FIRESTORM DC COMIC LOT #1-100 COMPLETE JOHN OSTRANDER

This is a lot of FIRESTORM comics from DC Comics! A total of 105 issues with NO DUPLICATES!

Lot includes: #1-100 + Annuals #1-5, a COMPLETE collection!

The comics in this lot range from Very Good to Very Fine/Near Mint condition. Most are Very Fine/Near Mint.

This is not my auction and I’m not endorsing it.  However, it sounded like a good deal so I wanted to bring it to your attention in case you are looking for back issues.

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The Fury of Firestorm the Nuclear Man Annual #2 (1984)

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The Fury of Firestorm the Nuclear Man #33 page 2  (March 1985)

Aren’t they awesome!?!?!  Do you have any other favorite Firestorm-related splash pages?  If so, let us know!

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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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• A few weeks back I did a post on the 2003 Ronnie Raymond Firestorm series that almost was.  I’m over-the-moon happy to report that I received very nice notes about my post from both writer Mike Carey and artist Lewis LaRosa.  Great guys! Be sure to support their projects!
• Check out this amazing Firestorm sketch on eBay by Ed Benes (Justice League of America, Birds of Prey, Superman).  Gorgeous sketch!  It sold for $374.  Wow!

• Brightest Day #3 came out last week and there is a good Firestorm-related scene.  Not going to spoil it for you.  Visit your local comic book shop and check it out!
• DC Comics has created a Brightest Day mini-site and Firestorm has his own page.  Not much to see there yet, but check it out by clicking here.  Also, you can get some Brightest Day desktop wallpapers and buddy icons on their Download page by clicking here.
• Peter Tomasi gave an interview to Newsarama about Brightest Day in early May.  Click here for the entire interview.  Below is an excerpt that included Firestorm:

Nrama: Then let’s switch our attention to this new Firestorm. Ronnie Raymond is obviously still irresponsible, and Jason already despises him. Are you hoping to explore the contrast between the two characters by throwing them together as Firestorm?

Tomasi: Ronnie and Jason’s characters are polar opposites in the truest sense of the word, and that makes them incredibly interesting to read about. All you need to do is put them in a room together and the tempers run high – put them in each other’s head and you’ve got a battle royale. Ronnie and Jason have a pretty epic storyline in place that will test them both and bring them right to the emotional edge of who they are and what they believe in.

• During the DC Nation panel at HeroesCon this past Saturday, an audience member asked about Firestorm.  Click here for the entire DC Nation rundown at Newsarama.  Below is an excerpt that included Firestorm:

An audience member wanted to thank DC for using Firestorm again. [Ian] Sattler replied that he is fascinating and has so much planned for him. Long term stuff.

• Back in early May, Chris Sims wrote a post over at Comics Alliance on “The Racial Politics of Regressive Storytelling”.  The editorial makes the observation that DC is replacing legacy heroes that happen to be racially-diverse (such as Jason Rusch/Firestorm and Ryan Choi/Atom) with the classic iconic versions.  It just so happens that all the classic iconic versions are white Americans, therefore DC is eliminating their racially-diverse characters.
  Now this editorial was written in early May.  Since then, a legacy superhero that happens to be non-white has been murdered in the pages of DC Comics (being vague on purpose so not to spoil it for anyone that doesn’t know).  Combine this editorial with the recent death and you’ve got a literal fandom firestorm on the net (no pun intended… well, maybe a little bit).  Just go to any comic message board and this topic is being argued.  I’ve also stumbled across dozens of comic news sites and blogs discussing this issue.  There are valid arguments on every side of this issue.  I’m not going to comment on the issue, but I encourage you to check out what everyone is saying.
• David Wolkin did a review of Brightest Day #1 on his blog Wolkin’s House of Chicken and Waffles (and Comics!).   The review is very humorous and worth your time.  Additionally, he referred to Ronnie and Jason as “The New Odd Couple” and included a link to the following Twitpic he posted.  Friggin’ hilarious!

• Our good buddy Jon over at the Firestorm-themed blog FIZZIT has posted several really cool Firestorm-related items in recent months.  Check these out!
  Firestorm sketches by Nicola Scott (Secret Six, Birds of Prey) and Francis Manapul (Flash)
  Firestorm sketches by Mike Allred (Madman) and Agnes Garbowska (Peter Porker, Spider-Ham)
  Original art for Firestorm v2 #45 page 12 and analysis of the editorial marks
  Batman: The Brave and the Bold toys of Orion and Firestorm have some words
  Jon’s funny rendition of Shadow Thief’s trial for the murder of Firestorm from Manhunter.
• I found some more Firestorm fan fiction on the web.  If you enjoy adventures in prose of our favorite Nuclear Man by your fellow fans, check out the Firestorm stories on DC2: New Adventures of the DC Heroes.
• Click here for a cute Jason Rusch Firestorm lego custom.  Adorable!
• As always, 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.
• And just for fun, click here for a recipe to a drink called the Firestorm.  It has nothing to do with the Nuclear Man, but what the heck.  Let’s toast Ronnie Raymond resuming the path to alcoholism!  Cheers!

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Okay, we’re three issues into Brightest Day and we’re starting to get a picture of what’s happening with Firestorm.  I’ll start with what we know, then let’s delve into speculation on where it’s going.

THE FACTS

• Jason Rusch’s girlfriend Gehenna, formerly one-half of Firestorm, was murdered by the Black Lantern Firestorm.  The Black Lantern Firestorm claimed to be the resurrected Ronnie Raymond.
• Later, Ronnie Raymond was resurrected by the light of the White Lantern with no recollection of the Black Lantern’s activities.  Ronnie quickly resumed his college partying lifestyle.
• Jason and Ronnie don’t get along.  Ronnie is coping with the fact that he died and came back, as well as that someone else has had control of the Firestorm matrix.  Meanwhile, Jason blames Ronnie for the death of Gehenna.
• When Ronnie and Jason touched in Blackest Night #0, they fused into Firestorm.  They have been unable to separate into their own individual bodies since.  They are stuck fused as Firestorm.  Ronnie currently controls the body while Jason is able to advise telepathically.
• Ray Palmer, the Atom, shrank and entered Firestorm’s body in hopes of “disarming” the Firestorm matrix.  He commented that Firestorm’s flames are no longer just for show and that it was nearly 1,000 degrees inside his body.    When the Atom arrived at the Firestorm matrix, we saw three electrons circling the nucleus.  Two electrons were bright yellow, the third was a dark gray.
• While waiting for the Atom to finish inside their body, Ronnie heard another voice telepathically that goaded him into an argument with Jason. Their body then suffered a very explosive reaction.
• At the same time Ronnie and Jason are arguing, black tendrils begin to reach out from the Firestorm matrix towards the Atom.
• The cover of Brightest Day #4 features Black Lantern Firestorm.

SPECULATION

• It seems a safe bet that the dark gray electron in the Firestorm matrix represents the Black Lantern Firestorm.  Somehow the Black Lantern Firestorm has survived inside the matrix.  That would explain the voice Ronnie heard which caused the argument with Jason.  That would explain the black tendrils chasing the Atom.
• It also seems a safe bet that the Black Lantern Firestorm will take control of the body, which would explain the cover to Brightest Day #4.
• What I’m left wondering is what exactly is the Black Lantern Firestorm.  Is it a dark reflection of Ronnie?  Is it now a dark reflection of Gehenna (which would be pretty clever)?  Is it simply a random malicious entity?
• It also seems logical that the existence of the Black Lantern Firestorm will absolve Ronnie in the blame of Gehenna’s murder.  Jason may remain uncomfortable around Ronnie, he won’t be able to blame Ronnie directly for the death of his girlfriend any longer.
• Without Nekron or the Anti-Monitor-powered black battery, where is Black Lantern Firestorm getting his power from?
• Once all this business with the Black Lantern Firestorm is finished, who will be in the matrix?  I gotta believe the Ronnie/Jason combination will be Firestorm for the foreseeable future.
• With the mention that Firestorm’s flames weren’t just for show anymore, are they going to incorporate some of the Elemental Firestorm concepts into this version?
• There was a panel in Brightest Day #1 featuring several incarnations of Firestorm.  Perhaps that was foreshadowing (along with the temperature comment) that the current Firestorm will be an amalgam of all previous versions.  That was Geoff Johns’ move with Hawkman in JSA, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he did it here with the Nuclear Man.  See my analysis below of that panel.

• The top left Firestorm was patterned after the Al Milgrom cover to Firestorm volume I #1.  This would represent the classic Firestorm.

• The bottom left Firestorm was patterned after the Matt Haley cover to Firestorm volume III #8.  This would represent the early days of Jason Rusch as Firestorm.

• The center Black Lantern Firestorm appears to be patterned after the Ethan Van Sciver variant cover to Blackest Night #3.  If you look closely at Black Lantern Firestorm’s face, you can see the similarities.

• The bottom right Firestorm was patterned after the Tom Grindberg cover to Firestorm volume II #85.  However, they used the coloring from the later Tom Mandrake issues.  This would represent the Elemental Firestorm.

• I believe the top right Firestorm was patterned after the Steve Lightle cover to Extreme Justice #8.  While the facial expression is different and the pose is reversed, the coloring on the headgear is consistent.  This is the only drawing I’ve ever seen where the classic Firestorm has yellow accents on his headgear.  If so, this drawing would represent the years Ronnie flew solo with the Firestorm matrix.

• This leaves the “Blank Slate” era as the only major incarnation not represented.  It’s possible the top right panel represents the “Blank Slate” era of Firestorm, but I can’t think of a corresponding scene.

So what do you think is going to happen with Firestorm in Brightest Day?

Just a final note, my favorite scene in all of Brightest Day so far is the panel below:

“Just take care of these boys.”  Instead, Martin may as well have said, “Just take care of my boys.”  After all Ronnie and Jason are like sons to him.  Some people may not realize that in comic book time, Jason spent a year working with Professor Stein as Firestorm.  This was during the One Year Later timeframe.  Love this panel!

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The Elemental Firestorm was a fascinating character and a tremendous departure from what had come before.  Two years prior writer John Ostrander had changed Firestorm from the classic Ronnie Raymond/Professor Stein combination to the more complex “Blank Slate” incarnation.  Not content to rest on his laurels, Ostrander continued to evolve the character by revealing that Firestorm was actually a fire elemental.  This new Elemental Firestorm was detached from human emotions and an environmental crusader.  This was a new direction for the series and artist Tom Mandrake brought an entirely new look as well.

What a great time to be collecting the character!  I love me some Elemental Firestorm! Ostrander was pushing this book in different and thought-provoking directions, while Mandrake’s art created a unique mood to the series. This wasn’t just a straightforward superhero comic, this series had depth and substance.  The elemental era of Firestorm walked the line between standard superhero comics and the mature supernatural titles of the time like Sandman and Swamp Thing (keep in mind this was before Vertigo).

This new elemental incarnation first appeared in the final pages of Firestorm #85.  The letters page of that issue carried the following advertisement boldly declaring that Firestorm would never be the same.

While Tom Mandrake didn’t draw issue #85, this advertisement within the issue marks his first published work on the character.  In addition to house ads, DC was getting the word out to retailers about this dramatic change for Firestorm. Special preview copies of issue #86 were sent to retailers along with a letter from Bob Wayne, then Retail Promotions Manager.  Below is the text from the letter.

Dear Retailer:

We’ve got a brand-new look for FIRESTORM.  A look so different that we want you to take an advance peek at it!  Writer John Ostrander has reunited with his former Grimjack collaborator, artist Tom Mandrake.  Together, Ostrander and Mandrake will show you a new FIRESTORM… not just a superhero… but a force of nature!  Will he remain mankind’s protector… or will he become its destroyer?

An ongoing series in the DC Comics Standard Format (and part of The Janus Directive sequence), FIRESTORM #86 ships April 11 from Spartan Printing.

Enjoy this preview of FIRESTORM #86.

Best,

Bob Wayne
Retail Promotions Manager

Click here to read the preview copy of Firestorm #86 (PDF Format, 5.3 MB), including the letter from Bob Wayne.  My thanks to Jon over at the Fizzit blog for supplying the preview copy.  Thanks Jon!

I’m pretty impressed at the efforts DC went to attract attention to this new Firestorm.  Today’s post was solely about the promotions surrounding the launch of the Elemental Firestorm.  Sooner or later I’ll dedicate some posts detailing this fantastic era.  It really was an amazing run and well worth your time if you’ve never read it.

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• We’ve got a sneak peek of Firestorm from the Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths DVD scheduled for release next Tuesday, February 23. These photos confirm that the Firestorm that appears in the movie is the Jason Rusch version and he’s from the “good” Earth.  I guess in hindsight it’s not too surprising that it’s the Jason Firestorm since Dwayne McDuffie wrote the story for this movie; McDuffie wrote a few issues of Firestorm vol III and a JLA run with Jason.  It’ll be interesting to see if there is an “evil” counterpart to Firestorm within the Crime Syndicate.  Firestorm will apparently have a speaking part as Cedric Yarbrough has been identified as doing the voice of Firestorm in this film.  Also worth noting is that Firestorm’s costume is based upon the Jamal Igle version from Firestorm vol III.  Huge thanks to Rob over at the Aquaman Shrine for granting me permission to republish these images here.  Also, my thanks to Joshua Wolf for directing me towards this news.

• Comic Book Resources had some great coverage of the New York Toy Fair earlier this week.  They managed to get some amazing shots of upcoming DC figures from Mattel.  Below are the images they ran of Firestorm from the Justice League Unlimited line.  This figure is due out sometime in 2010 and will be available online and at Target.  Check out the Comic Book Resources article for pictures of other fantastic figures on the horizon (i.e. Blue Devil, several Aquaman figures, Blue Beetle, Ultra-Humanite, and more.  They’ve even got Cyclotron?!?!)

• I just stumbled across a nice blog post about Shadowstorm, the evil Firestorm doppleganger from the Elemental-era.  The post was written by NicodemusLegend for his Transforming Seminarian blog.  Click here to read the Shadowstorm post.  Additionally, NicodemusLegend did a thorough three-part series on “The Hard Life of Professor Martin Stein”.  Check out that series by clicking on the following links: Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.

• Steward Cook (a.k.a. bricolage) laid out his Firestorm: Rebirth proposal that he pitched to DC back in the 1990s.  Sounds like it would have been interesting.  Check it out by clicking here.
• The episode of Batman: The Brave & the Bold that featured Firestorm is now available to view online.  Click here to be watch.  My thanks to Jerrod Porter for sending this link my way.

Don’t forget to pick up your copy of the Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths DVD this coming Tuesday!

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If you haven’t listened to part one of the interview, please click here.  As I mentioned the other day, Gerry was absolutely wonderful to talk with. I really appreciate how generous he was with his time. We talked for roughly 80 minutes about Firestorm’s creation, artists, the writing process, creator rights, the DC Implosion, merchandise, where the character has journeyed since his involvement, and much more!

Gerry and I spoke so long, I had to break the interview into two parts. The first part ran about 50 minutes long, while this second part runs about 30 minutes.

You may play part two of the interview right here on the FIRESTORM FAN site with the handy-dandy player below! I apologize for not offering the interview in text format, but transcribing an interview that long would have taken months.

Alternatively, you may download the file and listen to it on an MP3 player or your computer. You may download part two of the interview by right-clicking here, choosing “Save Target/Link As”, and selecting a location on your computer to save the file (28.5 MB).

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the interview. To keep up with Gerry, be sure to check him out on Twitter and Facebook.

If that’s still not enough Gerry Conway Firestorm action for you, then check out Back Issue Magazine.  Gerry along with several others did a fantastic interview about Firestorm for Back Issue magazine three years ago. If you haven’t read it, issue #20 of Back Issue is available as a digital download from TwoMorrows Publishing. The PDF is only $2.95, so go check it out!

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Gerry Conway was one of the most prolific comic book writers of the 1970s and 80s.  His writing credits go on for miles! He’s probably best known for co-creating the Punisher and scripting the death of Gwen Stacy in the Amazing Spider-Man.  He also wrote for and produced such TV series as Law & Order and Diagnosis Murder.  Back in 1977, Gerry created Firestorm the Nuclear Man along with artist Al Milgrom.  Gerry continued to write the character of Firestorm for about nine years.  Gerry recently returned to comics after an almost 20 year absence with the insightful mini-series, The Last Days of Animal Man.

Gerry is a true professional and a joy to talk with. I really appreciate how generous he was with his time. We talked for roughly 80 minutes about Firestorm’s creation, artists, the writing process, creator rights, the DC Implosion, merchandise, where the character has journeyed since his involvement, and much more!

Given that we talked for so long, I’ve opted to break the interview into two parts.  The first part runs about 50 minutes long, while the second part runs about 30 minutes and will be available here later this week (UPDATE – part two is available now by clicking here).

You may play part one of the interview right here on the FIRESTORM FAN site with the handy-dandy player below! I apologize for not offering the interview in text format, but transcribing an interview that long would have taken months.

Alternatively, you may download the file and listen to it on an MP3 player or your computer. You may download part one of the interview by right-clicking here, choosing “Save Target/Link As”, and selecting a location on your computer to save the file (48.6 MB).

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the interview. To keep up with Gerry, be sure to check him out on Twitter and Facebook.

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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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