Comments on: Episode 11 of FIRESTORM FAN and AQUAMAN SHRINE Podcast!

By: Patrick

Patrick — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:41:57 +0000

@rob! I did add “J/K”…and a smiley face (oh there’s another one)

It looks like I have to reconsider this whole complementing thing, because I really seem to suck at it!

By: rob!

rob! — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:18:32 +0000

Maybe Rob brings you down a bit.

Ouch.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:13:52 +0000

@ Shag — Maybe Rob brings you down a bit. J/K I always enjoy your shows…first to go on my mp3 player when a new show pops up on Itunes!

By: Shag

Shag — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:06:34 +0000

@SDF-7 – Covering the Parasite/Suicide Squad run leading up to Annual #5 is definitely a great idea! Thanks!

@Frank – As always, thanks for your comments!

@Patrick – Thanks! … wait, NOT the funniest?!?!?! 😉

By: Patrick

Patrick — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:25:27 +0000

Another great podcast. I was thinking as I listened that even if this isn’t the funniest, or the spoiler-est (hmmm), podcast I listen to, it continues to be one of my favorites because your love for your characters. Your dedication to your respective heroes, and your engagement with your audience, make it all the more fun to listen to. You don’t denigrate the artists or writers, but just let them take the story wherever it leads…and I appreciate that.

By: Frank

Frank — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:25:05 +0000

Given EVS’ political leanings, it would be swell to see nuclear power presented in a positive light as a viable option. I’m old enough to remember Cold War fears and the Chernobyl meltdown, but a lot has changed in the decades since, and nuclear power would solve a ton of domestic problems in the short and long term. It would be interesting to see a more conservative take on things in the modern era, like playing up the positives of nuclear and uneasy relations with Pozhar having more to do with Iran than some old KGB crap. It might also be cool to see Ronnie and Jason’s conflict being more ideological than the too familiar black/white, jock/nerd, class strife riffs. There are elements of the new series that attract me, but they’re undercut by the seemingly dated politics, the Firestorm Corps, and that Voltron Fury stuff.

By: SDF-7

SDF-7 — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:04:50 +0000

Gee, thanks Shag. Now I just had to go and pick up a few more items on eBay. 😉 [Snagged a tumbler and the JLA figure.]

Giving listener feedback on the listener feedback (though granted, it sounded like you’re well aware of this opinion out there, I guess I can’t help a “me too!” here) — the loss of the sense of fun / adventure really does make this new run harder to enjoy. Not that I didn’t know that to some extent going in — no offense to Ethan, but Firestorm (to me, anyway) *doesn’t* represent the Cold War or the fears of nuclear power. He represents the *hope* and promise of nuclear energy (remember that Stein’s reactor in the first place was an attempt at an automated, self-recovering facility… ). Having this flipped such that Firestorm is all about multi-national paranoia can work (Ostrander’s run had some parallels prior to the Blank Slate era), but it really isn’t what most fans love about the character and concept. Maybe in this post-Fukushima world there just isn’t room in pop culture / the younger mindset DC is trying to reach for nuclear energy not being a pure boogeyman… but it certainly was nice for a while to have Stein’s guidance and ability providing a ray of promise and wonder for what could be harnessed. Odd that some of that (not a lot, but some) is now over in Captain Atom.

Also I’d like to add my vote if you do “good runs/stories” again to the Parasite issues leading up to and including Annual #5 of Fury of Firestorm vol 1. Ostrander did a nice job with the Parasite of letting out some of Firestorm’s real potential (that Ron would never think to use in most cases due to property damage), and Annual 5 let Ron turn the tables a bit and go to town on Parasite, the League and the Squad a bit (“Now I can hit you with a couple hundred tons of concrete… moving a couple hundred miles an hour… a couple hundred times” is still one of my favorite Firestorm lines.)