• 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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Below is a nice one of the “Blank Slate” and Elemental incarnations of Firestorm.

Avery drew this next one on his iPhone using the Brushes application.  It’s pretty clever.  Look closely at the flames.

Nicely done, Avery!  Keep up the good work!

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This painting was done by Art Baltazar, writer and artist on Tiny Titans.  This one-of-a-kind painting was given to Vince of the Project: Custom blog in exchange for a custom Super-Skrull action figure.  Sounds like a sweet deal to me!

So while the Nuclear Man hasn’t graced the pages of Tiny Titans, we now have a pretty good idea what he’d look like in the series.

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!

• 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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I contacted Al and commissioned an original drawing of our favorite hot-head for FIRESTORM FAN.  Al not only accepted the commission, he also provided me with scans of some exclusive and rarely-seen Firestorm artwork.  One of those images was the cover for the unpublished Firestorm the Nuclear Man #6.  Keep watching FIRESTORM FAN in the near future for further Al Milgrom gems.

Here is Al Milgrom’s original Firestorm drawing done especially for FIRESTORM FAN…

It’s a thing of beauty, isn’t it.  Al did an amazing job on this drawing.  Everything looks perfect: the costume, the face, the motion of flying, the rich shadows… it’s just awesome.  Over 30 years since he helped create the character and he still draws it gorgeously.  Thanks, Al!

One of the greatest rewards of doing this blog has been reaching out to the writers and artists that have worked on Firestorm.  Everyone has been so friendly and generous with their time.  Finding out how cool these folks are makes me proud to be promoting their creative work and reaffirms my love for Firestorm comics.

In addition to co-creating Firestorm, Al Milgrom is well known for his ten-year run as editor of Marvel Fanfare; his long involvement as writer, penciller, and inker on Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man; his four-year tenure as West Coast Avengers penciller; his long stint as the inker of X-Factor; and much, much more.  For a complete list of his works, visit the Comic Book DB.  Al has created an amazing volume of work and stays busy even nowadays.  If you are a fan of Al Milgrom’s work, there are opportunities for commissions.  Be sure to check out THE ARTISTS CHOICE for all the details on Al Milgrom commissioned sketches.

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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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Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!

Writer Gerry Conway used to answer The Fury of Firestorm The Nuclear Man letter column entitled “Nuclear Reactions”.  Apparently, this particular month he was running behind.  Doubling also as the editor, Conway had to decide to run this pin-up in place of a letter column.  Let’s all be glad he did.  What a cool pin-up!

I was re-reading this comic recently and stumbled across the pin-up. It was an unexpected, yet pleasant surprise.  I always remember a cover, but often forget about cool pin-ups like this.  Enjoy!

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• Blackest Night #4 came out back on October 28.  If you haven’t picked it up yet, be sure to get a copy.  It’s a good issue and has one really good Firestorm moment.
• Still no word on an air date for the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode featuring Firestorm.  However, I did stumble across some sketches that are supposedly of Firestorm from the Batman: The Brave and the Bold cartoon (see below).  I found this image on Toonzone ’s DC Animation forum.

Just as a reminder, below is the corresponding action figure shown at the San Diego Comic Con this year.  The costume designs don’t match up exactly, so I gotta wonder if the picture above is legitimate and/or if the design was changed some during production.

• Firestorm will get his own spotlight issue of DC Comics Super Hero Collection magazine in April 2010! This is the magazine that highlights a different comic character each issue and includes a small metal figure of the character.  Your local comic shop should be able to order you a copy if you are interested.

• Jon over at the Fizzit blog got some amazing sketches done recently.  Check out his site to see Firestorm sketches by Matthew Clark (Doom Patrol) and Bill Sienkiewicz (just about everything cool).
• I stumbled across an unusual Firestorm custom action figure created by “Doombot”.  The custom below was found on Raving Toy Maniac.  It was done in the style of the late 1990’s DC Super Heroes Silver Age Collection (which were done in the style of the classic Mego action figures).

• Finally, I happened upon soyboy7’s photostream on Flickr.  They’ve taken some really interesting action figure pictures, including this one below of Jason.  Neat stuff, check out their pics!

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