damage

Damage
Justice Society of America #6 (2007). Art by Alex Ross.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Damage #1 (April 1994)
Created by	Tom Joyner Bill Marimon
In-story information
Alter ego	Grant Albert Emerson
Team affiliations	Freedom Fighters Justice Society of America Teen Titans
Abilities	Enhanced strength, durability, speed, reflexes, power discharge, and explosions.

Damage is a DC Comics superhero who first appeared in a comic book of the same name during the Zero Hour crisis. He is the son of the original Atom Al Pratt. He has been a member of the Titans, and the Freedom Fighters, and is currently a member of the Justice Society of America.^[1]

Fictional character history

High school student Grant Emerson suddenly discovers he is a superhuman who can rip door handles off doors in school with incredible explosive powers.^[2] During the Zero Hour crisis, Grant's powers became the spark that restarted the universe after it was destroyed by Parallax; thanks to Damage's powers, the new universe evolved along natural lines, guided by nature rather than the will of Parallax.^[3]

Damage. Art by Todd Nauck.

A superhero/supervillain battle, involving Baron Blitzkrieg, Iron Munro, and others, results in extensive damage to downtown Atlanta. Damage is arrested for his part in the extensive damage. Sarge Steel is able to cut a deal for him: he would be banned from Georgia and remanded into custody of the then federally-sponsored Titans team, led by Arsenal. Around this time Damage deals with, emotionally, the murder of a fellow schoolmate he cares for at the hands of a supervillain. After a while, Damage leaves the Titans to find his origins.

Parentage

He learns that Vandal Savage was involved in an experiment at Symbolix called Project: Telemachus, where he took DNA samples he had collected from various superheroes and injected them into a fitting vessel: Grant.^[1] The heroes Grant shares DNA with are: Atom I (Al Pratt), Flash I (Jay Garrick), Green Lantern I (Alan Scott), Wildcat I (Ted Grant), Hawkman I (Carter Hall), Hawkgirl I (Shayera Hol), Hourman I (Rex Tyler), Black Canary I (Dinah Lance), Doctor Mid-Nite I (Charles McNider), Starman I (Ted Knight), Miss America (Joan Dale), Johnny Quick (Johnny Chambers), Liberty Belle (Libby Lawrence), Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz - John Jones), Flash II (Barry Allen), Aquaman, Black Canary II (Dinah Laurel Lance), Green Lantern II (Hal Jordan), and Atom II (Ray Palmer). Symbolix was allied with Shadowspire through Shadowspire's leader Baron Blitzkrieg. The Baron became a recurring foe in Damage's series, starting with #3. Grant eventually learns that he is the son of the original Atom, Al Pratt and his wife Mary. Grant is forced to go underground after leaving the Titans, since he violated his parole by doing so.

When the original five Titans reformed the group^[4], Arsenal nominates Damage for membership. Arsenal managed to erase Grant's criminal records, so he was no longer a fugitive, and Grant joins the team. Grant participates in multiple adventures, including a confrontation with demons from hell in Day of Judgment #1. Later, Damage confronts something he had buried for a long time: he had been victim of abuse at the hands of his foster father. After opening up to Roy Harper, Grant takes a leave of absence and seeks peace and healing on the Navajo reservation where Roy was raised.

He helps the current Justice Society of America against Imperiex and the villainous team of Obsidian, Eclipso, and Mordru, both times as part of a modern All-Star Squadron. He has since been seen with a new team of government-sponsored Freedom Fighters, whose activities are yet unknown. He also has something of a brotherly relationship with Atom Smasher, the godson of his father, the original Atom. It was thought that Grant had a brother, Walter, who was recently killed by Walter's superhero daughter, Manhunter, aka Kate Spencer. However, it turns out that Walter is actually the son of Iron Munro and Phantom Lady - an odd parallel to Damage's paternity search, as at one stage it appeared that Grant might be the couple's child.

Freedom Fighters and Justice Society of America vol. 3

Several members of the modern Freedom Fighters team are killed by the Injustice Society in Infinite Crisis #1. Damage is one of the survivors, though his face is severely scarred by Zoom,^[5] although this isn't revealed until later.^[6]

Damage appears in the relaunched Justice Society of America released in December 2006. He wears a full mask and a costume similar to that of his father and Atom Smasher, featuring a biohazard symbol. He also has a significantly gruffer and more cynical attitude, partly because, as the villain Rebel insinuates, Damage was left badly scarred, but alive, by Zoom. Zoom later encounters the Justice Society, claiming to have maimed, but not killed, the boy intentionally, to give him a defining tragedy, and the fight leads to Georgia. Damage leaps into the state, despite his ban from entering, catches up with Zoom, and holds him hostage. Liberty Belle calms Damage down, but Zoom escapes and hurls debris at his face with the intent to kill him. Liberty Belle speeds in, saves Damage, and knocks out Zoom.^[7] Damage remains on the team, essentially in Atom Smasher's place (the Thunderbolt has even called him "Atom Smasher Two" jokingly).

Damage's face is later healed by the reborn Gog.^[8] This is enough to restore his former cheerful and outgoing personality, pushing him to attempt making contact with the new Judomaster. Since neither of them can understand the language spoken by the other (Grant doesn't know Japanese, while Judomaster can't speak or understand English), their relation is stifled.^[9] When the JSA learns that Gog intends to transform all those who would harm others into trees, they are divided on the subject. Grant and Judomaster, among others, side with Gog, and keep the rest of the JSA from trying to stop him.^[10]

Damage is then sent back to America to preach the will of Gog to the masses, showing a fanatical devotion to the Old God and a strong streak of vanity about his improved looks. When the concerned Stargirl is sent to speak with him, and asks him to rethink his feelings about Gog, he instead attacks her. Atom Smasher defeats Damage in combat and brings him to Al Pratt's home. Despite being prompted to renounce Gog, and learn by the example of Al Pratt, who, despite suffering borderline dwarfism, lead a simple lifestyle and had a fulfilling existence. Instead, he renounces Al Pratt, blowing up his home and the records of his adventures and claiming to have always been abandoned by him, while Gog will be always at his side. Called by Magog, he rejoins Gog, but there he's asked to kneel and show him his devotion.^[11]

The rest of the JSA arrive, having learned from Sandman that Gog is rooting himself into the Earth, and if he remains for one more day, the Earth will die if he ever leaves, leaving them with the one option of killing Gog and separating his head from the Earth, which is the only way to save the planet. The other society members following Gog attempt to protect him, until they see him attempt to attack a society member. All of the followers take up the fight, and Gog punishes them all by taking away his blessings, including Damage's face.^[12] In retaliation, Damage unleashes a full-power blast against Gog, with little effect. After Gog's defeat, Damage, pained over losing his face again, attempts to push away Judomaster, only for her to kiss him.^[13]

Powers and abilities

Damage can generate a power charge that enhances his strength, durability, speed, and reflexes to superhuman levels. If he doesn't use the energy in the aforementioned manner he is forced to expend it in a discharge, most notably the time he started another Big Bang during Zero Hour. The aged Damage in Young Justice: Sins of Youth had the ability to fly. While the current Damage cannot harness this ability yet, he can "leap" by firing his energy at the ground, as shown most recently in Justice Society of America #8.

References

External links

• DCU Guide: Damage
• Titans Tower Bio Page