• Be sure to pick up Brightest Day #6 from your local comic shop.  We finally see the new Firestorm in action!

• Not much Firestorm news came out of San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) this year.  I’ve only come across two news items, both toy related.  I’ve outlined them below, click here for the full scoop on Mattel’s panel at SDCC on DC toys.
  • The Batman: Brave and the Bold Action League is being re-branded into the DC Universe Action League.  The line will now have added articulation and feature characters from all over the DCU. A DC Universe Action League pack containing Firestorm and Black Lantern Firestorm has been announced.  No specific release date identified.  I gotta assume this re-branding is being done to compete with Marvel’s highly-successful Super Hero Squad.
  • The Justice League Unlimited Firestorm action figure (featured here previously) will be repackaged in a three-pack with Killer Frost and the Angle Man.  Watch for that in early Spring 2011.  I don’t have a Killer Frost figure, so that will be nice.  An Angle Man figure… really?  Lovely.

• Just before Comic-Con, Geoff Johns had a few things to say about Brightest Day over on Comic Book Resources.  Check out the Firestorm bits below:

CBR: Allen Thornton noted that many people, he included, missed a very significant clue in “Blackest Night” #8 that Deadman was the new White Lantern. It wasn’t until it was mentioned to him that he saw the White Ring on his finger, which he then mentioned to a friend, passing the awareness on. His question is was there any other subtle clues like that in “Blackest Night” and “Brightest Day” that he and others may have missed and once they’re revealed will cause a collective head slap? And if there are clues, are you surprised that people are not seeing them?

GEOFF JOHNS: There are clues for just about everything. There are clues about Firestorm. His story is just beginning and where Jason and Ronnie go, you can go back to “Blackest Night” and see some seeds that will be touched on. The stories were really set up because we knew we were going to be doing a lot with Jason and Mera post-“Blackest Night” and “Brightest Day,” so you should go back, and check out what was planted, especially with Mera and Firestorm, but there are other things too, with the White Lantern, specifically. The history of what the White Lantern is doing on Earth and where it’s going and what’s happening to it now, all comes to light in #7.

• Brightest Day cover artist David Finch addressed characters he finds difficult to draw during an interview with Comic Book Resources.  Here is the quote relevant to Firestorm:

CBR: Are there any heroes that you find particularly tricky or difficult to draw?

DAVID FINCH: Characters that have very structured costumes, as opposed to more anatomical ones are always challenging for me. I always struggle with characters that have energy powers, too. Firestorm is a great character, but I always feel like I’m fighting with my drawings of him.

• The DC Source Blog revealed the Return of the Black Lanterns will appear in October.  No one is really sure what that means yet, but Black Lantern Firestorm is featured in the promotional image.

• It’s been announced that the DC Direct Brightest Day Firestorm action figure will be part of the second wave of Brightest Day figures. Therefore it should ship in April 2011.

• Get your own Firestorm magnet over on SuperHeroStuff.com!  Looks like someone colored the Ed Benes Firestorm sketch and then slapped the original comic book logo on it.  You can get this magnet for $4.99 plus shipping (and the shipping ain’t cheap).

• While Firestorm foes Summer Day and Dr. Jivan Shi may be deceased, the Hyena curse lives on!  Several were-hyenas appeared in Zatanna #2, written by Paul Dini and drawn by Stephane Roux and Karl Story.  My thanks to tigner02 on the DC Comics Message Board for pointing out this appearance. See the pages below.

• Firehawk made a one-panel cameo in Justice League of America #45, written by James Robinson and drawn by Mark Bagley, Rob Hunter, and Norm Rapmund.  Notice below she’s wearing one of her older costumes.

• Our good buddy Frank, a friend to the FIRESTORM FAN site and author of numerous blogs, shared his own personal thoughts about the Nuclear Man over on the DC Bloodlines blog.  Be warned, Frank does not have a very high opinion of Firestorm’s adventures, however, his comments are well-written and well thought out.  I find myself agreeing with some of Frank’s points, while disagreeing with others.  That’s the beauty of civilized fandom, we can have differing opinions and yet all get along.  Frank’s other sites include blogs dedicated to: Martian Manhunter, Justice League Detroit, Wonder Woman, Captain Atom and the Atom, and his own blog …nurgh…

• Back in June, Phillip Martinez wrote a review of Brightest Day #4 asking for more Firestorm content.  You can read his review of Brightest Day #4 on The Examiner by clicking here.

• Firestorm appeared once again on the Batman: Brave and the Bold cartoon back on June 13.  In the episode, “The Siege of Starro! Part One” Firestorm was featured prominently along with a handful of other heroes.  Part Two has not aired yet, so I gotta believe Part One was the season finale or mid-season finale.

• The Aquaman Shrine blog has a model sheet for the Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths animated DVD that was released back in February.  Firestorm is one of the characters featured on the model sheet.  Click here to see the model sheets on the Aquaman Shrine blog.

• xBrandonHexx has put together a YouTube tribute video to Killer Frost.  It’s got some good music and is worth your time if you are interested in the character.  Click here to watch the Killer Frost YouTube tribute video.

• The Back to the Bins podcast recently tackled DC Comics Presents #45, a 1982 Superman/Firestorm team-up published a month before the Fury of Firestorm series premiered.  Back to the Bins is hosted by my good buddies Scott Gardner and Michael Bailey.  To listen to Back to the Bins #59, please visit the Two True Freaks site by clicking here.  Here is the description for the Back to the Bins podcast:
  • Disenfranchised by the modern comics industry, Scott Gardner and Michael Bailey (of “View From The Longbox” and “From Crisis To Crisis: A Superman Podcast” fame) now ply the timestream in a never-ending quest to re-discover and re-connect with that unique brand of fun and excitement that can only truly be found in good ol’ fashioned randomly-selected Comic Book back issues!! Journey with them now…back…Back To The Bins!

• I recently came across a 13-inch custom Firestorm doll on eBay (see below).  When the auction ended, it had not received any bids.  Click here to see the eBay auction.

• Also on eBay I came across a custom Heroscape Firestorm piece made using the Firestorm Heroclix.  Click here to see the eBay auction.

• Finally, I came across this cool fan art recently.  It features Superman, Green Lantern, and the current Firestorm.  It was drawn by Rex Zachary.  You can visit his website by clicking here.

That’s it for today!

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• Brightest Day #4 came out yesterday.  This is the issue with the Black Lantern Firestorm cover.  Be sure to stop by your local comic shop and pick up a copy!

• There was some hubbub amongst Firestorm fans after Brightest Day #3 hit the stands two weeks ago.  In the issue they portray Alvin Rusch (Jason’s father) as having two hands.  The reason for the confusion is that Alvin Rusch lost his hand in an industrial accident before Firestorm vol III even started.  There is lots of speculation, everything from a simple artist mistake to Jason re-growing the hand.  At this time, I don’t believe we have an official explanation.
• Over at Primary Ignition, they’ve identified Firestorm the Nuclear Man Annual #5 from 1987 as a hidden gem.  This is the issue where the “blank slate” Firestorm was created.  Click here to read their commentary on this great issue.

• There is a really great column over at Comic Book Resources on Firestorm vol II artist J. J. Birch (a.k.a. Joe Brozowski).  J.J./Joe drew Firestorm during the “blank slate” era. This column specifically focuses on Firestorm the Nuclear Man vol II issues #70 & 71.   Click here to check out the article.

• The folks at the DC Multiverse blog pointed out something I never realized.  Firehawk (a.k.a. Lorraine Reilly) shares a last name with the second Firebrand (a.k.a. Danette Reilly).  This is interesting because they both have fire powers.  Could Lorraine Reilly be related to Danette Reilly?  Something to consider.  Click here to visit the DC Multiverse blog.
• If you’ve got $600 to spare, you can pick up a slightly charred Firestorm action figure on eBay.   Yes, you read that right, $600.  Clearly this is some kind of joke, but it’s an odd one.  Click here to see the eBay entry.

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• The biggest Firestorm news is that Brightest Day #0 ships today!  Be sure to stop by your local comic book store and pick up yours.  Hopefully Firestorm will play a role in the issue.

• If you are looking for some lively discussion on our favorite nuclear man, head over to the DC Comics Message Board Firestorm forum.  There is always some good Firestorm talk going on over there.

• Behind the Voice Actors – Check out this fun side-by-side comparison of the voice-over actors who have played Firestorm with sound clips and images.  Listen to each clip, then vote for your favorite in poll on the right-hand side.  For me, Mark Taylor will always be the voice of Firestorm.  Super Friends was my first exposure to the character, so that portrayal holds a special place in my heart.  When you’re done with that, check out the Behind the Voice Actors for Killer Frost!

• Click here for an interesting list of folks with flaming hair on the TV Tropes website.  Includes characters from comics, literature, movies, video games, and more.

• Below is another custom Mugg of the Black Lantern Firestorm.  Really great job on this custom!  You can view the whole set of Blackest Night Muggs over at Fried Gold Productions.

• If you are looking for more classic Firestorm action and back issues aren’t satisfying your craving, you could always try some fan fiction.  The Faux DC site features a series of prose adventures starring Firestorm V (Ronnie Raymond while he was solo prior to his death in Identity Crisis).  There are 12 issues of the fan fiction Firestorm available.  Also, the Justice League of America series features Firehawk.  Click here to check out the Firestorm issues and click here to check out the Justice League of America stories.

• Over at Comics Alliance there is a hilarious parody entited Blackest Night in 60 seconds.  Below is the panel relevant to Firestorm.  My thanks to the Girls-Gone-Geek for sending this my way.

• Below is a fantastic sketch of the Elemental Firestorm done by Yildiray Cinar (artist of the Ravager co-feature in Teen Titans and the upcoming Legion of Super-heroes series).  I really like his take on the Elemental Firestorm!  It’s just gorgeous!  Click here or the image to visit Cinar’s website.  If you’d like to see the previous sketch, click here.

• Below is a cute sketch of Huckleberry Hound as Firestorm by ~zombiegoon on Deviant Art.

• Below is another cute sketch of Firestorm, this time by *jbrant047 on Deviant Art.

• These next few are fan reimaginings from the Superbuddies.net forum. This first one is by cattjay12345 and represents their vision of Firestorm from the Ultimate universe.

• The next one is by Jor-El and is essentially a fancy version of Firestorm’s contemporary costume.

• Here’s how Ronnie Raymond might look on the Smallville TV show, again by Jor-El.

• And now, just for fun, the Jedi version of Firestorm, also by Jor-El!

Watch this space for more information on Firestorm in Brightest Day!

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Below you can see the magazine poly-bagged with the figurine.  The white circular sticker is a warning that if you get the lead figurine anywhere near your house your entire family will die an agonizing death.  Well… something like that.  Its lead folks, don’t put it in your mouth.

Below is a close-up of the lead figurine.  Dude, this thing is a work of beauty!  He’s about 3.75 inches tall, just a bit shorter than the recent Infinite Heroes action figure.  This is probably the most faithful representation of the Ronnie Raymond/Martin Stein Firestorm costume ever produced for a figure.  The 1985 Super Powers figure and the 2004 DC Direct figure are probably the closest behind this lead figurine.  They got everything correct – chest emblem, gloves, boots, puffy sleeves, design on the briefs, even the headgear.  It looks great!  It’s just a shame it’s made from lead, rather than plastic or pewter.

The magazine itself provides a detailed history of Firestorm in all his incarnations.  Included are recaps of some classic Firestorm story lines, specifically Legends and Firestorm the Nuclear Man: Reborn (trade paperback collecting the post-One Year Later adventures). There is also a feature on the people who have united to become the Nuclear Man.  Finally, installment #37 of the DC Timeline covering 99 BC to 1 BC (not specific to Firestorm, but obviously a feature every issue of the magazine).

The magazine does a wonderful job breaking up the text with gorgeous images from Firestorm’s history.  I’ve provided a few snapshots below to give you a flavor of how the magazine looks.  Stephen Wiacek, writer of the articles, clearly knows his Firestorm history.  The only thing I found unusual was the disproportionate amount of time spent on the “Blank Slate” incarnation of Firestorm.  While I like the “Blank Slate” version, it was odd to see more space dedicated to him as compared to the Elemental version or Jason Rusch.

Overall this was a great purchase!  The figurine is fantastic and the magazine is an enjoyable read for Firestorm novices and experts.  If your local comic shop doesn’t have it in stock, ask if they can order it.  It’s worth your time and money.

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In the meantime, it’s time for more original Firestorm pages from our friend Jon at the Fizzit Firestorm-themed blog.  He happens to own several of the original Firestorm pages and has been kind enough to allow me to publish scans of them here. I’ve been horribly negligent in publishing his more recent acquisitions, so I’m playing catch up today.  Jon’s been a great contributor to FIRESTORM FAN and my thanks go out to him. You may view scans of his entire art collection online by clicking here.

Below is an amazing shot from the series 52.  This is page three from issue #24 featuring Firestorm’s attempt to create a new Justice League.  It was drawn by Phil Jimenez with inks by Andy Lanning.  Such a wonderful shot of a truly quirky team.  I love every character in this group!

Below are two preliminary sketches by Matt Haley as he tried to figure out the design for the cover to Firestorm vol III #11.

Below are two pages from Firestorm vol II #19.  These were drawn by the legendary Gene Colan. The second page was even signed by the artist!

The following page is a nice piece from Firestorm vol II issue #30 by penciller Rafael Kayanan and inker Romeo Tanghal.

These next two pages come from Firestorm vol III issue #5 and were penciled by ChrisCross and inked by Keith Champagne.  In these pages, Firestorm meets Superman and the Flash for the first time.

This next one is from Firestorm vol III issue 11 and features a great shot of Killer Frost.  This was drawn by penciller Dale Eaglesham and inker Wade von Grawbadger.

The next page is from Firestorm vol III issue 12 and features the return of the Ronnie Raymond Firestorm!  In this shot he’s chasing down his long-time foe Multiplex.  This nuclearrific page was penciled by Jamal Igle and inked by Rob Stull.

The page below is from Firestorm vol III issue 22 and features the fusing of Jason Rusch and Professor Martin Stein.  This page was penciled by Eddy Barrows and inked by Rob Stull.

Finally a nice quiet diner scene from Firestorm vol III issue 32.  This one was penciled by Jamal Igle and inked by Keith Champagne.  Be sure to watch for the characters in the background!

My thanks again to Jon at the Fizzit Firestorm-themed blog for providing me with theses scans to publish!

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Also, be sure to support Jamal’s current work on Supergirl.  Supergirl #43 ships this week – check it out!

Here is a fantastic Ronnie & Jason Commission from 2008

Before Jamal was even attached to the series, Jay Faerber (writer of Dynamo 5 and Noble Causes) and Jamal put together a Firestorm pitch. Below are two of his initial redesigns for the character.

Below is an interim costume that was created after issue #13. The reason for the interim costume was because they knew they would be changing it after ONE YEAR LATER.

Below is the first sketch Jamal did for the costume Jason Rusch now wears.

Below is a nice character study of Firehawk.

Below are two sketchs of the D.O.L.L.I. cyborg soldiers Jason fought

My thanks again to Jamal Igle for letting me republish his artwork here.  The original posts on Jamal’s blog can be found at the links below.

• Firestorm Commission
• Various Firestorm designs
• Firehawk and D.O.L.L.I.

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For the last 5 years or so, I have developed a passion for getting tattoo work, and it’s virtually all exclusive to comic book art.  I’m well into my 30s now, and even some middling work I got in my early 20s has been since covered up by my more recent graphic art interests.

As a ten-year resident of Chicago, my preferred tattoo artist is Patrick Cornolo of Speakeasy Custom Tattoos.  Anyway, over the span of our working relationship, I’ve in most instances had a character in mind and I would give it to Patrick to get his artistic interpretation.  During this time, I developed a theme for characters that have been tattooed on my right leg below the knee.  I call it “Fire Leg.”  It started with one character, and after I coincidentally ended up with the first two characters done on the leg being fire-based in terms of their abilities (Green Fury, Starfire), I decided to keep the theme going.

In 2005, I added a headshot of the first Firestorm, Ronnie Raymond.  The image was pulled directly from Justice League of America (vol. 1) #200.  My all-time favorite comic artist is George Perez, so this was a natural combination for me of character and artist, if Patrick Cornolo was just going to do a straight reproduction.  A year later, I had Patrick redesign an image of Firestorm’s longtime partner Firehawk based off a Perez sketch I ran across years prior.  Another year later, in 2007, I ran across a perfect headshot of the latest Firestorm, Jason Rusch, in the weekly DC series 52.  They ran a regular 2-page backup origin story on an assortment of heroes and villains, and this image was originally done by Jamal Igle, one of my favorite artists in comics today.

Eventually, once I ran out of room for new characters (after having included Wildfire of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Human Torch, and Firestar), I had Patrick fill in the empty spaces with flames to make it all one cohesive piece.

Wow!  That is truly awesome!  My sincerest thanks to O.J. for allowing me to showcase his tattoos here at FIRESTORM FAN.  Those tattoos are gorgeous and inspired.  In addition to the Firestorm tattoos, I especially like the Firestar and Wildfire tattoos.  Really cool interpretations!  Be sure to keep up with “The Rev. O.J. Flow” at his own Blog, Newsarama’s Blog, and Newsarama’s Best Shots book reviews.

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Thom does commissions of gorgeous and powerful women.  His art style is expressive, clean, cartoonishly retro, sexy, and downright fun!  Once I’d seen the sketches he’d done (check them out by clicking here), I knew that I had to have him draw Firehawk.  Luckily Thom is a Firestorm fan himself and was excited about doing the piece.  Just look at this beautiful rendering!  Well done, Thom!

Now here is where the magic happens.  If you think the sketch above is impressive, wait until you see what it looks like after Thom colored it!

Absolutely breathtaking.  The sketch itself was great, but Thom’s computerized coloring takes it to a new level.

My thanks to everyone for staying with us through FIREHAWK WEEK.  I hope you enjoyed it!  And my thanks to Thom Zahler for the amazing sketch! Be sure to check out Thom’s website for more information on Love and Capes and his superheroine/super-villainess commissions.

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Here is a Firehawk HeroClix game piece from WizKids.  HeroClix is a collectible miniatures game in which players construct teams of heroes and villains to play out a battle turn-by-turn on a grid map.  Firehawk is #004 from the “Justice League” set produced in 2007, and is considered to be a “common” piece (meaning easy for collectors to obtain).  Her rank is “experienced” and the point value for the figure is 63.  If all that is meaningless to you, don’t worry.  The cool thing is they made a Firehawk game piece and used her current costume (the one she wore when fused with Jason).  She looks friggin’ cool!

Here is the front and back of the card that came with the Firehawk Heroclix game piece.  It provides a brief background on the character, as well as details on the powers her figure has in the game.  It’s interesting to see how they classified her powers in order to fit their game structure.

Next up is the Firehawk card from the “VS System” collectible card game produced by Upper Deck. In the system, players build and play a deck of VS System cards in an attempt to win a game against their opponent.  This card is named “Firehawk, Flaming Justice” and is #DCL-012 from the “DC Comic Legends” set produced in 2007. Her attack rating is 5, while her defensive rating is 4. She has a casting cost of 3, and when activated the target player loses 1 endurance for each character he controls.  Again, if all that is meaningless, don’t sweat it.  Just be happy we got a cool game card featuring Firehawk!  I don’t know who the artist was, but they sure did a nice job!

This final Firehawk piece comes from the 1991/1992 DC Comics trading card set produced by Impel Marketing.  Firehawk is #49 in the series and the art was done by Firestorm (volume II) artist, Tom Mandrake.  Man, I love his artwork!  He always does such a great job.  It’s impressive that Firehawk got her own card in this series, especially since the monthly Firestorm book had been canceled a year earlier.

That wraps up our coverage today.  Come back on Friday when we close out FIREHAWK WEEK!

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We start today with Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #8 (October 1985). It’s not clear who wrote this particular entry, but my money is on Robert Greenberger since he is responsible for the rest of the Firehawk write-ups we’ll be looking at today.  The art in the entry below is by Rafael Kayanan and Dick Giordano. This particular issue of Who’s Who was published around the same time as The Fury of Firestorm the Nuclear Man (volume II) #40 and Crisis on Infinite Earths #7, so information presented was current to that point. Interestingly enough, Firehawk didn’t start wearing this costume until Crisis on Infinite Earths #8. So it seems this Who’s Who entry was actually the first published appearance of this costume.  As I mentioned recently, this is my favorite costume for Firehawk.

If you are interested in reading the text, click the image for a larger version.

Next we have Firehawk’s entry from Who’s Who in the DC Universe #9 (May 1991). This was the fourth Who’s Who mini-series and was published in a loose leaf format (you can see the hole punches in the images).  Below you’ll see the front-side picture of Firehawk and the following image is the write-up from the back-side. The text was written by Robert Greenberger with art by Barry Kitson.  This particular issue of Who’s Who was published about nine months after Firestorm (volume II) ended, so information presented was current to that point. If you are interested in reading the text, click that image for a larger version.

This next one comes from the Mayfair Games Who’s Who Volume 3 role-playing companion. Mayfair’s supplements featured role-playing statistics for each character, tips to role-playing the character (such as personality and subplots), and a complete list of comic book appearances for the character.

Below you will find the front-side and back-side of the Mayfair Who’s Who Firehawk entry. If you are interested in reading the text, click the image for a larger version.

This final entry was published just a few months ago in DK’s DC Comics Encyclopedia, Updated and Expanded Edition (September 2008).  Robert Greenberger again did the writing chores, with art being reused from the Who’s Who entry above (even though this doesn’t represent Firehawk’s current costume).  Firehawk did appear in the 2004 first edition DK’s DC Comics Encyclopedia, but the text was virtually the same as the text below.  The only exception being that the 2004 edition mentions a brief romantic relationship between Firehawk  and Booster Gold.  Quite frankly, I think everyone is happy forgetting that anyway.

There you have Firehawk’s Who’s Who appearances.  Come back Wednesday and Friday for more Firehawk!

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