Firestorm Fan » Firestorm comic vol. I

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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Firestorm’s ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Shag — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 09:30:22 +0000

Last month during the height of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge popularity, good friend to the site Luke Daab posed the question, “… has any thought been given to what would happen if Firestorm accepted the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge?” I pondered the question and came up with two contradictory answers. Then we received what I consider to be a definitive answer. Read on…

Shag’s Answer #1: From Firestorm the Nuclear Man #3 (May 1978), by Gerry Conway, Al Milgrom, and Bob Mcleod. Firestorm is kissed by Killer Frost. Her ability to absorb heat from living beings resulted in Firestorm’s flaming hair being extinguished. Once the fire goes out, you can see Ronnie’s hair underneath! I believe this is the only time we see normal hair on Firestorm. A fun gem from the formative days of our favorite Nuclear Man! Possible answer to Luke’s question: Sufficient cold may extinguish Firestorm’s flaming hair.

Shag’s Answer #2: From The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #16 (March 2013) by Dan Jurgens, Karl Kesel, and Ray McCarthy. In this example, Firestorm’s flaming hair continues to burn even though he’s submerged in cold water. Possible answer to Luke’s question: Cold water would not extinguish Firestorm’s flaming hair.

Definitive Answer: While the question was being debated among the fans, Firestorm writer and artist Dan Jurgens himself chimed in! Dan’s answer was, “Given the science of how his power works, I don’t see anyway the ‘fire’ gets snuffed out. It’s generated from with in and isn’t really fire anyway.” Given Dan’s tenure with DC Comics and writing the Firestorm title, I consider that pretty definitive! Thanks, Dan!

For more ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Firestorm related items, check out the following:

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Nickelodeon’s Video Comics with Firestorm

Shag — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 10:30:40 +0000

Back in 1980 & 1981, a fledgling children’s TV network called Nickelodeon ran a series entitled Video Comics. Each episode, a DC comic was read to the audience while panels were shown on-screen. Some stories included were Adam Strange, Nutsy Squirrel, Sugar & Spike, and Swamp Thing. The live-action opening showed kids arriving at a store to buy comic books. Watch the video embedded below and look carefully around the 10 second mark! Click here if you can’t view the video below.

Here is a screen shot from those opening credits featuring some dude with his hair on fire!

According to the Director, there were roughly 70 comics read for the series. Very little information exists on the internet about this series. Therefore, we have no way of knowing if Firestorm was one of the comics featured. I never watched this series myself, but it looks like so much fun! You can watch an episode right now featuring Swamp Thing by clicking here! Neat!

My thanks to Rob Kelly of The Aquaman Shrine for the heads-up on this series! Thanks, Aqua-rob!

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Happy Birthday to Firestorm! 36 Years Old Today!

Shag — Fri, 06 Dec 2013 09:30:20 +0000

Happy Birthday Firestorm! Hard to believe you’re 36 years old today! You still seem like a teenager to us readers.

There is some dispute as to the exact release date of Firestorm’s first issue. The house ad above identifies the release date as December 6, 1977, however, Mike’s Amazing World of DC Comics (a fantastic and almost always accurate database) indicates the release date was December 5, 1977. Personally, I choose to go with December 6 because it appears on this really nifty advertisement. Somewhat frivolous logic, but that describes my typical judgement anyway.

Happy Birthday to the Nuclear Man! Enjoy a big slice of cake today! My thanks to Gerry Conway, Al Milgrom, and Jack C. Harris for bringing you into this world!

My thanks to Lil’ Chad Bokelman for reminding me of Match-head’s birthday today! Thanks, Chad!

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Firestorm #2 Cover Re-imagined – Now with more Superdickery!

Shag — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 09:30:04 +0000

Indigo Kelleigh took it upon himself to reimagine the cover to the classic Firestorm The Nuclear Man vol 1 #2. He did a fantastic job and really captured the Superdickery quite nicely. Check it out below!

For comparison, Firestorm The Nuclear Man vol 1 #2 cover by Al Milgrom and Bob McLeod

Follow Indigo Kelleigh’s artwork on Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and his website! Also, for more information on Superdickery, please click here.

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This is the End – FIRE & WATER #56

Shag — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 09:30:15 +0000

The 56th 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 time around Rob and Shag welcome a special guest, fellow podcaster and comics blogger Luke Jaconetti! Luke runs a Hawkman blog, so he understands the pain of having your favorite character’s series cancelled… over and over and over again. We cover all the cancellations of our respective characters and discuss some of our thoughts. So strap on your wings and prepare for Aquaman, Firestorm, and Hawkman… to be cancelled again.

You can find the 56th 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 download the podcast by right-clicking here, choosing “Save Target/Link As”, and selecting a location on your computer to save the file (46 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!

Be sure to check out Luke’s blogs and podcasts:

Have a question or comment? Send us an e-mail at firewaterpodcast@comcast.net. Visit our Tumblr site at fireandwaterpodcast.tumblr.com.

Check out the covers to the final issues of Firestorm!

Firestorm v1 #5 (October-November 1978)

Firestorm v2 #100 (August 1990)

Firestorm v3 #35 (June 2007)

Firestorm v4 #20 (July 2013)

Support Firestorm and Aquaman (and Hawkman)! Fan the Flame and Ride the Wave (and Flap the Wings)!

First Firestorm Fan Letter (1977) and “Robby” Raymond

Shag — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:30:10 +0000

Today we’re looking at the very first piece of fan mail ever received by DC Comics about Firestorm! Comics reader Mitch Senft holds the distinction of having the first published letter about the Nuclear Man. Mitch’s letter was very honest and pointed out some highlights of the book and some concerns he had with the character. Check out the letter’s page below from Firestorm vol. I #2 (Apr. 1978). As noted in the letter column, the letter was received in October 1977, more than a month before the first issue hit the stands!

Also worth noting, last week we published a promotional piece from Nov. 1977 hyping the upcoming release of Firestorm #1. In that article, Professor Martin Stein is referred to as “Charles” Stein. Well, turns out Martin wasn’t the only one back then with an Identity Crisis (yes, pun intended). Throughout the letter column below Ronnie Raymond is referred to as “Robby” Raymond. I can understand the fan letter misidentifying him as “Robby”, but editor Jack C. Harris too? Makes you wonder if this was simply an error, or if the character was actually named “Robby” at some point prior to the release of the first issue (a possibility Gerry Conway recently suggested).

Check out the letters page below. Click to enlarge!

Not sure how the mix-up occurred with Ronnie’s name, but certainly makes for an interesting time capsule.

I recently contacted the letter writer above, Mitch Senft, and asked for any additional feedback on his encounter with the first issue prior to publication. He responded with:

About all I remember was being at a small convention around Ithaca where Milgrom and Nasser/Netzer appeared. Milgrom had a B&W copy of Firestorm #1, and I was intrigued, intrigued enough to send off a LoC [letter of comment] — which is something I did few enough times to count on the fingers of one hand. The book came out, you might note, during the brief time Gerry Conway was editing at DC. Can’t remember if this was immediately before or after his eight minutes as Marvel EIC [Editor-in-Chief]. In any case, part of his job, I believe, was to create a bunch of books that were Marvel-like — of which Firestorm was very clearly one.

My thanks to Mitch for responding to my request and providing feedback on a letter he wrote over 35 years ago! Thanks, Mitch! Also, my thanks to fellow blogger Anj for digging up this letter and sending me a scan! You can check out Anj’s fantastic Supergirl blog by clicking here!

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Daily Planet Headline: Make Way for Firestorm!

Shag — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 09:30:53 +0000

Firestorm made the front page of the Daily Planet! .. Well, sort of.

During the Bronze Age, each issue of DC Comics contained an in-house promotional page called “Daily Planet”. The modern equivalent would be the Channel 52 strips or the DC Comics All Access pages. Each “Daily Planet” included information on upcoming releases and the ever-popular “Answer Man” column. The November 28, 1977 edition prominently featured our favorite Nuclear Man! This would have hit the shelves exactly one week before Firestorm #1 arrived.

Click the image below to enlarge.

Did you notice the Professor Charles Stein comment above?!??! Believe it or not, this is the second reference to Charles Stein. The first appeared a week prior to this “Daily Planet” edition in an editorial by Jenette Kahn. The editorial appeared November 21, 1977 in Teen Titans #53 (and possibly other comics as well). Click here to read that editorial.

Either Martin’s name changed sometime prior to the first issue hitting the shelves, or this error just kept popping up. Either way, it’s an interesting peek into the promotional launch for the original series!

I came across this on Count Comics Tumblr, so my thanks to him!

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Direct Currents #16 Promoting Comics Shipping in May 1989

Shag — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:30:51 +0000

Check out the back cover of Direct Currents #16 from May 1989! It’s a “Collector’s Page” featuring our favorite hothead!

If you aren’t familiar with Direct Currents, they were a free, promotional magazine containing approximately 8 pages, that solicited the titles being released by DC Comics that month. It was sort of like a monthly version of the DC Sampler that we discussed on the latest FIRE & WATER PODCAST. My local comic shop didn’t typically carry Direct Currents, so it was always a treat to find one in other shops. Just for fun, below is the cover to Direct Currents #16 promoting comics shipping in May 1989!

My thanks to Rob Kelly of The Aquaman Shrine for sending this my way! Thanks, Rob!

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VOTE! Top 6 Entries from ‘What do you like about Firestorm?’

Shag — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:30:17 +0000

Wow! My thanks to everyone who contributed to the recent contest, “What do you like about Firestorm?” Y’all have posted some really inspiring stories about the Nuclear Man! Now it’s time to vote for your favorite six stories shared by your fellow Firestorm fans! We have over 50 entries, so make sure you’ve got some time to review them all. Each story is great in its own way and deserves your consideration. You may select up to six responses, but please don’t vote for the same response multiple times. Voting is open until Sunday, March 3, 2013 at 11:45pm EST.

VOTE! Click here to vote for your favorite six entries from, “What do you like about Firestorm?”

The six individuals with the most votes will receive one of the following fantastic prizes:

An original art page drawn by Dan Jurgens and Ray McCarthy from the recent The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #13 (courtesy of Ray McCarthy)
Firestorm: The Nuclear Man trade paperback signed by writer and co-creator Gerry Conway
The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #11 & #12 signed by inker Marlo Alquiza (courtesy of Jeremy Hobbs)
The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men Volume 1: God Particle trade paperback
Brightest Day Firestorm action figure (courtesy of Mail Me My Comics)
Batman: The Brave and the Bold t-shirt featuring Firestorm (courtesy of Lil’ Russell Burbage)

My thanks to Ray McCarthy, Jeremy Hobbs, Mail Me My Comics, and Lil’ Russell Burbage for donating prizes. Also, my thanks to Speed Force, the Flash blog, for inspiring this contest!

VOTE! Click here to vote for your favorite six entries from, “What do you like about Firestorm?”

Support Firestorm! Vote for those that Fan the flame!

UPDATE: If you voted prior to 11:00pm EST on Monday, February 25, please vote again. I apologize for the inconvenience. Due to some voting inconsistencies, I had to delete the original poll. The new poll was launched just after 11:00pm on Monday. You may select up to six responses, but please don’t vote for the same response multiple times. If there is a repeat of voting inconsistencies, I will terminate the voting and select the winners myself. The new poll URL is: http://twtpoll.com/m17u99

Happy voting! May the best Match-head win!