Comments on: Firestorm Farewell – FIRE & WATER PODCAST #53

By: Martin Stein Returns

Martin Stein Returns — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:50:49 +0000

Call me cynical, and at the risk of starting a political diatribe, I can’t possibly imagine why a large parent corporation like Warner Brothers would possibly want to send a concept like The Green Team down to research and development with an eye toward developing into a mainstream movie or series (/sarcasm). “See? The 1%ers that own the lives of you wage slaves aren’t all that bad. No, really, actually, they’re sort of like heroes! They use money as their superpower and make the world a better place!”

Yeah, I can’t imagine why corporate America wouldn’t want to get behind *that* message.

By: Keith Samra

Keith Samra — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 06:36:19 +0000

Oh damn… I forgot to burn something… I’ll put that on the list of things to do tomorrow!

By: Sean Koury

Sean Koury — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 05:06:15 +0000

Well, I’m all caught up and am on my way to work with a few cans of gasoline.

Because the voices in my earphones told me to burn something to celebrate the final issue of Firestorm.

By: Frank

Frank — Fri, 31 May 2013 20:15:36 +0000

I never read a single issues of “Nuclear Men.” First Gail Simone was leaving, then EVS was, then Joe Harris. They sounded like they had an interesting direction, despite the turnover, and even if I’m sick of every hero having a corps behind them. I’m sorry, but once Dan Jurgens was announced, I knew it was over. I’ve rarely enjoyed his writing, and he has no heat anymore. I’m not a diehard fan. Retro wasn’t going to bring me to the yard.

To repeat a previous argument, it was a mistake to rob future creators of the opportunity to introduce the Firestorm rogues in the New 52 while simultaneously forcing them to bottleneck the last two issues’ story. I find the Major Force redesign lame. I liked his weird 80s color scheme, and he was Venom before Venom was cool.

I think Firestorm needed to be canceled, because DC recognizes that property has potential, and it’s better to kill it to make way for a revival than to leave it on life support. I doubt you’ll have another decade+ wait for the next volume. We know DC has a bunch of proposals already, just sitting in a drawer.

In a rush– off for the road to listen to Luke’s Hawkman podcast…

By: Keith Samra

Keith Samra — Fri, 31 May 2013 05:15:31 +0000

@ Luke Jaconetti
DC gets more flack than Marvel you say… I agree, DC are the “John Cena” of the comic world! No matter what they do, they get alot more grief than what they deserve!… Sometimes

By: Luke Jaconetti

Luke Jaconetti — Thu, 30 May 2013 15:04:13 +0000

I really liked Firestorm #20. I thought it was a nice sendoff to the book as the Nuclear Man moves over into the Justice League. I liked the bits with Major Force and Superman, especially the whole hero-worship bit with Superman at the end. And of course I always dig when my man TYPHOON shows up.

Looking forward to the continued adventures of Firestorm in the team setting going forward. Also looking forward to the classic Firestorm comics, which I have read thanks to the clasic Firestorm trade!

Do you honestly think if I did a Hawkman podcast that anyone more would have bought it? Or would it have ended the book sooner? (Hawkman cancellations — 1: Flash Comics (I guess?), 2: Volume 1 Silver Age, 3: Volume 2 Bronze Age, 4: Hawkworld, 5: Volume 3 Iron Age, 6: Volume 4 Modern Age, 7: Savage Hawkman.)

Savage Hawkman #1 outsold Fury of Firestorm #1. Similarly, Savage Hawkman #20 outsold Firestorm #20. I hold onto that like a drowning man and a piece of driftwood.

Do not diss OMAC. It didn’t sell, but the book was fantastic. Substantially better than Firestorm OR Hawkman, and numerous other overhyped crap books DC publishes. As good as early New 52 Aquaman, honestly.

Also, yeah, I gave feedback on the Firehawk and Mera episode, guys. So yeah, just because Frank, Siskoid, and Luke Daab don’t comment doesn’t mean no one does.

Enjoyed the episode guys, at least the parts where you guys discussed Firestorm.

By: Luke Jaconetti

Luke Jaconetti — Thu, 30 May 2013 14:12:13 +0000

The Green Team is by a pair of creators who have won a pile of awards for DC. So I understand the motivation for putting them on a mainstream book. Artie & Franco have more grassroots support and goodwill amongst fans than anyone DC had on Firestorm save Gail Simone, and she doesn’t generate the same heat that these guys do. Go to a Con with Artie & Franco at it and take a look at the line of people (including kids!) queued up to get a sketch from Artie. Part of it also is that DC is giving Artie & Franco a bone because of their deal with Dark Horse and Mike Mignola and their creator owned project.

Captain Marvel is a poor example, I think, because Marvel has abandoned and cancelled a LOT of other lesser selling books over the last 10 years, most of them within 12 issues. Marvel will axe a book with the drop of a hat just as fast as DC does, but DC gets a lot more negative attention when they do it because: The Internet.

By: Anj

Anj — Wed, 29 May 2013 13:09:10 +0000

Great retrospective guys. Thanks for doing this.

As I have said before, the Conway/Broderick Firestorm was one of the first comics I collected monthly. And it was a Conway/Kanayan Firestorm issue that got me back collecting after a year plus hiatus from comics. So I have a soft spot in my heart for the guy.

That said, it was exactly the ‘many Firestorms’ that kept me away from the book when the New 52 started (despite being both a Simone and a Van Sciver fan). And, unfortunately, I didn’t pick things up when Dan Jurgens took over (despite being a Jurgens guy) because I thought too much of the early plots would still be being handled. So, I guess I am part of the problem.

I did get this last issue and enjoyed it, making me wonder what might have been. I thought the Superman appearance not only riffed on DCCP #17 (as mentioned in the podcast) but also Firestorm #2 from the first volume when Firestorm first meets Superman. In that issue, Superman says he wanted to meet Firestorm to see if he would be JLA material. (That issue was also the first appearance of Multiplex).

I can’t agree more with Rob about DC pulling the plug on modestly but consistently selling books. If Demon Knights consistently sells 12K, surely there must be a place for that comic in the market.

Lastly, I can’t help but look across the aisle at Marvel to see how things could be handled. Kelly Sue DeConnick’s Captain Marvel has dipped in sales to 18K. If this was DC, I would start the funeral watch. But the book has an energized and rabid fan base and a devoted creator. And Marvel turns around putting her in a mini-series linked to their best selling titles, the Avengers. That is the way to support a book worth saving.

Having lived through 3 Supergirl cancellations (and one major death event) and knowing that there was another cancellation before my time, I feel your pain Shag. Fan the flames!

By: Keith Samra

Keith Samra — Wed, 29 May 2013 04:47:23 +0000

I have to disagree with Shagg… I totally reckon Firestorm could work as live action!
Cross the super heroics of “Amazing Spider-Man” with some comedic beats from “17 Again” (for the teenage vs adult aspect), add the special effects magic similar to “Ghost Rider” (in relation for the flaming head effect) and a good script like “Ironman 1″ and you could have an awesome Firestorm movie!
Make it fun and not EMO like Twilight, and kids and adults alike will love it!

Great episode, really going to miss a monthly Firestorm solo book!… Lets all hope that Geoff Johns decides to write a Firestorm book somewhere down the line.

By: rob!

rob! — Wed, 29 May 2013 01:52:21 +0000

I would just like to say thank you for making me have Bengal’s Eternal Flame stuck in my head for the last 24 hours!

I’ve had that joke in my pocket since FoF #6 or so.