In 1994 DC Comics published Zero Hour, a five issue mini-series designed to not only serve as a major summer crossover but also fix some of the continuity problems that had emerged since the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Zero Hour was written and pencilled by Dan Jurgens (who later went on to write and draw Firestorm in The New 52), and represented the dawn of an exciting new era for DC. To kick off this new age, DC followed Zero Hour in August & September 1994 with “Zero Month.” As the name suggests all of the main DC books published an issue numbered zero, though each had a different approach to the idea. Some books featured a new origin. Some contained tweaks to the existing origin. Some contained brand new versions of old characters. Some were intended to launch new ongoing series. All of them served as a jumping on point for new and old readers alike.

To celebrate this new era, some of us in the comic book fan community have banded together today from remote galaxies. We’re celebrating our characters appearances in Zero Month along with some promotional material!

Not a lot of Firestorm in Zero Month, but he would eventually go on to be a member of the Justice League splinter group, Extreme Justice. Below you’ll find a blurb promoting Extreme Justice found in Wizard Magazine Zero Hour Special, which was published around the time of Zero Hour. Click to enlarge!

In typical fashion for Booster Gold and Blue Beetle, they showed up late to the party. While Zero Month was spread across August & September 1994, this zero issue didn’t hit stands until mid-November. Below you’ll find the cover to Extreme Justice #0, featuring a distinct lack of metallic silver ink that the other zero issues received as cover enhancements. Also note Firestorm didn’t make the cover, though Ronnie Raymond (or “Ron” as he was called at the time) does appear on the inside.

That art is soooooo ’90s and only became more “extreme” as the series went continued. For further Firestorm-related posts involving Extreme Justice, check out these links:

• How Ronnie Beat Cancer and Got His Powers Back
• Getting the Wonder Twins Drunk
• Hi, My Name is Ronnie Raymond and I’m an Alcoholic
• Unhappy Valentine’s Day to Firehawk and Booster Gold
• Unhappy Valentine’s Day to Plastique and Captain Atom
• Firestorm Original Artwork Celebration

It’s Zero Hour for These Sites!

As mentioned, several websites have teamed-up today to reflect upon Zero Month! While we’re featuring Extreme Justice, you should visit these other sites to see how they spotlight their own favorite heroes today. Visit them now, visit them later, and visit them often!

• The Fortress of Baileytude
• Aquaman Shrine
• Legion of Super-Bloggers
• Pop Culture Affidavit
• Speed Force
• Corps Conjecture
• Being Carter Hall

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!

Today here at FIRESTORM FAN we’re going to feature… well… Firestorm. Specifically the Firestorm characters from parallel worlds that appeared in Countdown: Arena!

Countdown: Arena was a four issue mini-series, published weekly from December 5 thru December 26, 2007. It was written by Keith Champagne, penciled by Scott McDaniel, inked by Andy Owens, and colored by Guy Major. Spinning off of Countdown, the series features Monarch (Nathaniel Adam) as he organizes battles among various characters from the 52 Earths of the Multiverse. Monarch’s secret agenda was to allow the character of Breach to escape the Arena trap, knowing he would recruit additional multiverse incarnations of Captain Atom to battle Monarch. Once this “Captain Atom Brigade” confronted Monarch, he absorbed their powers making himself even more powerful. Finally, he gathered those Arena victors he deemed worthy in preparation for a battle against the Monitors.

I bought this series as it was coming out, however, I had little enthusiasm for the series until actually reading it. I had grown weary of the Countdown saga and expected this to be just another fight-fight-fight book. While there was certainly a lot of fighting, I was pleasantly surprised to find there was a lot to like about this series! First off, Scott McDaniel pencils? Yes, please!! I fell in love with McDaniel’s work on Daredevil several years before, so it was a treat to see him here. Second, there was a decent story and some intrigue in this series. Third, we got to meet Firestorm from Earth 12 and Quantum-Storm from Earth 37!

Quantum-Storm from Earth 37

As mentioned, Monarch (a.k.a. Nathaniel Adam, a.k.a. Captain Atom) was the “big bad” of this mini-series. He gathered numerous characters from around the multiverse and locked them in an Arena to do battle with one another. Monarch carefully selected trios of characters to battle each other (i.e. Batman from Gotham By Gaslight, The Bat from JSA Liberty Files, and vampire Batman from Red Rain). For Captain Atom (alternate versions of Monarch himself), he selected Breach (from the primary DC Earth), Captain Atom of the Atomic Knights (Earth 38), and Quantum-Storm (Earth 37). While these were Captain Atom analogs, Quantum-Storm is actually a hybrid of the Captain Atom concept and the Firestorm concept!

Quantum-Storm was the fusion of Ronnie Raymond and Nathaniel Adam. Adam operated as the on-board adviser, much like Professor Stein did in the original Firestorm. The costume was nearly identical to the original Firestorm outfit, except yellow had been replaced with the same silvery-blue worn by the post-Crisis Captain Atom. We didn’t learn much about Quantum-Storm, but he appeared in all four issues and died heroically trying to defeat Monarch.

Firestorm from Earth 12

Over on Earth 12, we catch a brief glimpse of this world’s Firestorm. He’s hanging out with a young Green Lantern moments before GL is abducted for the Arena event. On this Earth, Green Lantern is the grandson of Green Lantern Hal Jordan. That implies these are the next generation of heroes. Looking at Firestorm’s costume design and flaming wings, perhaps he is the child (or grandchild) of Jason Rusch and Lorraine Reilly. That’s pure speculation, but I can’t help wondering. Below you’ll find his only appearance. Click to enlarge.

Not a lot of Firestorm content, but seeing any parallel version of our favorite Nuclear Man is awesome! If you haven’t read it, pick up Countdown: Arena. It’s well worth your time and money!

Super-Blog Team-Up Links

As mentioned, several different blogs have teamed-up today to cover Parallel Worlds and Alternate Realities! While I’m featuring Firestorm here on my site, you should visit these other comic blogs to see how they spotlight their own favorite characters and niches today. Visit them now, visit them later, and visit them often!

• The Case Against Spider-Man Reign @ Amazing Spider-Talk Podcast
• A Tale Of Two Cities On The Edge Of Forever @ Between The Pages
• Things Are a Little Different Around Here… @ Bronze Age Babies
• The Ballad of Two Green Lanterns @ Flodo’s Page
• Martian Manhunter Multiversity @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu Podcast
• The Many Worlds of Tesla Strong @ In My Not So Humble Opinion
• Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes @ The Legion of Super-Bloggers
• X-Men #141 & 142: Days of Future Past @ Longbox Graveyard
• Epic Comics’ Doctor Zero @ The Marvel Super Heroes Podcast
• Marvel & DC’s Secret Crossover: Avengers #85–86 @ Mystery Vlog
• Marvel’s Star Comics: Licensed Reality and Parallel Properties @ Superhero Satellite
• Altered Reality: The Ultraverse Before and After Black September @ Ultraverse Network
• 5 Batmen, 1 Superman, ZERO HOUR @ The Unspoken Decade
• The Ghost in the Machine: Robocop versus Terminator @ The Unspoken Decade

Support Firestorm (and other members of the Super-Blog Team-Up)! Fan the flame!

Today here at FIRESTORM FAN we’re going to feature… well… sadly I didn’t see any Firestorm nor Killer Frost cosplayers this year. (sad face) However, there were hundreds of other amazing DC Comics related cosplayers this year. Just check out these group shots! Both of these photos were taken by Patrick Sun, and you can find many more on his Flickr page. Click each to enlarge!

Now just for fun, check out this zoomable photo of the DC Comics Mega Photoshoot by Michael Blitch! These photos were taken during cosplay photoshoots organized by the Superhero Costuming Forum. The planning and coordination of these massive photoshoots is an astonishing task! The Grand Poobah over at the Superhero Costuming Forum is Allen Hansard. Allen’s probably best known to you Match-heads as a frequent Firestorm cosplayer! To the rest of the world, Allen is known as the guy who directs most of these photoshoots! In fact, this year he cosplayed as himself directing a Marvel shoot (he’s represented below by Doctor Strange with the megaphone)! Ha!

I took about 200 pictures this year of various cosplayers and activities which you can find on Flickr. Hopefully next year there will be a plethora of Firestorm cosplayers (especially after his break-out roll on the TV series The Flash)!

Dragon Con Cosplay Crossover Links

As mentioned, several different blogs have teamed-up today to cover some of the amazing cosplayers at Dragon Con 2014! Visit these other character-specific blogs to see how they spotlight their own favorite heroes today. Visit them now, visit them later, and visit them often!

• Aquaman & Mera @ The Aquaman Shrine
• Black Canary & Arrow @ Flowers & Fishnets
• Blue Beetle @ Kord Industries
• Captain Carrot @ Captain Carrot’s Burrow
• Flash @ Speed Force
• Hawkman/Hawkgirl @ Being Carter Hall
• Legion of Super-Heroes @ Legion of Super Bloggers

If you’ve enjoyed this blog crossover, then you should check out some previous comic blog crossovers we’ve done. The first major blog crossover celebrated the gorgeous George Pérez/Alex Ross painting from the Crisis on Infinite Earths 1998 hardcover. The next major blog crossover was a celebration of the Super Powers Collection’s 25th Anniversary. Some subsequent major crossovers included: DC Challenge, Read This Too, Mayfairstivus, April Fool’s Day 2011, Blackest Night to Brightest Day, Green Lantern: Circle of Fire, Animated Anthem Day, Secret Files & Origins, DragonCon 2012 Cosplay, Ghosts Annuals from 1998, and Steve Garcia’s Silhouette Art!

Support Firestorm (and these other bloggers)! Fan the flame!

22 different blogs have joined forces today to celebrate the eye-catching silhouettes produced by artist Steve Garcia! Below you’ll find striking images of our favorite Nuclear Man and his Frigid Foe! These would make great posters!

Finally, here is a Firestorm silhouette wallpaper!

Wow! Love this artwork so much! Now, Steve Garcia did a lot more than just Firestorm…

Justice League of Bloggers Links

As mentioned, 22 different blogs have teamed-up today to share some of Steve Garcia’s artwork! While I’m featuring Firestorm here on my site, you should visit these other character-specific blogs to see how they spotlight their own favorite heroes today. Visit them now, visit them later, and visit them often!

• Aquaman and Mera @ Aquaman Shrine!
• Black Lantern Martian Manhunter @ Idol-Head of Diabolu!
• Wonder Girl @ Diana Prince as The New Wonder Woman!
• The Atom @ Power of the Atom!
• Zatanna @ Justice League Detroit!
• Steel @ DC Bloodlines!
• Black Canary, Green Arrow, and Huntress @ Flowers & Fishnets: A Black Canary Blog!
• Supergirl, Lois Lane, and Vibe @ Supergirl: Comic Box Commentary!
• Blue Beetle & Booster Gold @ Kord Industries: A Blue Beetle Blog!
• Riddler, Batman, Robin, Alfred, Nightwing, Batgirl, Villains, & More@ Riddle Factory!
• The Flash and the Rogues @ Speed Force!
• Green Lantern @ Indigo Tribe!
• Plastic Man @ Eeyow! It’s Plastic Man!
• Red Tornado @ Red Tornado’s Path!
• Ambush Bug, Beast Boy, Metamorpho, Power Girl, & Deadman @ My Greatest Adventure 80: A Doom Patrol Blog!
• Cyborg @ S.T.A.R. Labs Detroit!
• Captain Atom @ Splitting Atoms: A Captain Atom Blog!
• Swamp Thing @ Swamp Thing: The Blog from the Bog!
• Daredevil, Hulk, and Captain America @ Dave’s Daredevil Podcast!
• Thor @ The Hammer Strikes!
• Dr. Strange & Nick Fury @ …nurgh…!

Be sure to check out these older posts from the Justice League of Bloggers featuring Steve Garcia’s artwork!

• Booster Gold @ Boosterrific!
• Martian Manhunter @ Idol-Head of Diabolu!
• Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince as The New Wonder Woman!
• Hawkgirl @ Power of the Atom!
• Captain Marvel @ DC Bloodlines!

For more of Steve Garcia’s artwork, keep up with him on Facebook, deviantART, Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram!

If you’ve enjoyed this blog crossover, then you should check out some previous comic blog crossovers we’ve done. The first major blog crossover celebrated the gorgeous George Pérez/Alex Ross painting from the Crisis on Infinite Earths 1998 hardcover. The next major blog crossover was a celebration of the Super Powers Collection’s 25th Anniversary. Some subsequent major crossovers included: DC Challenge, Read This Too, Mayfairstivus, April Fool’s Day 2011, Blackest Night to Brightest Day, Green Lantern: Circle of Fire, Animated Anthem Day, Secret Files & Origins, DragonCon 2012 Cosplay, and Ghosts Annuals from 1998!

Support Firestorm (and Steve Garcia)! Fan the flame!

This crossover was a real blast! If you missed part one, click here. In Part 2 it’s Firestorm, Superman, Killer Frost, the 200th episode of Views from the Longbox, and so much more! Head over to VIEWS FROM THE LONGBOX episode #176 for all the details!

Support Firestorm (and Views from the Longbox)! Fan the flame!

Together this titanic team of geekdom covers DC Comics Presents #5 featuring Superman and Aquaman! On Tuesday, head over to VIEWS FROM THE LONGBOX for Part 2 of this podcast crossover event where they cover a Superman and Firestorm issue of DC Comics Presents!

You can find the 73rd 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 (25 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!

Have a question or comment? Looking for more great content?

• Send us an e-mail: firewaterpodcast@comcast.net
• Check our Tumblr: fireandwaterpodcast.tumblr.com
• Visit The Aquaman Shrine: www.aquamanshrine.net
• Visit Views from the Longbox: www.viewsfromthelongbox.com
• or leave a comment below!

Below you’ll find the cover to DC Comics Presents #5 by Ross Andru and Dick Giordano! Plot by Len Wein, dialogue by Paul Levitz, and interior art by Murphy Anderson! Click to enlarge!

Thanks for listening! Fan the Flame and Ride the Wave!

Just in case you’ve never read this Annual, here is a brief recap. The ghost of deceased mobster “Shoe” Shine invades the Firestorm matrix. His plan is to escape hell by trading Martin Stein’s soul for his own. “Shoe” Shine’s ghost wrestles control of Firestorm from Ronnie for a short period of time, but is eventually exorcised with the assistance of the Phantom Stranger.

Does that ring any bells? Still struggling to remember this Annual? Really? … ummm … well, okay … You got me. Dedicated Match-heads (and anyone else who can easily see through my terrible Photoshop above) know there was no Fury of Firestorm Annual in 1998. In fact, Firestorm wasn’t even being published at the time.

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself! There is this cool blog crossover going on today about the 1998 “Ghosts” Annuals. I’m a sucker for these crossovers and wanted to play along. Therefore I repurposed an image and the plot from The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #32 (Feb. 1985). That issue actually features the story of “Shoe” Shine’s ghost. For a full recap, click here to check out the amazing “I am the Phantom Stranger” blog. Then click here to return to Firestorm Fan and read my thoughts on the issue.

Halloween Heroes Crossover Links

As mentioned, 18 different blogs have teamed-up today to share some Halloween fun! My thanks to Chad Bokelman, the stellar Green Lantern-themed blogger over at Corps Conjecture and The LanternCast, who recruited all of us for today’s hijinks! While I’m featuring Firestorm here on my site, you should visit these other character-specific blogs to see how they spotlight their own favorite heroes today. Visit them now, visit them later, and visit them often!

• “Ghosts” @ The Aquaman Shrine
• “Bough Breaks” @ Batman: Gotham Knights Online
• “Swamp Thing’s Ghost Dance” @ The BLOG from the BOG – Swamp Thing
• “Seeing Ghosts” @ Boosterrific
• “Life Itself” @ Captain’s JLA Homepage
• “Ghosts’ – The Corpse Corps!” @ Corps Conjecture
• “What Creeps Out The Creeper?” @ DC Bloodlines
• “The Distance Gone” @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
• “Shoe Shine.. Back from the Dead” @ Firestorm Fan
• “The Death Sentence” @ Great Krypton!
• “Happy Halloween” @ I Am The Phantom Stranger
• Martian Manhunter in “Heart’s Afire” @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• “Legend of Driq” @ Indigo Tribe
• The Vixen in “Role Model” @ Justice League Detroit
• “Ghosts” @ Power of the Atom
• “Ragman – Ripped to Shreds!” @ Ragman – DC’s Tatterdemalion of Justice
• The Spectre in “Zor” @ Siegel & Shuster: Mythmakers
• “High-Speed Hauntings” @ Speed Force

If you’ve enjoyed this blog crossover, then you should check out some previous comic blog crossovers we’ve done. The first major blog crossover celebrated the gorgeous George Pérez/Alex Ross painting from the Crisis on Infinite Earths 1998 hardcover. The next major blog crossover was a celebration of the Super Powers Collection’s 25th Anniversary. Some subsequent major crossovers included: DC Challenge, Read This Too, Mayfairstivus, April Fool’s Day 2011, Blackest Night to Brightest Day, Green Lantern: Circle of Fire, Animated Anthem Day, Secret Files & Origins, and DragonCon 2012 Cosplay!

Support Firestorm (and these other bloggers)! Fan the flame!

Today here at FIRESTORM FAN we’re going to feature… well… Firestorm. Sadly there was only one Firestorm-related cosplayer this year, but what a great costume it was!!! Box Hero Firestorm! All of the photos I’m displaying today were taken during cosplay photoshoots organized by the Superhero Costuming Forum. The planning and coordination of these massive photoshoots is an astonishing task! My hats off to these folks for doing such a great job!

Below is a close-up of the head piece so you can study the amazing flames!

The Firestorm Box Hero was cosplayed by Allen Hansard (see below). Allen was the very first Firestorm cosplayer we featured here at FIRESTORM FAN. Additionally, Allen is the Grand Poobah over at the Superhero Costuming Forum.

Finally, a great group shout of the DC Comics Box Heroes group! For more on the Box Hero Corps, visit their Facebook page or their blog.

DragonCon Cosplay Crossover Links

Those Box Heroes are so friggin’ cool! As mentioned, 12 different blogs have teamed-up today to cover some of the amazing cosplayers at DragonCon 2012! While I’m featuring Firestorm photos here on my site, you should visit these other character-specific blogs to see how they spotlight their own favorite heroes today. Visit them now, visit them later, and visit them often!

• Aquaman @ The Aquaman Shrine
• The Atom @ Power of the Atom
• Booster Gold @ Boosterrific
• DC Cosplay Obscura @ DC Bloodlines
• Doctor Fate @ Tower of Fate
• Doom Patrol @ My Greatest Adventure #80
• Firestorm @ Firestorm Fan
• Flash @ Speed Force
• Hawkman/Hawkgirl @ Being Carter Hall
• Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• The Vixen and Zatanna @ Justice League Detroit
• Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman

If you are interested in further cosplay photos from DragonCon 2012, be sure to check the 700 photos I uploaded from DragonCon 2012!

If you’ve enjoyed this blog crossover, then you should check out some previous comic blog crossovers we’ve done. The first major blog crossover celebrated the gorgeous George Pérez/Alex Ross painting from the Crisis on Infinite Earths 1998 hardcover. The next major blog crossover was a celebration of the Super Powers Collection’s 25th Anniversary. Some subsequent major crossovers included: DC Challenge, Read This Too, Mayfairstivus, April Fool’s Day 2011, Blackest Night to Brightest Day, Green Lantern: Circle of Fire, Animated Anthem Day and Secret Files & Origins!

Support Firestorm (and these other bloggers)! Fan the flame!

When it comes to Firestorm comics, I’m a completist. I want to own every appearance of The Nuclear Man in comic book form. Back in the days before the internet, I had a hard time identifying all of Firestorm’s Bronze Age appearances. That all changed when I got my hands on the 1993 Mayfair Games role-playing supplement to Who’s Who in the DC Universe. They provided an excellent list of Firestorm appearances up to that point!

One of those appearances was Wonder Woman vol I #300 (February 1983). I bought the comic many years ago, but didn’t give it much thought as Firestorm’s involvement was minor. Recently my good buddy Rob Kelly from The Aquaman Shrine, and my FIRE AND WATER PODCAST co-host, contacted me about this particular comic. He asked me to take a second look at this issue. Boy, I’m glad he did!

Wonder Woman #300 was written by Roy and Dann Thomas, drawn by Gene Colan, Rick Buckler, Ross Andru, Dick Giordano, and a bunch of other artists.  Below is the gorgeous wrap-around cover by Ed Hannigan and Dick Giordano. Just behind Wonder Woman at her wedding, you’ll find good buddies Firestorm and Aquaman hanging together! It’s FIRE AND WATER – 1983 style! Click the image to enlarge.

In this 72 page blockbuster, Wonder Woman dream-hops with Sandman (the 1970s Jack Kirby version) as they battle a series of nightmares. One chapter in the book focuses on Diana getting married to Steve Trevor on Paradise Island with the JLA in attendance. Here is the full-length roller coaster of a synopsis from the DC Comics Database:

Wonder Woman is plagued by a shadow-monster which equals her in power, until she encounters the Sandman, who calls the thing an escaped nightmare and helps her against it. The dream-creature vanishes, and the Sandman explains that he was monitoring her dream and saw the Shadow-Thing emerge and attack her in the real world. She becomes Diana Prince again and goes to the Pentagon, where she is rewarded with a promotion to major by Gen. Darnell. After she becomes Wonder Woman again, she dozes and briefly encounters the Shadow-Thing again, but her Robot Plane vibrates into the Earth-Two dimension and she is saved by the Wonder Woman of that world. Wonder Woman accompanies her Earth-Two counterpart to the latter’s home, where she meets Steve Trevor of Earth-Two, married for 20 years to his Wonder Woman, and Lyta Trevor, their teenage daughter, who also has Amazon powers. After she returns to her own Earth, Wonder Woman helps her Steve Trevor defeat terrorists, after which she proposes marriage to him, and he accepts. Later, Diana Prince fakes her own death so that she will have no identity-conflicts later on, and is touched by Steve’s, Etta’s, and Gen. Darnell’s words at her funeral, which she attends as Wonder Woman. Afterward, the Sandman appears to Wonder Woman, explains his origins, and reveals that he is in love with her before departing. Wonder Woman has several dreams of what her life might have been like if she had had to rule Paradise Island in her mother’s stead, if she had fallen in love with a man who turned out to be a crook, if she had married Superman, or if she had been an arrogant, power-hungry Wonder Woman. None of these dreams turn out happily. Finally, when Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor are exchanging vows on a special platform just off Paradise Island, with the Justice League and several other heroes joining Hippolyte and the Amazons in attendance, she says “I do”, but Steve refuses to marry her. In private, he tells Wonder Woman that he has lately become obsessed with Diana Prince, and her death has left a void even the Amazon cannot fill. Steve and the wedding guests leave, and, hours later, Diana finds herself crying on the beach. The Sandman appears and makes her sleep with some of his sand, taking her into his dream dimension. He proclaims his love to Wonder Woman, but they are interrupted again by the Shadow-Thing. Both of them fight the creature, but, after she encircles it with her magic lasso, she learns that it is a personification of her fears, self-loathing, and death wish. Then it vanishes forever. The Sandman and Wonder Woman end up back on Paradise Island’s beach, where he confesses that he knew the true identity of the Shadow-Thing before he returns to the Dream Dimension. Afterwards, Wonder Woman manages to convince others that Diana Prince is still alive, and reestablishes a romantic relationship with Steve Trevor.

Wow, that’s quite a story! Now let’s go ahead and focus on the fourth “Interlude”, the critical scene where Wonder Woman is about to wed Steve Trevor. Please note this issue is riddled with dream sequences, but this particular scene takes place in the waking world. Yup, this is for realz. Below you’ll find a couple pages from that scene. Click the images to enlarge.

Very cool that the JLA is there for the wedding of the century! And just like the cover, Firestorm is hanging with his good buddy Aquaman! … oh wait … that’s not right. Firestorm isn’t with Aquaman. Why not you ask? BECAUSE AQUAMAN DIDN’T GET INVITED TO THE WEDDING! Apparently the Sea King got invited to Diana’s dream wedding to Superman (from the cover), but when it came to the real wedding with Steve Trevor, she just couldn’t face walking down the aisle with Aquaman there. Maybe she was bothered by Arthur’s unrequited love for her, or maybe it was simply uncomfortable to invite an often-deposed King to her royal wedding. Either way, I feel kind of bad for Arthur. All the other cool characters were there. Even Jemm, Son of Saturn, was at Diana’s wedding (a full 18 months before his first appearance; time travel was so crazy in the Bronze Age DC universe)!

Adding insult to injury, the only JLA member to get a speaking line at Diana’s wedding was Firestorm! In fact, the art and dialogue imply that Firestorm may have walked her down the aisle and given Diana away!

I gotta tell ya… If I was an Aquaman fan, I’d be pretty sore right about now. Be sure to stop by The Aquaman Shrine today, check out their half of this crossover, and let them know just how sad you feel for Aquaman.

Support Firestorm (Wonder Woman’s Pal)! Fan the flame!

P.S.: Okay, that probably wasn’t a time traveling version of Jemm. It’s probably a mis-colored Martian Manhunter. I’m just having fun picking on Rob and Diabolu Frank at the same time.

If you’re unfamiliar with Secret Files and Origins, these were a series of one-shot comic books and mini-series produced by DC Comics between 1997 and 2010. These books were the illegitimate love-children of DC’s Secret Origins (1986-1990) and Who’s Who (1985-1993), but with the added benefit of being about one particular group and/or time period.

Today here at FIRESTORM FAN we’re going to look at JLA Secret Files #3 (December 2000).  This particular issue was released to capitalize on the fantastic “Tower of Babel” storyline that had just concluded in JLA. This 64-page Secret Files contained a nice full-length story that tied into “Tower of Babel”, some short stories, several character studies, and a section entitled “Incarnations of the Justice League”. One of those “Incarnations” was the Satellite Years, as you can see below. Interestingly, several members that appeared in the drawing apparently didn’t merit being mentioned in the text, such as Firestorm (ouch!), the Atom, and Green Arrow. Click the image for a larger version.

“Incarnations of the JLA: The Satellite Years”
Script by Scott Beatty and art by Phil Jimenez

Firestorm also appeared on another page in this particular issue. The page below comes from the lead story, “Blame”.  On this page, Batman identified potential ways to take out various JLA members. Nice, Bruce. Real nice. And you wonder why you don’t get invited to the JLA Christmas party each year. *Sheesh*

“Blame”
Script by D. Curtis Johnson, pencils by Pablo Raimondi,
inks by David Meikis and Claude St. Aubin

Prior to this Secret Files, Firestorm had appeared in another, Guide to the DC Universe 2000 Secret Files & Origins #1 (March 2000). A few years later, Firestorm earned an entire page to himself in JLA/JSA Secret Files & Origins #1 (January 2003).

Secret Files and Origins Crossover Links  ** UPDATED **

As mentioned, several different blogs have combined forces to look at various Secret Files issues. While I’m featuring Firestorm here on my site, you should visit these other character-specific blogs to see how they spotlight their own favorite heroes in Secret Files. Visit them now, visit them later, and visit them often!

• Aquaman @ The Aquaman Shrine
• The Atom @ Power of the Atom
• Doctor Fate @ Tower of Fate
• Firestorm @ Firestorm Fan
• Green Lantern @ The Indigo Tribe
• Hawkman @ Being Carter Hall
• Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Renee Montoya @ Who is the Question?
• Phantom Stranger @ I Am The Phantom Stranger
• Steel @ DC Bloodlines
• Suicide Squad @ Subject: Task Force X
• Supergirl @ Supergirl Comic Box Commentary
• Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince
• Zatanna @ Justice League Detroit

• And be sure to check out a late entry… Flash @ Speed Force

My thanks to Diabolu Frank and Anj for organizing today’s crossover event! If you’ve enjoyed this blog crossover, then you should check out some previous comic blog crossovers we’ve done. The first major blog crossover celebrated the gorgeous George Pérez/Alex Ross painting from the Crisis on Infinite Earths 1998 hardcover. The next major blog crossover was a celebration of the Super Powers Collection’s 25th Anniversary. Some subsequent major crossovers included: DC Challenge, Read This Too, Mayfairstivus, April Fool’s Day 2011, Blackest Night to Brightest Day, and Animated Anthem Day!

Support Firestorm (and these other bloggers)! Fan the flame!