Firestorm (comic series)
Firestorm (dt. Firestorm ) is the title of a series of comic publications that the US publisher DC Comics publishes since 1978.
The focus of the Firestorm comics is a so-called superhero character of the same name , which goes back to the author Gerry Conway and the illustrator Al Milgrom , who first introduced the character in March 1978 in the comic book Firestorm No. 1 - the first issue of the first series of this title - presented. In terms of genre, the Firestorm comics have always been a mixture of science fiction / fantasy comics on the one hand and adventure comics on the other.
Publications under the Firestorm title
DC launched the first Firestorm series in 1978. However, this series was discontinued within a few months - in the course of an extensive reduction in the product range (so-called "DC implosion") in autumn 1978 after only five issues. After the American comic book market had recovered from a slump in demand in the late 1970s, was Firestorm in June 1982 under the title Fury of Firestorm restarted. This second series proved to be far more durable than the previous title and, by the time it was discontinued in August 1990, had reached exactly one hundred regular editions, as well as five special editions titled Annuals . Issues No. 65–92 appeared under the title Firestorm, the Nuclear Man while issues No. 93–100 were simply briefly titled as Firestorm . In the late 1970s and early 1980s, some Firestorm stories also appeared as a backup story in the series The Flash , from which the second Firestorm series, started in 1982, emerged.
From July 2004 to June 2007, DC finally launched a new, third, Firestorm series that reached a total of thirty-five editions.
The list of authors who worked on Firestorm includes the creator of the character, Gerry Conway, who wrote the first Firestorm series and the second series up to issue no. 50, among others, John Ostrander (2nd series, no. 50-100 ), Dan Jolley (3rd series, nos. 1-13), Stuart Moore (nos. 14-32) and Dwayne McDuffie (nos. 33-35).
The most important illustrators of the Firestorm comics include Pat Broderick , who designed the first series completely and issues # 1-7 and # 10-11 for the second series, Rafael Kayanan , George Pérez (short stories in The Flash ). Joe Brozowski (Vol. 2, # 55-56, 58-64, 66, 71-80, 100), Tom Grindberg (Vol. 2, # 81-85, 100), Tom Mandrake (Vol. 2, series, # 86-100), Criss Cross (Vol. 3, # 1-5) and Jamal Igle (3rd series, # 8-10, 12-18, 19-23, 23-31, 32). Guest draftsmen who designed individual Firestorm issues were Jerome Moore (Vol. 2, # 8-9), Joe Delbo (Vol. 2, # 57), Ross Andru (Vol. 2, # 65), JJ Birch (Vol. 2, # 67, 69-70, 100), Richard Howell (Vol. 2, # 68), Chris Batista (Vol. 3, # 6), Liam Sharpe (Vol. 3, 7), Dale Eaglesham (Vol. 3 , # 11), Patrick Olliffe (Vol. 3, # 18), Freddie E. Williams II (Vol. 3, # 31), Dan Jurgens (Vol. 3, 33), Pop Mhan (Vol. 3, 34-35 ).
action
All Firestorm series describe the adventures of a superhero of the same name who has "superpowers" on a nuclear basis and whose trademark is a fiery tail of flames that flows out of his head instead of hair. The identity of the men who hide behind Firestorm was subject to a change.
While the title character of the first two Firestorm series was a hybrid of the physics student Ronald Raymond and his professor, the Nobel Prize winner Martin Stein, who were "melted" into a new person by a nuclear accident in their laboratory during an experiment - with Raymond the Control of the common body, while Stein, who passed out during the accident, "buzzes around" as an advisory voice in Raymond's head - the focus of the third series is an African-American teenager named Jason Rusch.
After the first Firestorm comics describe the accident that transformed Raymond and Stein into Firestorm and show how the two get used to their new life situation, the following issues describe the decision of the two of their newly acquired skills - Firestorm has super strength, can fly and control or transform matter - to put it in the service of the general public and as a superhero to assist and protect other people.
As the guardian of the city of New York, Firestorm subsequently has to deal with the criminal multiplex and all sorts of other "super villains" such as Killer Frost, Plastique, Hyena, Zuggernaut, Typhoon and Black Bison. The classy heroine Firehawk was introduced to the series in 1984 as a co-heroine and love interest for Firestorm. Characteristic of the Firestorm stories written by Gerry Conway was the quarrelsome and friendly inner dialogue that Stein and Raymond had during their adventures: Both usually argued about the right approach to solving an open problem, with Raymond usually advocating a forward-looking approach, while Stein taught him that it was more advisable to take a more subtle approach.
After John Ostrander took over the Firestorm in 1986, the stories of the series became much more political: This is how Ostrander's first story arc describes Firestorm's attempt to force the United States and the Soviet Union to destroy their nuclear weapons arsenals. As a consequence, the Soviet capital Moscow became one of the main scenes of the series and Stein's consciousness was replaced by that of the Russian Mikhail Arkadin (Pozhar) as the second component of Firestorm's spirit - alongside Raymond. This was followed by arguments with their respective governments, as well as the discovery that Firestorm is actually a "natural elemental being", the living embodiment of one of the four elements, and was brought into being as such by the spirit of nature. After the last issues of Ostrander's Firestorm series let the title hero - in a drastically changed, now scarlet, outfit - act as a kind of environmental activist, the final issue # 100 once again makes drastic changes to the status quo: There Professor Stein - the was actually the one who was intended by the spirit of nature to become Firestorm (a circumstance which had been "accidentally" mixed up by Raymond's presence in Stein's laboratory) - inserted as the new Firestorm in the role of the title hero. Raymond and Arkadin return - only more than normal people - meanwhile back to their old life, while the professor sets off on an odyssey into space.
Professor Stein later returns briefly in the series Extreme Justice , heals Raymond - who is now suffering from leukemia - of his ailment and gives him the original Firestorm powers, so that Raymond can take on his old role as Firestorm again, while Stein (which calls itself "Elemental Firestorm" for better differentiation) sets off again on a journey through the vastness of space.
In the early editions of the third Firestorm series from 2004, it is first described how the villainous Shadow Thief Ronald Raymond defeated and killed in battle. As a result, the young Jason Thomas Rusch takes on the Firestorm role, with Raymond from now on as an advisory spirit in Rusch's head, just as Stein was "present" in his head at the time. Later, Raymond's consciousness dissolves in an unexplained way and Rusch is on his own. In further adventures, Rusch becomes a member of the Justice League, befriends the heroes Animal Man, Starfire and Supergirl, meets the telepath Ghennea and loses his friend Mick Won, who dies through contributory negligence. In the last editions of the series, Professor Stein returns to support Jason in the same way as Raymond once did.
Adaptations
Firestorm appeared as a character in the ABC cartoon series Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show , the follow-up series The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians , where he was originally written by Mark L. Taylor (Ronald Raymond) and Olan Soule (Prof. Stein ) has been synchronized.
Firestorm also appears in the television series The Flash and its spin-off DC's Legends of Tomorrow .
Reprints
Issues No. 23-27 of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man were reprinted in 2007 as an anthology under the title Firestorm The Nuclear Man: Reborn ( ISBN 1-4012-1219-0 ).