Issue(s): Damage Control #2
Cover Date: Jun 89
Title: "When Doom defaults!"
Credits:
Dwayne McDuffie - Writer
Ernie Colon - Penciler
Bob Wiacek - Inker
Lisa Trusiani - Assistant Editor
Sid Jacobson - Editor

Review/plot:
It never occurred to me to wonder what language they spoke in Latveria, but the answer is apparently German.

This issue is all about Dr. Doom. Those scientists are working for him and have accidentally turned the brownstone they were working in to porcelain, and they contact Damage Control to fix it. But It turns out that Dr. Doom owes Damage Control money, and they won't do any more work until he pays up. Damage Controls sends their comptroller, Albert Cleary, to collect the bill.

He takes Bart the intern with him.

While Albert and Bart are on their way, the Thing enters the Damage Control building, angry over a billing issue. It turns out that his insurance company is rejecting payment, making the FF foot the whole bill, because the policy was for the old FF.

John Porter helps get that sorted out (by calling the insurance company and having the Thing growl into the phone).

But when the Thing hears that someone from Damage Control has been sent to collect a bill from Doom, he summons the rest of the Fantastic Four to go "rescue" them.

He needn't have worried. Despite an embassy official trying to keep Damage Control out, apparently because he's been keeping the payments for himself, Cleary manages to speak to Doom.

And Doom does indeed pay up.

Of course, since he's paying by personal check, he has to show some ID.

Cleary is also offered a job, but he declines.

The FF arrive in time to find out that the Damage Control guys are ok and give them a ride home.

The porcelain building issue is resolved by smashing it and rebuilding it from scratch. It's not said what Doom's past bills are for. Does he go halvsies with the FF whenever they fight?

It's a fun issue, maybe limited a little since it's so specifically focused on Doom with no significant side projects for the rest of the cast (although we do get a few other fun genre-commentary scenes like techie Eugene Strausser freeing some street thugs from a lamp post that some super-hero wrapped them in). I have to think that at some level the idea of someone, and especially the black character, going to collect money from Dr. Doom was inspired by Hero For Hire #8-9, but there's no references or allusions to that story.

This issue introduces another member of the cast, Marie Leahy, who is just recently in from Japan. Actually, this is her only appearance in the original series, but she'll appear again in volume 2.

Quality Rating: B

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This takes place while Crystal is a member of the Fantastic Four and after the Thing and Ms. Marvel have mutated.. Crystal leaves in Fantastic Four annual #21, which is where the FF return after a long adventure that runs from Fantastic Four #313-317. The Things mutate in Fantastic Four #310 and don't return to the US until FF #312. So this issue pretty much has to take place between FF #312-313. The problem with any placement during this period is that Dr. Doom has been deposed by Kristoff, and in Fantastic Four #312 specifically we saw Kristoff's soldiers attacking Doom from out of New York's Latverian embassy, which is where Doom is residing this issue. So we'll have to assume that Doom at least temporarily has re-taken the embassy. The Thing does say, "I see you're back in power, Doomsie", when he sees him there. I wonder if that's why Doom is paying by personal check, although i suppose the services Doom is paying for were done during a period where Kristoff believes that he was the one receiving them, and so he might have let an official check go through in any event.

References:

• Damage Control has a video record on Dr. Doom that shows scenes from Doom's UN takeover in Fantastic Four #200 and his stealing of the Silver Surfer's powers in Fantastic Four #57-60.
  
• In the panel with Crystal, a footnote confirms this takes place before Fantastic Four annual #21, when she left.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A