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Secret Files and the Ultimate Guide to the JLA – 2002 & 2003

Welcome back for the fourth installment of WHO’S WHO WEEK here at FIRESTORM FAN!

Today we’ll be looking at the years when Ronnie Raymond flew solo as Firestorm (1995 – 2004).  Between July 1996 (when Extreme Justice ended) and October 2002 (when Firestorm rejoined the JLA), Firestorm appearances in the DC universe were few and far between.  Additionally, DC had stopped publication on their Who’s Who series in 1993.  So we did not see any encyclopedic-like entries on our favorite matchhead until about the time he rejoined the JLA.

Our first entry today is from DK’s JLA: The Ultimate Guide to the Justice League of America (November 2002).  Firestorm is listed in the section dedicated to “Leagues Associates”.  The text was written by Scott Beatty and the image is from a previous Firestorm comic book appearance.

The next entry came from the JLA/JSA Secret Files & Origins #1 (January 2003).  DC developed the Secret Files format to continue the encyclopedic efforts of Who’s Who, but with the added benefit of targeting the content to one particular group.  For example, this particular Secret Files was just about the JLA and the JSA.  It was released to capitalize on the publication of an original hardcover graphic novel starring both the JLA and JSA. One of the major differences between Who’s Who and Secret Files is that the Secret Files format is a combination of encyclopedic entries as well as several short stories about the related characters.

This was the first encyclopedic-like entry for Firestorm in over a decade (since his last appearance in Who’s Who in 1991).  The text was written by Scott Beatty with art by Dietrich Smith and Sean Parsons.

If you are interested in reading the text, click the image for a larger version.

This last one comes from JLA-Z: A Guide to the World’s Greatest Super-Heroes #1 (November 2003). While it isn’t incredibly comprehensive, it still makes for a nice informational piece with great art. The text was written by Mike McAvennie with art by Tom Nguyen.

JLA-Z: A Guide to the Worlds Greatest Super-heroes - Firestorm

Come back for the final installment tomorrow when we look at the Jason Rusch version of Firestorm!

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2 Comments

  1. NSP says:

    I always loved these Secret Files! A good refresher on info, and a great pin-up! :)

    NSP

  2. […] 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). […]

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