Writing a character who can rewrite reality on a molecular level is a creator’s worst nightmare. Most solo series for powerhouses like this die off quickly because the stakes evaporate when you can just blink problems away, or said powerful character gets severely depowered to make them more ‘interesting’, which nobody wants. Luckily, Jeff Lemire, Rafael De Latorre, Marcelo Maiolo, and Lucas Gattoni are flipping that script with the debut of Fury of Firestorm #1. They aren’t trying to make him ‘Nuclear Batman,’ but they are leaning into the sheer sci-fi horror of being a sentient, human-shaped nuclear reactor, and Firestorm fans couldn’t be happier.
- Title: Fury of Firestorm #1
- Creative Team: Jeff Lemire, Rafael De Latorre, Marcelo Maiolo, Lucas Gattoni
- Characters: Ronnie Raymond (Firestorm), Dr. Martin Stein, Firehawk (Lorraine Reilly)
- Villain: Hyena
- Format: Single Issue (Ongoing)
- Our Rating: 9/10 Stars
The Nuclear Man Goes Rogue in Bedford
Believe it or not, the Firestorm hype is actually real, and dozens of us are losing it. Acting as a pillar for the DC Next Level era, Fury of Firestorm #1 sets a pretty intense course for Ronnie and Dr. Stein. What’s really interesting is how it connects them to the Supermen Project. We’ve seen that Doomsday Clock concept resurfacing in things like the New History of the DC Universe and Dakota Incident recently but using it here raises the stakes significantly. The goal is clear: make Firestorm a heavy hitter in the DCU again, even if it takes a darker, scarier turn to get there.
The issue opens with Firestorm descending from the heavens. Rafael De Latorre brings a gritty, grounded art style that captures the weight of a god gone bad. We watch Ronnie walk through Bedford, Colorado. People stare. A man with literal fire for hair and white-hot eyes is hard to miss, but the vibe is immediately off. By the third day of his arrival, the “experiments” begin. Ronnie starts turning cars and buildings into glass and chalk. People panicking makes sense. You need your house to stay made of wood and brick so you can actually live in it.
A God Reclining on the Seventh Day
Things go completely sideways on the fourth day. Ronnie turns his transmutation powers on the townspeople. It’s a grotesque scene. By the fifth day, he seems to regret it, weeping over his creations. He obviously isn’t in his right mind, but we don’t know why.
This “descent into madness” scenario reminded me of the recent Jenny Sparks book, where Captain Atom, another Supermen Project alum, dubbed himself a god and started reshaping humanity, but unlike that series, there’s no foul-mouth British century baby here to smack some sense into the Nuclear Man.
By the sixth day, the guilt is gone. He goes back to creating horrifying abominations out of the populace. On the seventh day, he rests. It’s a deliberate, chilling parallel to creation myths. Amidst this horror, we get a quick primer on his origin. It’s the classic setup. Student Ronnie Raymond and physicist Dr. Martin Stein fused in a massive explosion, creating the Firestorm Matrix. He’s had plenty of looks over the decades, but he’s never felt this unstable.
The Return of Firehawk and the Mystery of Stein
I love that Lemire brought Firehawk into the fold immediately. Lorraine Reilly is one of those C-list heroes DC needs to spotlight a lot more. The government sends her in to talk Ronnie down. If anyone can reach him, it’s his ex. Her “suit up” moment is awesome. Her costume is easily among the top ten designs in comic book history. The blue flames for hair, the yellow and orange feathers on her cape, and the sleek black outfit looks fantastic under De Latorre’s pen.
The tension spikes when Firehawk and two soldiers arrive in Bedford. The town is a nightmare. Apparently, Ronnie and Dr. Stein had a massive falling-out. Now, Ronnie might be the only one powering the matrix, and that’s a big problem. Stein was always the brains of the operation, and a college kid like Ronnie doesn’t usually know the molecular composition required to turn a person into a pile of cheese. When a soldier tells Ronnie to stand down, the retaliation is instant. The soldier is transmuted into a pile of water. The SHRAK lettering effect by Lucas Gattoni, and the smoky black water coloring from Marcelo Maiolo make the scene feel visceral.
Art and Unanswered Questions
We then get a well-placed flashback giving us a glimpse into the past. De Latorre shifts his style here to evoke a clean, classic 80s comic aesthetic. We see Firestorm stopping the villain Hyena from robbing a bank. Even then, something dark was clawing at the edges of the Firestorm persona. Was Hyena always able to hurt him? Is the Firestorm entity becoming sentient on its own? Most importantly, where is Dr. Martin Stein? There’s a lot of mystery being built here by Lemire, and it’s all very intriguing
Also, I’m glad they kept Firestorm’s iconic look. The yellow-and-red suit, the chest symbol, and the poofy sleeves are all here. It’s definitely a design that doesn’t need fixing. Maiolo’s colors really crank up the heat throughout the issue as well. That constant orange glow gives every page such an intense energy. And that shot of the three Firestorms alongside Pozhar? Looks like a rap album cover, and I am here for every second of it.
Finally, we have to give Gattoni’s lettering some serious credit. The eggshell-style narration boxes add a sophisticated, mature layer to the prose, while the red and orange ‘day’ markers in the corners give the book a really distinct visual identity. Even the speech bubbles feel intentional and creative. Firehawk’s blue bubbles with orange outlines look sharp, but Firestorm’s is the real standout with that intense red-orange tint making his voice feel dangerous, almost like a god speaking.
Verdict: Should you buy Fury of Firestorm #1?
Overall, Fury of Firestorm #1 is a hell of a debut. It’s got everything: raw power, a genuine mystery, and a killer Firehawk cameo to top it off. Lemire and the team absolutely nailed the execution here; it truly feels like they’re taking the character to the Next Level. If you’ve been curious about what Firestorm is all about, you need to grab this issue.
‘Fury of Firestorm’ #1 Jeff Lemire Reinvents the Nuclear Man for DC Next Level
Fury of Firestorm #1 is a hell of a debut. It’s got everything: raw power, a genuine mystery, and a killer Firehawk cameo to top it off. Lemire and the team absolutely nailed the execution here; it truly feels like they’re taking the character to the Next Level. If you’ve been curious about what Firestorm is all about, you need to grab this issue.
