We are beyond excited to have Robbie back on The Flash. You can’t keep a good Firestorm down. Only this time, he’s back with a twist, a deadly Earth-Two version of our beloved Ronnie in the form of Deathstorm.

I’m not sure how much similarity we’ll see between the TV version of Deathstorm and the two comic versions we’ve met previously. Personally, I’m hoping if there are any similarities he’s more like the second comic incarnation of Deathstorm (from the Crime Syndicate). I’ve previously outlined my concerns about the first Deathstorm incarnation.

Also, according to the EW article, on Earth-Two Ronnie and Caitlin are still a couple! If you’ve been watching previews for The Flash, then you know the Earth-Two version of Ronnie’s former wife, Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker), is actually Killer Frost! Below is a pic of Robbie Amell in his Deathstorm costume taken on the set of The Flash.

If you’ve missed recent previews, check out Danielle Panabaker as Killer Frost below!

Check out the trailer below, or click here!

If you can’t wait for the new season to start, keep up with all The Flash news via our friends over at The Flash Podcast!

My thanks to many, many Match-heads for the heads-up on Robbie Amell’s and Danielle Panabaker’s alter-egos!

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Here is the description of the Trinity War set from WizKids:

Choose your Justice League and battle for the world’s salvation with DC HeroClix: Justice League – Trinity of Sin! Subthemes for DC HeroClix: Justice League – Trinity War include the Justice League of America, the Justice League Dark, the Crime Syndicate and more! Trinity War also freatures the first Seven Deadly Sins 3D Special Objects randomly inserted into boosters; these special objects interact with the Rock of Eternity and Pandora’s Box incentive resource dials. There are 73 figures to collect, including 17 Common figures, 16 Uncommon figures, 16 Rare figures, 12 Super Rare figures, 7 thematic Chase figures, and 1 Ultra-Chase figure. Build your Trinity War collection with Gravity Feed Foil Packs, the Dice & Token Pack (with 2 custom dice and 6 action tokens), the Booster Brick, or the Crime Syndicate Fast Forces Pack.

First up, Firestorm the Nuclear Man! Click to enlarge…

Next up, Deathstorm from the Crime Syndicate!  Click to enlarge…

Those are some gorgeous sculpts and paint jobs above. Given my experience with HeroClix, somehow I don’t think they’ll look exactly that snazzy in real life.

For an incredibly detailed description of the characters abilities (we’re talking click-by-click), check out the WizKids preview! And be sure to pick up some DC HeroClix: Justice League Trinity War booster packs next month!

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Since the theme is Forever Evil, this time they’ve included Firestorm!!! Here are the Firestorm-themed cards in game…

Firestorm (Her0)

Firestorm Matrix (Equipment)

Deathstorm (Villain)

Power Drain (Super Power)

Can’t wait to sit down and play this game!!

My thanks to my buddy Mike Truelove for sending these pictures my way!

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This particular HeroClix has been available since August, but I just got around to picking him up. You can find him as part of the HeroClix War of Light wave 2 collection.

If you’ve ever bought HeroClix, you know they come with a card explaining the powers. For Black Lantern Firestorm, they explained his abilities using some of his ridiculous lines from Blackest Night. A very fun and creative way to do this! Check it out!

My thanks to Nate Winchester for reminding me to pick this up! Nate got his Black Lantern Firestorm HeroClix the legit way — he bought a random booster and got lucky. I took the lazy route and ordered it on eBay. Lazy Shag. Whatever method you chose, pick up yours today!

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Here is the solicitation if you haven’t seen it:

DC Comics Super Villains Deathstorm Action Figure
This DC Comics Super Villain action figure features Deathstorm, part of the villanous Crime Syndicate. The molecular-manipulating madman Deathstroke action figure is based on designs from Forever Evil. It features flaming hair, glowing eyes and multiple points of articulation. Measures approximately 7 1/2 inches tall.   $24.95

In stores today! Grab it before they are all gone!

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In case you missed it at your local comic shop, Professor Martin Stein is a complete badass! Firestorm doesn’t have his own monthly series, and he’s been incapacitated in Forever Evil, but he’s still an important character in the three series below. Don’t miss your favorite Nuclear Man and his supporting cast! Pick up these comics! 

Check out the panel below from last week’s Forever Evil: A.R.G.U.S. #3! This is just one panel from eight pages of Firestorm-related action. Be sure to pick up your copy by Sterling Gates, Neil Edwards, Jason Paz, and Jay Leisten! Well worth your time and money! Click the image to enlarge.

Next is another Professor Stein-centric appearance from Justice League #26, released two weeks ago. This is one panel from Deathstorm’s full-page origin. Pick up your copy by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Eber Ferreira, Rob Hunter, and Andy Lanning. Click to enlarge.

Finally, Justice League of America #10 from last month teased us with this Firestorm-centric page at the very end. Pick up your copy by Matt Kindt, Tom Derenick, Eddy Barrows, Tom Nguyen, Allen Martinez, and Hi-Fi. They’ve been building a story tied-in with Firestorm’s role in Forever Evil. Hopefully next week’s issue we’ll see more of our favorite Nuclear Man! Click to enlarge!

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The artist is a teenager from Mexico named Jules Suarez. A teenager!! How cool is that?!?! First of all, I don’t know a lot of teenage fans of Firestorm. Second, if his art is this good during his teenage years, just think how good he’ll be as an adult! Great job, Jules!! Keep up the fantastic work! Be sure to follow Jules on deviantART and Tumblr!

Just about every Firestorm is represented in this drawing!! Here is a complete list of all incarnations in Jules’ art:

• Original Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond / Martin Stein)
• Elemental Firestorm (Martin Stein)
• Jason Rusch (1st Firestorm form)
• Jason Rusch (One Year Later design)
• Deathstorm (Black Lantern Firestorm)
• Brightest Day Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond / Jason Rusch)
• Jason Rusch (New 52 Firestorm Protocols)
• Ronnie Raymond (New 52 Firestorm Protocols)
• Fury (New 52 Firestorm Protocols)
• Current Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond / Jason Rusch)
• Crime Syndicate Deathstorm (Martin Stein)

The only Firestorm missing is the “Blank Slate” Firestorm. However, to be fair the only recognizable difference between the “Blank Slate” and the original Firestorm are the red cowl sideburns. So really, the art works just fine without it.

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Dave Beaty, Scott’s long-time inker and creative collaborator, created this a memorial video to celebrate what would have been Scott’s 44th birthday. Many of Scott’s fans, friends & family contributed to this video. Please take a few minutes and celebrate his life and many contributions to the comic book art form. See all the titles Scott worked on by clicking here. For a celebration of Scott’s contributions to Brightest Day, click here.

If you can’t view the embedded video above, please click here.

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Seriously, if you are following the Forever Evil story line and haven’t read issue #3 yet, I strongly encourage you to avoid reading what follows.

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I’ve been following Forever Evil somewhat, but haven’t been completely enthralled by the story. In fact, I haven’t been to my local comic shop in a couple weeks and completely missed just how relevant Forever Evil #3 was to the character of Firestorm!  My thanks to Keith G. Baker and Joe Slab for drawing my attention to this comic!

ETHAN VAN SCIVER VARIANT COVER

Check out below the Forever Evil #3 variant cover by Ethan Van Sciver featuring our favorite Nuclear Man!! Firestorm looks amazing, and the faces in his mouth look great too! Though, took me a moment to realize that was Superman and not Cosmic Boy. Also, I spy Aquaman… a little FIRE AND WATER action going on here! Click the image to enlarge.

RETURN OF THE BIG BANG SPARK

We didn’t have to wait long for a big Firestorm moment, it happened right there on page 1! Deathstorm blows a hole in Firestorm and states Firestorm’s power source is “the spark of creation”.  This hearkens back to Geoff Johns’ Brightest Day where he introduced the concept that Firestorm is powered by THE spark that triggered The Big Bang, the creation of the universe. Click the image to enlarge.

THE PRISON REVEALED

Then on page 2 was the BIG SHOCKER! After the conclusion of Trinity War and prior to Forever Evil #1, many heroes were captured and locked away in a secret prison. We saw glimpses of this prison over in Justice League of America #8. Turns out the prison… is Firestorm!! Whoa!! Let that sink in for a moment and check out the splash page below. Click to enlarge.

SHAG’S COMMENTARY

Wow! Firestorm only got a 1 1/2 pages, but it sure felt like a lot more! We don’t know much at this point, but here are some things that have struck me so far.

• Making Firestorm the prison is a seriously cool idea for his powers!! Also, that splash page by David Finch is simply breathtaking! Look at his eye-beams and face!! Later I hope they further explore the impact of Ronnie & Jason merging with so many people.
• I wonder how long Geoff Johns has been planning to use Firestorm in this way. For example, was this an idea that struck him while plotting Forever Evil, or does it stretch back further? The cynic in me wonders if the whole reason for adding Firestorm to the Justice League was prompted by the opportunity to use him in this way. I hope not. I hope Firestorm gets a chance to properly explore his League membership.
• “The spark of creation” rears it’s head again. I’m just gonna put it out there, I’m not a fan of this Firestorm origin. Geoff Johns introduced the concept in Brightest Day #10 that the Firestorm Matrix is the spark that preceded The Big Bang. Yes, THE spark that triggered The Big Bang, the creation of the universe. As a science fiction concept, that’s pretty interesting. As an Earthbound superhero in ongoing serialized fiction, I’m not sure how that is supposed to work. How do you go from being the caretaker of The Big Bang Spark, to slugging it out with Hyena all in the same day? If Firestorm was some cosmic-level hero like Silver Surfer, I suppose I could get on-board a little easier. As it stands, Ronnie Raymond can’t even get to class on time, let alone protect the universe from the next Big Bang. On a related note, you can’t help but wonder if the other Firestorm Protocol characters had a piece of the Big Bang Spark inside them as well.
• Two observations with a dash of speculation… When Geoff Johns last wrote Firestorm, he introduced the Big Bang Spark into Firestorm’s origin. Since the start of The New 52, there has been no mention of the Big Bang Spark in relation to Firestorm. Then Geoff Johns starts writing the character of Firestorm in Justice League and Forever Evil, and suddenly the Big Bang Spark is reintroduced. Along the same lines, when Geoff Johns last wrote Captain Cold, he carried a cold gun to freeze things. Since the start of The New 52, Captain Cold had internalized his cold gun and now projected cold from his own body. In Forever Evil #3, Deathstorm rewrote Captain Cold’s DNA thus removing his cold powers. Captain Cold is once again an ordinary human that will need to rely on weapons and gimmicks to freeze things. So… did the story demand Firestorm and Captain Cold be returned to their previous status? Or did Geoff Johns simply revert the characters to versions he was more familiar with, disregarding any changes subsequent writers had introduced? I’ll admit it’s pessimistic, but it makes you wonder.

Again, I’m totally blown away by the concept of Firestorm as a prison! Very creative and an exciting opportunity for the Nuclear Man! I can’t wait to see where this goes next!

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]]> http://firestormfan.com/2013/11/12/forever-evil-3/feed/ 6 http://firestormfan.com/2013/10/30/rogues-rebellion/ http://firestormfan.com/2013/10/30/rogues-rebellion/#comments Wed, 30 Oct 2013 09:30:16 +0000 http://firestormfan.com/?p=8649 Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion #1 came out two weeks ago. If you skipped it, might want to consider picking it up from your local comic shop! Nine pages of Nuclear Nemeses (that’s plural for Nemesis… geez, what am I, your dictionary?)! Click the image to enlarge.

Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion #1 by Brian Buccellato, Patrick Zircher, and Scott Hepburn! In stores now!

Several Match-heads gave me a heads-up on this book. My thanks to Roy Cleary, Keith G Baker, Jon from Fizzit, and John Babos! If I’ve forgotten anyone, please accept my apology!

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