Hot dog! In an effort to tie-in with Brightest Day, DC will be reprinting some of Firestorm volume III. I’m really pleased with this because I believe more of Jason’s run should be collected. DC Comics Presents: Brightest Day #2 ships in November and will be a mini-trade paperback containing three issues of Firestorm along with some Martian Manhunter material. DC has logically chosen to reprint the Jason arc that featured Ronnie Raymond – issues #11-13. These issues were written by Dan Jolley with art by Dale Eaglesham and Jamal Igle. The Martian Manhunter material was written by John Ostrander, former Firestorm scribe and all-around amazing writer!
Below you’ll see the solicited artwork from 2005 for those individual issues, and then the final covers. You’ll notice the coloring on the final two covers changed dramatically between the time of solicitation and the final product.
Here is the official solicitation. Be sure to tell your local comic book shop to order this for you, don’t assume they’ll stock it otherwise. At $7.99 they may not order many copies for the shelf.
DC COMICS PRESENTS: BRIGHTEST DAY #2
Written by JOHN OSTRANDER and DAN JOLLEY; Art by BRYAN HITCH, PAUL NEARY, DALE EAGLESHAM, WADE VON GRAWBADGER, JAMAL IGLE, ROB STULL, LARY STUCKER, DOUG MAHNKE and PATRICK GLEASON; Cover by IVAN REIS and OCLAIR ALBERT
Spotlighting Martian Manhunter and Firestorm – two heroes who returned after BLACKEST NIGHT as the BRIGHTEST DAY dawned in the DC Universe! First, Blue Beetle and Booster Gold guest-star in a story from MARTIAN MANHUNTER #24, while three travelers seek answers on Mars in the distant future in a tale from issue #11. Then, in an epic from FIRESTORM #11-13, Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond clash for the first time as they battle some of their greatest foes.
96pg. | Color | $7.99 US | On Sale November 10, 2010
You really can’t lose with this collection – Jason Rusch meeting Ronnie Raymond for the first time! Artwork by Dale Eaglesham and Jamal Igle! John Ostrander’s writing! Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, and Martian Manhunter! This collection is a win-win all the way around! I can’t wait!
Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!
Interesting choice of reprints…because thus far in Brightest Day, Ronnie does not remember any of those events, and Jason has not made mention of them, either. Ronnie’s last memory was his death at the hands of the Shadow Thief in Identity Crisis. (Ronnie’s not the only one with amnesia; the case of Hank Hall is much worse.)
Those reprints are made even a little more bizarre if you recall that the story in MM #24 (which was very good) was an out-of-continuity morality tale told by Manhunter. In the issue itself, Wonder Woman questions the accuracy of Manhunter’s tale. I wonder, are the stories in this reprint no longer in continuity?