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Damage Control #2: Review

Jun 1989
Dwayne McDuffie, Ernie Colon

Story Name:

In It Up to Arrears

Review & Comments

Rating:
4.5 stars

Damage Control #2 Review by (April 9, 2019)

Review: I love this comic. And the best bit has Bart asking Doom to show ID. Pacing is a little off this time with the FF taking up more space than they need and Doom not getting enough. But John's final act is brilliant and caps the issue off nicely.

Comments: Cover title “When Doom Defaults” is better than the one inside. Title is a pun on “in it up to our ears” i.e. in a lot of trouble. The story take place before the events of FANTATIC FOUR ANNUAL #21. Gene Strausser is called Gene Sailors at one point. Issue includes profiles of Robin Chapel and Albert Cleary.






 

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Damage Control #2 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

A simple brownstone in Manhattan's Upper West Side is a secret lab belonging to Doctor Doom; a weapons test goes wrong and the building is transformed into glass. The terrified scientists contact Damage Control; Robin Chapel takes over the case. She calls in staffers Marie Leahy, Lenny Ballinger, and Gene Strausser to analyze the situation and decide on a course of action. Comptroller Albert Cleary announces that Doctor Doom's account is in arrears and they shouldn't do a thing until he has paid up. Mrs Hoag asks Albert to handle the account personally and Albert readily agrees. It turns out that Albert doesn't know who Doom is so John Porter gives him a VHS tape of a news show profiling Doom—and now Albert knows what there is to worry about. The rest of the staff draws straws to decide who will go with Albert and John draws the short one. But Albert decides to take intern Bart Rozum and they head for the Latverian Embassy....

Meanwhile, the Thing, Ben Grimm, arrives at D-C headquarters to complain about a bill and Robin directs him to John. John sees that the insurance company says the FF's policy does not include the new members but John has an idea: he calls the insurance company and has Ben growl over the phone so that the agent agrees to anything that will keep the Thing from coming over....

Albert and Bart enter the Latverian Embassy and are greeted by Count Gunter Flounder refuses to pay—but then Doom arrives. He insists on learning about the situation so Albert tells him that Flounder has been embezzling from his Master. Doom responds by firing his employee which leaves the grateful Count thanking him and leaving the Embassy alive. And then Doom turns his attention to Albert....

Back at D-C, Thing learns that one of the staff has gone to meet with Doctor Doom so he summons the other Fantastic Four members (Crystal, Human Torch, She-Thing—and Alicia Mastersis seen briefly) and they race to the Embassy....

Doom writes a check for D-C; Bart wants to see his ID, and when Doom produces it, Bart asks, “Do you have any photo ID?” The FF arrives to find that not only are Albert and Bart okay but Doom has offered Albert a job....

John tells Lenny that, with Doom paying up, they can go ahead and fix the glass building. But the building is too brittle to work in safely—so John hurls a rock, smashes the place to bits and tells them to sweep up and rebuild the house....



Ernie Colon
Bob Wiacek
John Wellington
Ernie Colon (Cover Penciler)
Ernie Colon (Cover Inker)
Ernie Colon (Cover Colorist)


Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom

(Victor Von Doom)
Human Torch
Human Torch

(Johnny Storm)
Thing
Thing

(Ben Grimm)

Plus: Alicia Masters, She-Thing (Sharon Ventura).

> Damage Control: Book info and issue index

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