THE FURY OF FIRESTORM #4 – The truth will set you free?

This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Megan and Matt!!

Creative Team

Jeff Lemire, Rafael De Latorre, Marcelo Maiolo, Lucas Gattoni

Writing

Megan – The Fury of Firestorm #4 continues the seemingly hopeless journey of trying to understand Firestorm, how to stop him, and what actually happened to Ronnie Raymond. Lorraine, AKA Firehawk, was able to track down Dr. Martin Stein to get the answers she needs. Unfortunately, there was much more truth to be uncovered than she was counting on, and everything looks to be a lie now. Her life as Firehawk, her relationship with Ronnie, even her destiny as a hero.

While Lorraine has plenty of emotions to make her way through, she has to put it all to the side so Stein and she can try to pull off what looks to be their only shot to containing Firestorm.

Jeff Lemire brings so much depth to the story, with each issue digging further and further into the hard truths. I love that we get to see Lorraine’s side of this battle, while also getting to see her trauma building with the more truth she uncovers. Martin Stein is written in a way that captures his terror while wearing his guilt on his sleeve, but tries to make himself feel better with thinly veiled excuses. There are so many layers to each character, and Lemire does a splendid job at showcasing them all.

Matt -If there is one thing that will draw you in and keep you for this run and issue, it is its emotional depth. Jeff has a clever way of making us both hate Stein while also seeing where he is coming from, as he was grieving his own loss and truly meant no harm. Meanwhile, Lorraine has to put aside the fact that her whole existence as Firehawk has been a manufactured lie in itself. Lemire creates many different angles and inner turmoil for the audience in this issue in such a clever way. It truly left me angry and hoping Stein gets his while hoping that Ronnie can be saved.

Art

Megan – The artwork in this issue is by far the most emotional in the comic run. Rafael De Latorre, Marcelo Maiolo and Lucas Gattoni put in the work to perfectly capture the emotions of Firehawk, with leaving nothing to the imagination. Rafael De Latorre gives intricate details to the linework, making each page nothing short of stunning. Marcelo Maiolo brings vibrancy to the colors of the comic that juxtaposes darker tones that makes the Firehawk and Firestorm practically pop off the page. Lucas Gattoni wraps this comic up in a perfect bow with their work on the lettering. Putting Firehawk’s emotions on full display in the dialogue, you can feel everything she’s feeling when reading. Together, the artists made this a very memorable issue with their fantastic artistic talents.

Matt – The artwork is beautiful. The scenes where the colors go darker blue are still this peaceful looking color that shines from Firehawk’s eyes and add a weird calm. Almost as though the way the eye of a hurricane does. Gattoni pulls the anger out of Lorraine and into her words, which land like punches themselves against Stein. Perhaps the best page is the team delivering a heartbreaking page of Ronnie and Lorraine kissing as it fades into Atoms. The way they transitioned down the panels into two separate black atoms had so much effect behind the art.

Final Thoughts

Megan – 10/10. I know I sound like a broken record with how much I praise this run, but The Fury of Firestorm gets better and better with each issue. The emotions are raw and easily felt by the reader, the artwork is absolutely gorgeous. There’s really so much to love about The Fury of Firestorm #4.

Matt -10/10. This run has gone severely under the radar in terms of praise. It is every ounce gripping and full of layers of emotion, as well as detail in the artwork, with issue 4 being the strongest yet.

Overall Grade: 10/10

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