The two pages below served as bookends for the main storyline.  Below is the first page of the comic. Click the image to enlarge…

Next up is the final page from the comic. Click the image to enlarge…

It’s nice to see Firestorm included with some of DC’s other premiere characters! Also, it’s always a pleasure to see Pat Broderick draw Firestorm and Plastique again!

My thanks to Frank for sending these scans! Be sure to visit the Power of the Atom blog for all your news on Captain Atom and The Atom!

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When Firestorm premiered his cowl featured pointed temples. While this feature wasn’t critical to his overall costume, it was an interesting accent. See the red angled points near his eyes in the image below from FIRESTORM THE NUCLEAR MAN #1 (Mar. 1978) drawn by Al Milgrom, Klaus Janson, and Joe Rubinstein.

Interestingly enough, while the pointed temples appeared inside the comic, they were slightly different on the cover. Below is an image from the cover of FIRESTORM THE NUCLEAR MAN #1 (Mar. 1978) drawn by Al Milgrom. Notice the pointed temples have been replaced by a angled corner. I’m guessing the cover was done while they were still finalizing the interiors, which would explain the inconsistency. I believe this is the only time Al Milgrom drew the angled corner instead of the pointed temples.

Below you can see Al Milgrom’s Firestorm from the cover of FIRESTORM THE NUCLEAR MAN #4 (Sept. 1978). Pointed temples present and accounted for!

After the DC Implosion and the cancellation of his series, Firestorm disappeared for a year or so. Our favorite Nuclear Man didn’t resurface until DC COMICS PRESENTS #17 (Jan. 1980). Below you can see Firestorm on the cover of that comic drawn by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Steve Mitchell. Pointed temples? Check!

After that, Firestorm was a regular in the JLA. Below is an interior page from JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #179 (June 1980) drawn by Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin. Notice Firestorm’s cowl features the angled corner instead of the pointed temples. I’m guessing Dick Dillin used the cover of FIRESTORM THE NUCLEAR MAN #1 as a reference.

Next Firestorm had his own back-up feature in several issues of THE FLASH.  Below is a close-up from an interior page of THE FLASH #292 (Dec. 1980) drawn by George Perez and Bob Smith. Nice job George including the pointed temples! By the way, it’s worth noting that George still draws Firestorm with the pointed temples! Click here to see a George Perez Firestorm sketch from 2009! Amazing attention to detail, George!

The pointed temples continued to appear in THE FLASH back-up stories for a while longer. Below is a image from THE FLASH #302 (Oct. 1981) drawn by Denys Cowan and Rodin Rodriguez.

Notice below the pointed temples in THE FLASH #302 (Oct. 1981) drawn by Denys Cowan and Rodin Rodriguez. Here you can see Firestorm floating unconscious with a garbage scow closing in on him.

In the very next issue the pointed temples are nowhere to be seen. Below you’ll see an image from THE FLASH #303 (Nov. 1981) picking up where the image above left off. The scene is set the same, just without the attractive temple accents. It’s worth noting this issue was the first time Firestorm was drawn by Pat Broderick. The inker for this issue was Adrian Gonzales. This was the only issue of THE FLASH Adrian Gonzales inked. It’s possible the change in artists resulted in the loss of the pointed temples (whether accidentally or purposefully). Perhaps the loss of the pointed temples was so overwhelming to Firestorm, he passed out in the river. I know I would have been depressed to lose such rockin’ cowl accents.

The pointed temples returned one last time in THE FLASH #304 (Dec. 1981) drawn by Pat Broderick and Rodin Rodriguez as you can see below. The primary difference between issues #303 (above) and #304 (below) was the inker. Rodin Rodriguez, the inker for #304, had been inking the Firestorm back-up features for some time. It’s possible Rodriguez added the pointed temples to issue #304 since he would have been aware of them from inking previous issues. This would be the final regular appearance of the pointed temples. After this they would only show up once in a blue moon, but they were always a fluke rather than a regular cosmetic feature.

Below is an interior panel from THE FURY OF FIRESTORM THE NUCLEAR MAN #1 (June 1982) drawn by Pat Broderick and Rodin Rodriguez. This representation of Firestorm’s cowl became the standard look for our favorite Nuclear Man going forward.

It’s worth noting down the line Firestorm featured other cowl accents. Below you’ll see the cowl-sideburns which premiered in FIRESTORM THE NUCLEAR MAN #65 (November 1987) drawn by Ross Andru. The cowl-sideburns were a distinct feature of the “Blank Slate” Firestorm and hung around until FIRESTORM THE NUCLEAR MAN #85 (May 1989).

Finally, Ronnie Raymond is currently sporting a unique cowl accent. See an example below drawn by Ethan Van Sciver. I’m not sure exactly what to call them; maybe cheek-bone tips? It would be interesting to find out if Ronnie’s current cowl accents were inspired by the pointed temples, the cowl-sideburns, or some new idea all together.

Rounding back to or original question… who is responsible for the disappearance of the pointed temples? We may never know. However, my instinct tells me it was Pat Broderick who did away with the pointed temples (whether accidentally or purposefully). Broderick became the regular artist of Firestorm beginning with THE FLASH #303 and the pointed temples only appeared once more. Now keep in mind that’s my own speculation. We may never know the truth…

Support Firestorm (and wacky cowl accents)! Fan the flame!

I didn’t even know this piece of artwork existed! Thankfully fellow match-head Philip Rutledge directed me to Heritage Auctions where it was being sold.  The auction ended on September 11 with a final sale price of $537.75.  Congrats to whoever picked up this beautiful piece!  Such a great piece of art with amazing line work! Click the image below for a much larger version (1.78 MB).

Below you’ll find the description from the Heritage Auctions website of the artwork above.

Pat Broderick The Fury of Firestorm #1 Alternative Unused Cover Original Art (DC, 1982). Firestorm busts a nuclear move on what we believe to be a preliminary cover design for The Fury of Firestorm #1, as it’s similar to that issue’s cover. The art has an image area of 10″ x 15″. Aside from some light paper tanning and light edge wear (well outside the image area), the condition is Very Good.

For comparison purposes, below you’ll find the published cover to THE FURY OF FIRESTORM #1 (1982).  I’m a little torn which would have made the better cover to issue #1.  My gut tells me the published artwork was the better choice, but I keep looking at the unpublished piece and finding more things I like about it.

For more Firestorm original artwork by Pat Broderick on Heritage Auctions, please click here.  If you like Firestorm original artwork, click here for a cool collection of scans assembled by Philip Rutledge.  In case you’re wondering, he doesn’t own all this original artwork, he just assembled the scans into one cool package.  Thanks, Phil!

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Wow!  Pat Broderick  still has the knack!  Beautiful piece!  It sold for nearly $40 on eBay recently.  That’s a fantastic deal for an 8 1/2″ x 11″ head sketch by such a great artist!

My thanks to Terry Foster for the heads-up about this sketch!  Thanks, Terry!

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!

Here is a close-up and cut-out of the Firestorm pose!  Such great artistry by Broderick and Giordano!

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Broderick took over the penciling chores from Denys Cowan.  Prior to Cowan, George Perez and Jim Starlin had both drawn installments of these Firestorm eight-page back-up stories.  Talk about an impressive line-up of talent!  I can’t wait to re-read some of these back-up stories in the upcoming Firestorm The Nuclear Man trade paperback!

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Near as I can figure there were only five issues of Superman’s Freunde and each featured a different hero, so this may have been the only appearance by Firestorm in the series.

My thanks to fellow Firestorm fan Florian Schwalenberg for sending this my way!

Stütze Feuersturm! Fan der Flamme!

The video is really well put together and features the song “Time Won’t Let Me Go” by The Bravery.  Bdog included some of the greatest classic Firestorm drawings by folks like Al Milgrom, Pat Broderick, Rafael Kayanan, and more!  The imagery starts with the events in Ronnie Raymond’s life over the past year or so.  Around the 35 second mark we see images of Deathstorm absorbing Professor Stein from Brightest Day #11.  At that moment the song delivers the line, “Whenever I look back on the best days of my life”. At that point, the imagery shifts as Ronnie reminisces on his time as a hero with his friend, Professor Martin Stein.  As the video moves along, the imagery transitions from happy & up-beat to more desperate & dire.  Really helps convey Ronnie’s sense of anxiety in possibly losing the Professor.  Great job, Bdog!

If you can’t view the embedded video above, please click here.

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!

And now for something completely different…

Hey there, match-heads!  When you visit FIRESTORM FAN, I’m sure you expect to read about everybody’s favorite Nuclear Man.  Well today is going to be a little different.  We spend all our time here talking about Firestorm when there are zillions of other great comics out there to read!  Today FIRESTORM FAN is participating in a loosely-themed crossover with 17 other blogs entitled, “Read This Too!”  The basic idea is for each blogger involved to recommend a comic or trade they enjoy but don’t typically write about.  Thanks to our buddy Kelson from Speed Force for spearheading this interesting and horizon-expanding crossover!

In an effort to suggest something drastically different from Firestorm, I’m taking us to the opposite end of the comic spectrum.  Firestorm is all about fun superhero adventures in a squeaky-clean world.  The subject of today’s post is all about macabre horror in the slimy swamps of Florida’s Everglades — Marvel’s muck monster… The Man-Thing!

While at DragonCon this year, I perused the Tales of Wonder booth where you can find amazing prices on trade paperbacks.  I came across the Essential Man-Thing volume 1.  My first thought was, “Really?  Who on Earth would buy an Essential dedicated to the Man-Thing?  I mean seriously, who cares about this character?” I’ve never really been a big fan of the comics genre dedicated to monsters and horror stories, so I immediately dismissed this collection as a waste of money.  My next thought was, “What is Man-Thing’s origin anyway?  Isn’t he a ridiculous Swamp Thing rip-off or something?” Curiosity got the best of me.  I picked up the trade and began flipping through the pages.  I was quickly drawn in by the impressive artwork and the mysterious tagline, “Whatever knows fear burns at the touch of the Man-Thing!”   I spent a few more minutes trying to wrap my brain around the appeal of this character.  Next thing I know, I’m leaving the Tales of Wonder booth with my newest purchase, the Essential Man-Thing volume 1.

Let me start off by saying this collection is really great.  My initial apprehension was quickly replaced by fascination for this mindless monster and his gruesome exploits.  Having very little previous exposure to the character, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I found it an interesting choice making the Man-Thing completely devoid of intelligence and a mute.  By removing the human factor, the reader can really only connect with the creature on an emotional level similar to that of an animal.  Also fascinating is that the Man-Thing is not a hero.  This is definitely a horror comic and the stories can often be pretty grisly.

The first story covers Man-Thing’s origin — Ted Sallis was a brilliant biochemist who was developing an experimental drug to create the ultimate soldier.  Sallis was forced to inject the experimental formula into his own system to protect it from sinister forces. Pursued into a swamp, Sallis ends up drowning, but was later revived and transformed by a combination of his formula and supernatural forces into the creature known as the Man-Thing!  Now whenever the creature touches someone experiencing fear, the biological make-up of Man-Thing’s skin reacts and causes the person’s flesh to chemically burn.  Hence, whatever knows fear burns at the touch of the Man-Thing!  If you think Man-Thing’s origin sounds very similar to Swamp Thing’s, check out this article regarding the two character’s parallel creation.

This collection reprints: Savage Tales #1, Astonishing Tales #12-13, Adventure into Fear #10-19, Man-Thing #1-14, Giant-Size Man-Thing #1-2, and Monsters Unleashed #5 and #8-9.  It’s a great bargain for 544 pages of macabre horror at only $16.99.   Keep in mind this isn’t for the kiddies, it carries a parental advisory warning.  The Man-Thing was created by Stan Lee and Roy Thomas, but his first story was scripted by Gerry Conway – the co-creator of Firestorm!  Nearly all the others stories in this collection were written by Steve Gerber.  Gerber is probably best known for creating and writing Howard the Duck, whose first appearance was in a Man-Thing story!  A few other Gerber credits worth mentioning include: the Defenders, Countdown to Mystery: Doctor Fate, and Thundarr the Barbarian.  Several different artist’s work is displayed in this Man-Thing collection, but Val Mayerik and Mike Ploog are the most prolific.  Worth noting is that two issues within this collection were penciled by Pat Broderick and inked by Al Milgrom – talk about a Firestorm fan’s dream!

My personal favorite issues within the collection are the one-and-done stories.  The early tales were typically 15 pages and examined how human nature was often more monstrous than the Man-Thing itself.  I prefer the human dramas over some of the trippy magical encounters included.  Being an Essential collection, the art is black and white.  The monochromatic style really showcases the amazing artwork – the murky swamps, the muck-encrusted creatures, and the mystical mayhem.

I’m not sure I can entirely quantify what changed my mind about monster and horror comics.  I just know this collection appealed to me and was worth the time and money.  So give the Essential Man-Thing a try!  Tomorrow we return to your regularly-scheduled Firestorm madness.

Support Man-Thing!  Move the Muck!

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Interested in reading more good comics? Great! Check out the lesser-known titles reviewed in these other blogs and “Read These Too!”:

• Adam Strange at It’s A Dan’s World
• American Vampire at My Greatest Adventure 80 (Doom Patrol)
• Astro City at Speed Force
• Booster Gold and Zatanna at Red Tornado’s Path
• Forgetless at Girls Gone Geek
• Franklin Richards digests at Once Upon a Geek
• Glamourpuss at Being Carter Hall
• Peter David’s Hulk at Fortress of Baileytude
• Jonah Hex at Boosterrific
• R.E.B.E.L.S. at Indigo Tribe
• Scott Pilgrim at Toyriffic
• Son of Tomahawk at Aquaman Shrine
• Spelljammer at HeroPress
• Spire Christian Comics at Mail It To Team-Up
• Strange Science Fantasy at Siskoid’s Blog of Geekery
• Thor the Mighty Avenger at Aquaman Shrine
• The Unwritten at K-Squared Ramblings
• Welcome to Tranquility at Girls Gone Geek

Please feel free to give a shout-out to any lesser-known comics that you love in the comments!