Damage Control #3 Review

Written by: Adam F. Goldberg, Hans Rodionoff
Art by: Nathan Stockman
Colors by: Ruth Redmond
Letters by: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover art by: Patch Zircher, Brian Reber
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: November 2, 2022

Damage Control #3 continues Gus’s odyssey to find his perfect place within the agency. This time, he’s given a spot in the Search and Rescue division, which has nothing to do with searching or rescuing.

Is It Good?

Damage Control #3 is a mild improvement over the previous two issues in that at least one or two moments of cuteness may put a slight smile on your face. The rest is junk.

When last we left Gus, he made a mess of things in Consumer Affairs by recommending everyone receive payouts, denying the one case that truly deserved it. Now, he’s put with Search and Rescue – the division tasked with cleanup and rebuilding – after Thor battles a giant sea monster in Trenton, New Jersey waters. What follows is a series of foul-ups and blunders as Gus presents himself as nothing more than a clumsy, socially-maladjusted man-child.

As we mentioned in the previous reviews for this series, situational jokes work when the audience is invested in the characters experiencing the situations. Here it’s impossible to invest anything in Gus other than mild annoyance. He’s an irritating child desperately in need of Ritalin.
That said, there may be a glimmer of hope in this series. A subtle hint is dropped that there’s a secret motivation to keep Gus employed at Damage Control. Perhaps he’s an unwitting force of chaos unleashed by a dark force. Time will tell.

Before Gus’s latest adventure ends, he touches the glowy thing he’s not supposed to touch and turns into a giant hamster. If you’re looking for sharp wit or big laughs, look elsewhere.

The art’s fine. Stockman and Redmond turn in clean lines, excellent color shading, and an all-around good-looking comic.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Final Thoughts:

Damage Control #3 continues to succeed in one thing only – failing to find the funny. The main character is an annoying man-child, his latest adventure makes little sense, and the only redeeming quality of this issue is a slight hint that Gus’s employment may be part of a larger plan.