Sorry if you took my comment as snarky. That was not my intention. I was simply commenting on whether Gail “walked off the comic”. Since Gail continued to promote the book and work on subsequent scripts after the rumor broke, it just felt like she might not have walked off the comic. “Walking off” implies she quit, never to look back. We know now she’s definitely resigned from the book. So we’re just talking about whether she walked off or resigned.

We’re deep into the semantics of words here. Bottom line, sorry if my comment offended you. That wasn’t the intention.

Keep up the great work over on BLEEDING COOL!

Thanks,
Shag

Clearly.

Your comments are spot on about Mikhail Arkadin, though. I loved the blank-slate Firestorm phase— FOF from #65 through #85. I thought it had logical international intrigue, and reflected the hopes of an end to the Cold War (which, as it happens, was right around the corner). I thought John Ostrander was an astute observer of the politics of the day.

I’m ambivalent about the Elemental Firestorm to this day. I listened to your positive comments about it on the podcast. I’m inclined to agree that these were interesting and worthwhile stories… but I never really thought it fit Firestorm. The phrase is “Firestorm the Nuclear Man,” not “Firestorm the Fire Elemental.” I always thought Ostrander was trying to work in a brand-new character he *wanted* to write but couldn’t get green-lighted, so he instead was using Firestorm as his vehicle to do it. I also hated having Firestorm’s powerset downsized to fire-related only. He became, essentially, the Human Torch with an attitude problem. Again, to reuse a phrase: not that that’s a bad thing, but it’s not Firestorm.

There were still touching moments, though. I really liked the antagonism between the Fire Elemental and the Raymonds, versus the friendships he forged with Martin Stein and Nina Arkadin. That was deft.