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Firestorm Word Balloons

Jul 11th, 2012
by Shag.
3 comments

One of the nice artistic touches in the current Fury of Firestorm series is the word balloons. Each of the Firestorm protocol characters has their own distinctive-looking word balloon. I asked the folks at Hi-Fi Colour Design who developed these unique looks. Here was their response:

Pre-2000 this was the colorist domain at DC. Today it is all the letterer! Hooray for them being able to bring more of their unique talents to each and every story. Comics really are a collaborative medium.

Therefore, looks like we’ve got Letterer Travis Lanham to thank for these cool artistic additions to the series! Below I’ve highlighted a few panels by Yildiray Cinar to demonstrate these unique word balloons.

Ronnie Raymond – red word balloons, yellow outline and yellow letters

Ronnie Raymond - Firestorm word balloon

Jason Rusch – yellow word balloon, red outline and red letters
Firehawk – white word balloon, red outline and red letters
Hurricane – black word balloon, yellow outline and yellow letters

Jason Rusch, Firehawk, Hurricane - Firestorm word balloon

Pozhar – white word balloon, red shaky outline and red letters
Rakshasi – violet word balloon, red outline and white letters

Pozhar and Rakshasi - Firestorm word balloon

Fury – black word balloon, shaky red outline and white shaky letters

Fury - Firestorm word balloon

Wrath – salmon word balloon, shaky black outline and black shaky letters

Wrath - Firestorm word balloon

Love those distinctive word balloons!

Support Firestorm (and Travis Lanham)! Fan the flame!

Posted in: Firehawk - The New 52, Firestorm #09: New 52 v1 (Firestorm Protocols), Firestorm comic vol. IV, Fury, Jason Rusch, Mikhail Arkadin/Pozhar, Ronnie Raymond, Yildiray Cinar.
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Dan Jurgens Takes Over Writing and Art with FIRESTORM #13

Jul 10th, 2012
by Shag.
24 comments

Big news, Match-heads! DC Comics shocked everyone yesterday by announcing Dan Jurgens will be taking over the writing and penciling chores on The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men starting with issue #13 in October.

First, let’s look at the official solicitation and cover. Second, read on for some of my thoughts on this creative change.

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN #13
Written by DAN JURGENS
Art by DAN JURGENS and RAY McCARTHY
Cover by DAN JURGENS and NORM RAPMUND
On sale OCTOBER 24 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Ronnie and Jason not only not only have to deal with a new twist to the Firestorm powers, but they also must face off against the murderous DataXen!
• New series writer/penciller Dan Jurgens blasts Firestorm in a whole new direction beginning this issue!

Below is the exciting cover to The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #13 by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund. Click the image to enlarge.

Fury of Firestorm #13 cover by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund

Wow, I don’t think anyone saw this announcement coming. To be honest, I was expecting a slow week here at FIRESTORM FAN… boy was I wrong!

THE NEW DIRECTION

We don’t know anything for sure, but based upon the solicitations and cover art for issues #0 and #13, it appears we’re getting a new Firestorm! Specifically, a Firestorm who looks similar to the “classic” or Brightest Day incarnation of the Nuclear Man! While I love the Firestorm Protocols storyline, I’m excited by these new developments! I can’t wait for issues #0 and #13!

JOE HARRIS AND YILDIRAY CINAR’S DEPARTURE

Personally, I’m very sad to see Joe Harris and Yildiray Cinar leave the series. I have no doubt Dan Jurgens will produce excellent comics, but I’ll still miss Joe and Yildiray. I really enjoyed their issues of The Fury of Firestorm. Not only are they amazingly talented, but they are also incredibly nice guys and have been very supportive of FIRESTORM FAN. Please continue to follow these fantastic creators on their next projects! You can support Joe Harris by pre-ordering his new creator-owned series, Great Pacific coming from Image Comics. Then, watch for announcements from Yildiary Cinar. He’s got something in development with DC Comics. Whenever it’s announced, please pre-order this item and show your support!

WELCOME DAN JURGENS

While I’m sad to see some of my favorite creators leave The Fury of Firestorm, I’m also excited to welcome another of my favorite creators! Dan Jurgens is a legend in the comics field. He’s written and drawn hundreds and hundreds of fantastic comics! I’ve been a fan of his work for over 20 years now. Some of my personal favorites of his include: Justice League International, Booster Gold, Adventures of Superman, Superman, Teen Titans, Aquaman, Tangent, Zero Hour, and Justice League America. That’s just to name a few! I’m very interested to see what direction he will take our favorite Nuclear Men. We’ll be talking lots more about Dan Jurgens in the coming months, but for now let’s give him a warm Match-head welcome!

Looks like we’ve got some exciting stories coming in the next few months! My thanks to the legion of Match-heads who sent me information on this big announcement: Jason Pope, Russell Burlingame, Randy Caldwell, Walter from Boosterrific, Raul Cotto, Keith G. Baker, Comicbook.com, Brandon Leonard, Ray Tigner, and Roger Priebe.

Support Firestorm (and Dan Jurgens, Joe Harris, and Yildiray Cinar)! Fan the flame!

Posted in: Comic books, Dan Jurgens, Firestorm #10: New 52 v2 (Ronnie/Jason), Firestorm comic vol. IV, Joe Harris, News, Yildiray Cinar.
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FURY OF FIRESTORM #10 Review – FIRE AND WATER Episode 23

Jul 9th, 2012
by Shag.
21 comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Firestorm and Aquaman: The Fire and Water PodcastThe 23rd 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 episode Shag and Rob talk about Aquaman #10 (by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Andy Lanning, and Rod Reis) and The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #10 (by Ethan Van Sciver, Joe Harris, Yildiray Cinar, Marlo Alquiza, and Hi-Fi)! Both storylines appear to be heading for dramatic conclusions in issue #12! The podcast wraps up with your listener feedback!

You can find the 23rd 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 (37 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! Intro theme, “That Time is Now,” by Michael Kohler. Special thanks to Daniel Adams and his band The Bad Mamma Jammas for our fantastic original closing theme!

Have a question or comment? Send us an e-mail at: firewaterpodcast@comcast.net

Check out the gorgeous virgin covers (meaning without the logos) to the The Fury of Firestorm and Aquaman issues covered on this podcast! Note Ronnie appears in the original art, but not on the final cover.

Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #10 cover by Yildiray Cinar, Ethan Van Sciver, and Hi-Fi Color

Aquaman #10 cover by Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, and Rod Reis

Support Firestorm and Aquaman! Fan the Flame and Ride the Wave!

Just a reminder.. if you haven’t pre-ordered your copy of The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #0 from your comic shop, please do so before July 18! Also, please do whatever you can to encourage other comic fans to pre-order this issue! For more details, please click here.

Posted in: Comic books, Ethan Van Sciver, Firehawk - The New 52, Firestorm #09: New 52 v1 (Firestorm Protocols), Firestorm comic vol. IV, Geoff Johns, Jason Rusch, Joe Harris, Mikhail Arkadin/Pozhar, Podcast, Ronnie Raymond, Yildiray Cinar.
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Firestorm Sketchapalooza!

Jul 6th, 2012
by Shag.
2 comments

Over the past few months a number of fantastic Match-heads have sent me information on cool Firestorm sketches. I’ve been collecting them for a while with the intention of publishing them. Rather than doling them out one at a time, I thought it might be fun to look at them all together! A veritable Sketchapalooza!

First up is a gorgeous sketch done at the recent HeroesCon by Firestorm vol 3 artist Jamal Igle! My thanks to Match-head Keith G. Baker for the heads-up on this one!

Firestorm by Jamal Igle from HeroesCon

Next up is a Nuclear Man sketch from New Zealand’s Armageddon Expo by Dave Johnson (covers for 100 Bullets and Detective Comics). Our good buddy Jon the Firestorm art collector (also from Fizzit, the Firestorm-themed blog) commissioned this cool sketch!

Firestorm by Dave Johnson from Armageddon Expo

Next is another amazing Armageddon Expo commission from Match-head Jon, this time by Carlo Pagulayan (Marvel cover artist, including Avengers vs. X-Men)! Such an astonishing piece!

Firestorm by Carlo Pagulayan from Armageddon Expo

Next is a striking sketch from HeroesCon by Jeremy Haun (Detective Comics, Berserker). My thanks to Luke Daab for the heads-up on this one.

 Firestorm by Jeremy Haun from HeroesCon

Next up is a beautiful Firestorm drawing penciled and inked by Robert Q. Atkins (Snake Eyes, GI Joe, Amazing Spider-Man) and colored by Kyle Ritter (Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman, Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons). My thanks to Caz for the heads-up on this one!

Firestorm by Robert Q. Atkins and Kyle Ritter

Next up is a fun sketch Match-head Terry Foster commissioned while at a comic shop called Starbase 21 in Tulsa. Thanks Terry for the heads-up!

Firestorm sketch from Starbase 21 in Tulsa

Finally, Firestorm by fellow Match-head Patrick Wait. He worked on this for an art class at a local museum and is hoping to finish it in the near future. My thanks to Patrick for sharing!

Firestorm by Patrick Wait

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!

Just a reminder.. if you haven’t pre-ordered your copy of The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #0 from your comic shop, please do so before July 18! Also, please do whatever you can to encourage other comic fans to pre-order this issue! For more details, please click here.

Posted in: Firestorm #01: Original (Ronnie/Martin), Jamal Igle, Sketch/Art.
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Lady Firestorm Cosplay at Denver Comic Con

Jul 5th, 2012
by Shag.
5 comments

Check out this creative Firestorm cosplay from the Denver Comic Con! I’m not sure who this young lady is, but I love that she repurposed her own real hair as Firestorm’s flametop! If anyone knows who she is, please direct her to this page. I’d love to chat with her about her cosplaying efforts. If I’m not mistaken, I believe she’s the first woman I’ve ever seen to cosplay Firestorm.

I found this first picture below on Paul Horn’s Flickr page.

Lady Firestorm cosplay from the Denver Comic Con found via Paul Horn's Flickr page

I found this next picture on Peter Rios’ Twitter feed. In fact, this is where I first heard about this Firestorm cosplay appearance.

Lady Firestorm cosplay from the Denver Comic Con found via Peter Rios' Twitter Feed

Great cosplaying by this young lady!

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!

Just a reminder.. if you haven’t pre-ordered your copy of The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #0 from your comic shop, please do so before July 18! Also, please do whatever you can to encourage other comic fans to pre-order this issue! For more details, please click here.

Posted in: Cosplay, Firestorm #01: Original (Ronnie/Martin).
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Happy Fourth of July to Firestorm Fans!

Jul 4th, 2012
by Shag.
3 comments

Happy Fourth of July to all you Match-heads! Today we’re celebrating with a fun image of Firestorm battling Mantis in front of a transformed Statue of Liberty. This comes from the Super Powers mini-comic that was included with the Super Powers Collection Firestorm action figure!

Super Powers Collection Firestorm mini-comic cover with Mantis

Dude, you don’t mess with the Statue of Liberty! Darkseid is gonna get trashed by the ole red, white, and blue (or red, white, and yellow in Firestorm’s case). To read the entire mini-comic, click here!

Support Firestorm (and the United States)! Fan the flame and Happy Fourth of July!

Just a reminder.. if you haven’t pre-ordered your copy of The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #0 from your comic shop, please do so before July 18! Also, please do whatever you can to encourage other comic fans to pre-order this issue! For more details, please click here.

Posted in: Firestorm #01: Original (Ronnie/Martin), Super Powers Collection.
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Pre-Order FURY OF FIRESTORM #0 Right Now!

Jul 3rd, 2012
by Shag.
2 comments

DC Comics will release The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #0 in September. Based upon the cover and solicitation, this looks like a great jumping-on point! Let’s spread the word and get new readers and old Firestorm fans alike to pre-order this book!

Based upon past sales figures, it seems feasible that Fury of Firestorm might be at risk for cancellation if sales don’t improve. We don’t have any evidence to back up that assumption, but it seems like a reasonable thought. The best way to ensure we continue to get Firestorm monthly is to increase sales. Issue #0 seems like our best chance to increase those sales numbers! Comic companies base a lot of decisions on orders from comic shops. Quick education for you… Most comic shops in the U.S. order their issues from Diamond Comic Distributors two months in advance. Which means comic shops will place their initial orders for The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #0 sometime in mid-July. DC Comics will receive the orders from Diamond Comic Distributors (and other comic distributors) and know how many issues to print. DC Comics will also use this order information to make business decisions, such as which titles to cancel. So you can see how important pre-orders are for a comic’s success.

Please pre-order your copy of The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #0 with your comic shop no later than July 18. The more copies ordered by comic shops, the stronger message we can send to DC Comics that we’ll support a monthly Firestorm comic!

I know there are lots of old school Firestorm fans not reading the current series. From what I’ve heard, many of them miss the classic Nuclear Man. Well, if you look at the cover to issue #0, it certainly looks like a story that might interest them! Please help spread the word to these lapsed Firestorm fans to pre-order issue #0! Check out the fantastic cover below by Yildiray Cinar, Marlo Alquiza, and Hi-Fi! Click the image to enlarge!

 Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #0 cover by Yildiray Cinar & Marlo Alquiza

Here is the solicitation for The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #0:

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #0
Written by Joe Harris
Art and cover by Yildiray Cinar and Marlo Alquiza
On sale September 26 | 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US | RATED T

  • Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond try to return to civilian life after losing the power of the Firestorm Protocols…but when danger threatens them, will they be able to survive?
  • Is this the end of Firestorm?

In addition to pre-ordering your own copy, please help spread the word! We want anyone that has ever enjoyed a Firestorm comic to pre-order issue #0 and give it a try! Use Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Google Plus, Linked In, Pinterest, Reddit, Digg, StumbleUpon, smoke signals… whatever. Just spread the word to pre-order Fury of Firestorm #0!

Support Firestorm!  It’s not just slogan!  Seriously, SUPPORT FIRESTORM by pre-ordering this issue! Fan the Flame!

Posted in: Comic books, Firestorm #09: New 52 v1 (Firestorm Protocols), Firestorm comic vol. IV, Jason Rusch, Joe Harris, Ronnie Raymond, Yildiray Cinar.
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WHO’S WHO: The Definitive Podcast of the DC Universe, Volume II

Jul 2nd, 2012
by Shag.
13 comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Who's Who: The Definitive Podcast of the DC UniverseThe Fire and Water Podcast Presents… WHO’S WHO: THE DEFINITIVE PODCAST OF THE DC UNIVERSE, Volume II!

The second episode of our WHO’S WHO podcast — the show that dares to tackle one of DC Comics’ greatest publications! Each episode Rob and I cover a single issue of the legendary 1980s series, Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe. This time around we discuss characters such as The Batman Family, Blackhawk, Big Barda, Bat Lash, and many more! We wrap up the show with Who’s Who Listener Feedback!

You can find the second episode of WHO’S WHO: THE DEFINITIVE PODCAST OF THE DC UNIVERSE on iTunes. Each episode is released as part of THE FIRE AND WATER PODCAST feed. While you’re on iTunes, please drop us a review. 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 (49 MB).

Thanks to my co-host Rob Kelly, Sea King of THE AQUAMAN SHRINE, for doing all the post-production on this episode! Special thanks to Daniel Adams and his band The Bad Mamma Jammas for our fantastic Who’s Who theme song!

Have a question or comment? Send us an e-mail at: firewaterpodcast@comcast.net

One of the coolest aspects of each Who’s Who issue was the amazing wrap-around cover! Check out this gorgeous George Perez cover for Volume II! Click the image to enlarge.

Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe, volume 2 cover by George Perez

Finally, here is your Firestorm-related Who’s Who entry from this issue…Black Bison, drawn by the amazing Pat Broderick! A foe going back to The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #1 (June 1982). Click the image to enlarge.

Black Bison Who's Who entry by Pat Broderick

Support Firestorm (and the WHO’S WHO podcast)! Fan the flame!

Posted in: George Perez, Pat Broderick, Podcast, Who's Who.
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Super-Cool Superhero-Themed Birthday Party for Kids

Jun 29th, 2012
by Shag.
7 comments

Today we’re looking at one of the coolest superhero-themed birthday parties for a child I’ve ever seen! The party itself looks awesome, and it’s made even better by a young lad dressed as Firestorm!

Peter, the 6 year old birthday boy, had a superhero-themed party (and an incredibly creative mother!). For the full scoop on the party, check out Brian Worlsey’s blog. Below you’ll find a photo of the children at the party. That’s young Andy rocking the Nuclear Man look! I’m totally digging that hat! Click the photo to enlarge.

Superhero Birthday Party with Firestorm, Superman, Spider-Man, Batman and more

Below you’ll find the amazingly cool Super Friends invitation!

Superhero Birthday Party Invitations with the Super Friends: Firestorm, Superman, Batman and more

Each of the birthday boy’s friends was assigned a Super Friend to come dressed up as for a scavenger hunt around the neighborhood. As they explored, Mr. Freeze’s henchmen (a.k.a. all of the kids’ Dads!) were ready to destroy their attempts. Below is an example of the character assignment cards. In this case, you can see Andy was assigned to play Firestorm! The cards even include costume suggestions! So cool! Click the image to enlarge.

Superhero Birthday Party with Firestorm, Flash, Superman, and Plastic Man

Wow! What a cool birthday party! For more pictures, more character assignment cards, mission clues, and much more, be sure to visit Brian Worley’s blog.

Now for a little fun. Check out the close-up shot below. If you study Firestorm’s left sleeve, you can see an orange-sleeved boy behind him. Looking at the character assignment cards, that must be the little boy named Ridge as Aquaman. For you FIRE AND WATER PODCAST fans, this just proves that even children know that Aquaman belongs in Firestorm’s shadow. :)

Superhero Birthday Party with Firestorm and Aquaman

My thanks to Tom Panarese for the heads-up about this amazing birthday party!

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!

Posted in: Cosplay, Firestorm #01: Original (Ronnie/Martin), Justice League of America, Super Powers Collection.
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Secret Files and Origins Blog Crossover – JLA Secret Files #3

Jun 28th, 2012
by Shag.
4 comments

CROSSOVER! Everybody loves a crossover! Several different blogs have combined forces to look at one of DC’s more interesting one-shot efforts, Secret Files and Origins!

If you’re unfamiliar with Secret Files and Origins, these were a series of one-shot comic books and mini-series produced by DC Comics between 1997 and 2010. These books were the illegitimate love-children of DC’s Secret Origins (1986-1990) and Who’s Who (1985-1993), but with the added benefit of being about one particular group and/or time period.

Today here at FIRESTORM FAN we’re going to look at JLA Secret Files #3 (December 2000).  This particular issue was released to capitalize on the fantastic “Tower of Babel” storyline that had just concluded in JLA. This 64-page Secret Files contained a nice full-length story that tied into “Tower of Babel”, some short stories, several character studies, and a section entitled “Incarnations of the Justice League”. One of those “Incarnations” was the Satellite Years, as you can see below. Interestingly, several members that appeared in the drawing apparently didn’t merit being mentioned in the text, such as Firestorm (ouch!), the Atom, and Green Arrow. Click the image for a larger version.

“Incarnations of the JLA: The Satellite Years”
Script by Scott Beatty and art by Phil Jimenez

JLA Secret Files #3 - Incarnations of the JLA: The Satellite Years by Scott Beatty and Phil Jimenez

Firestorm also appeared on another page in this particular issue. The page below comes from the lead story, “Blame”.  On this page, Batman identified potential ways to take out various JLA members. Nice, Bruce. Real nice. And you wonder why you don’t get invited to the JLA Christmas party each year. *Sheesh*

“Blame”
Script by D. Curtis Johnson, pencils by Pablo Raimondi,
inks by David Meikis and Claude St. Aubin

JLA Reserves from "Blame" by D Curtis Johnson, Pablo Raimondi, Claude St Aubin, and David Meikis

Prior to this Secret Files, Firestorm had appeared in another, Guide to the DC Universe 2000 Secret Files & Origins #1 (March 2000). A few years later, Firestorm earned an entire page to himself in JLA/JSA Secret Files & Origins #1 (January 2003).

Secret Files and Origins Crossover Links  ** UPDATED **

As mentioned, several different blogs have combined forces to look at various Secret Files issues. While I’m featuring Firestorm here on my site, you should visit these other character-specific blogs to see how they spotlight their own favorite heroes in Secret Files. Visit them now, visit them later, and visit them often!

  • And be sure to check out a late entry… Flash @ Speed Force

My thanks to Diabolu Frank and Anj for organizing today’s crossover event! If you’ve enjoyed this blog crossover, then you should check out some previous comic blog crossovers we’ve done. The first major blog crossover celebrated the gorgeous George Pérez/Alex Ross painting from the Crisis on Infinite Earths 1998 hardcover. The next major blog crossover was a celebration of the Super Powers Collection’s 25th Anniversary. Some subsequent major crossovers included: DC Challenge, Read This Too, Mayfairstivus, April Fool’s Day 2011, Blackest Night to Brightest Day, and Animated Anthem Day!

Support Firestorm (and these other bloggers)! Fan the flame!

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Posted in: Crossover, Firestorm #01: Original (Ronnie/Martin), Firestorm #05: Ron solo, Justice League of America.
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