The 224th episode of AQUAMAN AND FIRESTORM: THE FIRE AND WATER PODCAST is now available for your listening pleasure! A proud member of the FIRE AND WATER PODCAST NETWORK!

Shag and Rob concentrate on the “fire” part of the Fire and Water Podcast by talking about some classic Firestorm comics! They take a look at FURY OF FIRESTORM ANNUAL #3, FURY OF FIRESTORM #41-47, and BLUE DEVIL #23! Revisiting the CRISIS tie-ins, return of Typhoon, and the Blue Devil crossover! Plus YOUR Listener Feedback!

You can find the 224th episode of AQUAMAN AND FIRESTORM: THE FIRE AND WATER PODCAST on iTunes. While you’re there, please drop us a review on the iTunes page. Every comment helps! Don’t use iTunes? Click here for the RSS feed to use with your podcast catcher.

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!

Join the conversation and find more great content:

• Leave comments on our FIRE & WATER PODCAST website: http://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/fire-water-224
• Images from this episode: http://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/fire-water-224-gallery
• E-MAIL: firewaterpodcast@comcast.net

This podcast is a proud member of the FIRE AND WATER PODCAST NETWORK:

• Visit the Fire & Water WEBSITE: http://fireandwaterpodcast.com
• Follow Fire & Water on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/FWPodcasts
• Like our Fire & Water FACEBOOK page: https://www.facebook.com/FWPodcastNetwork
• Use our HASHTAG online: #FWPodcasts

Thanks for listening! Support Firestorm and Aquaman! Fan the Flame and Ride the Wave!

Remember, to leave comments visit our FIRE & WATER PODCAST website – http://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/fire-water-224/

When you researched the villains in the DC comics, everybody’s been through the assassin’s drill of training to kill. My skill is the ropes. Give me a rope and I can fight with it, I can tie you up. They were teaching me a move where if you try to throw a punch, I can use a rope to grab that punch, put the rope around your neck and just drop my weight and it snaps your neck. There’s a lot of martial art skills you can use with the rope and it was pretty cool, man!

In case you weren’t aware, Slipknot is a Firestorm villain! More of Firestorm’s rogue gallery coming to live action!!

My thanks to the numerous Match-heads who sent me links to this information! Much appreciated!

Can’t wait to see the Larcenous Lariat on the big screen!

Support Firestorm (and Slipknot)! Fan the Flame!

The fourth episode of our WHO’S WHO UPDATE ’87 podcast is now available — the show that dares to tackle one of DC Comics’ greatest publications! Each episode Rob and I cover a single issue of the legendary 1980s series, Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe. This time around we chat about WHO’S WHO: UPDATE ’87, volume 4, discussing characters such as Lois Lane, Marine Marauder, Mon-El, Moonbow, Power Girl, The Question, Parasite, Protector, and more! We wrap up with your Listener Feedback! This episode sponsored in part by InStockTrades.com!

Be sure to check out our Tumblr site for several pages from this Who’s Who issue: FireandWaterPodcast.Tumblr.com!

Have a question or comment? Send us an e-mail at: firewaterpodcast@comcast.net

You can find the fourth episode of WHO’S WHO: UPDATE ’87 on iTunes. Each episode is released as part of THE FIRE AND WATER PODCAST feed. While you’re on iTunes, please drop us a review. Alternatively, you may play the podcast using the player below or by right-clicking “download”, choosing “Save Target/Link As”, and selecting a location on your computer to save the file (150 MB).

Thanks to my co-host Rob Kelly, Sea King of THE AQUAMAN SHRINE, for doing all the post-production on this episode! Special thanks to Daniel Adams and Ashton Burge with their band The Bad Mamma Jammas for our fantastic Who’s Who theme song!

One of the coolest aspects of each Who’s Who issue was the amazing wrap-around cover! Check out this wild cover by Todd McFarlane! Click the image to enlarge.

Here are your Firestorm-related Who’s Who entries from this issue…

First up is Moonbow by Steve Bove and Dick Giordano! Firestorm’s very own archer landed a Who’s Who entry this time! Click to enlarge.

Next is Parasite by Joe Brozowski and Steve Mitchell! While Parasite is traditionally a Superman foe, in the Post-Crisis universe, Firestorm is where Parasite first appeared! Click to enlarge.

Finally is Power Girl by Mary Wilshire! A long time ago on a satellite far, far away… Firestorm and Power Girl were very nearly an item! Don’t believe me? Then check out this post! Click the image to enlarge.

Support Firestorm (and the WHO’S WHO podcast)! Fan the flame!

The 145th 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 take a look at “Siren’s Call” from Aquaman #44 by Cullen Bunn, Alec Morgan, Art Thibert, Jesus Marino, and Guy Major, followed by “Terminal Velocity” from The Fury of Firestorm #24 (June 1984) by Gerry and Carla Conway, Rafael Kayanan, Romeo Tanghal, Carl Gafford, and Adam Kubert. Plus YOUR Listener Feedback!

You can find the 145th 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 play the podcast using the player below or by right-clicking “download”, choosing “Save Target/Link As”, and selecting a location on your computer to save the file (56 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!

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
• or leave a comment below!

Thanks for listening! Support Firestorm and Aquaman! Fan the Flame and Ride the Wave!

For example, check out this exceptional custom Mego Slipknot action figure produced by Austin Hough! While I haven’t spoken with Austin, I’d speculate this figure might not have been made if the upcoming movie hadn’t raised Slipknot’s profile. Again, just hazarding a guess. Perhaps Austin can enlighten us in the comments.

Austin posted this custom figure last week on the Mego Museum forum. He made some costume modifications as he didn’t like the open ribs and huge sleeves. This saddens me as I love those unique, yet admittedly bizarre, costume quirks. Even with the costume changes, you can see this is a super-fun looking custom figure!!

Believe it or not, this isn’t the first custom Slipknot action figure I’ve seen! Click here to see a custom Slipknot action figure in the style of the DC Direct figures! If you love custom Mego action figures, check out this custom Mego Firestorm created for me by Markneto!

My thanks to Chris Franklin and Anthony Durso (and anyone else I’m forgetting) for making me aware of this super-fun custom figure!

Support Firestorm (and Slipknot)! Fan the flame!

Eddie Slick first appeared back in Fury of Firestorm #51 & #52 (1986). When he was first introduced, Eddie was a corrupt boxing manager. He had no super powers, but was a surprising look-a-like for Professor Martin Stein. When Eddie reappeared in Firestorm the Nuclear Man #74 & #75 (1988), he’d been buried alive in the desert by his gangster “friends”. Through a series of unique events, Eddie survived and was transformed into a creature entirely composed of sand, able to control other sand at will. He called himself “Sand Demon” and went on a rampage across Las Vegas. From next week’s preview of The Flash, it appears the TV version of Eddie Slick has similar powers.

From a creator rights perspective, this character raises an interesting question. Writer Gerry Conway and artist Joe Brozowski created the character of Eddie Slick. However, Eddie didn’t have any super powers in those appearances. Writer John Ostrander and artist Joe Brozowski introduced Eddie Slick’s powers and the Sand Demon persona. So which writer gets financially compensated for Kett Turton’s portrayal on The Flash next week? Is the Sand Demon derivative of Eddie Slick, or the same character? Is this another creator rights situation similar to what happened with Caitlin Snow? I can’t help but wonder.

Below you’ll find an amazing recap of Eddie Slick/Sand Demon’s history found on Comic Book Movies: Who’s Who:

Not much is known about Eddie Slick’s early life, apart from the fact that he had always been good in making the worst choices possible. He lived in New York City, and he was a small-time crook, a gangster-wannabe who always tried to make money the fastest way possible. He joined a group of professional criminals, some true mobsters who had quite a taste for gambling…especially when they won. In order to become good friends with them, Slick reinvented himself as a boxing manager, obviously doing his best to fix the competition, warning his pals which fighter they had to place their bet on. His most succesful athlete was a beast of a man stage-named King Crusher, who was doing good…but not good enough. Slick drugged all his athletes as a rule, but with Crusher he decided to do something more, and when he managed to put his hands on some experimental mutagenic steroids, he treated Crusher with them. As a result, King Crusher surely became bigger and stronger, and he kept winning a match after the other…but the process wasn’t stopping, and he became strong to superhuman levels; the steroids also affected his psyche, and the wrestler went mad. In a vengeful rampage, King Crusher targeted Eddie, and the manager couldn’t do anything but run from him. Luckily enough, in NYC’s streets King Crusher saw Professor Martin Stein, who was dating Emily Rice. Coincidentally, Stein looked exactly the same as Slick, and the wrestler targeted him instead. Stein had the time to look for his young friend Ronnie Raymond and to merge with him to form the superhero Firestorm, defeating King Crusher and saving Eddie Slick in the process…but the whole illegal steroids traffic, the gambling circuit and all Slick’s affairs were exposed, thus ending the crook’s criminal career.

Eddie Slick managed to avoid prison, but that wasn’t a stroke of luck at all: his powerful friends from the mob had lost a fortune with the King Crusher affair, and they wanted to exact justice their own way. Slick was deemed responsible for the entire situation, and the gangsters decided to make an example of him: they brought him to their headquarters in Las Vegas, and they executed him by buring him alive in the Nevada Desert. The sand of the desert, however, was irradiated, and the close encounter with Firestorm had already modified Slick’s organism: instead of dying as he was supposed to, Slick was transformed into a creature entirely composed of sand, able to control other sand at will. Weeks spent underground had also made Slick insane, and he emerged from the desert pretty much deranged: naming himself Sand Demon, Slick returned to Las Vegas and started hunting down his former friends and employers, killing them one after the other. These murders attracted the attention of the new Firestorm (formed by Ronnie Raymond and Mikhail Arkadin), who was looking for a still MIA Martin Stein. From the news, Ronnie believed that the Sand Demon was actually Stein, and traveled to Las Vegas to try and make him “come back to his senses”. In the middle of a desert, with all that sand at disposal, Slick proved to be an extremely dangerous opponent even for Firestorm, especially considering that the latter was restraining himself believing he was facing his friend Martin Stein. When Ronnie realized the Sand Demon wasn’t Stein at all, and that he was far too powerful and too crazy to be controlled, he stopped holding back, and he used his powers to overheat Slick, turning him into glass. The Sand Demon’s body fell to the floor and shattered, thus ending the short-lived superhuman existence of Eddie Slick.

Eddie Slick is, simply put, a complete failure. Greedy, vulgar, sneaky, Slick makes the one and simple mistake of believing himself to be extremely smart, while he’s actually quite a dumb man. As the Sand Demon, he’s a remarkably powerful being, entirely made of sand (thus invulnerable to most arm) and capable of manipulating surrounding sand as well: in the Nevada Desert, he has an entire state to control, thus creating sandstorms, tornadoes and even gigantic quicksands. Just as powerful as he is crazy, Sand Demon is an extremely dangerous man, once stupid and mediocre, now stupid and lethal.

So Eddie Slick joins the long list of Firestorm characters to appear on The Flash:

• Ronnie Raymond (Firestorm) played by Robbie Amell
• Professor Martin Stein (Firestorm) played by Victor Garber
• Caitlin Snow (Killer Frost, eventually) played by Danielle Panabaker
• Danton Black (Multiplex) played by Michael Smith
• Bette Sans Souci (Plastique) played by Kelly Frye
• Jason Rusch (Firestorm, in the comics) played by Luc Roderique
• Henry Hewitt (Tokamak) played by Demore Barnes
• Eddie Slick (Sand Demon) played by Kett Turton
• Clarissa Stein (Clarissa Clemens, in the comics) played by Isabella Hofmann
• Quentin Quale (Stein’s boss in the comics) played by Bill Dow
• Felicity Smoak played by Emily Bett Rickards  (okay, she’s from Arrow, but she still originated in Firestorm)

With all these Firestorm characters on The Flash, I can’t help wondering if at some point we’ll see Hyena, Typhoon, or Black Bison. While I ask that, I can also argue against them. Hyena might be too redundant on The Flash as an animal foe after introducing Gorilla Grodd. Typhoon might be too redundant on The Flash after introducing Weather Wizard. That leaves Black Bison, which would be really cool, but walks that dangerous line of reinforcing stereotypes. So bottom line… watch for Zuggernaut and Bazooka Joan in season three!!

C’mon Shag! What about The Flash Season Two Premier?!?

By this point, I’m sure some of you are wondering why I haven’t mentioned the events of The Flash season premier. I’m sure some folks haven’t had a chance to watch the episode yet, and I don’t want to be the guy to spoil it for them. We’ll talk about that later. Yes, we definitely will.

Support Firestorm (and Sand Demon)! Fan the flame!

The CW describes the character as “a charming, but cocky scientist who was affected by the same Particle Accelerator explosion that created the Flash. When Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) recruits him to join the team at S.T.A.R. Labs, Hewitt jumps at the opportunity to fulfill his destiny as a powerful meta-human.”

Demore Barnes is a Canadian film and television actor probably best known for his role in the television shows, The Unit and 12 Monkeys. 

A “tokamak” is a Russian-created fusion reactor device. CW’s description above for Hewitt is pretty far from his original comic book persona. See his entry below from Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe vol 24, which recaps his appearances in 1983.

After that adventure ended in Fury of Firestorm Annual #1 (1983), Tokamak wasn’t seen for about 20 years. In 2006 during the Jason Rusch Firestorm: The Nuclear Man series, Tokamak (now spelled Tokomak) was revealed to have survived by creating a series of clones of himself in which he merged with them to prolong a terminal disease as the result from his powers. He took the identity of Victor Hewitt in order to inherit his company, and bedeviled the recent Firestorm Jason Rusch from behind the scenes while conspiring to create nuclear meltdowns across the Earth to empower himself. He was ultimately stopped by Firestorm, Firehawk, Mikhail Arkadin, and Gehenna, and was finally killed when Tokamak was separated from his clone by Firestorm. Image below from Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #30 (Oct. 2006)

Some folks on the interwebs have questioned adding Tokamak, rather than one of Firestorm’s better known rogues. My response is that they’ve already added: Killer Frost, Multiplex, and Plastique. In the realm of notable Firestorm foes, that leaves Hyena, Typhoon, Black Bison, and Tokamak. I’d argue that Hyena would be too redundant on The Flash as an animal foe after introducing Gorilla Grodd. Typhoon would be too redundant on The Flash after introducing Weather Wizard. That leaves Black Bison, which would be really cool, but walks that dangerous line of reinforcing stereotypes. Therefore, I feel Tokamak is a pretty good choice for Firestorm foes. Besides, he was probably chosen because it fit their story needs.

Congratulations to Demore Barnes for landing a role on The Flash! And welcome to the Nuclear Family!

Support Firestorm (and Demore Barnes)! Fan the Flame!

Based upon pre-orders, this statue will retail for around $99. Here is the product description:

DC Comics Bombshells Killer Frost Statue:
Hit the slopes with Killer Frost. This DC Comics Bombshells Killer Frost Statue is designed by Ant Lucia and sculpted by Tim Miller and Sam Greenwell. Killer Frost stands over 10-inches tall in her skiing attire of a short mini-skirt, scarf, sweater, and winter hat. Frost is strapped in her skis and is holding onto her ski poles. Killer Frost features a light blue “frozen” paint scheme as she stands atop her name display base.

And if that wasn’t enough, we’ll soon be seeing the Bombshell Killer Frost grace a variant cover for The Flash #43 coming in August 2015!

My thanks to Kevin Thomas King for the heads-up on the statue, and Speed Force for posting the variant Flash cover!

Support Firestorm (and Killer Frost)! Fan the flame!

That’s right! The guy on the far left is the Larcenous Lariat himself, Slipknot! But what’s up with that costume?!? One thing I always loved about Slipknot in the comics was his unique costume design. With that creatively decorated mask, open sleeves, and exposed ribs, his look really works in a comic. To bad Adam Beach didn’t get the chance to show off his rib muscles. For a film to comic comparison, see below.

I truly love the character (Fury of Firestorm #28 was the first Firestorm comic I ever bought), but he’s absolutely a bargain basement character. The fact that he can hold his own against Firestorm is pretty ridiculous. He’s a guy with trick rope. That’s his entire gimmick. Over on the FIRE & WATER PODCAST we regularly mock Slipknot, so we consider his appearance in the film to be our own personal victory!

You have to wonder, how big a role will Slipknot have in the Suicide Squad film. Well, I suspect you don’t have to look much further than the original source material. In the Suicide Squad comics, all Slipknot really did was to serve as an example to the audience just how deadly it was to cross Amanda Waller. I don’t think Adam Beach will make it to the end of this movie; and if he does, he’ll be sans one arm.

This news is a week old, so I apologize for the delay in getting it posted here.  My thanks to all the folks who gave me a heads-up on this casting announcement: Rhett_CTR, Aquaman Shrine, John Godwin, J David Weter, Andy Kappelusch, Robert Bell, and I apologize to all the folks I missed!

Support Firestorm (and Slipknot)! Fan the flame!

]]> http://firestormfan.com/2015/05/11/suicide-squad-slipknot/feed/ 2 http://firestormfan.com/2015/04/20/fire-water-123/ http://firestormfan.com/2015/04/20/fire-water-123/#comments Mon, 20 Apr 2015 09:30:59 +0000 http://firestormfan.com/?p=10472

The 123rd 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 discuss the latest news concerning the Aquaman movie and Firestorm TV show, the new STAR WARS trailer, followed by a huge helping of Listener Feedback!

You can find the 123rd 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 play the podcast using the player below or by right-clicking “download”, choosing “Save Target/Link As”, and selecting a location on your computer to save the file (134 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
• Support fellow podcaster Tom Panarese’s “Word Play” literacy fundraiser!
• or leave a comment below!

Thanks for listening! Support Firestorm and Aquaman! Fan the Flame and Ride the Wave!