The New 52 Review: THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN #1

"Two are better than one"

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN #1
DC COMICS

PLOT: Ethan Van Sciver and Gail Simone
SCRIPT: Gail Simone
ARTIST: Yildiray Cinar
COLORS: Steve Buccellato
LETTERS: Travis Lanham
COVER: Ethan Van Sciver with Hi-Fi
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Firestorm is a superhero that was created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Al Milgrom and appears in comics published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in the short-lived series, Firestorm, The Nuclear Man #1 (cover date March 1978), and was the alter ego of two men, Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein.

There was a second Firestorm series, Firestorm the Nuclear Man, and in issue #100 (cover date August 1990), Martin Stein became the sole identity behind Firestorm. In Firestorm #1 (cover date July 2004), the third series, African-American teenager, Jason Rusch, created by writer Dan Jolley and artist ChrisCross, became the new Firestorm. With the re-launch of the DC Comics superhero line, “The New 52,” a fourth Firestorm series arrives. This one stars Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch.

In The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #1 (“God Particle”), two high school students, who think that they are each from a different side of the social divide (but really aren’t that far apart), are about to come together in an amazing way. Ronnie Raymond is the golden boy quarterback at Walton Mills High School; a full-ride college scholarship would help his mother, who is a single-parent. Jason Rusch works for the school newspaper and is also from a single-parent home, as he lives with his father.

Jason makes an enemy of Ronnie, but before they can settle their differences, an elite team of killers invades their school and starts killing people. Suddenly, Jason is forced to introduce Ronnie to the world of Firestorm.

Some of the characters in The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #1 need a conflict resolution specialist; others just need a visit from the Navy SEALs. Seriously, this is such a conflict-driven comic book; some of the conflicts quite harrowing and others simply typical high school melodrama. Writing partners Ethan Van Sciver and Gail Simone are holding onto much of Firestorm’s past, as far as I can tell, but conflict and dramatic tension are the elements that will hold readers – not the mythos.

Series artist Yildiray Cinar, however, may be the one who leaves the most indelible mark on The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men. He has a traditional drawing style that would have fit in well with the first two Firestorm comic book series. Cinar apparently gets a kick out of drawing the Firestorms and it shows. Even colorist Steve Buccellato turns in his best work in this issue on the Firestorm pages, using fiery reds, oranges, and yellows that seem to burst off the page. The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men has the potential to be a top tier book about a second (or even third) tier character.

B+

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