Monday, February 7, 2011

2009 Black Lantern Damage design by Joe Prado

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This was supposed to have posted last week, but I didn't realize the auto-publish never kicked in. Bygones.

It still ticks me off to think of the stupid, pointless waste of killing Grant Emerson. There were a ton of fun concepts no one ever played with after the Damage series ended, not the least of which being his accidental leveling of the city of Atlanta, GA. The genetically engineered "son" of a fair chunk of the All-Star Squadron, the kid was powerful enough to ignite the Big Bang at the end of Zero Hour, and he owed his existence to Vandal Savage. In a universe with a lot of meh villains, Damage could have made a fantastic heel turn. Instead, he was a cheap death in an overrated event at a time when he was treated as a second-rate Nuklon... a character lacking the popularity to have much impact in passing, and at a time when everyone expected a reset button to undo all the killing anyway.

Damage went through a number of costumes, and every single one of them was seriously happening, thanks to their incorporating nuclear and bio-hazard iconography. I believe this is also the best of all the designs Joe Prado is selling. I don't know the price because it's listed with a "PI," but I know the character himself was sorely undervalued. Thanks to Bleeding Cool for promoting this piece in a gallery.

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