Firestorm Fan » Firestorm #03: Elemental I (Ron/Mikhail/clone)

Fred Hembeck Sketch of Elemental Firestorm

Shag — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 10:30:38 +0000

Match-head Nico Lizarraga has sent us another fantastic Fred Hembeck Firestorm sketch! This time it’s the Elemental Firestorm!

I never grow tired of Hembeck! I adored his work in Marvel Age and the DC Comics strips on the “Daily Planet” pages! Joy!

Click here for some other fun Fred Hembeck Firestorm art! Also, Mr. Hembeck is available for commission work (he even does sketch cards starting at $10 a piece)! Click here for details!

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John Ostrander & Tom Mandrake Need Your Help!

Shag — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 09:30:05 +0000

John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake, the creative forces behind Firestorm’s Elemental era, need your help! And time is running out!

Ostrander & Mandrake are running a Kickstarter campaign for their new graphic novel, Kros: Hallowed Ground. It’s a passion project they’ve wanted to publish for a long time. As of this posting, there are only 7 days left in the Kickstarter campaign. Please support these Firestorm creators! I did!

Here is the description of the graphic novel from John Ostrander & Tom Mandrake’s Kickstarter:

Kros: Hallowed Ground began over 10 years ago as a tale of horror set during the Battle of Gettysburg. A dream project for us both, it waited silently, like a vampire in the shadows… The story was written, some pages were drawn–atmospheric, dark murky landscapes, the dimly lit surgeon’s tent, a figure swirling from the smoke of battle…

It’s time to hear the wolf’s howl; to watch the undead descend like buzzards to the feast. It’s time to unleash the vampires…

All wars are horror stories.

Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863. The blood soaked battlefields of the Civil War draw Vampires who descend to feed on the wounded and dying as Blood calls to Blood. One man, a Vampire Hunter named Kros, stands against them, waging a battle at night as fearful and horrific as the battles fought during the day.

KROS: HALLOWED GROUND is a 128 page horror graphic novel by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake. Kros is a dream project and Kros’ story is one we have been wanting to tell for a long time.

Below you’ll find a sample page from this gorgeous-looking graphic novel! Can’t wait to read it!

If you can’t give financially, please help spread the word through social media. Every little bit helps!

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Amazing Heroes Previews of Firestorm from the 1980s

Shag — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 09:30:59 +0000

I love old comic advertisements. With my background in marketing and having worked as a comics retailer, I find this stuff fascinating! Today we’re featuring a number of Firestorm promotional blurbs from Amazing Heroes. If you’re not familiar with Amazing Heroes, it was a magazine about comic books published by Fantagraphics Books from 1981 to 1992. It regularly featured industry news, comics creator interviews, histories of comic book characters, and reviews. It was the precursor to publications like Wizard Magazine, but without the price guide and overly-hyped content.

These promotions cover issues starting around Fury of Firestorm #22, and run all the way up to #100. One of the things I love is finding plots or concepts in the promotions that never appeared in the comic. These were story ideas the author was considering while planning future months, but ultimately chose not to pursue. I find those “road not taken” ideas fascinating.

These scans were compiled by Match-head and Nuclear Sub, Joe X! My apologies to Joe for taking so long to post these pages. He sent them to me way back in July 2014! Sorry, Joe! I chose not to crop the surrounding page(s) as they make for fascinating reading. You’ll notice the Firestorm entries have been highlighted in yellow to make it easier to find. Click each image to enlarge and read!

Amazing Heroes #39 – January 15, 1984

Note the mention of the never-published Firestorm Graphic Novel. Man, I would have loved to have seen that book!

Amazing Heroes #62 – January 1, 1985

Note the mention that Cliff Carmichael will be Ronnie’s roommate in college. I don’t recall that happening, but to be honest it’s been a while since I read issues in the 40s & 50s. I may be mis-remembering.

Amazing Heroes Preview Special #1 – Summer 1985

Note the mention of Firehawk joining the Justice League! Wow! This was during the Justice League Detroit era, so Firestorm was no longer on the team. That would have been fantastic to see Firehawk battling crime without Firestorm. A real chance to spread her wings (pun intended) and show the readers she’s a strong independent character. Also, another mention of the never-published Firestorm Graphic Novel.

Amazing Heroes Preview Special #2 – Winter 1986

Note the interesting ideas about Firestorm working for the Police and concerns of brutality. That would have been an interesting plot thread to see develop. Another mention of the never-published Firestorm Graphic Novel and Conway’s hope to place Firehawk in the Justice League!

Amazing Heroes Preview Special #3 – Summer 1986

This one is a little sad. This promotional copy would have been written about the time Gerry Conway was let go from the Firestorm book. Notice editor Denny O’Neil is being interviewed instead of Gerry. Many of these ideas were either never realized, or written by subsequent writers. There is mention of a new villain named “Lava” that never appeared. Also, Denny definitively put an end to the hopes of a Firestorm Graphic Novel.

Amazing Heroes Preview Special #4 – Winter 1987

Shades of the Blank Slate Firestorm being hinted at here.

Amazing Heroes Preview Special – Summer 1987

Pretty much everything here happens exactly as they described (except the spelling of Zuggernaut). I’m surprised they gave away so much of the plot in this preview magazine. I’m glad I didn’t read this before the issues; all the surprises would have been spoiled!

Amazing Heroes #133 – January 15, 1988

Again with the major spoilers! Geez! Save your 75 cents kids. Read this and you don’t even need to pick up the issues to know what is happening!

Amazing Heroes #145 – July 15, 1988

More issue by issue spoilers this time. Plus, a nice mention of Firestorm’s rising sales, and suggestion of a Soyuz mini-series that never materialized.

Amazing Heroes #157/Preview Special #8 – January 15, 1989

Building towards the Elemental Firestorm storyline! Interesting that they compare Rasputin to John Constantine. Plus an abandoned plot of Doreen in trouble. Man, it would have been great if the Parasite had eaten Doreen!

Amazing Heroes #170/Preview Special #9 – August 1989

Whoa, satire? We’ve come a long way.

Amazing Heroes Preview Special #10 – March, 1990

A slight hint about the series ending with issue #100 in the phrase, “… final, fateful changes…” Other than that, no real way to tell the adventures of our favorite Nuclear Man (or Elemental Man by this point) would be coming to an end.

What a fun trip down memory lane! Plus some new realizations about abandoned plot threads. My thanks to Joe X for sending these my way!

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Oracle in Firestorm #98 & Barbara Gordon Podcast

Shag — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 09:30:21 +0000

Some people may not realize/remember, but when Oracle first appeared in Suicide Squad #23 (cover dated January 1989) her true identity was not shown to the readers. It wasn’t until Suicide Squad #38 (February 1990) that she was revealed to be Barbara Gordon. Somewhat surprising is that Barbara Gordon’s very next appearance as Oracle was in Firestorm #98 (cover dated June 1990). Kind of a cool honor for our favorite Nuclear Man … err… Fire Elemental.

I recently sat down to discuss this issue with Stella, host of BATGIRL TO ORACLE: THE BARBARA GORDON PODCAST. We also chatted about the Batgirl #41 variant cover controversy, Chuck Dixon writing female characters, Harley Quinn and the Joker’s abusive relationship, The Flash TV series, the cultural acceptance of comics, my love of Barbara Gordon, and much more! Stella is an outstanding podcaster and a very gracious host. Be sure to check out her podcast, BATGIRL TO ORACLE: THE BARBARA GORDON PODCAST! My thanks to Stella for having me on the show!

Below you’ll find the Oracle-centric pages from Firestorm #98 written by John Ostrander (also author of Suicide Squad), with art by Tom Mandrake and Carlos Garzon!

Below is the cover to Firestorm #98; one of my favorites from this era!

Thanks again to Stella for having me on the show! I had a blast! You can follow BATGIRL TO ORACLE: THE BARBARA GORDON PODCAST at The Batman Universe Podcast Network, Facebook, and Twitter!

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Firestorm Comic Reading Recommendations

Shag — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 09:30:25 +0000

Lots of folks have recently asked me for Firestorm reading recommendations. The Flash TV show has generated a lot of interest for the character. Here are my recommendations for folks looking for entertaining Firestorm reads. These are simply my opinions and are open to debate. If you feel I’ve left off a good story, be sure to add it to the comments!

ESSENTIAL FIRESTORM READING:

Ronnie Raymond & Professor Martin Stein

Firestorm The Nuclear Man 1-5 (1978): Firestorm’s earliest adventures. Collected
DC Comics Presents 17 (1980): Firestorm returns to action with Superman & receives an invitation. Collected
The Flash 289-299, 301-303 (1980-1981): Firestorm 8 page back-up stories. Partially Collected
Fury of Firestorm 1-9 (1982-1983): Firestorm’s most successful run. Fun stories!
Fury of Firestorm 14-18; Fury of Firestorm Annual 1 (1983): Excellent story introducing Firehawk and Tokamak. My personal favorite!

Jason Rusch

Firestorm 1-3 (2004): The origin of Jason as Firestorm Available Digitally
Firestorm 8-13 (2005): Jason teams-up with Firehawk and … deceased Ronnie Raymond? Partially Collected
Firestorm The Nuclear Man 28-32 (2006-2007): Jason and Professor Stein together in a fantastic adventure
Blackest Night 1-8 (2009-2010): Firestorm changed forever. Collected

New 52: Ronnie Raymond & Jason Rusch

The Fury of Firestorm The Nuclear Man 13-20 (2012-2013): The New 52 Firestorm returned to a more iconic version. Collected

In my opinion, the comics above are the most essential Firestorm stories. Up next are other Firestorm appearances definitely worth your time!

OTHER WORTHWHILE FIRESTORM APPEARANCES:

Firestorm-centric Justice League of America appearances:

JLA 179-180 (1980): Firestorm joins the JLA
JLA 183-185 (1980) : JLA travels to Apokolips. Collected
JLA 192 & 193 (1981): Red Tornado goes wild. Collected
JLA 205 (1982): Professor Stein vs Hector Hammond
JLA 207-209, and All-Star Squadron 14 & 15 (1982): Crisis on Earth-Prime. Collected
JLA 228-230, JLA Annual #2 (1984): Mars/Earth War and aftermath

Stories that dramatically changed Firestorm’s composition and personality:

Fury of Firestorm 62-64, Fury of Firestorm Annual 5, Firestorm 65 (1987): Birth of the “Blank Slate” Firestorm
Firestorm 85-100 (1989-1990): The Elemental era of Firestorm

Major DC Events Involving Firestorm:

Crisis on Infinite Earths 1-12 (1985-1986): Collected
Legends 1-6 (1986-1987): Available Digitally
Brightest Day 0-24 (2010-2011): Collected Vol 1, Vol 2, Vol 3
Forever Evil 1-7 (2013-2014): Collected

There you go. While Firestorm has appeared in hundreds of other comics, these are the ones I’d recommend to a new reader of the character. If you disagree with my selections, or think of other important appearances, sound off in the comments!

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Favorite Covers: Rainy Days

Shag — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 10:30:29 +0000

With all the rain we’ve been having lately in my part of the world, I was reminded of two favorite Firestorm covers. In both cases the rain makes a really nice contrast for this character.

First up is Firestorm #98 (June 1990) with cover art by Tom Mandrake. This was during the Firestorm Elemental era; a personal favorite of mine. The vertical lines break up the art very effectively! Click to enlarge.

Next we’ve got The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #9 (February 1983) with cover art by Pat Broderick and Dick Giordano. You’ll be seeing this cover again soon as we’ll cover this issue next month on THE FIRE & WATER PODCAST. We reviewed the previous issue earlier this week on Episode #80 of the podcast. What a great cover! The body language tells an entire story all by itself! Love this!! Click to enlarge.

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Scribblenauts Unmasked – Firestorm Family

Shag — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 09:30:53 +0000

Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure went on sale last week. If you are unfamiliar with the Scribblenauts franchise, it’s a series of puzzle video games by 5th Cell for the WiiU, PC, and Nintendo 3DS. The latest version takes place in the DC Universe and boasts 1,050 heroes and 650 villains. Our buddy Keith G. Baker bought a copy and has been sending us screenshots of Firestorm related characters. Thanks, Keith!

Shot of several Firestorm’s in the game

Ronnie Raymond version of Firestorm, with Firestorm Protocols costume
(9th incarnation of Firestorm).

Jason Rusch version of Firestorm, with his original costume
(6th incarnation of Firestorm).

Elemental Firestorm (3rd incarnation of Firestorm).

Firestorm suit available to playable character, Maxwell.

Group shot of the Firestorms hanging with Red Tornado.

Black Lantern Firestorm (a.k.a. Deathstorm)

Extreme Justice featuring Firestorm (though costumes are more modern)

Firehawk with Lorraine Reilly text, but with New 52 Therese costume.

Soyuz and individual entries.

Captain X, Ronnie Raymond’s grandfather.

Killer Frost

Multiplex

Black Bison

Plastique

Brimstone

Bolt

Naiad

Zuggernaut… yes, Zuggernaut is in the game!

Finally, Keith was incredibly thorough and searched the game for numerous other characters. Sadly, here is a list of characters that didn’t make it into the game: Typhoon, Hyena, Professor Martin Stein, Doreen Day, Cliff Carmichael, Gehenna, Pozhar, Bug & Byte, Tokamak, Silver Deer, Mindboggler, Goldenrod, Moonbow, Shadowstorm, Shoe Shine, Power Company, Stalnoivolk, Weasel, and most disappointing is… Slipknot.

Again, our thanks to Keith for sending all these great screenshots! Be sure to pick up your copy of Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure today!

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Elemental Firestorm Promoted in DC Direct Currents #16

Shag — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 09:30:47 +0000

A few months ago we ran the back cover of Direct Currents #16 from May 1989. Turns out that back cover was a tie-in with an article within that issue.

Check out this cool promotional blurb from Direct Currents #16 about the coming of the Elemental Firestorm! Click the image to enlarge!

Man, I love me some Elemental Firestorm! That piece makes we want to break out those issues and read them all over again!

If you aren’t familiar with Direct Currents, they were a free promotional magazine containing approximately 8 pages soliciting the titles being released by DC Comics that month. My local comic shop didn’t typically carry Direct Currents, so it was always a treat to find one in other shops.

My thanks to Michael Bailey of the Fortress of Baileytude sending this scan my way!

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Janus Directive Advertisement – 1989

Shag — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:30:40 +0000

Who remembers “The Janus Directive”? If you don’t, it was an 11-part crossover that ran through five DC comics back in mid-1989 (Checkmate, Suicide Squad, Manhunter, Captain Atom, and Firestorm). It wasn’t a marquee crossover, but was entertaining for those reading the espionage comics at the time. Personally, I was a big fan of Suicide Squad and Manhunter! The Elemental Firestorm played a minor role in this crossover and was primarily included because John Ostrander (the writer of Firestorm at the time) was directing this crossover.

I don’t have a lot of recollections of the crossover. I should probably dig it out of my collection and re-read it. Anyone remember it well?

Below you’ll see a house ad promoting the crossover. I found this ad over on the phenomenal DC in the 80s Tumblr! Be sure to check out that site, you won’t regret it!

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Elemental Firestorm Artwork

Shag — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:30:14 +0000

I could seriously spend an entire glorious day trolling through Firestorm drawings on deviantART! There is some fantastic artwork out there! On a recent diversion, I stumbled across these fun images of the Elemental Firestorm! The Elemental Firestorm doesn’t get much attention nowadays, so finding these pieces made me happy!

Elemental Firestorm by Ryan (IronLion82 on devaintART)!

Elemental Firestorm by Andy Turnbull

An adorable Elemental Firestorm by theEyZmaster

Finally, the Elemental Firestorm by Marcelo Di Chiara (dichiara on deviantART)

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