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Classic Fury of Firestorm #17 & Aquaman #37 – FIRE & WATER #112

Continuing THE FIRE AND WATER PODCAST coverage of the classic Fury of Firestorm series from the 1980s!

Firestorm and Aquaman: The Fire and Water Podcast

The 112th episode of THE FIRE AND WATER PODCAST is now available for your listening pleasure! THE FIRE AND WATER PODCAST is the official podcast of FIRESTORM FAN and THE AQUAMAN SHRINE.

This week Shag and Rob review Aquaman #37 by Jeff Parker, Paul Pelletier, Sean Parsons, and Rain Beredo, part three of the “Maelstrom” saga. Next up is the debut of Firehawk in The Fury of Firestorm #17 (October 1983) by Gerry Conway, Pat Broderick, George Tuska, Rodin Rodriguez, Carl Gafford, and Adam Kubert. Finally, we wrap up with your Listener Feedback!

You can find the 112th episode of THE FIRE AND WATER PODCAST on iTunes. While you’re there, please drop us a review on the iTunes page. Every comment helps! Alternatively, you may download the podcast by right-clicking here, choosing “Save Target/Link As”, and selecting a location on your computer to save the file (52 MB).

As always, thanks to my co-host Rob Kelly, Sea King of THE AQUAMAN SHRINE, for doing all the post-production on these episodes! Opening theme, “That Time is Now,” by Michael Kohler. Special thanks to Daniel Adams and Ashton Burge with their band The Bad Mamma Jammas for our fantastic original closing theme! This episode brought to you in part by InStockTrades.com!

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The Fury of Firestorm The Nuclear Man vol II #17 cover by Pat Broderick and Dick Giordano! Interior story and art by Gerry Conway, Pat Broderick, George Tuska, and Rodin Rodriguez! Click to enlarge!

Fury of Firestorm #17 cover by Pat Broderick and Dick Giordano

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9 Comments

  1. Is it wrong that I still read Grodd’s dialog like Stanley Ralph Ross’ version from Challenge of The Super Friends (like your stinger this week)? I love that growly, slurpy sound he makes each time before he speaks. I guess it makes even more sense, now that Grodd is slurping out brains. Eww.

    And yes, that Stanley Ralph Ross is the same gent who wrote a ton of the 60s Batman TV episodes. Small world, huh?

    Pelletier does indeed have a way with the ladies. His style has evolved, but he made an impression on me with his handling of strong females during his run on the late 90s/early 00s Titans series. Considering he was handling characters famously rendered by George Perez, that’s saying something!

    Speaking of strong females, I always liked Firehawk. I will say her second look works better, but I always found it kind of odd that they changed it so quickly. I agree with Rob, giving Firestorm a female analog was a nice nod to how popular the character was at the time. Too bad they never brought her into the Super Powers cartoon.

    Chris

  2. “What time machine would you like me to use?”

    Um, hello, Hot Tub Time Machine! Yes, the idea is preposterous and it will sound dumb the first couple times you say it. After two or three episodes to establish the hot tub reference, however, you can start doing impressions of Eddie Murphy from James Brown’s Celebrity Hot Tub.

  3. Martin Gray says:

    Top show, nice one dudes.

    I always thought I preferred the first Firehawk costume until I looked at it again, yikes!

    ‘Gorilla slaves of Atlantis’ – now there’s a missed opportunity for a grabber title. Well done, Shag.

    It is indeed a case of Stargate Atlantis, Shag, I never thought of that – nice one again!

    I had a great comment about the ‘current’ Fury of Firestorm storyline, then realised it was totally spoiler-tastic. And I’ll probably never remember to make it in two months. Darn.

    All those plugs for listener podcasts and blogs, love it >ahem Too Dangerous For a Girl<

    Thanks to Earth 2 Chris for explaining the stinger – it was inaudible via my iTunes.

  4. Anj says:

    Another great show.

    I find the plot about apes being made more intelligent so they could act as slave labor very reminiscent of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. Interesting.

    Like many, I love this whole arc in Firestorm and definitely like Firehawk. This was one of the issues I got Pat Broderick to sign when I met him at the RI Comicon last year.

    I always assumed Firehawk had just enough molecular control to make her clothes. Just as Multiplex can duplicate his clothes despite having fission powers.

  5. Martin Stein Returns says:

    I think you and Thom “‘Til Martin Stein Takes Up Breakdancing” Zahler are both correct— Firehawk has limited molecular reconstruction powers within the field of her own person. Obviously to change to Firehawk she has to use atomic restructuring powers on her civilian clothes to create the Firehawk costume. So she has always inherently had that ability. What she can’t do is transmute things outside herself— that’s a Firestorm power. Other than her costume and her appearance, she can’t alter molecules.

    Back in the old days of the DC Comics Message Board (RIP) I confronted Jamal Igle on his giving Firehawk pointed ears. His only response was, hey, they look cool, and, because comics essentially. I suspect he made a boo-boo and didn’t want to fess up. I really like Igle’s art on the whole, but that did puzzle me.

  6. Xum Yukinori says:

    Interestingly, Firehawk’s ability to “transform her clothing” is stated in her Who’s Who entry — which I shall dub her “transmutatamyvestis (tranns-myoo-TATE-ah-my-vest-iss) powers”…

  7. Xum Yukinori says:

    Oh, I remember coming across a promo blurb for this issue in one of my uncle’s old Westfield Comics order catalogs (which was a three-month advance order) that actually revealed that Firehawk was Lorraine Reilly. (Something along the lines of “Introducing Firehawk! She’s a brand new nuclear-powered villain hell-bent on destroying Firestorm! She’s Lorraine Reilly!”). I do not believe they had the term “Spoiler Alert back then… If I ever come across that catalog I will sure to scan it for you.

  8. Frank says:

    While I’ve continued to listen to and even guest appear on the show, I’ve fallen way behind on commenting due to my own podcasting efforts, and hope to knock a few replies out today.

    I’ve been reminded recently how much I liked June Brigman’s art, and will probably pick up the Convergence: Steel mini-series on the strength of that (since Louise Simonson’s work on the old series was awful, but I love the character.)

    I find the changes made to Gorilla Grodd distateful. I’m not sure which creative team came up with the brain eating, the hive mind, and the Atlantean white imperialism, but I find it all hateful and basically want nothing to do with any of it. Further, if the Aquaman team contributed to any of these new wrinkles in Gorilla City lore, I question their right to so radically alter concepts that don’t “belong” to them. Aquaman and Grodd are both precarious concepts on the cool/ridiculous spectrum, and pitting fish against monkey push both perilously close to farce. I was also expecting a long run from Parker & Pelletier, so knowing that this arc will likely be their last major one makes it feel like Maelstrom is merely playing out their clock rather than building toward a future.

    I don’t know what they called it, but I remember those inter-city teleportation portals from the Todd Williams run.

    I thought I’d bought a copy of Firestorm #17 in my dollar comics buying spree a year or two ago, and attempting to locate it contributed to my delay of comment. The earliest issue not yet covered that I could find was #20, so (sad horn.) Didn’t realize Tokamak was tied into Firehawk and the start of Firestorm as Dynastic Centerpiece.

  9. Boo!

    Yeah, I’m roughly a YEAR behind on my FWpodcast listening duties. Unfortunately my duties as a podcaster and day to day responsibilities have eaten into my podcast listening free time. But I’m on 2x speed and powering through and this was the first one that was deemed worthy of a comment.

    (Ok, well actually the first one that I had I thought that wasn’t addressed via someone ELSES feedback.)

    Shag, in the Firestorm issue you mention Multiplex theorizes that each exposure produces a different effect re: powers on individuals. (I don’t have the exact dialogue here as I’m at work presently and apart from my issues) If this is the case, would you consider this an IN CANON or OUT OF CANON justification for the New 52 multiple incarnations of Firestorm beings?

    On the one hand, different incarnations produced from different exposures.
    On the other hand, DID they all actually have different powers? I don’t recall that fondly so I don’t know…my bad.

    Sorry I’m so behind. One could argue that since I’ve not been invited to return as a guest since episode 100 that I simply peaked early and retired. But given Rob’s future plans….well, we’ll just not spoil things for people…

    Besides, given that you post a billion OTHER things besides the main show in the feed, it’s not like there’s much to catch up with. I mean, at one point I swear there were 5 episodes of “other” material between two regular F&W episodes. 😉

    PS: When one listens at 2x speed, the Cynical theme sounds like we’re in the third round of a faster-as-we-go speed dance. (think the Chicken dance). Do we need a F&W theme dance? Do we KNOW any choreographers?

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