Happy Thanksgiving to all the match-heads out there! Thanks to A.j. Chwaster for sending this image my way! Click the image to enlarge.
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New Page Header Featuring the Blank Slate Firestorm
Some of you eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that the page header here on FIRESTORM FAN frequently changes. It’s set to randomly select a header every time you visit. Go ahead, click refresh and watch the header. Since it’s random, it’s possible you’ll see the same header again. If you do, just click refresh again. Its okay, we’ll wait for you. … … …
See, I told you. Pretty neat, huh! To start with, I want at least one header representing each incarnation of Firestorm. Eventually, I want a zillion different headers. Up until now, the Blank Slate Firestorm wasn’t represented in any of the headers. Given how similar he looks to the original Firestorm, I was having trouble making him easily identifiable. This past weekend I got the idea to incorporate the United States and Soviet flags with some of Joe Brozowski’s artwork. That seemed like a great way to quickly identify this Firestorm as the Blank Slate version. A little photoshop later and viola!
I kind of dig the imagery. I think I’ll keep this graphic around to represent the Blank Slate version when needed. Hope you like it!
By the way, there are a total of nine different page headers for FIRESTORM FAN. How many have you seen?
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Firestorm Wallpaper featuring art by Ivan Reis
I came across this cool Firestorm wallpaper on Sensor Sweep! It’s based upon the Brightest Day #10 variant cover by Ivan Reis. Click here to be taken to Sensor Sweep where you can get a 1600×1200 resolution version of this wallpaper. I love the classic “Fury of” logo! Sweet!
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Young Justice Preview featuring Killer Frost
I’m so jazzed! Cartoon Network has released a six-minute preview of the new Young Justice cartoon! The series premieres on November 26 at 7pm Eastern. I loved the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited series, so I can’t wait for Young Justice.
While the Nuclear Man hasn’t been listed amongst the guest-starring JLA members, we do get to see Aquaman and Aqualad fight Firestorm’s archenemy Killer Frost in this preview. Check out two screen captures and the video below!
If you can’t view the embedded video above, please click here.
I can’t wait!!!
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Black Lantern Firestorm Bust
DC Direct just announced their intention to release a Blackest Night Black Lantern Firestorm bust in 2011! This is part of DC Direct’s year-long program to produce a new Blackest Night bust each month in 2011.
HEROES OF THE DC UNIVERSE: BLACKEST NIGHT BLACK LANTERN FIRESTORM Bust
Based on the art of Ivan Reis — Sculpted by Jean St. Jean
Black Lantern Firestorm continues the HEROES OF THE DC UNIVERSE: BLACKEST NIGHT bust line! The sculpture features Firestorm atop a special base that displays the spectrum of Lantern symbols.
The bust is hand-painted, cold-cast in porcelain, measures approximately 5.75″ high x 5″ wide x 5″ deep and is packaged in a 4-color box.
Limited Edition.
$ 70.00 US | On Sale July 13, 2011
While I’m excited about this piece, I really wish Firestorm would get the statue treatment. Oh well, I’ll look forward to the Black Lantern Firestorm bust while I dream of this…
My thanks to Luke (from Being Carter Hall and El Jacone’s Comic Book Bunker) for sending me information on this bust!
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Firestorm Wallets
Check out these super-cute Firestorm wallets produced by micahmyers on Etsy.com. Each wallet is handmade from the actual comic book pages and covered with shelving paper. According to his site, each wallet has two pockets, can hold several cards, and has a large money compartment. The wallets are approximately 8″ wide when opened and 2.5″ tall.
The wallets normally sell for $3 each plus shipping, but appear to be on sale for $2 today. At the time of this writing, there are six different Firestorm wallets available on Etsy.com.
The creator has several other handmade wallets featuring your favorite superheroes. Be sure to check ’em out!
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The Elemental War: Firestorm meets the Swamp Thing
Today we conclude our coverage of “The Elemental War” from Firestorm #90-93! On Wednesday we provided an overview of the entire storyline and highlighted some fantastic Tom Mandrake artwork. Yesterday we chronicled Firestorm’s vision quest and first meeting with Maya. Today we’re going to look at Firestorm’s encounters during this storyline with Swamp Thing, the earth Elemental.
Before we get to that, we need to recognize Frank from Power of the Atom for joining our coverage of “The Elemental War”! Captain Atom was featured in a one-page cameo during this storyline suggesting the silver-clad hero may actually be another Elemental, specifically a Quantum Elemental. Click here to visit the Power of the Atom blog for more on this cameo, as well as to read Frank’s hilarious musings on Red Tornado in this story. My thanks to Frank for sharing in our coverage!
Also, Doug came back with further coverage of “The Elemental War” over on the Red Tornado’s Path. Check out Red Tornado trashing the mess out of a small Japanese town and a look at his origin by clicking here! Thanks to Doug for continuing his fantastic coverage!
Today we’ll be covering a few scenes from Firestorm #92 and #93. In each of these scenes Firestorm interacts with the Swamp Thing. This was fairly unusual as appearances by Swamp Thing during this era were rare outside of his Mature Readers comic. Also worth noting, at the time “The Elemental War” was published writer Rick Veitch had just left the monthly Swamp Thing title in a widely publicized creative dispute. These were interesting times for the earth Elemental.
The scene below picks up immediately after Firestorm’s vision of Maya. The fire elemental remains trapped at the bottom of the sea after being knocked unconscious by his fellow water and air Elementals. I love the “pabloodleloop” sound effect!
For those of us that loved the “Eden” storyline in Firestorm #77-79 during the “Blank Slate” era, this served as a somewhat sad epilogue. Also worth noting in this scene was Firestorm forswearing the use of his transmutation powers going forward. While the Elemental Firestorm had rarely used them anyway, this officially closed the door on that power.
Next up are some pages from Firestorm #93. As we join the scene, Naiad and Red Tornado have already destroyed the Japanese city of Nohana and are making their way towards Tokyo…
Wow! I love that scene where Swamp Thing grows to cover the entire city of Tokyo! That’s so cool! Godzilla’s got nothing on ole Swampy! 
The battle rages amongst the Elementals until Firestorm shows what fury he’s truly capable of (pun intended). Here once again is the splash page we looked at on Wednesday. Click to enlarge.
Once Naiad agrees to listen, Firestorm describes Maya and her plan for the Elementals. Naiad chooses to call off her war and retreats into the sea contemplating the role Maya intended for her. Firestorm then turns to Red Tornado…
Once Firestorm burns the empty shell left behind by Swamp Thing, he addresses the citizens of Tokyo…
Awesome! Just plain awesome! John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake crafted a fantastic superhero comic that also conveyed a message. A message that still resonates. Nowadays we live in an era where every corporation pats themselves on the back for their “green” initiatives. We should take a moment to recognize Ostrander and Mandrake for their work spreading this message over 20 years ago.
For those of you that own these issues, I recommend you give them a re-read. If this story is new to you, seek out these issues from back issue dealers. You won’t be disappointed.
Once again, here is a rundown of the links for “The Elemental War” coverage:
- An overview of “The Elemental War” storyline and some gorgeous Tom Mandrake artwork – FIRESTORM FAN
- Red Tornado enters the fray of “The Elemental War” – RED TORNADO’S PATH
- Firestorm’s vision quest and first meeting with Maya, the Soul of the Earth – FIRESTORM FAN
- Captain Atom’s cameo and commentary on Red Tornado’s role in “The Elemental War” – POWER OF THE ATOM
- Red Tornado & Naiad destroy a Japanese city and a look at Red Tornado’s origin – RED TORNADO’S PATH
- Firestorm’s encounters with Swamp Thing during “The Elemental War” – FIRESTORM FAN
My thanks to Doug and Frank for supporting this team-up, and an extra special thanks to you for reading it!
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The Elemental War: Firestorm meets the Soul of the Earth
We’re continuing our coverage of “The Elemental War” from Firestorm #90-93! Yesterday we gave an overview of the entire storyline and highlighted some fantastic Tom Mandrake artwork. Today we’re going to focus on one particular scene from this adventure.
Before we get started, I want to give a shout-out to Doug with Red Tornado’s Path! Doug has joined us in our coverage of “The Elemental War” this week, tackling some of Red Tornado’s activities during this storyline. Click here to visit the Red Tornado’s Path blog where you can read several more pages of “The Elemental War”! Also, don’t miss his insightful comments regarding the coloring on these issues. My thanks to Doug for sharing in our coverage!
Today we’ll be looking at a scene from Firestorm #92 which chronicles our favorite fire Elemental’s vision quest and first meeting with Maya. The scene only lasted seven pages, but it helped answer some of the questions that had been surrounding Firestorm for the previous six months.
In Firestorm #91, our hero was knocked unconscious and trapped at the bottom of the sea by his fellow water and air Elementals. This is where issue #92 picks up…
Wow! That’s deep stuff for a superhero comic! There are some seriously cool mythology-building moments in the panels above. I really enjoy John Ostrander’s take on the Elementals. It was purposefully different from what we’d seen previously in Swamp Thing, yet still managed to work (as we’ll discuss tomorrow). Did you take time to appreciate the gorgeous Tom Mandrake storytelling going on above? Some were full splash pages while others were six panels. This is how comics should be done! Another win for Ostrander and Mandrake!
Check back here tomorrow as we conclude our look at “The Elemental War”!
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The Elemental War: Splash Pages… literally
Back in 1989 the forces of nature engaged in fierce battle while the human race cowered in fear. Water, fire, wind, and earth raged against one another to determine the fate of mankind. This was THE ELEMENTAL WAR!
“The Elemental War” ran four issues through Firestorm vol II #90 – #93. The comics were written by John Ostrander and drawn by Tom Mandrake. The story featured a newly-created water elemental and the Red Tornado (in his air Elemental form) as they attempted to cleanse the Earth. Firestorm (the fire Elemental) and the Swamp Thing (the earth Elemental) opposed water and air, eventually convincing them to give humanity another chance.
“The Elemental War” was such a fantastic storyline! Excellent, thought-provoking writing combined with stunning visuals! What more could you ask for?!?!? For the rest of this week we’ll be looking at some pages from “The Elemental War”. We’re only going to touch on certain elements of this story, rather than a comprehensive review. If you want the complete story, be sure to pick up these comics from the back issue bins. Along the way this week, a few other bloggers might join us in our coverage. Stay tuned for more on that later this week.
As I re-read Ostrander’s run on Firestorm, I was once again impressed with the maturity displayed in these comics. While most series in the late 80s featured a villain-of-the-month, Firestorm was regularly tackling socially relevant subjects such as: environmental pollution, international politics, famine, philosophy, cancer, and the grief resulting from the loss of a loved one. These stories went well beyond other standard superhero comics of the age. In fact, these issues really straddled the fence between superhero and mature reader comics.
“The Elemental War” focused primarily on environmental pollution. This story also demonstrated how international the series was at the time. These issues took our hero from the coast of Alaska to New York City, and then to Russia, Africa, and finally Japan. He definitely got around!
Y’know, DC has pretty much closed the door on the Elemental Firestorm in Brightest Day, however, I believe this story is an ideal candidate for their new DC Comics Presents reprint program. It’s a great self-contained tale that is big on action and writing. I’d love to see it get the collected treatment. In the meantime, be sure to seek out these issues from back issue dealers, or simply re-read them if you already own them.
Okay enough of my jibber-jabber. Time for some beautiful Tom Mandrake artwork! Below you’ll find the splash page to Firestorm #91. Get it? “Splash” page? I’m funny. Click the image to enlarge.
Below you’ll find another splash page, this one from the climatic battle in Firestorm #93. Click the image to enlarge.
Below you’ll find the four gorgeous Tom Mandrake covers to “The Elemental War”. Issue #91 features one of my all-time favorite Firestorm covers! Also, I really dig the iconic pose for the Elemental Firestorm on the cover to issue #92.
That’s all for today. Check back here tomorrow for more Elemental War action!
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Firestorm Original Art Fiesta!
It’s time for more original Firestorm artwork from our good friend Jon at the Fizzit Firestorm-themed blog! He happens to own several original Firestorm pages and convention sketches and has been kind enough to allow me to publish scans of them here. 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.
First up is page by Ken Lashley and Rob Stull from Firestorm volume III #33. There is some really nice New God action going on here. Click the image to enlarge.
Below you’ll find a convention sketch of Firestorm by Darick Robertson (The Boys and Transmetropolitan). Knowing Darick was a Firestorm fan, Jon asked him to sketch this at the recent Armageddon Expo in Auckland, New Zealand.
Jon also got this Firestorm and Firehawk sketch by James Tucker (producer of Legion of Super Heroes and Batman: The Brave and the Bold) at the recent Armageddon Expo in Auckland, New Zealand.
Finally, Jon got this headshot from Georges Jeanty (Buffy: The Vampire Slayer Season 8 ) also while at the Armageddon Expo.
My thanks again to Jon at the Fizzit Firestorm-themed blog for providing me with theses scans to publish!
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