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Fury of Firestorm #1 – Did you notice…

It’s been a few weeks since the new Firestorm series hit the stands, so I now feel pretty comfortable dishing out spoilers here.  However, if you haven’t read the first issue, STOP READING NOW!  Seriously, dude… there be SPOILERS ahead for The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #1.

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The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #1 – “God Particle”
Co-Plotters: Ethan Van Sciver and Gail Simone
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Yildiray Cinar
Cover Artist: Ethan Van Sciver with Hi-Fi
Colorist: Steve Buccellato
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Asst. Editor: Richey Purdin
Editor: Rachel Gluckstern

If you’d like my complete spoiler-filled review, please check out The Fire and Water Podcast episode 4.  In that episode Rob of The Aquaman Shrine and I go through the entire issue.

Today we’re going to focus on a few tidbits worth noticing in The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #1… Y’know, we REALLY need an abbreviation or nickname for that title.  It exhausts my fingers just typing it. How about TFOF:TNM?  That’s not much better.  Hmmm… maybe Firestorm v4?  Still not there…  I don’t know.  Anyone, feel free to leave a comment with suggestions for an abbreviation or nickname for this new series.  No haters need apply.

First up, I gotta talk about the most jaw-dropping page in the book.  Below you’ll find the bottom half of page 10…

Firestorms from FURY OF FIRESTORM #1

Prior to the release of issue #1, we’d heard there was more than one Firestorm.  I didn’t imagine we’d get a glimpse of so many in the first issue!  Starting at the far left and working clockwise:

  • No obvious hint on this character, but my gut tells me he’s connected to the Middle East.  Additionally, notice his hair looks reminiscent of the Elemental Firestorm’s flowing mane.
  • This next character appears to be the New 52 incarnation of Firehawk.  This theory is supported by the teaser image we saw prior to the release of issue #1. No obvious hints as to her location, but with the red and white costume motif it’s possible she’s from Canada, Japan, Denmark, or Poland… or perhaps she’s just a really big fan of Van Halen’s Diver Down album.
  • The next character appears to be from Great Britain.  I’m looking forward to seeing more of this particular character.
  • Next up is the Firestorm we saw on the cover of TFOF:TNM #4.  (that abbreviation is still rubbish — don’t forget to put your suggestions in the comments!)  Due to the Russian language characters on the cover, I’m guessing he’s .. well, Russian.  Perhaps his metallic chest plate is representative of the Iron Curtain.  I suppose it’s possible he’s the Middle Eastern Firestorm since that geographic area is referenced in the solicitation, however, I’m hoping this is Mikhail Arkadin/Pozhar.
  • Finally, on the bottom appears to be a Chinese Firestorm.  His costume and flame affects look REALLY cool!  Being outside with people watching suggests this Firestorm is publicly known, rather than hidden in a laboratory somewhere.

Next up, I want to talk about the mercenaries in issue #1.  Using the original solicitation as a guide, I’m guessing the mercenary team is called the “Dog Team”, even though they are not specifically named in the issue.  Did you happen to catch the name of the lead mercenary?  If not, check out the page below and notice the two bits I highlighted in orange.

Cliff Carmichael in FURY OF FIRESTORM #1

That’s right, it’s Cliff Carmichael!  This is an updated incarnation of our favorite jerk from the original Firestorm continuity!  Honestly, I didn’t catch his name the first time through.  I didn’t figure this out until I read a Tweet from Firestorm creator Gerry Conway about the new Cliff.  This time around, Cliff is an unforgivable murderer.  On the positive side, he’s got the beginnings of the Cliff Carmichael trademark mutton-chops.  :)

Another member of the Dog Team is Dr. Loren Fortier.  She’s the sadistic killer with purple hair seen in the panel above and below.  Notice the “Z” shaped scar on her cheek.  I’m not sure what that represents, but I’m guessing it’ll be important later.  Maybe she ticked off Zorro.  Dr. Loren Fortier is a character to watch as you’ll see below…

Doctor Loren Fortier, Killer Frost, in FURY OF FIRESTORM #1

When Jason and Ronnie were transformed into Firestorms by the blast from the magnetic bottle, Dr. Loren Fortier caught a health dose herself of that transformative energy.  See below…

Doctor Loren Fortier, Killer Frost, in FURY OF FIRESTORM #1

Remember that amazing two-page spread when we first see Jason and Ronnie as Firestorm?  Did you notice the hand in the middle bursting from the ground?  Yup, that’s Dr. Loren Fortier.

Doctor Loren Fortier, Killer Frost, in FURY OF FIRESTORM #1

Check out the panels below of Cliff Carmichael trying to aid Dr. Loren Fortier…

Doctor Loren Fortier, Killer Frost, in FURY OF FIRESTORM #1

Doctor Loren Fortier, Killer Frost, in FURY OF FIRESTORM #1

Let’s see… Dr. Loren Fortier was caught in a nuclear blast, her skin turned blue, she hurt Cliff when she touched his arm, and ice crystals appeared to grow on the ground around her arm.  Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? That’s right, it’s a pretty safe bet she will be our new Killer Frost!  I’ve been thinking about the “Z” shaped scar on her cheek.  It’s possible they may choose to call her something other than Killer Frost. They might play off the “Z” shaped scar and call her something with the name “Zero”, as in zero temperature.  Just a thought, but I personally hope they stick with the name Killer Frost.

Finally, did you spot the cosmic purple-hooded lady from Flashpoint #5 that has been popping up in each New 52 #1 issue?  She’s on the third to the last page, right above Jason and Ronnie as they burst from the school.  Nice hiding spot, Yildiray!  It took me a while to find her.  :)

Purple hooded lady from Flashpoint in FURY OF FIRESTORM #1

Did you spot any other “Easter eggs”?  If so, be sure to share them in the comments.  I’m looking forward to issue #2!

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9 Comments

  1. Ed says:

    That small glimpse of the New 52 Firehawk kind of reminds me of the Elemental Firestorm.

  2. liquidcross says:

    I’m just referring to the new series as Firestorm v4. It’s very likely that if the series sticks around, it’ll undergo a name change anyway, just like the past two series.

  3. Beholderbill says:

    I have been typing it FoF for short. I hope Tokamak makes a comeback as a Firestorm villian.. that issue was the one that captivated me as a child.

  4. KenViking says:

    liquidcross has a point.
    I just go with F.O.F. “Fury of Firestorm”
    Along the Easter Egg line
    would that make Many of Firestorm Villains Also Elementals?
    Typhoon? – Water
    Killer Frost? – Water
    Black Bison? – Earth
    Etc., etc.
    So many directions this could go.

    Or are they moving to a Green Lantern Corps. setup & Model? With a Firestorm/Elemental Corps.?

  5. This is great, i never clued in to cliff thing but i had thought about the hand being hers wasn’t sure about it, also i cant think of a nickname maybe firesquared? I dunno!
    Gotta say I was skeptical before issue one hit, I mean firestorm is my favorite superhero so O had high expectations for what I wanted to see in issue one. Hardly any of them were met (beside the creation of firestorm) and in this case…turned out to be for the best. It was a fresh take on the character while still staying true to its core. I can not wait for issue 2 and so on! As for the cover they are blowing me away EVS has always been one of my favorite artist and to see him on firestorm is a real treat. I have met him a few times and hes a nice guy and I am confident that he will do no harm to the character seeing as he is such a fan as well. One thing I have to say that isn’t just pure praise (which is warranted after reading issue one) is about the cover to issue #4. I haven’t gone back through all my issue but I’m quite sure this is the first time you can see hair inside the flame and it looks a little off to me lol. Not so much a complaint,just something i noticed.

    Anyways that’s my rant! Fan the Flame!

  6. Jon says:

    I liked the use of Cliff- his original role looks to be covered by Jason now, so there’s not really a place for him in Ronnie’s daily life. Having him reimagined as someone who’s still going to be a pain in Firestorm’s neck is a nice touch.

    I’m not totally sold on the idea of the hand in that splash page being Killer Frost. I initially made the same connection and it would certainly make sense in context, but look at the wrist. The costume matches the Firestorm suits, and is quite different from the later shots of Killer Frost’s hand. Maybe we’ll just quietly put that down to a little art screwup 😉

  7. […] I first saw this cover, I thought Zither might be Dr. Loren Fortier from issue #1.  After all, Dr. Fortier had a “Z”-shaped scar on the left side of her face (as in […]

  8. […] The Firestorm-ish guy tormenting Ronnie looks a lot like one of the Firestorms we got a sneak peek of in issue #1. […]

  9. […] teaser with FIRESTORM FAN! What a nice guy! And such a cool image too!!!  This appears to be the same Firestorm character we caught a glimpse of in Fury of Firestorm #1. Also, I’m not entirely sure as it’s hard to see the full costume, but this might be […]

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