• Be sure to pick up Brightest Day #6 from your local comic shop.  We finally see the new Firestorm in action!

• Not much Firestorm news came out of San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) this year.  I’ve only come across two news items, both toy related.  I’ve outlined them below, click here for the full scoop on Mattel’s panel at SDCC on DC toys.
  • The Batman: Brave and the Bold Action League is being re-branded into the DC Universe Action League.  The line will now have added articulation and feature characters from all over the DCU. A DC Universe Action League pack containing Firestorm and Black Lantern Firestorm has been announced.  No specific release date identified.  I gotta assume this re-branding is being done to compete with Marvel’s highly-successful Super Hero Squad.
  • The Justice League Unlimited Firestorm action figure (featured here previously) will be repackaged in a three-pack with Killer Frost and the Angle Man.  Watch for that in early Spring 2011.  I don’t have a Killer Frost figure, so that will be nice.  An Angle Man figure… really?  Lovely.

• Just before Comic-Con, Geoff Johns had a few things to say about Brightest Day over on Comic Book Resources.  Check out the Firestorm bits below:

CBR: Allen Thornton noted that many people, he included, missed a very significant clue in “Blackest Night” #8 that Deadman was the new White Lantern. It wasn’t until it was mentioned to him that he saw the White Ring on his finger, which he then mentioned to a friend, passing the awareness on. His question is was there any other subtle clues like that in “Blackest Night” and “Brightest Day” that he and others may have missed and once they’re revealed will cause a collective head slap? And if there are clues, are you surprised that people are not seeing them?

GEOFF JOHNS: There are clues for just about everything. There are clues about Firestorm. His story is just beginning and where Jason and Ronnie go, you can go back to “Blackest Night” and see some seeds that will be touched on. The stories were really set up because we knew we were going to be doing a lot with Jason and Mera post-“Blackest Night” and “Brightest Day,” so you should go back, and check out what was planted, especially with Mera and Firestorm, but there are other things too, with the White Lantern, specifically. The history of what the White Lantern is doing on Earth and where it’s going and what’s happening to it now, all comes to light in #7.

• Brightest Day cover artist David Finch addressed characters he finds difficult to draw during an interview with Comic Book Resources.  Here is the quote relevant to Firestorm:

CBR: Are there any heroes that you find particularly tricky or difficult to draw?

DAVID FINCH: Characters that have very structured costumes, as opposed to more anatomical ones are always challenging for me. I always struggle with characters that have energy powers, too. Firestorm is a great character, but I always feel like I’m fighting with my drawings of him.

• The DC Source Blog revealed the Return of the Black Lanterns will appear in October.  No one is really sure what that means yet, but Black Lantern Firestorm is featured in the promotional image.

• It’s been announced that the DC Direct Brightest Day Firestorm action figure will be part of the second wave of Brightest Day figures. Therefore it should ship in April 2011.

• Get your own Firestorm magnet over on SuperHeroStuff.com!  Looks like someone colored the Ed Benes Firestorm sketch and then slapped the original comic book logo on it.  You can get this magnet for $4.99 plus shipping (and the shipping ain’t cheap).

• While Firestorm foes Summer Day and Dr. Jivan Shi may be deceased, the Hyena curse lives on!  Several were-hyenas appeared in Zatanna #2, written by Paul Dini and drawn by Stephane Roux and Karl Story.  My thanks to tigner02 on the DC Comics Message Board for pointing out this appearance. See the pages below.

• Firehawk made a one-panel cameo in Justice League of America #45, written by James Robinson and drawn by Mark Bagley, Rob Hunter, and Norm Rapmund.  Notice below she’s wearing one of her older costumes.

• Our good buddy Frank, a friend to the FIRESTORM FAN site and author of numerous blogs, shared his own personal thoughts about the Nuclear Man over on the DC Bloodlines blog.  Be warned, Frank does not have a very high opinion of Firestorm’s adventures, however, his comments are well-written and well thought out.  I find myself agreeing with some of Frank’s points, while disagreeing with others.  That’s the beauty of civilized fandom, we can have differing opinions and yet all get along.  Frank’s other sites include blogs dedicated to: Martian Manhunter, Justice League Detroit, Wonder Woman, Captain Atom and the Atom, and his own blog …nurgh…

• Back in June, Phillip Martinez wrote a review of Brightest Day #4 asking for more Firestorm content.  You can read his review of Brightest Day #4 on The Examiner by clicking here.

• Firestorm appeared once again on the Batman: Brave and the Bold cartoon back on June 13.  In the episode, “The Siege of Starro! Part One” Firestorm was featured prominently along with a handful of other heroes.  Part Two has not aired yet, so I gotta believe Part One was the season finale or mid-season finale.

• The Aquaman Shrine blog has a model sheet for the Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths animated DVD that was released back in February.  Firestorm is one of the characters featured on the model sheet.  Click here to see the model sheets on the Aquaman Shrine blog.

• xBrandonHexx has put together a YouTube tribute video to Killer Frost.  It’s got some good music and is worth your time if you are interested in the character.  Click here to watch the Killer Frost YouTube tribute video.

• The Back to the Bins podcast recently tackled DC Comics Presents #45, a 1982 Superman/Firestorm team-up published a month before the Fury of Firestorm series premiered.  Back to the Bins is hosted by my good buddies Scott Gardner and Michael Bailey.  To listen to Back to the Bins #59, please visit the Two True Freaks site by clicking here.  Here is the description for the Back to the Bins podcast:
  • Disenfranchised by the modern comics industry, Scott Gardner and Michael Bailey (of “View From The Longbox” and “From Crisis To Crisis: A Superman Podcast” fame) now ply the timestream in a never-ending quest to re-discover and re-connect with that unique brand of fun and excitement that can only truly be found in good ol’ fashioned randomly-selected Comic Book back issues!! Journey with them now…back…Back To The Bins!

• I recently came across a 13-inch custom Firestorm doll on eBay (see below).  When the auction ended, it had not received any bids.  Click here to see the eBay auction.

• Also on eBay I came across a custom Heroscape Firestorm piece made using the Firestorm Heroclix.  Click here to see the eBay auction.

• Finally, I came across this cool fan art recently.  It features Superman, Green Lantern, and the current Firestorm.  It was drawn by Rex Zachary.  You can visit his website by clicking here.

That’s it for today!

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Below is a nice one of the “Blank Slate” and Elemental incarnations of Firestorm.

Avery drew this next one on his iPhone using the Brushes application.  It’s pretty clever.  Look closely at the flames.

Nicely done, Avery!  Keep up the good work!

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Such a cool shot, and so full of clues!  Below I’ve zoomed in on Ronnie and Jason so you can get a better look at what they’re doing.

JUST THE FACTS, MA’AM:

We see Ronnie and Jason working to either bury or uncover the Black Lantern Firestorm. Ronnie is standing on top of the rocks looking at the Black Lantern Firestorm, while Jason is on the ground standing in the shadows looking away from the Black Lantern Firestorm. Both Ronnie and Jason have flames around their heels. (There is also a shield and net near Jason’s foot, but I think that’s a clue for another character. I’m gonna ignore it for now.)

OKAY, NOW FOR A LITTLE SPECULATION:

What are Ronnie and Jason doing?

• Option 1: Ronnie and Jason are working together, rather than against each other, burying the Black Lantern Firestorm.  This could represent them working together to bury the past and put the tragedy of Gehenna behind them.
• Option 2: Ronnie and Jason are working together, rather than against each other, to dig out the Black Lantern Firestorm.  This could represent them working together to fully explore the Firestorm matrix.
• Option 3: Ronnie is burying the Black Lantern Firestorm, while Jason is uncovering the Black Lantern Firestorm.  If you look at the direction each character’s head is facing, an argument could be made for this interpretation.   Also, Ronnie is on top of the pile of rocks (as if he put the rocks there) and Jason is on the ground (as if he’s taking the rocks off).  This could represent Ronnie trying to bury what happened as the Black Lantern Firestorm, while Jason is trying to uncover the truth.

Why flames around their feet?

• This could simply represent them as Firestorm.  More likely it represents something else.   Perhaps something to do with an “Achilles heel” and fire? I really don’t know.

Why is Ronnie on top of the pile of rocks while Jason is on the ground?

• See Option 3 above.  Alternatively, this might represent that Ronnie is the person “on top” in the matrix, meaning he controls the body. Or it may mean nothing. I don’t think Jason in the shadows symbolizes anything.

What do y’all think?  Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!  By the way, I first became aware of this teaser image over on Luke’s Hawkman blog – thanks Luke!

*UPDATE* – Thanks to the magic of the interwebs, I read that this teaser image is an homage to an existing painting.  Click here to see the basis of this artwork.  With this knowledge it makes deducing the clues more difficult.  The fact that Ronnie and Jason were drawn to conform to the pre-set orientations of the characters in the original painting makes it all the more difficult to interpret.

SOLICITATIONS FOR UPCOMING ISSUES OF BRIGHTEST DAY:

Brightest Day #6 – On Sale Today!
Deadman discovers the truth behind the formation of the White Lantern and what it means to the twelve returnees and the rest of the DC Universe. Plus, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Hawkman, Hawkgirl and Firestorm discover the price for their resurrections…and why they may be doing more harm than good to the world.

Brightest Day #7 (on sale Aug. 4) and Brightest Day #8 (on sale Aug. 18)
There can be only one who wields the White Lantern…but is it truly Deadman? And what will happen when he attempts to charge the white ring? Meanwhile, Ronnie Raymond risks everything for Firestorm, Martian Manhunter uncovers more clues about the bizarre string of murders stretching across the country, Aquaman searches for the key to the ocean’s survival and the Hawks come face-to-face with the evil that lurks within the strange land known only as Hawkworld!

Brightest Day #9 (on sale Sept. 1) and Brightest Day #10 (on sale Sept. 15)
The resurrected have discovered their purpose for being back, but where will the knowledge lead them? Who is the new Aqualad? And what strange event is taking place around the White Power Battery in New Mexico?

Brightest Day #11 (on sale Oct. 6) and Brightest Day #12 (on sale Oct. 20)
The return of the Black Lanterns! Has time run out for our resurrected heroes? Plus, you must not miss the stunning origin of the new Aqualad, the battle between Aquaman and Black Manta, and the bizarre journey of Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond as they delve into the inner workings of the Firestorm matrix and uncover its secret!

Woo Hoo!  I’m looking forward to this story unfolding!

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The Victorian Era of Britain lasted from 1837 to 1901.  This happens to coincides with much of the American Old West.   Steampunk is a science fiction genre where steam power is still widely used — usually in the 19th century, and often Victorian Era Britain — but with filled with fantastical technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne.  Now throw superpowers into these genres and you’ve got a recipe for awesome!

If the Justice League had existed during the 1800s, I like to think Firestorm would have been from the Old West.  I envision the majority of the Justice League as proper British Victorian Era heroes, but then along comes the brash young American, Firestorm.  If you’ve read Firestorm’s appearances in the classic Justice League of America comics, this description would be a good reflection.

Here is a fantastic drawing of Firestorm as he might have looked back during the Old West.  I absolutely love the vest, puffy shirt, and the headgear!  He’s got the visual sensibilities of an aristocratic scientist of that era, but dashed with hints of a frontier cowboy.  That makes perfect sense if you imagine the personalities of Professor Stein and Ronnie Raymond transplanted into the Old West.  The drawing is so utterly Firestorm, and yet so utterly Wild, Wild West.  This super-cool reimagining was done by Michael S Bracco.  To see more of Michael’s artwork, please click here to visit SpaghettiKiss.com.

Now onto the rest of the League… A gentleman by the name of Sillof creates the most amazing custom action figures.  He does this by taking existing action figures and modifying them through sculpture and paint. He specializes in redesigning well known characters and reimagines them in various time periods or aesthetics.

In this case, Sillof created a Victorian Era Justice League.  He was inspired by the comic book, Gotham by Gaslight by Mike Mignola and Brian Augustyn, in which Batman of the 1880’s attempts to stop Jack the Ripper who had come to Gotham.  Sillof calls this set of figures the Gaslight Justice League.

Sillof redesigned several members of the Justice League in the style of the Victorian Era. He went for a darker look and tried to give them the right period feel, but also attempted to keep the feel of the original character.  He didn’t design a Firestorm Gaslight figure, so you’ll have to imagine the Old West Firestorm above standing alongside these heroes.

Click the image to enlarge.  Aren’t those figures amazing!?!?!?!?

More information on these custom figures can be found at the links below:

• Descriptions of each Gaslight Justice League member as well as the Gaslight Legion of Doom on Sillof’s web site
• Gaslight Batman on the Justice League Detroit blog
• Gaslight Wonder Woman on the Diana Prince: Wonder Woman blog
• Gaslight Flash, Captain Cold, and Gorilla Grodd on the Speed Force blog
• Gaslight Aquaman on the Aquaman Shrine blog
• Gaslight Martian Manhunter on the Idol-Head of Diabolu blog
• Close-ups of the rest of the Gaslight Justice League on My[confined]Space

There you have it, the Justice League of the 1800s!  Such a cool concept!

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]]> http://firestormfan.com/2010/07/20/steampunk-justice-league-and-old-west-firestorm/feed/ 3 http://firestormfan.com/2010/07/14/firestorm-brightest-day-action-figure-announced-for-2011/ http://firestormfan.com/2010/07/14/firestorm-brightest-day-action-figure-announced-for-2011/#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 05:17:58 +0000 Shag http://firestormfan.com/?p=2053 DC Comics announced yesterday the release of several Brightest Day action figures for 2011.  Good news – Firestorm made the cut!  Below is a picture of the action figure coming our way from DC Direct.

Overall this is a good looking figure!  I see that Firestorm’s skin tone is definitely darker than the white heroes in this figure assortment.  They are clearly demonstrating here what we’ve suspected, that Firestorm’s current skin tone is somewhere between white and black.  I believe this is a decent compromise for Ronnie and Jason fans.

For me personally, there are three things I’d change about this figure.  First, I’d work on making the white atomic paths on his shirt and headgear either translucent or highly reflective to imply glowing.  Second, I’d make the headgear around the eyebrows more prominent like in the Brightest Day drawings by David Finch and Scott Clark.  The comic drawings almost make Firestorm look like he’s got a caveman brow with the prominent headgear ridge.  Third, I’d figure out how to include the fiery “Kirby Dots” in Firestorm’s hair.  To better explain the three changes I outlined, see the image below.  Also, just to be clear, I still think this is a great figure.  I’d just change a few things if it were up to me.

Below you’ll find all the figures announced for the first two waves.  We’re not sure at this point in which wave Firestorm will be.  If he’s in the first wave, then his figure is due in March.  Click the image to enlarge.

For more information on these figures visit the DC Comics Source Blog.

Also, a huge thanks to Andrew LoVuolo from Graphic Illusions Studios for sending this information my way.  Thanks, Andrew!

I can’t wait to add this figure to my collection!

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It all started when they first met in Justice League of America #183-185 (Oct. – Dec. 1980).  It was the annual JLA/JSA team-up and they were dealing with a New Gods crisis.  Below are a few panels from those issues written by Gerry Conway and drawn by George Perez and Frank McLaughlin.  As you’ll see, Power Girl actually starts the flirting…

While Power Girl and Firestorm didn’t end up together in this story, you can sense romance is in the air between the two.

The next time Firestorm and Power Girl met was during Justice League of America #195-197 (Oct. – Dec. 1981).  This time around she shot him down pretty fast.  Poor guy.  Below is a panel from that story written by Gerry Conway and drawn by George Perez and John Beatty.

What the heck kind of pick up line is that anyway, Ronnie?!?!  No wonder she shot you down cold.

Next up was Justice League of America #207-209 (Oct. – Dec. 1982).  “Crisis on Earth-Prime” was a massive crossover between the JLA, the JSA, and the All-Star Squadron.  This event was so large it spilled over into All-Star Squadron #14-15 (Oct. – Nov. 1982).

Below are some panels from the JLA issues written by Gerry Conway and drawn by Don Heck.  This time around Firestorm finally gets the girl!  Way to go hot-head!

Way to go Firestorm!  I wonder how the next scene went.  Did Professor Stein politely turn his floating head around to give them some privacy?

Firestorm and Power Girl next saw each other a year later in Justice League of America #219-220 (Oct. – Nov. 1983).  Now Firestorm being a bonehead in the romance department hadn’t bothered to call Power Girl during the past year.  Just imagine, you hook-up with one of the hottest women in the Multiverse and you don’t call her for a year!?!?  What an idiot.  Thankfully Elongated Man, Zatanna, and Hourman were willing to give our Nuclear Dork some advice in matters of the heart.

Below are some panels from that story written by Roy Thomas & Gerry Conway and drawn by Chuck Patton & Romeo Tanghal.

Well… he got knocked unconscious trying to impress Power Girl, but he could have ended up in worse places than leaning against her chest. Too bad he slept through it.

While Firestorm and Power Girl appeared in other scenes and stories together, those really cover the ones with romantic undertones.  Two years later Crisis on Infinite Earths came along and wiped out the whole Multiverse.  After that Firestorm and Power Girl existed on the same Earth, but they never really connected again romantically.  They did spend some time together during the Invasion event a few years later while Firestorm was in his “Blank Slate” incarnation.  At first she seemed bothered when he gave her the cold shoulder, but when he eventually started flirting with her it was awkward and not reciprocated.  The “Blank Slate” Firestorm was not known as a ladies man, that’s for sure.

I recently had the opportunity to ask Gerry Conway what were his long-range plans for Firestorm and Power Girl back when he was writing JLA.  He said it made sense there would be a natural affinity between the two characters as each was the youngest member of their respective teams.  He went on to say that given Ronnie’s other romantic interests (i.e. Firehawk and Doreen Day), it probably wouldn’t have gone much further with Power Girl.

Suppose you had to choose between Doreen Day and Power Girl… not really much of a choice, is it?

Nowadays Ronnie Raymond is part of Firestorm again and Power Girl is a major player in the DC Universe.  Who knows, perhaps some sparks could fly between these heroes once again.  I’m not counting on it, but it would be fun to read!

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Lance has demonstrated that he’s a true Firestorm Fan!  In addition to the Firestorm tattoo, Lance also has an amazing Iron Man tattoo around the other side of the leg.  Very cool!

If you like this Firestorm tattoo, click here to see The Rev. O.J. Flow’s tattoos I posted last year.

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During the Extreme Justice series in the mid-90s, Ronnie Raymond began drinking heavily.  At the start of the series, Ronnie was no longer Firestorm and was undergoing treatment for leukemia.  Due to a series of incidents involving chemotherapy, the Justice League, and the Elemental Firestorm, Ronnie was miraculously cured of leukemia and he regained his Firestorm powers (this time he was flying solo with no one else sharing the matrix).  Somewhere in here Ronnie adopted a “live for today” attitude.  This translated into Ronnie drinking more often.  Eventually Ronnie’s drinking interfered with his superheroic activities.  See below…

Extreme Justice #16  (May 1996)

• Writer: Robert L. Washington III
• Pencils: Tom Morgan
• Inks: Ken Branch

Now we skip forward a few pages…

The follow-up to this story was published in Showcase ‘96 two months later.  It was a surprisingly dark and serious look at addiction.  See below…

Showcase ‘96 #6 & #7  (July & August 1996)

• Storm’s Clearing – Part 1: Drying Out and Chasing the Clouds Away
• Writer: Robert L. Washington III
• Artist: Randy DuBurke

The second issue continued the dark and serious themes.  Here is how the story ended…

As you can see, DC took the time to deal with Ronnie’s alcoholism very seriously.  It’s not often that a comic addresses real-life issues like alcoholism in such a way.   Whether you liked these stories or not, you gotta admire DC for being brave enough to publish them.

So as you can imagine, long-time fans of Firestorm are concerned about Ronnie falling off the wagon.  To be fair, in Brightest Day we’ve only see Ronnie drink a few times.  We don’t actually know how much or how often he’s been drinking.  It’s implied that he’s getting blitzed a lot, but we don’t know for sure.  It’s quite possible this is part of the building story.  Perhaps Brightest Day will deal with Ronnie’s continued struggle with alcoholism.  In 2002 during a JLA story it was revealed that Ronnie had at least one night of binge drinking, but that is the only reference I’m aware of after Showcase ‘96 and prior to Brightest Day.  Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi are excellent writers and I’m hopeful this Brightest Day subplot will resolve itself, yet pay respect to what has come before.

This post was inspired by Scott Mateo’s entries on the Comic Book Resources forum and the ComicBloc forum.  On those sites Scott posted the majority of these scans.  I’ve added a few here myself to further show the impact of the story.  My thanks to Scott for his inspiration!  Visit the thread at Comic Book Resources by clicking here.  Visit the thread at ComicBloc by clicking here.

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FIRESTORM DC COMIC LOT #1-100 COMPLETE JOHN OSTRANDER

This is a lot of FIRESTORM comics from DC Comics! A total of 105 issues with NO DUPLICATES!

Lot includes: #1-100 + Annuals #1-5, a COMPLETE collection!

The comics in this lot range from Very Good to Very Fine/Near Mint condition. Most are Very Fine/Near Mint.

This is not my auction and I’m not endorsing it.  However, it sounded like a good deal so I wanted to bring it to your attention in case you are looking for back issues.

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Our good friend Jon over at the Fizzit Firestorm-themed blog sent scans of these unique Firestorm collectibles. He received the following cards from Argentina.  The majority of these come from the Spanish-language version of Kenner’s Super Powers line, Super Amigos.

This first one is a trading card from the Super Amigos game.  To see all the cards in the Super Amigos card set, please visit the Aquaman Shrine by clicking here.

The next five are stickers associated with the Super Amigos line.  It appears these were produced from 1985 through 1987.

This last sticker uses specialized ink that really is intended to be viewed under blacklight.

These next ones come from some Superman-related set.  This set was released in 1994.  Nice to see the Elemental Firestorm getting some merchandise action!

Here are some Firestorm stickers from that same 1994 Superman series.

These next two come from a set entitled “Cartas de Poder – DC Super Heroes”.  I really don’t know anything about these sets, but I love that they called Firestorm “el hombre nuclear”.  Also, he’s got an attack of 2,700 and a defense of 2,300!  I have no idea what the scale is, but that sounds impressive!

Once again, our thanks to Jon from the Fizzit Firestorm-themed blog for supplying these images.

Apoyo Firestorm! Avivar la llama!