Geoff Johns shared some thoughts on the death of Gehenna, Jason Rusch’s girlfriend, in Blackest Night: The Director’s Cut #1 (June 2010). The Director’s Cut features commentary on the mini-series by: Geoff Johns (Writer), Ivan Reis (Penciller), Oclair Albert (Inker), Joe Prado (Inker), Alex Sinclair (Colorist), Nick J. Napolitano (Letterer), Adam Schlagman (Associate Editor), and Eddie Berganza (Editor).
Below you’ll find the commentary relevant to Gehenna’s death in Blackest Night #3. Notice Geoff’s comments at the end…
In case you have trouble reading the graphic above, here is Geoff’s quote:
GEOFF JOHNS: This was the hardest death scene I ever wrote. The torture is not only on Gen, but Jason. I knew this was going to have major fallout well beyond BLACKEST NIGHT and into BRIGHTEST DAY after Ronnie Raymond returned. Firestorm, like Aquaman and Martian Manhunter, is one of DC’s mainstays in my opinion and deserves some more spotlight in the center of the DCU.
That death scene was seriously gut-wrenching for Firestorm fans and those just learning about the character during Blackest Night. Given the emotional and graphic nature of the scene, I’m content knowing Geoff struggled writing Gehenna’s death and understood the downstream impact. I’m also heartened by Geoff’s comment about Firestorm being one of DC’s mainstays! If it weren’t for Geoff’s love of Firestorm, the character probably wouldn’t have been a major player in Brightest Day. Thanks Geoff for re-popularizing our favorite hot-head!
My thanks to match-head Ed “The Unique Geek” for the heads-up on this!
Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!