m thinking I mixed him up with Doomsday.
Very much character-driven, there wasn’t much of a plot or arc to the book but it was a great study of a new and interesting character. As an introduction there was not a great deal of development shown – though that would be a tall order given the length of the book and its primary purpose of laying the Ethan’s foundations.
Much of the book focuses on Ethan’s internal struggle with controlling the monster inside of him, Damage. The book begins with Avery feeling very much under Damage’s control as well that of the military but the two join forces in order to engineer their escape.
The art was awesome, and Damage does look good though it wasn’t really optimised for digital consumption given the several double page spreads. I have to say my favourite drawn character had to be Wonder Woman. She looked so great in this and her fight scene with Damage was perhaps one of my favourite parts of the book.
I would definitely consider reading more of this character’s books based on this origin, as I think he has potential, but I feel he may be best suited to a team book. As interesting as he is, his limitations and powers will only have the ability to cause suspense and investment if Ethan is surrounded with people he doesn’t want to hurt. I just don’t see a future for him as solo/loner character – but hey, I could be wrong, right?
Writing Quality – 5/10
Image/Illustration Quality – 7/10
Character Development – 6/10
Overall – 6/10
Find my full review on my blog, Bloodthirsty Little Beasts.
Review
This book introduces a new character to the DC mythology, one Mr Ethan "Elvis" Avery who for one hour every day turns into a hulking, huge, living weapon of mass destruction controlled and operated by the military. I’ll be honest, I didn’t realise he was brand-brand new at first. I felt certain I’d seen this character before but now I’m thinking I mixed him up with Doomsday.
Very much character-driven, there wasn’t much of a plot or arc to the book but it was a great study of a new and interesting character. As an introduction there was not a great deal of development shown – though that would be a tall order given the length of the book and its primary purpose of laying the Ethan’s foundations.
Much of the book focuses on Ethan’s internal struggle with controlling the monster inside of him, Damage. The book begins with Avery feeling very much under Damage’s control as well that of the military but the two join forces in order to engineer their escape.
The art was awesome, and Damage does look good though it wasn’t really optimised for digital consumption given the several double page spreads. I have to say my favourite drawn character had to be Wonder Woman. She looked so great in this and her fight scene with Damage was perhaps one of my favourite parts of the book.
I would definitely consider reading more of this character’s books based on this origin, as I think he has potential, but I feel he may be best suited to a team book. As interesting as he is, his limitations and powers will only have the ability to cause suspense and investment if Ethan is surrounded with people he doesn’t want to hurt. I just don’t see a future for him as solo/loner character – but hey, I could be wrong, right?
Writing Quality – 5/10
Image/Illustration Quality – 7/10
Character Development – 6/10
Overall – 6/10
Find my full review on my blog, Bloodthirsty Little Beasts.
doomluz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I like that DC is trying to focus on other superheroes, but like all the other reviews say: this is basically DC's version of the Hulk. I liked the art, but the story itself felt derivative and I'm not sure how I felt about the Poison Ivy depicted in this (I haven't read the part that intersects in the Batman comics so maybe it would make more sense), though I liked seeing Swamp Thing.
lukeisthename34's review against another edition
2.0
Hi I'm the Hulk. I'm also many other lesser comic book stories. I'm also...whatever the hell I'm called in this. Hi. Hi. HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!
quirkycatsfatstacks's review against another edition
4.0
3 1/2 Stars
I received a copy of Damage Vol. 1 through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Damage is a new series by DC Comics, and if you look at the cover you can immediately get a good idea of what sort of character this guy is. Like we’ve seen in many a comic book series, Ethan Avery was a solider willing to do anything to help his country – including letting mad scientists experiment on him. Unfortunately for him, while the experiment was a success, he didn’t make out so well as many other characters in the same position.
Origin stories for new characters are always tough. They have the potential to take off and become a huge success, or they could fizzle into nothing. Sure, there are series that fit between those two extremes, but I feel like those happen in smaller frequencies.
In this case I’d say that Damage has a lot of potential, we just haven’t seen all of it yet. The character design itself isn’t really anything new, but it’s also a format that we know can work. It’s just a matter of figuring out what makes him interesting – what makes him stand out amongst all the other irradiated shifters of the world.
Still, the first volume did manage to surprise me at more than one point. The appearance of Waller and the Suicide Squad shouldn’t have surprised me at all. Waller’s handling of the situation was probably the most believable point in the series – and trust me, that’s an insult to her (one well earned). Of course Waller either wants to obtain or destroy Damage. She’s only capable of seeing things in black and white, but instead of good versus evil is a matter of what she can use versus what she can’t use.
One other appearance surprised me a lot more; Poison Ivy made a show! She’s one of my favorite DC villains, so naturally I was thrilled to see her. I’ll be honest that I wasn’t terribly thrilled with the way she was represented here…however the covers involving her are absolutely fantastic so I guess I can forgive it.
There are a few more cameos, one of which seems like it might lead into the next plot. At least it was the conclusion of this one, so I’m making an assumption on that. I don’t know how much that character can help Damage, but everyone seems to think he can? Which is an interesting revelation. There’s also an epic fight with Wonder Woman (naturally she goes right after Damage) which was fun to watch if nothing else.
As weird as it sounds, I wasn’t expecting Damage to spend so much time away from the cities. But so far we’ve seen him spend as much time out of the cities as in them. In fact, we see him spend a decent chunk of his time in a field or forest. The unexpected locations are surprising, but not unwelcome. It hadn’t occurred to me just how many series I’ve been reading have been based in the city until now. So the change is actually really refreshing.
As far as I’m concerned the jury is still out on Damage. I think it has a chance to be something really interesting. It just needs some time to work out some of the issues it has. I’ll probably continue reading it to see how it goes.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
I received a copy of Damage Vol. 1 through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Damage is a new series by DC Comics, and if you look at the cover you can immediately get a good idea of what sort of character this guy is. Like we’ve seen in many a comic book series, Ethan Avery was a solider willing to do anything to help his country – including letting mad scientists experiment on him. Unfortunately for him, while the experiment was a success, he didn’t make out so well as many other characters in the same position.
Origin stories for new characters are always tough. They have the potential to take off and become a huge success, or they could fizzle into nothing. Sure, there are series that fit between those two extremes, but I feel like those happen in smaller frequencies.
In this case I’d say that Damage has a lot of potential, we just haven’t seen all of it yet. The character design itself isn’t really anything new, but it’s also a format that we know can work. It’s just a matter of figuring out what makes him interesting – what makes him stand out amongst all the other irradiated shifters of the world.
Still, the first volume did manage to surprise me at more than one point. The appearance of Waller and the Suicide Squad shouldn’t have surprised me at all. Waller’s handling of the situation was probably the most believable point in the series – and trust me, that’s an insult to her (one well earned). Of course Waller either wants to obtain or destroy Damage. She’s only capable of seeing things in black and white, but instead of good versus evil is a matter of what she can use versus what she can’t use.
One other appearance surprised me a lot more; Poison Ivy made a show! She’s one of my favorite DC villains, so naturally I was thrilled to see her. I’ll be honest that I wasn’t terribly thrilled with the way she was represented here…however the covers involving her are absolutely fantastic so I guess I can forgive it.
There are a few more cameos, one of which seems like it might lead into the next plot. At least it was the conclusion of this one, so I’m making an assumption on that. I don’t know how much that character can help Damage, but everyone seems to think he can? Which is an interesting revelation. There’s also an epic fight with Wonder Woman (naturally she goes right after Damage) which was fun to watch if nothing else.
As weird as it sounds, I wasn’t expecting Damage to spend so much time away from the cities. But so far we’ve seen him spend as much time out of the cities as in them. In fact, we see him spend a decent chunk of his time in a field or forest. The unexpected locations are surprising, but not unwelcome. It hadn’t occurred to me just how many series I’ve been reading have been based in the city until now. So the change is actually really refreshing.
As far as I’m concerned the jury is still out on Damage. I think it has a chance to be something really interesting. It just needs some time to work out some of the issues it has. I’ll probably continue reading it to see how it goes.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
tctippens's review
3.0
This graphic novel collects the first six issues of DC’s new Damage comics. The first issue was originally released in January 2018.
I’d never heard of Damage before, but this is a re-imagining of the character originally created back in 1994. Damage is a lot like the Incredible Hulk, though instead of a brilliant scientist, his secret identity is a soldier with dreams of becoming a hero.
Ethan Avery, a 21-year-old soldier, volunteers to take part in an experimental program. The goal: to create a super-weapon capable of taking out enemies without losing any lives. The program succeeds, allowing Ethan to become the unstoppable monster known as Damage.
There’s a catch, though. Ethan can only become Damage for an hour at a time, and needs to recharge for a day between each transformation. Damage also has its own personality, fighting with Ethan for control of their body.
There was a lot of action in this. Every volume had Damage going on a rampage for an hour. He takes on superheroes, supervillains, and the military. As cool as this was, I would have enjoyed more non-fighting scenes. There are hints of a larger story within the DC universe throughout, which I found more interesting than the action.
Overall, the graphic novel was an enjoyable read, though I won’t be in a rush to pick up the next volume.
Find this review and more at The Fantasy Inn
I’d never heard of Damage before, but this is a re-imagining of the character originally created back in 1994. Damage is a lot like the Incredible Hulk, though instead of a brilliant scientist, his secret identity is a soldier with dreams of becoming a hero.
Ethan Avery, a 21-year-old soldier, volunteers to take part in an experimental program. The goal: to create a super-weapon capable of taking out enemies without losing any lives. The program succeeds, allowing Ethan to become the unstoppable monster known as Damage.
There’s a catch, though. Ethan can only become Damage for an hour at a time, and needs to recharge for a day between each transformation. Damage also has its own personality, fighting with Ethan for control of their body.
There was a lot of action in this. Every volume had Damage going on a rampage for an hour. He takes on superheroes, supervillains, and the military. As cool as this was, I would have enjoyed more non-fighting scenes. There are hints of a larger story within the DC universe throughout, which I found more interesting than the action.
Overall, the graphic novel was an enjoyable read, though I won’t be in a rush to pick up the next volume.
Find this review and more at The Fantasy Inn
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