Captain Atom & Fury of Firestorm (USA)

[Azrael]

Preview: Captain Atom #5

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[Azrael]

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN #8
Written by JOE HARRIS and ETHAN VAN SCIVER
Art and cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER
On sale APRIL 25 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Jason Rusch rockets to Europe to thwart the next Rogue attack, only to find that other Firestorms have beaten him to it! Introducing the all-new Firehawk, France's own atomic defender, and Hurricane, Great Britain's officially sanctioned Nuclear Man! Meanwhile, out of the ashes of last issue's shocking climax, Ronnie Raymond and the Russian Firestorm, Pozhar, begin a long, mutual descent toward the dark underbelly of the Firestorm Protocols. New cowriter Joe Harris (Ghost Projekt) continues this acclaimed series with superstar artist Ethan Van Sciver, who provides another stunning issue of full interior art!

[Azrael]

SERIES EDITOR RACHEL GLUCKSTERN ON THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN

It can't be said enough how exciting it is to be embarking on the new chapter in the saga that is THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN.  It's time to peel back the veils of secrecy surrounding the late Martin Stein.  It's time to reveal the international scope of the Firestorm Protocols as Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond learn they aren't alone in the DC Universe – knowledge that will come at a terrifically horrifying cost.  It's time to take the gloves off and abide by the creative team's motto, "There are no sacred cows."  All the groundwork has been carefully laid out, but there's no way any of you can predict what's in store for our boys.  Fear for them as they meet a host of other Firestorms and discover the secrets the mysterious ZitherTech has been hiding.  Pray for them, in fact.  They're going to need all the help they can get.  But will anyone listen...?

Ethan Van Sciver continues to blow up the DCU with the fury of a thousand Nuclear Men as Joe Harris comes aboard!  Check out what they've got in store for you starting with THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN #7!

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[Azrael]

With the recent announcement of six DC Comics titles being cancelled in April, some eagle-eyed commenters noticed that on the sales charts, there was one title in the bottom seven that hadn't gotten the axe: "Captain Atom." So with that in mind, you might be wondering what you've been missing in the one book to survive the cull. The answer? "Dr. Manhattan: The Early Years."

All right, that's perhaps a bit of an exaggeration. But it's hard to read "Captain Atom" and not see the Dr. Manhattan influence having come full circle (since the original "Watchmen" pitch had used the Charlton Comics characters, with the Dr. Manhattan role originally filled by Captain Atom). J.T. Krul is writing the character as one that's hugely powered, with abilities far greater than what we've seen before. Because these are the early days for the character, though, he's still a mixture of inexperienced and naïve, fumbling his way through both his own powers and a military that is out to get him.

What helps stand Captain Atom apart from a lot of other characters is his overall determination to try and help rather than hurt. It would be an obvious take on the character to say that with a military background, he'd be rushing out and blowing things up left and right. Instead, we have a character whose biggest concern is trying to help Ranita (whom he accidentally burnt quite badly with his powers last issue) without causing any further damage along the way. Likewise, when he finally confronts the monster that has been lurking in the background of previous issues, his initial instinct is to figure out what's going on. So far as he can tell, it's just trying to protect itself, so he doesn't wade in blasting but instead tries to understand just what the creature is.

The one downside to the writing of "Captain Atom" is the slow pace. (Ironically, that could have helped save the title, since I can't see how everything could get wrapped up by #8 if necessary.) It's taken five issues for Captain Atom to finally go up against the creature that's somehow connected to his power, and in general nothing seems to move too quickly. A faster, peppier storytelling pace could only be a good thing here.

Freddie Williams II and Jose Villarrubia continue to shine on the art front. The opening page, with a turtle swimming through a reflection of Captain Atom on the water, is pretty near perfect. From the gentle, concentric rings of ripples beginning to form, to the icy blue colors that form Captain Atom (plus the delicate shades of red that form his logo), it just looks great. The turtle itself is perfectly rendered, and the gentle shifting down of the vertical panels is a nice series of steps for the eye to follow. Even with the slow pace of the comic, what Williams and Villarrubia are doing here makes this book well worth reading.

"Captain Atom" has a lot to live up to right now. It's not too late for a sales climb, but I feel like it needs a snappier speed and something to grab new readers' attention. All the pieces needed are available (good overall idea, strong artists), with one strong nudge needed to slide everything into place. For the sake of "Captain Atom," that nudge better come soon.

3 su 5

Da CBR

[Azrael]

Preview: THE FURY OF FIRESTORM #5

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[Azrael]

Despite my earlier apprehension, Firestorm, written by Gail Simone and Ethan Van Sciver, has proven to be one of the more refreshing takes on a maligned DC favorite. Sure, the dialogue can be a bit hokey and the antagonist is a shadow government that makes monsters — like in every other DC title — but this one stands above the rest. Issue #5 finds Firestorms Ronnie and Jason starting to accept their new role working as symbols for the corporation/government/whatever that attacked them in the first few issues. The characters of Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch are enjoyable to read; even though I doubt that is how teenagers talk today, I like the unconventional route they take in accepting their new powers. The Odd Couple meets super heroes? I'm game. Yildiray Cinar's interior art fits the tone of the book, accessible and easy to read. A fun story featuring teenagers that is accessible both in art and story is perfect for DC if they hope to capture that younger audience. Z-Tech may want the Firestorms as mascots for the company, but DC might want to think about using Firestorm as a gateway for new readers.

7 su 10


Da Newsarama

[Azrael]

This issue of "Fury of Firestorm: the Nuclear Men" starts out with a peek into the daily dealings of Pozhar, the Russian Firestorm and co-creator of the Firestorm Protocols. Professor Arkadin offers an inspector from Moscow a first-hand look into what could go wrong should the Firestorm Protocols be misappropriated.

That serves as a television show-like transition (minus the screen-wipe effect, replaced here by a turning page) from Siberia to the Nevada Desert where Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond are being treated as guests of Zithertech. Candace Zither, the head of Zithertech and a character readers have seen lurking in the shadows, extends an offer to the pair of Firestorms in exchange for clearing their names. As a trial run, the pair hesitantly accepts a first assignment, and because this is comics, things go predictably wrong.

During that assignment, however, the writing by Gail Simone and Ethan Van Sciver gets muddy, and the story ambles along, bouncing from Ronnie to Jason and back again, finally uniting the two for a couple of splash page jaw-droppers. Except something happened on the way to those jawdroppers: the story got clunky and not very compelling. Jason gets substantially more panel time in this issue, but doesn't do much to become any more interesting than he is on the cover of the book. We learn that he's a pessimist, but we've heard that message loud and clear through the book to this point.

The art is not without fault either. While Yildiray Cinar and Norm Rapmund have found a way to blend their talents and display this title as a more traditional looking superhero book, the "everyday" snippets need more of the same polish that the duo puts into the metahuman scenes. Additionally, there is a scene where Ronnie is fighting the Quraci Firestorm in flight. That scene offers up, in Ronnie's voice, "Green and red, like the worst Christmas ever." It appears as a complete non-sequitur, save for the coloring of the "sky" background as a sickly green with the two tussling Firestorms twisting through it. Again, clunky and not compelling.

The ending of this issue gives Simone and Van Sciver a plot point to continue to drive a wedge between Ronnie and Jason, which is sure to lead to the two of them fighting. Again. This book teases out the story quite a bit, but to this point there really isn't much to set it apart from any other story where the protagonists are strung along like fools. Instead of flame-headed pseudo-heroes, Ronnie and Jason could easily be G. I. Joes or members of the X-Men. This series started off with a very strong debut, but has lost some zip along the way. The clunkiness and lack of compelling characters might change up soon, but this issue doesn't do much to bolster that notion. For a book that is this robust with sheer comic book talent, "Fury of Firestorm" is underperforming.

2,5 su 5


Da CBR

[Azrael]

CAPTAIN ATOM #9
Written by J.T. KRUL
Art by FREDDIE WILLIAMS II
Cover by MIKE CHOI
On sale MAY 16 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• CAPTAIN ATOM gets a visit from – CAPTAIN ATOM? Quantum leaping and a mysterious energy force spell certain doom for our hero!
• No good deed goes unpunished! What have CAPTAIN ATOM'S actions unleashed in the future?

[Green Hankey]

strepitosa cover... spero che che sta serie continui molto, anche se è cagata meno di zero

[Azrael]

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN #9
Written by JOE HARRIS and ETHAN VAN SCIVER
Art by YILDIRAY CINAR and NORM RAPMUND
Cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER
On sale MAY 23 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Don't miss this crossover with JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #9!
• RONNIE seeks information – but is the price he must pay too high?

[Azrael]

Preview: Captain Atom #6

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[Azrael]

Preview: THE FURY OF FIRESTORM #6

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[Azrael]

Excuse the pun, but The Fury of Firestorm #6 is where things really start to heat up. Right when things really seem to be gelling for the two Firestorms, Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch, it all falls apart after their first mission kills thousands of people. However, what I found to be the most interesting aspect of these two heroes isn't their lives as Firestorms but how much they genuinely don't like each other. Coming from different backgrounds could be enough to the two young heroes in an uncomfortable situation but, mentally and emotionally, these guys could not be more opposite. This makes for some great drama and an awesome throw down towards the end of the issue that felt as real and genuine as any fight you had with a best friend in high school. When the going gets tough, these two teen heroes get going at each other. This is a credit to Gail Simone and Ethan Van Sciver's ability to nail human drama in her books and make it feel as real as possible. Yildiray Cinar is consistant as always in six issues deep into the book. His line work on all the elemental energies surrounding these characters makes the eye follow it contentiously by incorporating a little Kirby Krackle, dancing solar flares and electronic orbits. Firestorm may not be an A-list sort of hero, but I would definitely recommend this book for a friend wanting to dig deeper into DC's characters.

8 out of 10


Da Newsarama

[Azrael]

VAN SCIVER & HARRIS CREATE "THE FIRESTORM PROTOCOLS"




Da CBR

[Azrael]

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN #10
Written by JOE HARRIS and ETHAN VAN SCIVER
Art by YILDIRAY CINAR and NORM RAPMUND
Cover by YILDIRAY CINAR and ETHAN VAN SCIVER
On sale JUNE 27 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• RONNIE and POZHAR face off against INDIA'S officially sanctioned FIRESTORM, RAKSHASA!
• JASON RUSCH begins to develop strange new abilities related to the Firestorms' mysterious connection to the chaotic Quantum Field.