Warning, the following contains SPOILERS for Brightest Day #10.
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Wow. I didn’t see that coming. Nine pages that change Firestorm forever.
The current issue of Brightest Day has so much Firestorm plot development I felt we needed to discuss it here. For coverage of the Aquaman plot in Brightest Day #10, please check out Rob’s fantastic write-up on THE AQUAMAN SHRINE.
In previous issues, we saw hints of an antagonistic third personality hiding within the Firestorm Matrix along with Ronnie and Jason. The White Lantern entity spoke to both Ronnie and Jason saying, “Ronald Raymond of Earth, you need to study. Jason Rusch of Earth, you need to get your head out of the books. Learn from each other so you can stop him. Don’t let him destroy me.” Based upon the visuals, it appears the entity is asking Firestorm to stop the Black Lantern Firestorm before he destroys the White Lantern.
When we last saw our favorite Nuclear Man, Ronnie and Jason had switched control positions within the matrix – Jason now controls the body and Ronnie is functioning as the on-board adviser. When they switched positions, Firestorm’s facial features changed slightly. Nothing drastic, but with Jason in control they darkened the skin tone slightly, widened the nose and made the lips appear a little fuller. It serves as a visual cue to help the reader understand who is in control of the Firestorm body at the time.
That brings us to Brightest Day #10 and the character development/changes:
HOW FIRESTORM’S POWERS OPERATE NOWADAYS
The issue starts with Firestorm testing his powers. After some difficulty transmuting a football, Professor Stein hypothesizes that Firestorm’s powers are now fueled by the mind in conjunction with the body. That seems to suggest in the future both Jason and Ronnie will need to know the molecular composition of things in order to perform transmutation. That would explain why in Brightest Day #7 the White Lantern told Ronnie he needed to study.
RETCON FOR THE ELEMENTAL FIRESTORM
Next up is a major retcon to John Ostrander’s run on Firestorm. During the Ostrander era (1987-1990), it was revealed that Firestorm’s power came from a fire elemental created by the spirit of the Earth. Professor Stein was the elemental’s intended target, but Ronnie’s presence during the nuclear explosion in Firestorm #1 altered the result. Eventually the Professor bonded with the elemental to create the intended Elemental Firestorm. In just one panel, Brightest Day #10 changes that previous storyline dramatically. It doesn’t negate the storyline, it just reduced the significance of the elemental in the creation of Firestorm. In Ostrander’s run the Elemental Firestorm was explained to be the final destiny of Firestorm; Brightest Day #10 reduces the Elemental Firestorm to a distraction at best. Here is what Professor Martin Stein said in Brightest Day #10:
“The Firestorm Matrix bonded with Ronald much more than it ever did myself. In a way it even rejected me, transforming me briefly into a fire elemental. Maybe to distance me from Ronald, it saw something in him… and then the Matrix saw something in you too, Jason, didn’t it? It chose you.”
FIRESTORM’S BODY IS CHANGING
The Professor continues to explain that the Firestorm Matrix has fully bonded to Ronnie and Jason. Now it appears to be going through yet another metamorphosis. This change is making Firestorm incredibly more powerful but also more unstable. Firestorm pulls off his glove to reveal his body is now made up entirely of seething energy.
WHAT THE FIRESTORM MATRIX REALLY IS
According to the Professor, the Firestorm Matrix is the spark that preceded The Big Bang. Yes, THE spark that triggered The Big Bang, the creation of the universe. When the Professor and Ronnie first met, the Professor was attempting to validate his theories on the existence of The Big Bang. Turns out the Professor captured the spark and that’s been at the heart of the Firestorm Matrix all along. The Professor continues to explain that the universe is in an endless cycle of renewal – expansion and contraction that takes billions of years each cycle. He adds that according to numerous scientists, this universe’s expiration date is long overdue. Apparently the spark within the Firestorm Matrix could create another Big Bang, destroying this universe and creating a new one. This makes Firestorm the most dangerous being in the universe.
WHY RONNIE AND JASON MUST GET ALONG
The Professor finishes by explaining the combination of Ronnie and Jason together as Firestorm is highly unstable. Every time they argue it’s causing destabilization in the Firestorm Matrix. The more emotionally charged they get with one another, the higher the chance of accidentally triggering a new Big Bang. When they are emotionally balanced, the chances are near zero. When agitated, the chances could be one in a million or even one in a hundred thousand. This explains the house ad a few weeks ago for Brightest Day featuring Firestorm.
THE MATRIX STOWAWAY REVEALED
After all that explanation, something goes horribly wrong. The third personality hiding inside the Firestorm Matrix decides to act. Jason and Ronnie are forcibly split from Firestorm and knocked unconscious by what appears to be the Black Lantern Firestorm (albeit with an updated costume to reflect the opposite of the current Firestorm costume). In typical Blackest Night fashion, the Black Lantern Firestorm comments that Jason represents rage, love, and hope; Ronnie represents will, fear, and avarice; while the Professor represents compassion. The issue ends with the Professor as the only one left standing to face the Black Lantern Firestorm. With that cliffhanger, the Next Issue caption reads, “DEATHSTORM!”
SHAG’S COMMENTARY
Like I said earlier… Wow. I didn’t see that coming. Nine pages that change Firestorm forever.
Where do I start? It’s hard to tackle such an enormous change. I don’t love the changes, but I don’t hate them either. It’s still too early for me to formulate any solid opinion, but I’ll rattle off some things that have struck me so far. Please keep in mind that overall, I really enjoyed this issue. I’m excited for this new direction and welcome the change. Firestorm has always been about change, so I’m willing to give this new direction a shot. With that said, don’t consider my comments below as negative towards the new storyline. They just represent things on my mind.
■I really like Ronnie and Jason together as Firestorm. They are well suited for each other. Geoff Johns has done a good job repositioning their personalities without changing them too much; Jason as the rational one and Ronnie as the impulsive one. They can get along or gripe at each other, much like Ronnie and the Professor used to do. I also like how the Professor continues to be involved with Firestorm, even though he’s not part of the heroic form anymore. I think he’s an awesome supporting character.
■Scott Clark’s art on the Firestorm pages continues to look fantastic! What a great artist!
■In regard to Firestorm’s facial features – I’d prefer they pick one set of facial features that are an amalgam of white and black characteristics and stick with that, rather than switching back and forth. I see Firestorm as the combination of two guys, not one or the other.
■Having both Ronnie and Jason responsible for the knowledge of molecular composition makes for a good handicap. Firestorm’s abilities allow him to do pretty much anything. Creating a built-in handicap like this can help explain why Firestorm doesn’t save the day every single time.
■I wish they hadn’t dismissed the significance of the Elemental Firestorm. Having recently re-read that run, I still think it’s phenomenal. They could have found some way to embrace the elemental version. I enjoy all the incarnations of Firestorm, so I’m all about the unity. I’d love to see a monthly series that embraces the entire Firestorm legacy featuring: Ronnie and Jason as Firestorm, Professor Stein as a supporting character, Firehawk as a potential love interest, Mikhail Arkadin as Pozhar in a supporting role, and even some aspect of the Elemental Firestorm. The elemental incarnation (call him Phoebus, Svarozhich, Shadowstorm, or whatever) could serve as an occasional antagonist bent on cleansing the Earth, and Firestorm would struggle to keep him in-check out of some sense of responsibility. If Firestorm does get an ongoing series, I seriously doubt my ideas would could to pass. Oh well, a boy can dream.
■If Firestorm’s body is now entirely made up of energy, why does he still have a human-looking face?
■If Firestorm is going through the final stage of metamorphosis, what is the end result? Is he pretty much already there or is he going to change drastically through this final stage? Should we be expecting another change of costume or change in people composing Firestorm?
■So the Professor managed to capture THE spark that triggered The Big Bang? How exactly did he do that? Why did he store it at the Hudson Nuclear Power Plant? And why didn’t he bother to mention this to anyone before now? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got lots of faith in the Professor’s scientific abilities, but … really? Along those same lines, the Professor seems to have a pretty clear understanding of what’s going on with Firestorm. How exactly did he figure all this out?
■I’m still hoping for a Firestorm ongoing series in the somewhat near future. They’ll obviously need to incorporate these plot points. I just gotta wonder if the constant threat of causing another Big Bang will drag down a straight-forward superhero comic.
■I read a comment on a message board stating that Firestorm’s origin has been retconned nearly as much as Hawkman’s. While that’s a bit of an exaggeration, it’s not that far off. This is the third major interpretation of Firestorm’s origin.
■Why does the Black Lantern Firestorm speak like a bad 1980s sitcom reject? “Righteous”? “Boss”? Is that an inside joke because Firestorm is such a 1980s character?
■Based upon the Next Issue box, is the Black Lantern Firestorm going to be called “Deathstorm”? Man, I really hope not. If he does, that just smacks of “Deathwing“, an evil counterpart to Nightwing from The New Titans in the 1990s. He was such a *huge hit* with fans (read as sarcasm).
Lots of changes. Lots to absorb and accept. Now I can’t wait for Brightest Day #11!
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