How would you get Firestorm over with the readers?

[Trey Strain]

Nothing seems to work, so what are your thoughts?

[K. Jones]

I think bad costume design has been hurting him essentially since his inception, as is a tendency to automatically feel the need to tie him to Captain Atom somehow, when (and this is even though I like Captain Atom better as a character), in the DCU itself, Firestorm came first, Cap was a transplant. But anyway, his costumes have always been hideous in that 70s design school that gave us such ultra-tacky costumes as you know, Manhunter and stuff like that. Giant shoulder pads and flowing, loose-fitting tunic frocks and high boots and a Gambit-cowl and such. He should be reinterpreted either in the mould of the Silver Age Rocket Age types like GL or Flash, or in the modern sleek iPad design age we had a lot of recently (think Final Crisis Metron).

I also think the nuclear threat stuff that worked great in the late 70s and 80s cold war climate could be better served if it adapted with the times and we got more current zeitgeist into his makeup, including nuclear energy being relatively useful to society, and there generally being less threat of nuclear war. That way when containment leaks and rogue firestorms turn up it's actually meaningful rather than par for the course.

And really play up the student with his teacher in his head angle. Keep using both Ronnie and Jason, sure, but get Stein into their conscience, tagging along, however you do it. Keep him youthful, in a more "First Generation Titans" age range. And therefore have some actual youth style drama. Like how about a lot of his villains are generally punk kids and young adults with irresponsible superpowers?

[GreenLanternRanger]

Isn't there a Firestorm mini coming out in January?

As for how to get him over better with the readers, I honestly have no idea... pull a Doctor Fate I guess and slow things down pace wise, focus more on the characters and their realationships, development, etc then just super hero action..... or something like that.

[Carabas]

I wouldn't even bother to try getting Firestorm over with the readers. I don't see the atraction at all. I think it's just a very bad concept for a superhero from top to bottom. Crappy origin, crappy outfit, crappy powers...

I don't see a way to redeem Firestorm and still keep something that even remotely resembles Firestorm.

[SmokeMonster]

I've never found Ronnie/Stein terribly interesting or unique, so I basically think they should start fresh.

First off, have Ronnie become a villain. Have him take on the entire JL, Captain Atom, etc, really using his powers to the fullest (At the same time maybe make Killer Frost become a hero, as we've sort of seen the beginnings of in Forever Evil). During this time, have him sport a more badass costume like these:




Eventually have him killed off (maybe Frost is the one to do it) and introduce two more unique characters. Some ideas:
-A female host body
-A minority host body (Any DC heroes from China? (not Hong Kong))
-Two wildly different cultures paired together.
-A married couple (potentially same-sex) on the verge of divorce
-A quadriplegic/ALS survivor who gets the chance to be in another body. Make have a Walter White / Jesse Pinkman abusive dynamic.

For a new character, make make the fire a light blue color to visually differentiate from Human Torch and Ghost Rider.

[LordMikel]

Put him in a team book. Teen Titans, Justice League. Let him be really interesting there so that people are asking for his own series. Stop doing solo series with him and trying to get people to clamor for it. I enjoyed him when he was in Justice League with two interesting characters ... which were turned dark and one was killed by Dark Storm.

[Ascended]

I think the issue with Firestorm is that he's such a product of his era. K Jones was sort of pointing in this direction and I think he's right; the modern world isnt as afraid of nuclear Armageddon as we were in the 70's and 80's, we're not as afraid of mutual destruction like we were in the Cold War. As a people we're still split over whether we want to use nuclear power but its not a thundercloud hanging over our heads.

Firestorm, like Marvel's Dazzler, is a part of a history that no longer applies. I think if he were to be done in such a way that he'd appeal to a newer generation of readers, they'd have to make his central themes and topics contemporary. We just proved the Higgs boson and are discovering strange new things in subatomic physics. Maybe use that and tell stories where Firestorm delves into the Matrix to explore and adventure among these new, fascinating unknowns, rather than just being another hero with a bad costume who's tied to a previous Age and the worries of our parents and grandparents.

[Hawkman]

Put him in a team book. Teen Titans, Justice League. Let him be really interesting there so that people are asking for his own series. Stop doing solo series with him and trying to get people to clamor for it. I enjoyed him when he was in Justice League with two interesting characters ... which were turned dark and one was killed by Dark Storm.

Came in to say pretty much the same thing.

I don't care who it is: throwing second- and third-tier characters to the proverbial wolves doesn't usually work unless triple-A talent is involved, and even then it's hit and miss. There's a whole generation out there who doesn't even know who Firestorm is at this point. Exposure is key, and putting him in a group setting, preferable alongside more successful characters, should be the first step in achieving that end.

[Robotman]

He's way too powerful. The fact that they have to keep Ronnie dumb in order to prevent him from being a god-like being shows that he's not a very good character. They need to take away his ability to create anything out of air. Have him transmute elements but stop allowing the character to create nuclear missiles or giant blow dryers (yes he's done this before) literally out of thin air. He would have to know how all the pieces of it fit together! It's just too ridiculous even for a superhero story. Someone with his powers could instantly kill Superman by turning the iron in his blood to Kryptonite.

[Montressor]

It's strange--he's a fascinating character. As a kid I first saw him in a JLA storyarc (JSA crossover, I vaguely recall him flirting with Power Girl) and I was drawn to the concept. I was a fan of the Conway series, then I followed as Ostrander tried to 'Alan Moore' the character (even introducing a lame Constantine knockoff who enigmatically had all the answers). Just a great character and concept, he just needs interesting stories, I guess.

And goddammit whoever takes over the reigns next better bring Gehenna back. Some of us actually liked her.

[Montressor]

He's way too powerful. The fact that they have to keep Ronnie dumb in order to prevent him from being a god-like being shows that he's not a very good character. They need to take away his ability to create anything out of air. Have him transmute elements but stop allowing the character to create nuclear missiles or giant blow dryers (yes he's done this before) literally out of thin air. He would have to know how all the pieces of it fit together! It's just too ridiculous even for a superhero story. Someone with his powers could instantly kill Superman by turning the iron in his blood to Kryptonite.

Well said. Power him down somewhat--remove the corny, ridiculous things--I'd even play around still with the fire elemental stuff to a degree, were I the writer. I disagree that infinitely-powerful characters can't be written in interesting ways, but Firestorm just needs focus and direction.

I have completely retconned the 'Fury' stuff out of my own personal DC universe, as I found it completely ridiculous.

[Frontier]

He's way too powerful. The fact that they have to keep Ronnie dumb in order to prevent him from being a god-like being shows that he's not a very good character. They need to take away his ability to create anything out of air. Have him transmute elements but stop allowing the character to create nuclear missiles or giant blow dryers (yes he's done this before) literally out of thin air. He would have to know how all the pieces of it fit together! It's just too ridiculous even for a superhero story. Someone with his powers could instantly kill Superman by turning the iron in his blood to Kryptonite.

I can understand limiting his powers and what he can transmute, but I think Ronnie's intelligence level being what you'd expect from a jock (cliche as it is) works when you take into account that the dynamic with Stein is part of the appeal with Firestorm (or at least as I understood it). It doesn't mean he's a bad character or an idiot, he's just not necessarily smart enough to fully understand or utilize his powers, and granted most people his age might not be.

I must be one of the few people in the world who look at Firestorm's costume and not see that much of an issue with it...heck, I always thought it was a cool look .

[FishyZombie]

IDK, the whole two bloaks merging into one is such a bizzare concept. I guess its good because it separates Firestorm from other characters, but its still too weird to appeal to much more than a cult following. Also I agree with the power problem people have mentioned. It wouldn't hurt to power him down and give him a better costume, though.

[Flash Gordon]

I honestly don't think there's much to do with him at all. He can pop up fromy time to time but he can't support a title. There just isn't no hook to him, for me.

Cap Atom, whom I dig, is different. I thought his NEW 52 book was so rad.

[Toreador]

He's way too powerful. The fact that they have to keep Ronnie dumb in order to prevent him from being a god-like being shows that he's not a very good character. They need to take away his ability to create anything out of air. Have him transmute elements but stop allowing the character to create nuclear missiles or giant blow dryers (yes he's done this before) literally out of thin air. He would have to know how all the pieces of it fit together! It's just too ridiculous even for a superhero story. Someone with his powers could instantly kill Superman by turning the iron in his blood to Kryptonite.

He does/did have limits. He couldn't change anything organic, he needed to know the chemical formula of whatever he transmuted (which is why he needed Stein) and he has a limit to how much he can transmute at a given time.