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Damage |
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| Alias: Grant Emerson |
Titans Member
Joined: New Titans #0 [1994] |
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| Damage Quick Bio: The biological son of the original Atom, Grant Emerson was imbued with the DNA of various Golden Age heroes by Vandal Savage. As a teen, Grant's massive energy bursts quickly earned him the name, Damage. As Damage discovered his origins, he also learned to control his powers - with some degree of success. |
Origins & Beginnings
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| Vandal Savage reveals Damage's true origin in DAMAGE #12 [1995] |
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Young Grant Emerson, at the age of 16, had been shuttled around from school to school during his childhood. John Henry and Kate Emerson - the couple Grant believed were his parents at the time - actually worked for a biochemical company called Symbolix. The Emersons' job with Symbolix had the family travel and move quite often. Upon relocating to Marietta, Georgia, Grant's meta-human powers began to kick in. He experienced increased speed and endurance and trashed a car with his bare hands. Soon after, Grant became embroiled in a battle with the super-villain, Metallo. He was able to fend of Metallo, but blew up his high school in the process!
Meanwhile, John and Kate Emerson alerted Symbolix that Grant's powers were activated. Symbolix sent various meta-humans to track and capture Grant, so they could study him. Grant was shocked to learn that his parents weren't his parents at all - merely stooges for Symbolix that didn't bat an eyelash at betraying him. No longer being of any use, Grant's adoptive parents were killed by the head of Symbolix, Dathan Wahrman.
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Damage lashes out on his Titans teammates
in DAMAGE #13 [1995] |
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Damage quits in NEW TITANS #127 [1995] |
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| Damage rejoins the TITANS SECRET FILES #1 [1999] |
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Grant now searched for answers about his past and his true parentage, while Symbolix continued to hunt him and Georgia authorities became increasingly alarmed by his destructive presence. At this time, Damage met Iron Monroe, a former member of the Golden Age team, The Young All-Stars. Monroe became a valuable ally and Damage suspected the man might be his biological father. This later proved not to be the case. He also received emotional support through Mandra Darrow, a fellow student who reached out to Grant.
Damage Joins the Titans
In a heated battle, Grant accidentally blew up half of Atlanta. He was captured and stood trial. Sarge Steel was able to cut a deal: Damage would be banned from the state of Georgia and remanded into custody of the then-federally sponsored group, the Titans. Grant became a member of the Titans for a time, but eventually left the group to search the truth of his origins.
Damage eventually learned the truth of his genesis when his leads led him to Vandal Savage. He learned that Savage was involved in a series of experiments at Symbolix, working with Dathan Wahrman's father. In an experiment called Project: Telemachus, Savage took DNA samples he had collected from his encounters with various super-powered beings, and injected them into a fitting vessel: the infant embryo of Mary Pratt - wife of Al Pratt [the Golden Age Atom]. Grant was the perfect vessel because he already had meta-genetic potential. Upon Grant's birth, Savage had Mary Pratt killed, raising Grant initially at Symbolix before remanding him to the care of John and Katherine Emerson.
Although the biological son of the Golden Age Atom, Grant contained DNA imprints from the following meta-humans:
Atom I (Al Pratt)
Flash I (Jay Garrick)
Green Lantern I (Alan Scott)
Wildcat (Ted Grant)
Hawkman I (Carter Hall)
Hawkgirl (Shiera Hall)
Hourman (Rex Tyler)
Black Canary (Dinah Lance)
Dr. Mid-Nite (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 (Dinah Laurel Lance)
Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
Atom II (Ray Palmer)
Now aware of his past, Damage resolved to take control of his future. But trouble seemed to follow the down-on-his-luck hero. After Grant prevented a nuclear meltdown in Florida, he was forced to go underground, since he violated his court order by leaving the Titans. Grant resurfaced a couple of times, to try out for membership in both the Justice League and the Teen Titans group led by the Atom. He was rejected for membership in both instances.
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| Damage faces his past in TITANS #17 [2000] |
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Rejoining the Titans
When the original five Titans decided to reform the group, Arsenal nominated Damage for membership. At the time, Damage was still being hunted by the government. Arsenal used his government ties to erase any record of Grant's criminal file, making him a fugitive no longer. Now a free man, Damage was able to serve as a member of the newest group of Titans, trying to prove his worth as a hero.
After a number of missions, Grant confronted something he had buried since childhood. Grant was the victim of abuse at the hands of his foster father. After coming to terms with this, Damage went on an extended leave of absence from the Titans and sought peace on the Navajo reservation where fellow Titan Arsenal was raised.
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| Damage displays his explosive new personality in JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #1 [2006]. |
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Damaged Goods
Once Grant healed his emotional wounds, he found a new calling as a member of the newest version of the Freedom Fighters. Tragically, the team was torn apart when they were attacked by a cadre of villains during the Infinite Crisis. Damage narrowly escaped death but was left scarred - both emotionally and physically. After recovering, Damage returned to adventuring and adopted a costume similar to the Golden Age Atom's. Still feeling the effects of his brutal attack, Damage has exhibited a more explosive personality. He has since joined the revamped Justice Society of America; Perhaps their support will help contain Damage's volatile side.
Damage is a living biochemical fusion reactor that builds up a power charge through a unique hormonal process. This charge gives Damage heightened strength, durability, speed and reflexes - powers which grow in proportion to the energy charge he has built up. When Damage is unable to expend the charge he has created, the extra energy is directed outward in a massive concussive blast - an energy discharge Damage is only beginning to control. Damage has also developed a propulsion application to his powers, that basically enables him to fly.
DC Universe Role-Playing Games: Sourcebooks and Manuals [ West End Games], DC Secret Files, supplemented by titanstower.com
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Damage #1-2 [1994]: High school student Grant Emerson suddenly discovers he is a superhuman with incredible explosive powers. First appearance of Damage.
New Titans #0, 115 [1994]: Under government control, Arsenal leads a new team of Titans, including Supergirl, Impulse, Damage, Green Lantern Darkstar, Mirage, Terra, and Minion. Government funded and based in New Jersey. Changeling betrays the team. First appearance/mention of Crimelord in issue #115. First issue with new Titans members Terra II, Mirage, Impulse and Damage having already joined the team.
Damage #8-12 [1995]: Damage searches for his true identity; takes leave of absence from Titans
New Titans #127 [1996]: Damage quits the team.
Damage #18-20 [1996]: After Grant prevented a nuclear meltdown in Florida, he was forced to go underground, since he violated his court order by leaving the Titans.
The Titans Secret Files #1 [1999]: Learn about the history (and future) of the new team of Titans in this one-shot. In an origin story, the original members and the new additions get together for the very first time, and we learn what happened to those who didn't make the cut. Damage joins the team.
Titans #1-2 [1999]: Following close on the heels of the events in the JLA/TITANS miniseries, the original Titans decide to set up shop, rebuilding their headquarters (a new Titans Tower) and enlisting a second, non-core group of Titans to help them. And the entire, 10-member roster gets a workout when the team is attacked by the reformed H.I.V.E.!
Titans #17-19 [2000]: While the Titans travel in space, Arsenal learns some shocking secrets about Damage - that Grant was abused as a child by his foster father. Damage quits the team and begins emotional healing at the reservation Arsenal grew up in.
Titans #45-46 [2002]: In their search for the reasons behind their visitations by the long-dead spirits of their past, Jesse and Damage are joined by the other Titans - only to discover an imposing complex under the desert. And within it, the true source of the ghosts that haunt the desert above.
Infinite Crisis #1 [2005]: Damage and the Freedom Fighters are attacked by a cadre of villains.
Justice Society of America #1 [2006]: Determined to rebuild the Justice Society, founding members Green Lantern, Flash and Wildcat initiate an unprecedented recruitment program, tracking the bloodlines of heroes across the world and bringing in the new Starman, Damage, Liberty Belle and more!
Damage adopts a costume similar to the Golden Age Atom and exhibits a more cynical demeanor.
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Damage #1 [April 1994] to Damage #20 [January 1996]
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| A 2005 commission of Damage by JSA artist, Leonard Kirk. |
Damage burst onto the comics' scene in 1994. Damage #1 introduced readers to Grant Emerson, who suddenly discovered he was a superhuman with incredible explosive powers. The series was written by Tom Joyner and featured art by Bill Marimon through most of its run.
The first year of Damage was propelled by the mysteries surrounding Grant's origin. In Damage #1-3, Grant Emerson's emerging explosive powers made his first day at school rather difficult. Before Grant could deal with these startling new abilities, he learned his parents were never truly his parents at all - and they were killed before this realization even sets in. Then, Grant tested his newfound powers against the menace of Troll and Steelhawk.
Damage #4-5 introduced the teen meta-human, Wyldeheart. But could Damage trust her? It was also at this time that Golden Age hero, Iron Monroe, entered Grant's life. While Grant got acquainted with his uneasy new allies, the evil Baron planned to market the horrible new designer drug, Stardust. Wyldeheart was an obvious love interest for Grant - while Iron Monroe's presence began speculation that he may indeed have been Grant's father. But Grant had worse troubles; He caused so much havoc that the governor of Alabama called in the New Titans to restore order.
In Damage #6, Grant found himself on the run from the government-sponsored Titans team. While trying to contain Damage, the young hero feared a jail sentence or worse! But just as the Titans confronted Damage, the time crisis known as Zero Hour gave all the heroes a more cataclysmic crisis to deal with! At the end of Zero Hour, it was Damage's powers that caused another big bang that essentially restarted the universe.
After Zero Hour, all DC titles were given a special zero issue - designed as a jumping-on point for readers. Damage #0 found Grant once again on the run - with Iron Monroe and Wyldeheart in pursuit. This time, Damage's powers caused mass destruction in Atlanta, GA. Damage #7 featured the trial of Damage. The upshot? Sarge Steel is able to cut a deal: Damage would be banned from the state of Georgia and remanded into custody of the then-federally sponsored group, the New Titans. It was at this point that Damage joined the New Titans [New Titans #0 and #115].
Damage #8-12 contained the 5-part "Fragments" story arc - in which Damage would finally learn the truth behind his origins! Each of the four major theories surrounding Damage's genesis explored in detail; In Damage #8, Wyldeheart embarked on a quest to learn her own origins and found that she and Damage may share the same birthplace - New Genesis, home of the New Gods! In Damage #9, Damage's search for the truth behind his origins led him to the man who may be his father - Dr. Polaris - who was actually Grant's step-uncle. In Damage #10, the young hero tracked down the protoplasmic psychopath Splatter - only to witness the death of his girlfriend, Mandra Darrow. In Damage #11, Grant found himself in Washington DC, where he investigated his link to Iron Monroe.
Damage #12 at last revealed the answers. After an extensive search for his true parents and the secrets behind his newfound powers, Grant discovered that he was the son of Al Pratt - .a.k.a. the Golden Age Atom- and that he was the subject of a bizarre experiment controlled by the immortal Vandal Savage which infused the infant Grant with the meta-human potential of the Justice Society of America and the original Justice League of America.
Damage #13-15 dealt with the repercussions of Grant's new discoveries in the three-part "Picking Up the Pieces." After a tense reunion with his teammates in the Titans, a visit to the funeral of his friend Mandra Darrow, and a mysterious dream, Grant decided to finally start taking some responsibility for his actions. His first order of business: recapture the super-villain he once let escape, the mega-powerful Doctor Polaris! Damage's quest led him back to Vandal Savage, who took a bizarre and suspicious interest in Grant Emerson.
Damage #16 was part of the "Siege of the Zi Charram" New Titans storyline, which crossed over into New Titans #124-125, Green Lantern #65 and Darkstars #34.
Damage #17 found the hero on the run once again - as the father of Mandra Darrow vowed revenge on the man he believed caused his daughter's death. To that end, Phillip Darrow hired a merc named Bounty. While Bounty failed, Damage succeeded in destroying a healthy portion of Titans HQ - on national TV no less! Following a blow-up between him and the Titans' leader, Arsenal, Grant left New York and the Titans with Mandra's sister, Megan, in hopes of salvaging what was left of his life. Damage battled the enhanced Copperhead in Damage #18 - and encountered the deadly Shock-Wave Nation in Damage #19.
Possessed by the sentient meta-virus known as "Body Count" in Damage #20, Damage went on a destructive rampage that threatened to destroy the entire Eastern seaboard. The only thing that stood in Damage's way was Iron Munro, who helped Damage control his powers. After Grant was able to prevent a nuclear meltdown in Florida, he was forced to go underground, since he violated his court order by leaving the Titans. As the series closes, Grant goes underground with Megan Darrow.
Although Damage was cancelled with issue #20, the character was popular enough to keep reappearing. Damage eventually rejoined the Titans in Titans #1 [1999], after Arsenal helped clear him of his federal crimes. From the letter's page of Damage #20: "This is it. The last issue of DAMAGE. Something I, and probably most of you, certainly hoped wouldn't happen; however, it has. But I'm not here to mope and moan, rather to praise what we have done. We here at Damage Control are very proud of this little book and the fact that we made it this far in a very competitive marketplace with a character who wasn't a mutant, a spin-off from a more successful title, who doesn't carry a big honkin' gun, or have "Blood" or "Death" in his name. Trust me...that's quite an accomplishment."
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Arsenal's New Titans Team |
The Premise
The Titans were pressured to place themselves under the government's watchful eye, due to increased public scrutiny [NEW TITANS #93-114]. Sarge Steel was their chief liaison, and Nightwing stepped down as leader and allowed Arsenal to take command. Arsenal led this new group of Titans [NEW TITANS #114], and was consistently challenged by the burdens of leadership. Many members left, but new faces emerged as well. Arsenal's team consisted of Darkstar (Donna Troy), Green Lantern, Supergirl, Damage, Mirage, Terra II, Minion, Impulse and Rose Wilson. Eventually, each members' dedication to the team began to waver, and the team disbanded.
The series lacked some focus, as team members were introduced, then not used, then reintroduced into the series.
"The Titans have had a series of problems in the past year," says Titans writer Marv Wolfman. 'They lost a number of members. They were sued by the government and people generally hated them. Finally, their leader Dick Grayson - Nightwing - left them."
Left in such disarray, the road to rebirth has been a long one. "Even before Zero Hour, Ray Harper, once known as Speedy and more recently known as Arsenal, was approached by Checkmate's leader, Sarge Steel, to align the Titans with the government," Wolfman says. "It seems that the JLA has broken ties with the government and Checkmate wanted a new superhero team to replace them. After going over the problems and being assured [his team] will have complete autonomy, Roy agreed to sign with Checkmate.
"Trouble is, he had no members to go with him. On his own and with Sarge Steel, new members are found recruited and a brand new Titans is formed." Wolfman reports that this new group will have a slightly different focus than past Titans teams. "Long ago, when the Titans were first created, the team featured already-existent heroes. In many ways we are going back to that original premise," be maintains. "Arsenal leads a group consisting of Damage, Green Lantern and Impulse, characters who either have their own titles, or in Impulse's case, is featured in Flash. Also in the New Titans are Mirage and Terra from the now-defunct Team Titans. Finally, rounding out the title is Donna Troy, now a Darkstar. So we're bringing in characters from other books as well as several already-known Titans.
"Interestingly, all the heroes mentioned are in one way or another orphans whose past lives are shrouded in mystery," he continues. "Where the last Titans team came together to fight Raven's demonical father, Trigon, the new team comes and stays together because they are all in a similar situation. The Titans is a place for these people to get together, to find themselves, to be with others like themselves. They are not coming together to fight some great battle, but to understand themselves and to grow. This common need will allow them to become close and eventually became friends.
"So the role of the New Titans is a club for the young DC heroes, a way of getting together with their peers, a place where they can be with their own kind and learn from each other as they grow."
"The book has gone under a lot of changes in the past few years, but all were evolutionary," Wolfman says. "Heroes died, new heroes replaced them, tempers flared and, because they were young, mistakes were often made. That is the way life is. But now we begin with a new group. A revolution, so to speak. New heroes, all with their own lives, hopes and desires. This allows us to create a very different kind of Titans book."
The Commentary
The Arsenal-led Titans didn't last too long [from NEW TITANS #115-130]. Sales on the book had slid, and many readers had already left the book. When the series was canceled in 1995 with #130, the Titans team was still active, although with some members having left. It wasn't until TITANS SECRET FILES #1 that we saw the final dissolution of the team.
The team had potential. Check out NEW TITANS #126 and NEW TITANS ANNUAL #11 to see what the team might have been.
Damage as a Titan on Arsenal's Team
Damage's Titans Membership:
New Titans #0, 115-127
Deathstroke #51
Damage #6-17 [Titans appear in #6, Damage joins in #7]
Damage was a bit of a 'reluctant Titan' from the moment he joined. He was forced to join the team as part of a 'deal' Sarge Steel made with the courts, for an explosion caused by Damage in Atlanta [Damage #0, 7]. Damage did bond with some of the younger members of the team, including Terra, Impulse and Rose Wilson. Damage clashed with Arsenal, who was trying to assume the leadership role of the new team. After a series of adventures, Damage quit the team for good and went underground [New Titans #127, Damage #18-20].
When the original five Titans decided to reform the group, Arsenal nominated Damage for membership, feeling he 'owed' Grant, as a friend and mentor [Titans Secret Files #1]. It was Roy Harper [Arsenal] that helped Grant come to terms with something he had buried since childhood: Grant was the victim of abuse at the hands of his foster father [Titans #17-19].
Damage Detailed Chronology as a Titan
Damage #6: the governor of Alabama calls in the New Titans to bring in Damage
Zero Hour: Damage assists the heroes and helps restart the universe
Damage #0: Damage blows up Atlanta
Damage #7: Damage stands in court for Atlanta damage & Sarge Steel works out a deal to make him a Titan
New Titans #0, 115, 116: Titans team reforms under Arsenal
New Titans #117-123: Damage as a Titan
Deathstroke #51: As Damage brings Rose Wilson to the hospital, her meta-gene powers kicked in.
Damage #8-12: Damage searches for his true identity; takes leave of absence from Titans
Damage #13-15: Damage rejoins the team in #13, and remains a Titan in #14-17
New Titans #124: features part 1 [of 5] of "Siege of the Zi Charram" crossover
Green Lantern #65: features part 2 [of 5] of "Siege of the Zi Charram" crossover
Darkstars #34: features part 3 [of 5] of "Siege of the Zi Charram" crossover
Damage #16: features part 4 [of 5] of "Siege of the Zi Charram" crossover
New Titans #125: features part 5 [of 5] of "Siege of the Zi Charram" crossover
New Titans #127: Damage has an argument with Arsenal & quits the Titans for good
Damage #18-20: After Grant prevented a nuclear meltdown in Florida, he was forced to go underground, since he violated his court order by leaving the Titans.
Titans Secret Files #1: Arsenal uses his government ties to erase any record of Grant's criminal file, making him a fugitive no longer. Now a free man, Damage joins the Titans
Titans #1-19: Damage serves as a member of the team until Arsenal learns some shocking secrets about him - that Grant was abused as a child by his foster father. Damage quits the team and begins emotional healing at the reservation Arsenal grew up in.
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Creators on Damage
Devin Grayson:
"Damage is similarly thrilled to be a Titan. He's not even afraid of death. If you were carrying around a secret like his, you wouldn't be, either..."
Jay Faerber:
"I've been a fan of Damage since his solo series and I really like this 'little brother' role he's taken on with Arsenal. I also like the ties he has to the other, older heroes of the DCU, particularly the JSA. "
Geoff Johns:
“[Damage is] a different kind of character. He’s the opposite of Albert (Atom-Smasher), who always wanted to carry on [the legacy] and lost his way. Damage starts at the lowest point possible. That said, he’s going to have some problems with a few of the members right away.”
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