Publication history
The first Firestorm series was short-lived, canceled abruptly in a company-wide cutback (the "DC Implosion" ) [3] with #5 (the first part of a multiple-issue story) the last to be distributed, and #6 included in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade . Writer Conway added Firestorm to the roster of Justice League of America . This led to a series of eight-page stories in the back of The Flash (with art by George Pérez), and a revival of a monthly Firestorm comic in 1982. The Fury of Firestorm (later called Firestorm the Nuclear Man) lasted from 1982 until 1990. A new Firestorm title starring both Ronnie and his successor, Jason Rusch, was launched in 2011. The series, The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men was written by Gail Simone and Ethan Van Sciver and drawn by Yildiray Cinar.
In Firestorm the Nuclear Man #1 (March 1978) Ronnie Raymond is named for the very first time when Martin Stein calls him "Ronald"; later, Raymond introduces himself to Doreen Day and Clifford Carmichael as Ronnie; afterwards, while Martin Stein refers to him only as Ronald, everyone else calls him Ronnie. In Who's Who in the DC Universe #8, his name is listed as Ronald (Ronnie) Raymond, originally Ronald Rockwell. [4] The same pattern continues in Firestorm (vol. 2) until John Ostrander takes over with Fury of Firestorm #58 and continuing through to the series finale in issue #100, he has everyone refer to him as Ronald or Ron, except for family and friends. [5] In Who's Who Update '88 #1, he is also listed as Ronald (Ronnie) Raymond. [6] In Who's Who in the DC Universe #10, Martin Stein is listed as Firestorm and the entry refers to Ronald as "Ron Raymond". [7] In Extreme Justice #4 and for several issues after that, he is the supermodel known as "Ron Ray". [8] In Firestorm (vol. 3) #6 and in later issues, he is referred to as Ronnie Raymond. [9] Most recently in the DC Comics Encyclopedia ( ISBN 0-7566-4119-5, 2004), he was listed only as Ronnie Raymond.
Fictional character biography
The original Firestorm was distinguished by his integrated dual identity. High school student Ronnie Raymond and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Martin Stein were caught in an accident that allowed them to fuse into Firestorm the Nuclear Man. Due to Stein being unconscious during the accident, Raymond was prominently in command of the Firestorm form with Stein a voice of reason inside his mind, able to offer Raymond advice on how to use their powers without actually having any control over their dual form. Banter between the two was a hallmark of their adventures. [1] Stein was initially completely unaware of their dual identity, leaving him concerned about his unusual disappearances and blackouts, but Ronnie was eventually able to convince Stein of the truth, allowing them to bond as separate individuals rather than as parts of a whole.
After the accident, Firestorm took to defending New York City from such threats as Multiplex and Killer Frost. The 1982 series began with the teenaged Raymond adjusting to his newfound role and later delved into the issue of the nuclear arms race. The Fury of Firestorm slowly developed the lives of Raymond and Stein, as the teenager struggled with high school and moved towards graduation and the scientist found a life outside the lab after learning about his bond with Raymond. A second nuclear hero, Firehawk, was added as a love interest for Firestorm in 1984. In the same year, the character of Felicity Smoak was introduced, initially having a combative relationship with Raymond, but eventually becoming his stepmother following her marriage to his father Ed. [10] [11] The series also tried to create a sense of fun, something that Gerry Conway felt was missing during his years writing Spider-Man; [3] the banter between Raymond and Stein contributed to this. Upon graduation from high school, Raymond entered college in Pittsburgh, where Stein had been hired as a professor. Afterward, together they searched for a cure for their bond.
When Conway left the series in 1986, John Ostrander (with artist Joe Brozowski) began writing the Firestorm stories. His first major story arc pitted Firestorm against the world as he attempts to make the United States and the Soviet Union destroy their nuclear weapons. [12] Firestorm and Pozhar are fused after being hit by a nuclear bomb and transformed into a new Firestorm controlled by Stein's amnesiac mind. [13] [14] [15]
The Firestorm form with Arkadin proved to be a transitional phase, as in 1989 Ostrander fundamentally changed the character of Firestorm by revealing that Firestorm was a "Fire Elemental". Firestorm now became something of an environmental crusader, formed from Raymond, Arkadin and Svarozhich, a Soviet clone of the previous Firestorm, but with a new mind. [1] New artist Tom Mandrake would create a new look to match. It was during this phase that Firestorm meets Sango and the Orishas, the elemental gods of Nigeria.
By the series' 100th issue, Stein learned that he was destined to be the true Fire Elemental and would have been were it not for Raymond also being there by circumstance. Raymond and Arkadin were returned to their old lives, and Stein as Firestorm was accidentally exiled to deep space in the process of saving Earth. He thereafter spent many years traveling through space as a wanderer, returning to Earth only rarely.
After the transition to the elemental Firestorm, all of the main characters from the series vanished from the comics for some time after the cancellation of the Firestorm comic in 1990. Raymond eventually returned in the pages of Extreme Justice. [16] Raymond, at the time undergoing treatment for leukemia, regained his original powers after a chemotherapy session. It took the combined might of the Justice League led by Captain Atom and the returned elemental Firestorm to restore Ronnie's health. Firestorm began to appear regularly in a number of DC titles, though lacking the guidance and knowledge necessary to use his skills wisely. Firestorm joins a backup Justice League team as well as Power Company.
In Identity Crisis , Ronnie is killed by Shadow Thief, with Jason Rusch succeeding him as Firestorm. [1] In Blackest Night , Ronnie is revived as a Black Lantern and kills Gehenna. In Brightest Day , Ronnie is fully resurrected by the Life Entity and works with Jason to stop Deathstorm from destroying the universe. Deathstorm kills Stein during the battle, and the Life Entity refuses to resurrect him. [17]
In The New 52 continuity reboot, Ronnie Raymond is a high school football player and is uninvolved with Martin Stein. [18] During a terrorist attack on their school, Ronnie and his classmate Jason Rusch obtain Stein's "God Particle" and gain the ability to transform into separate Firestorms. [19]
In Doomsday Clock , Doctor Manhattan informs Ronnie that Stein deliberately transformed the two into Firestorm to study metahumans. [20] Despite this, the two continue to work together until Lazarus Pit resin corrupts the Firestorm matrix and causes Stein to age rapidly. [21]
