THE FURY OF FIRESTORM #1: The Fury!

The town of Bedford, Colorado, is the target of Firestorm as he lands here, turning everyone to dust or worse! The government, in a desperate attempt to appeal to Ronald Raymond’s human nature, calls upon his ex-girlfriend Lorraine Reilly, who knows one thing: whoever this Firestorm is, he is not Ronnie Raymond.

Creative Team: Jeff Lemire (WRITER), Rafael De Latorre (ART and COVER), Marcelo Maiolo (COLORS and COVER), and Lucas Gattoni (LETTERS).

This is a joint review by Matt of Hops ‘Geek’ News and Megan of Vigilante Vibes Podcast!

SPOILERS AHEAD

The Story:

Matt: I’m not too familiar with Firestorm aside from knowing that Martin Stein and Ronald Raymond are the two who have fused to create him. Jeff does a great job giving a brief introduction into the history of the character and the various iterations of those who have held the mantle, as well as bringing us up to speed quickly. Unfortunately for those in this run, it does not look like things are going to be as happy-go-lucky as Bedford, Colorado, turned into a house of horrors real quickly.

Lemire shows off the strength and power of Firestorm, as well as shows us that something is keeping Raymond trapped. We know things are awry because, in their desperation, Lorraine and the government need to find Stein, and the final pages allude to something going on deeper than expected as they have unbound from one another. I’m pumped to see where this goes.

Megan: The Fury of Firestorm #1 starts with the title character coming into town and making an absolute mess. Chaos and destruction follows wherever he goes by his own design. Meanwhile, the Department of Defense have been keeping a close eye on Firestorm. Knowing the threat he is, they seek out assistance from Lorraine Reilly, AKA Firehawk. The DoD have no idea the threat they’re up against, but Firehawk has a better idea. Seeing the damage that’s been done, and seeing how Firestorm is acting, Firehawk is more than sure that this can’t be him.

Once Firehawk and the Department of Defense make contact, it’s confirmed that this isn’t the Firestorm the public knows. This isn’t the Firestorm that Firehawk dated. This isn’t the Firestorm that holds two different personalities in his body due to the Firestorm Matrix. Something is very very wrong and it seems that there’s no one strong enough to step to this Firestorm.

The Art and Letters:

Matt: The team showcases Firestorm’s abilities beautifully as we see the various methods of molecular manipulation come to life across these panels. There is true horror in the panels, as the terrified faces are captured in detail as they meet their demise, letting the art team show off an array of abilities. The art style switches up midway through the issue, giving it an old-timey, more newspaper-feeling. I love the switch-up, allowing the team to play with various styles, showing off different details as well, and it helps impact the mood of the issue.

Megan: Rafael De Latorre, Marcelo Maiolo, and Lucas Gattoni somehow managed to achieve a grittier energy to the art while making the story feel larger than life. The artwork of The Fury of Firestorm is nothing short of fantastic all the way through. Rafael De Latorre provides immaculately detailed panels while Marcel Maiolo finds an excellent balance in the muted tones and vibrancy. Lucas Gattoni handles the lettering and perfectly portrays the tones of the story through the dialogue. What I loved that the artists did was excellently capture the varying tones of the story, whether it be the fright of the characters or the aggression of Firestorm, and let the reader feel the heightened emotions for themselves.

Final Thoughts:

Matt: 9.5/10. The Fury of Firestorm #1 does a great job bringing in new readers, catching them up on the character’s backstory, while introducing something ominous at play. It captures your attention from page one and never lets go as the team plays with various art styles, and the story is incredibly engaging. I am really on board with this run so far!

Megan: 10/10. The Fury of Firestorm is the perfect book to jump into a character that you may not know much about. With the origin of Firestorm told, we also get a whole new story that keeps you hooked into the pages of the Fury of Firestorm #1. The story is compelling, the characters are very well written, and the artwork is gorgeous.

Overall Grade:

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