Firestorm is a DC Comics superhero. Created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Allen Milgrom, he first appeared in Firestorm #1 (May 1978). DC Comics is one of the largest American companies in comic book and related media publishing. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to the date or issue of a characters first appearance. ... Gerard F. Gerry Conway (September 10, 1952 - ) is an American writer of comic books and television shows. ... Cover to West Coast Avengers #1, Art by Milgrom Allen Al Milgrom is an American comic book writer, penciller, inker and editor. ... John Ostrander is an American writer of comics. ... The Justice League, sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short, is a fictional DC Universe superhero team. ... Extreme Justice #0. ... The Power Company was a short-lived DC Comics series focusing on the exploits of a team of professional superheroes of the same name, created by writer Kurt Busiek and artist Tom Grummet. ... In mysticism, mythology and alchemy, an elemental is a creature (usually a spirit) that is attuned with, or composed of, one of the classical elements: air, earth, fire and water. ... DC Comics is one of the largest American companies in comic book and related media publishing. ... Batman and Superman, two of the most recognizable and iconic superheroes. ... Gerard F. Gerry Conway (September 10, 1952 - ) is an American writer of comic books and television shows. ... Cover to West Coast Avengers #1, Art by Milgrom Allen Al Milgrom is an American comic book writer, penciller, inker and editor. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

The original Firestorm was distinguished by his integrated dual identity. High school student Ronald Raymond and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Martin Stein were caught in a nuclear accident that allowed them to fuse into the "nuclear man" Firestorm. Due to Stein's being unconscious during the accident, Raymond was prominently in command of the Firestorm form with Stein a voice of reason inside his mind. Banter between the two was a hallmark of their adventures. High school - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Nobel Prize medal. ... The first few hydrogen atom electron orbitals shown as cross-sections with color-coded probability density. ...

Firestorm possesses great powers, including flight, superhuman strength and control over matter itself. He also stood out visually, with flaming hair and a distinctive red and yellow costume.

The first Firestorm series was short-lived. However The Fury of Firestorm, later called Firestorm: the Nuclear Man, lasted from 1982 until 1990. It began as a Spider-Man-like series with the teenaged Raymond adjusting to his newfound role and later delved into the issue of the nuclear arms race and Firestorm’s role as an "elemental." A new Firestorm series began in 2004 with a new character Jason Rusch in the role. Spider-Man swinging around his hometown, New York City. ... US and USSR/Russian nuclear weapons stockpiles, 1945-2005. ... In mysticism, mythology and alchemy, an elemental is a creature (usually a spirit) that is attuned with, or composed of, one of the classical elements: air, earth, fire and water. ... Jason Rusch is a fictional hero from the DC Comics Universe and is the third person to take the mantle of Firestorm. ...

Firestorm has been a somewhat popular DC property and the character has been a member of its "all-star" team the Justice League and, for two seasons, its 1970s/80s cartoon adaptation Super Friends. The Justice League, sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short, is a fictional DC Universe superhero team. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... An animated series or cartoon series is a television series produced by means of animation. ... The title card for the first Super Friends series. ...

Ronald Raymond / Martin Stein

After the accident that created him, Firestorm took to defending New York from such threats as Multiplex (created in the same nuclear accident that produced Firestorm) and Killer Frost. The 1978 series was cancelled abruptly in a company-wide cutback (the "DC Implosion") with #5 (the first part of a multiple-issue story) the last to be distributed, and #6 included in Cancelled Comics Cavalcade. Writer Conway added Firestorm to the roster of Justice League of America. This led to a series of 8-page stories in the back of The Flash (with art by George Perez), and a revival of a monthly Firestorm comic in 1982. Official language(s) English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... Multiplex is a comic-book supervillain (DC Comics) as one of Firestorms enemies and first appeared in Firestorm #1. ... Killer Frost is either of two DC Comics supervillains and one of Firestorms foes. ... Cancelled Comics Cavalcade was a tongue-in-cheek publication reproduced in the offices of DC Comics in very limited quantity following the DC Implosion in 1978. ... The Justice League is a DC Comics superhero team. ... Barry Allen as the Flash. ... George Pérez (born June 9, 1954 in The Bronx, New York) is a Puerto Rican-American illustrator and writer of comic books. ...

The monthly series, written initially by Conway and drawn mainly by Pat Broderick and Rafael Kayanan, 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. A second nuclear hero, Firehawk, was added as a love interest for Firestorm in 1984. The series also tried to create a sense of fun, something that Conway felt was missing during his years writing Spider-Man; the banter between Ronald Raymond and Martin Stein contributed to this. Upon graduation from high school, Raymond entered college in Pittsburgh, where Stein had been hired as a professor. Firehawk is a superheroine in the DC Comics DC Universe. ... Spider-Man swinging around his hometown, New York City. ... Nickname: Steel City, Iron City, City of Champions, City of Bridges, City of Colleges Location in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Allegheny County Founded 1758 Mayor Luke Ravenstahl (D) Area    - City 151. ...

Firestorm's list of enemies included such generally forgotten foes as the Hyena, Zuggernaut, Typhoon, and Black Bison. One Firestorm enemy, Plastique, would later play a major role in DC's Captain Atom; she later reformed and married him. He also fought Killer Frost, who was forced by the Psycho Pirate to fall in love with him during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. DC Comics had at least two villains called Hyena, one male and one female. ... The Zuggernaut is a villain in the DC Comics universe. ... Typhoon and his frequent nemesis Firestorm from Fury Of Firestorm #8(1983) Typhoon is a super-villain in the DC Comics universe. ... Black Bison is the name of a 2 DC Comics supervillain. ... Plastique is a DC Comics character who has evolved over the decades from supervillain to superhero, one of a handful of DC characters depicted as Canadian in origin. ... Captain Atom is a comic book superhero. ... The Psycho-Pirate is the name of two DC comics supervillains, dating back to the Golden Age of Comics. ... Crisis on Infinite Earths was a 12-issue comic book limited series (identified as a 12 part maxi-series) and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 in order to simplify their fifty-year-old continuity. ...

In 1986, Conway abruptly left the series, and John Ostrander (with artist Joe Brozowski) took over the reins. Ostrander, a more politically aware writer, sought to make Firestorm more relevant to the world and a good deal grittier. His first major story arc pitted Firestorm against the world, as the hero (acting on a suggestion from a terminally ill Prof. Stein) demanded the U.S. and the Soviet Union destroy all of their nuclear weapons. After tussles with the Justice League and most of his enemies, Firestorm faced off against a Russian nuclear man in the Nevada desert, where both had an atomic bomb dropped on them. John Ostrander is an American writer of comics. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the epicenter. ...

When the smoke cleared, a new Firestorm was created who was made up of Raymond and the Russian, Mikhail Arkadin, also the Russian superhero Pozhar), but controlled by the disembodied amnesiac mind of Prof. Stein. The stories featuring this version of the hero were highly political, with a good deal of action taking place in Mikhail Gorbachev's Moscow. Pozhar is a fictional DC Comics Russian superhero. ... (Russian: , Mihail Sergeevič Gorbačëv, IPA: , commonly anglicized as Gorbachev; born March 2, 1931) was leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991. ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2005)    - Density 10,415,400   8537. ...

The elemental Firestorm. Cover to Firestorm (2nd series) #85. Art by Tom Grindberg.

The Raymond/Arkadin Firestom proved to be a transitional phase, as in 1989, writer John Ostrander fundamentally changed the character of Firestorm by revealing that Firestorm was a "Fire Elemental". Taking his cue from Alan Moore's Swamp Thing (a plant elemental), Firestorm now became something of an environmental crusader, formed from Raymond, Arkadin, and a Soviet clone of the previous Firestorm, but with a new mind. Prof. Stein, no longer part of the composite at all, continued to play a role, but the focus was on this radically different character. New artist Tom Mandrake would create a new look to match. It was during this phase that Firestorm met and befriended Shango and the Orishas the elemental gods of Africa. He also met their chief deity and Shango's older brother Obatala, Lord of the White Cloth. This was also the situation in which the Shadowstorm entity first appeared. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (399x618, 55 KB) Summary # 85. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (399x618, 55 KB) Summary # 85. ... John Ostrander is an American writer of comics. ... Alan Moore (born November 18, 1953, in Northampton) is an English writer most famous for his work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels, Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. ... The Swamp Thing is a fictional character created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson for DC Comics, and featured in a long-running horror-fantasy comic book series of the same name. ... Shango is a fictional comic book deity in the DC Universe. ... The Orishas fictional characters published by DC Comics. ...

However, the series ran out of steam at its one hundredth issue, by which time Stein learned that he was destined to be the true fire elemental. Raymond and Arkadin were returned to their old lives, and Stein, now Firestorm, was accidentally exiled to deep space in the process of saving the Earth. He thereafter spent many years traveling through space as a wanderer, returning to earth on only two occasions: the aforementioned War of the Gods crossover event, and again in Extreme Justice #5, where Stein cured Raymond of his leukemia and allowed Raymond to retain the original Firestorm persona on his own.

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 (except for a brief cameo in the War of the Gods crossover event). Raymond eventually returned in the pages of the JLA spin-off, Extreme Justice. Raymond, who at the time was undergoing treatment for leukemia, regained his original powers (rather abruptly) after a chemotherapy session. It took the combined might of the Captain Atom's Justice League and the returned elemental Firestorm to restore Ronald'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. He would play a role in several company-wide crossovers and, in 2002, returned to active duty with the Justice League and also appeared briefly in Kurt Busiek's heroes-for-hire comic The Power Company. A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a new company formed from a university research group. ... Extreme Justice #0. ... Kurt Busiek (born September 16, 1960) is a comic book writer. ... The Power Company was a short-lived DC Comics series focusing on the exploits of a team of professional superheroes of the same name, created by writer Kurt Busiek and artist Tom Grummet. ...

Death

Cover art for Firestorm (3rd series) #6. Art by Chris Batista.

In 2004, DC revived the Firestorm comic for a third time, instead of Ronnie Raymond, there was a new protagonist; Jason Rusch, an African-American teenager. Cover to The Legion #33 by Batista Chris Batista is a comic book artist and penciller. ... Jason Rusch is a fictional hero from the DC Comics Universe and is the third person to take the mantle of Firestorm. ... An African American (also Afro-American or Black American) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to sub-saharan Africa. ...

Subsequently, Raymond was killed off during the Identity Crisis mini-series. It was revealed in Identity Crisis #5 and Firestorm #6 that during a battle with a villain called the Shadow-Thief, Raymond was impaled by the Shining Knight's sword, which the Shadow Thief had stolen. The magical sword ruptured the nuclear man's containment field, resulting in Firestorm's body exploding, and his residual essence funneling into Jason Rusch's body, perhaps activating a dormant meta-gene. Identity Crisis is a seven-issue comic book limited series published by DC Comics in 2004, written by Brad Meltzer and penciled by Rags Morales. ... Shadow-Thief is a DC Comics supervillain and a recurring foe to Hawkman. ... Shining Knight is the name of three fictional superheroes in the DC Comics universe. ...

Martian Manhunter explained in the latter issue that he examined the new Firestorm's mind telepathically for any trace of Ronnie Raymond, but could not find any, which would have seemed to indicate that Raymond was indeed gone. The Martian Manhunter (Jonn Jonzz), alternately known as the Manhunter from Mars, is a comic book superhero appearing in DC Comics. ...

Ronnie Raymond returned within the Firestorm matrix in Firestorm #9, and remained with Jason as part of Firestorm until he appeared to dissipate in Firestorm #13. It is unknown whether Raymond is truly gone (although he hinted otherwise before vanishing).

Television appearances

Firestorm appeared in the last two seasons of ABC's SuperFriends series. Mark L. Taylor provided Ronnie Raymond's voice while Olan Soule provided Martin Stein's voice. Firestorm was among the myriad planned guest stars in Cartoon Network's Justice League Unlimited animated series, but was not shown. It is speculated that due to the relaunch of Firestorm with Jason Rusch, DC did not want to confuse potential new readers with two different, almost simultaneous new versions of Firestorm. However Dwayne McDuffie stated in Wizard: The Guide to Comics # 197 that he would have used Ronnie and Stein's version of Firestorm for the series. He has appeared in issues #3 and 16 of the JLU comic. He was to have been the focus character for the episode The Greatest Story Never Told, but was replaced by Booster Gold.[1] The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... Super Friends is an animated series about a team of superheroes which ran from 1973 to 1985. ... Mark L. Taylor is an actor who voices Thomas Brown on W.I.T.C.H.. Categories: ... Olan Soule, born February 29, 1909, was a voice actor, best known for providing the voice of Batman/Bruce Wayne in the Super Friends cartoons of the 1960s before giving the role over to former TV Batman Adam West. ... Cartoon Network is a cable television network created by Turner Broadcasting which primarily shows animated programming. ... Justice League Unlimited (or JLU) was an American animated television series produced by and aired on Cartoon Network. ... An animated series or cartoon series is a television series produced by means of animation. ... Jason Rusch is a fictional hero from the DC Comics Universe and is the third person to take the mantle of Firestorm. ... Dwayne McDuffie is a comic book and animation writer. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

External links

• Alan Kistler's Profile On: FIRESTORM - An in-depth analysis on www.MonitorDuty.com by comic book historian Alan Kistler on the various incarnations of Firestorm and how their powers and personalities have differed.
• Index to Ronnie and Prof. Stein's Earth-1 adventures
• Firestorm 2 HQ
• The Nuclear Fan