Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond are a couple of students living worlds apart. Now they are drawn into a conspiracy of super-science that will bond them forever in a way they can barely understand, let alone explain or control. The dark secrets of the murderous Dog Team and the Firestorm Protocol will force them to put aside their differences to confront a threat so terrifying it may lead to a new Cold War.
Sounds simple enough, right? I think this new chapter for Firestorm the Nuclear Man (or Men as this case may be), will suffer from too many cooks in the kitchen. I’m a big fan of co-writer Ethan Van Sciver, but the entire time I was reading this book I found myself wishing it was his artwork rather than Yildiray Cinar. Seriously, look at Van Sciver’s cover (colored by Hi-Fi) then turn to page 1 and you’ll see the drastic difference in the style and substance of the art. The heavy lines gives this book a very 1990’s Image Comics look and feel.
Having Van Sciver and Gail Simone as “co-plotters” (whatever that means) with Simone as the “writer” seems like a lot of overkill. By taking the two past “drivers” of the Firestorm Matrix and making each of them a Firestorm only adds to the confusion of the story. Toss in a conspiracy and elite team of mercs, and you have the makings of a very confusing story.
‘The Fury of Firestorm The Nuclear Men’, kicks off the story in process when the Dog Team (who are never actually named, it is the solicitation for the book that gives this group a name), who have a Middle Eastern family held hostage in their own home as they are searching for a missing object (the Firestorm Protocol, of which there are 5 active and sanctioned). The Dogs end up in Cern at the Particle Collider torturing a scientist to get the name of Professor Martin Stein (who has on two occasions been a half of the Firestorm Matrix for both Ronnie and Jason in the DC Universe).
Lost? Ok, this won’t help. When the Dog Team get’s all the info they need, they head to the exact same high school where Ronnie and Jason just so happen to be students. To make matters worse, Jason is not who he claims to be and has a secret so ridiculous it will leave you scratching your head. Once the Firestorm-ification takes place we have two (that’s right two) Firestorms (or seven if you count the five from conspiracy lady’s computer screen) fighting each other.
I’m not completely sold on this version of Firestorm, and there are a lot of confusing aspects to the story and I am hoping there will be more explanation in issue #2. I’ll go a head and give the next issue a shot. Firestorm of the New 52 is not off to the best start, so hopefully the next couple of issues will “heat up”. Check back next month to say hello to “The Fury”
The Fury of Firestorm The Nuclear Men #1
Written by: Ethan Van Sciver & Gail Simone
Art by: Yidiray Cinar
Cover by: Ethan Van Sciver & Hi-Fi