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Firestorm Appearances in September 2009

Jun 22nd, 2009
by Shag.
2 comments

Firestorm is a busy guy this coming September.  Here are a few comics he’ll be appearing in…

While he’s not mentioned in the solicit below, you can see a great rendition of the Jason Rusch Firestorm above on the cover to Justice League of America #37 (shipping on my birthday!).

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #37
Written by Len Wein
Pencil art by Tom Derenick
Cover by Joe Prado
It’s the epic finale of the 3-part Royal Flush arc as Roulette and Amos Fortune raise the stakes, and the JLA go all in! But with the odds against them, the team had better pray for a last-minute miracle before their chips are cashed in for good.
On sale September 23 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

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Firestorm versus the Bride of Frankenstein during World War II?!?!  So bizarre that it’s awesome!

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA 80-PAGE GIANT #1
Written by Chuck Kim, Josh Williamson, Rich Fogel and others
Art by Mahmud Asrar, Adrian Syaf and others
Cover by Jay Anacleto
With a tale this massive, we could only fit it in an 80-page giant! When a battle between Epoch and the Time Commander spills over into our era, the Justice League finds itself scattered throughout time. That leaves Superman and Dr. Light fighting alongside a tornado-powered Samurai, Green Lantern and Red Arrow locked in a showdown with Cinnamon in the Old West, Green Arrow and Firestorm facing the Bride of Frankenstein in WWII, John Stewart and Vixen drawing swords alongside the Shining Knight, and Black Canary and Zatanna evading gangsters with the original Crimson Avenger!

Reintroducing the classic, extra-sized issues for a whole new generation, this special issue features the writing of TV’s Chuck Kim (Heroes) and Rich Fogel (Batman Beyond, Justice League) along with writer Joshua Williamson (Dear Dracula) and artists such as Mahmud Asrar (Dynamo 5) and Adrian Syaf (BLACKEST NIGHT: BATMAN)!
On sale September 30 • 80 pg, FC, $5.99 US

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We already mentioned Blackest Night #3 and the variant cover, but here is the solicit again (for the sense of completeness).

BLACKEST NIGHT #3
Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert
Variant cover by Ethan Van Sciver
Sketch variant cover by Ivan Reis
As the dead attack in full force, Green Lantern is faced with an impossible decision and the scattered remains of the Justice League suffer a terrible loss. Who can stop the Black Lanterns? Why are they rising? And how can the Spectre help?
On sale September 16 • 3 of 8 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US

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September is going to be a good month for us match-head fans!!

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Posted in: Advertisements, Blackest Night, Comic books, Firestorm #07: Jason post-Infinite Crisis, Justice League of America, News.
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Firestorm Cameo in Green Lantern #43

Jun 17th, 2009
by Shag.
2 comments

Check out this one-panel cameo of Firestorm in Green Lantern #43.  That issue is a prelude to Blackest Night.  The image came from the DC Blog.  Click the image for an enlarged view.

Dang… I can not wait!  Seeing all of these characters again is going to be awesome!

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Posted in: Blackest Night, Comic books, Ronnie Raymond.
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Blackest Night #3 Variant Cover by Ethan Van Sciver

Jun 15th, 2009
by Shag.
5 comments

Check out this amazing Firestorm-related cover by Ethan Van Sciver!  This is the variant cover for Blackest Night #3 shipping in September, featured on IGN.com.

In the foreground you’ve got a great shot of the Jason Rusch Firestorm.  Normally Firestorm’s eyes are opaque white, but here is good usage of showing the iris. Very effective in communicating what is going on in Jason’s head.  Next check out the hidden symbols in Firestorm’s flaming hair.  You can see the symbols for the Red Lanterns, Orange Lanterns, the Sinestro Corps, Green Lanterns, Blue Lanterns, Indigo Tribe, and Star Sapphires.  That is really cool!

Then in the background you’ve got a really impressive shot of Black Lantern Firestorm!  His mono-chromatic costume looks great.  I love the design of this suit; it really honors the original costume (even with puffy sleeves!) and still conveys the Black Hand influence.  The energy coming off Black Lantern Firestorm shoots up in five different directions (like the Black Lantern symbol).

Most unexpected are the Firestorm villains as Black Lanterns climbing out of coffins.  Killer Frost, Hyena (see update below), Black Bison, and the second Enforcer!  That is so friggin’ cool!  I’m obviously a real sucker for these minor characters, and I’m thrilled they are getting such exposure.  Only one small gripe… Hyena in a short sleeve shirt doesn’t really work for me.  Maybe it’s just me.

Here is the solicit for the issue itself:

BLACKEST NIGHT #3
Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert
Variant cover by Ethan Van Sciver
Sketch variant cover by Ivan Reis

As the dead attack in full force, Green Lantern is faced with an impossible decision and the scattered remains of the Justice League suffer a terrible loss. Who can stop the Black Lanterns? Why are they rising? And how can the Spectre help?

Retailers please note: This issue will ship with three covers. For every 25 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Ethan Van Sciver). For every 100 copies of the Standard Edition, retailers may order one copy of the Sketch Variant Edition (with a cover by Ivan Reis). Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.

On sale September 16 – 3 of 8 – 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US

Wow.  Just, wow.  I’m so excited for this series!!!  I really hope Jason gets a chance to shine, and that he comes out of the series still active as Firestorm in some way (merged with Ronnie, the Professor, or by himself).

My thanks to Michael Bailey (VIEWS FROM THE LONGBOX podcast and the FORTRESS OF BAILEYTUDE blog) and Doug (the DOOM PATROL blog) for pointing me towards this cover.  Thanks guys!

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UPDATES: That is not Hyena, it is Weasel.  This was confirmed by Ethan Van Sciver over at Geoff John’s Message Board.  That explains the shirt.

Someone else pointed out that this cover is reminiscent of an older Firestorm cover.  There are definitely some parallels between this cover and the cover to Firestorm (volume III) #10.  Click here to see that cover.

Someone put together a handy guide to finding the Lantern symbols in the Jason Rusch Firestorm’s flaming hair.  Click here to see that visual guide.

Posted in: Blackest Night, Comic books, Ethan Van Sciver, Firestorm #07: Jason post-Infinite Crisis, Killer Frost, Ronnie Raymond.
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Firestorm by Rick Veitch

Jun 11th, 2009
by Shag.
2 comments

Rich Veitch (well-known for his work on Swamp Thing, Aquaman, The Question, and his self-publishing company King Hell Press) recently did a commission of Firestorm.  It was featured on his blog, but he was kind enough to grant me permission to reprint it here.  Check out this beautiful piece!

Click here to see the pencils of this artwork (featuring colossal Kirby mitts).  Thanks, Rick!

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Posted in: Firestorm #01: Original (Ronnie/Martin), Sketch/Art.
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Nuclear News – 2009.06.08

Jun 8th, 2009
by Shag.
2 comments

Welcome to another installment of FIRESTORM FAN’s Nuclear News!  Sorry I’ve been away for a bit.  My other blog, ONCE UPON A GEEK, has been keeping me busy.  Lots to catch up on, so let’s get on with it..

  • Dwayne McDuffie, writer of Justice League of America, has been fired from the JLA book.  According to McDuffie, the termination had nothing to do with the quality of his work or the level of sales, rather with his revealing behind-the-scenes creative discussions.  Len Wein will temporarily replace him on the book.  So where does this leave Firestorm (Jason Rusch)?  Not sure at this point.  However, I know that McDuffie wasn’t the one who put Firestorm in the JLA.  That was decided before McDuffie even took the assignment (click here for more on that).  So hopefully that same person will keep Firestorm in the book.
  • The Last Days of Animal Man #1 shipped a couple weeks ago.  This book is written by Firestorm creator and long-time writer, Gerry Conway.  This is his first foray into comics in 20 years.  Here are a couple reviews of the book: IGN and  Comic Book Resources.
  • Not new news, but still interesting.  On the TV show Big Bang Theory, the character of Sheldon consistently shows off his fondness for superheroes.  He was seen in episode 16 wearing a t-shirt with Firestorm on it (the same shirt that was featured here a while back).  Click here and click here for more information on Sheldon’s shirts.  Additionally, Ed from Ordinary Man reports that a Firestorm action figure appeared in Sheldon’s apartment in one episode!
  • Not directly related, but Firestorm Cafe and Books in Asheville celebrates it’s first anniversary.  While it’s not related to the DC superhero in any way, I will be in Asheville in August and plan to try and visit the book store because of the name (and I’m a sucker for book stores).
  • Mail it to Team-Up recently re-presented DC Comics Presents #90, featuring Superman, Captain Atom, and Firestorm.  This is an interesting pre-Crisis team-up between the three characters.  Both Superman and Captain Atom were dramatically changed after Crisis on Infinite Earths, so this is a unique look at the characters just before the changes were implemented.
  • The message boards are buzzing with speculation about what will happen to Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch after Blackest Night.
  • Frank over at …nurgh… posted a gorgeous copy of the advertisement for the 1986 Firestorm/Blue Devil crossover.  I did a scan of the same ad a few months ago, and mine looks like garbage compared to his.  You really gotta check it out!
  • Dan Mishkin & Gary Cohn (creators of Blue Devil and Amethyst Princess of Gemworld) were recently interviewed by yours truly.  There was some brief discussion of the 1986 Firestorm/Blue Devil crossover.  You can listen to the entire audio interview over at ONCE UPON A GEEK, or download the file and listen at your leisure.

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Posted in: Blackest Night, Comic books, Dwayne McDuffie, Gerry Conway, Justice League of America, News.
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Firestorm … The Nuclear Blockhead?

May 20th, 2009
by Shag.
4 comments

Firestorm gets funky with DC Direct’s new line of BLAMMOIDS toys coming in January 2010.  According to DC, BLAMMOIDS is a new wave of boldly designed toys unlike anything you’ve experienced before. A striking, energetic and kinetic take on the heroes you hold dear, how could you not want to collect them all? They bounce. They BOOM. They’re collectible. They’re Blammoids. They’re fun.

Here is the official solicit for the Firestorm Blammoid from the DC Direct page:

Funky. Chunky. Fun.

Real compact – with real impact!

BLAM! A funky, chunky collection of boldly designed toys that pack a lot of punch in squatty body!

POW! A striking, hyper-stylized twist on the world’s greatest heroes and their biggest foes. Too tough to call small – you’ll want to collect them all!

The Firestorm BLAMMOID is packaged on a blister card, each measures approximately 2.5″ to 4″ tall with three points of articulation.

From the pictures, I’m not sure if Firestorm’s flaming hair is translucent of not (looks translucent in one pic, but not in the other).  Either way, it’s a really interesting interpretation of Firestorm (love the head!).  Also, it’s impressive that Firestorm rated the initial wave of these toys along with Batman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Joker, and Sinestro.  That says a lot for our favorite Matchhead!

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Posted in: News, Toys.
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Black Lantern Firestorm… sneak peek

May 12th, 2009
by Shag.
7 comments

Last week DC released the following teaser of the Black Lantern Ronnie Raymond/Firestorm.  It looks pretty freakin’ amazing!  Even though it lists Ivan Reis’ name next to the picture, I’m pretty sure this drawing was done by Ethan Van Sciver.

Since the drawing above is a negative, I reversed the black/white to show another version of the picture.

I can’t wait to see what they do with Ronnie!

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Posted in: Advertisements, Blackest Night, Comic books, Firestorm #05: Ron solo, Ronnie Raymond.
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Firestorm in Blackest Night #0

May 4th, 2009
by Shag.
4 comments

Blackest Night #0 was released this past Saturday as part of FREE COMIC BOOK DAY.  I hope you had a chance to pick it up.  It was rumored that Ronnie Raymond/Firestorm would make an appearance in the book.  Well, he did… sort of.

You could see the original Firestorm’s back in a flashback of Barry Allen’s funeral.  Then at the end, while the Black Hand was reciting the Black Lantern Oath, we saw this…

“The better of two minds”.  Love that.  Since Professor Stein wasn’t around when Ronnie died, I wonder who arranged for the headstone.  And since it wasn’t Professor Stein who arranged for the headstone, should the Professor consider the epitaph to be a slam against him?  Probably not.  I’m sure its just a kind message for the much-loved Ronnie.  Sorry, these are the kind of random thoughts that go through my head.

Later in the book, they did a feature page on the Black Lanterns:

Most web sites are assuming (and I agree) that the red puffy sleeve is the arm of Ronnie Raymond/Firestorm.  However, it appears there may have been an error in the coloring.  I believe the artist intended for Ronnie to be wearing a glove, rather than having his zombie hand exposed.  If you look closely at Ronnie’s hand (pictured below left), you can see stitching and no thumbnail.  It looks like that was supposed to be a glove.  Just to see what it would look like in yellow, I took the liberty of recoloring the hand (pictured below right).  I’m no comic book colorist, but I believe this is closer to what the artist intended.

Even if it turns out that the hand belongs to someone else, Geoff Johns has confirmed that Ronnie Raymond will be a Black Lantern.  So regardless, we’re one step closer to seeing Ronnie again!  July 15th can’t get here soon enough!

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Posted in: Blackest Night, Comic books, Firestorm #05: Ron solo, Geoff Johns, Ronnie Raymond.
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Ronnie Raymond Appearance This Saturday?

Apr 28th, 2009
by Shag.
4 comments

We’ve known for quite some time that Ronnie Raymond will be a Black Lantern in the upcoming Blackest Night crossover.  Well, Blackest Night #0 is being released this Saturday, May 2, and rumor has it that Ronnie will make a cameo.  The rumors I’ve heard state that Ronnie’s gravestone will be seen in the issue, and possibly Ronnie himself on the last page.  I can’t wait!  By the way, Blackest Night #0 is being given away free on Saturday as part of FREE COMIC BOOK DAY.  C’mon… it’s free!  Check it out!

We still haven’t seen what zombie Ronnie Raymond will look like as a Black Lantern.  However, if you are curious what other Black Lanterns look like, check out these sneak peeks: Superman (Golden Age from Earth-2), Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter.

If you are looking for some good Jason Rusch/Firestorm action, check out last week’s Justice League of America #32.  If you haven’t read the issue already, you can find a few preview pages featuring Firestorm at Newsarama.

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Posted in: Comic books, Firestorm #05: Ron solo, Firestorm #07: Jason post-Infinite Crisis, Justice League of America, News, Ronnie Raymond.
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Firestorm Painting by Tom Fleming

Apr 21st, 2009
by Shag.
2 comments

Here is an absolutely breathtaking painting of Firestorm.  It was done by Tom Fleming for the “VS System” collectible card game produced by Upper Deck.

I had the opportunity to meet Tom last year at Dragon*Con and chatted with him for a while.  He mentioned that at first he wasn’t too excited when Upper Deck commissioned him to do the Firestorm painting.  After all, puffy sleeves can be a real pain to illustrate.  However, his wife was kind enough to sew him some real-life puffy sleeves which he could then photograph and use for reference. Personally I think this painting turned out phenomenal.  Great job, Tom!

I bought my copy of this print from Tom at Dragon*Con.  You can buy your own 11×17 print of this poster right now by clicking here.  For further information on Tom Fleming visit his Web site or visit the Catskill Comics Web site.  If you want to meet Tom himself, he’ll be at Dragon*Con again this year at the Art Show.

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Posted in: Firestorm #01: Original (Ronnie/Martin), Sketch/Art.
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