Martinex1: The late 70s brought us a new wave of Marvel and DC characters. And there were two characters that captured my imagination, but looking back they sure had some similarities. So what do you have to say about Firestorm the Nuclear Man and Nova the Human Rocket?
Here are some things to consider in this episode of The Brave Or The Bold:
The Creators and Artists: Nova joined the Marvel Universe in a 1976 solo series with scripts by Marv Wolfman and art by John Buscema (there was a revolving door of talent as the series continued). Firestorm blasted onto the DC scene with a short run in 1978 with Gerry Conway scripting and Al Milgrom on pencils.
Alliteration: I'm not sure if it was coincidence that the teen heroes were named Ronnie Raymond and Richard Rider.
Powers: Firestorm merged Ronnie with Professor Martin Stein into one flame headed entity who could transmogrify matter and shoot atomic blasts. Nova inherited his rocket powers and spacefaring ways from an alien in a similar manner to Green Lantern.
Affiliates: Nova hung with the New Warriors as "Kid Nova" (I guess Frankie Raye had the Nova moniker at the time). He became good friends with his teammates Namorita and Speedball. He also of course was a member of the Nova Corps. Firestorm joined the Justice League of America and has been a member in good standing for a long time.
Enemies: Each had a series of new villains to tackle. Firestorm had to take on the Hyena, Multiplex, and my favorite Killer Frost. Nova confronted the likes of the Condor, Powerhouse, Diamondhead and the Sphinx.
Modern Times: Others have taken on the mantles of these Bronze Age heroes. They have seen a number of series. The Nova Corp made it into The Guardians of the Galaxy movie. And Firestorm (in a couple of incarnations) appeared on TV's The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow.
So take a gander at the art and covers and photos below and share your thoughts on ol' Bucket Head and Flame Head.
11 comments:
I don't know much about DC...so it's Nova for me (a little rhyme there). But seriously, I know absolutely nothing about Firestorm. Looking back at Nova it's interesting how The Condor was black but this wasn't a big deal...or even mentioned. I mean he wasn't called "Black Condor" just to remind the readers that he was...y'know...black. That was quite progressive for the time.
Nova for me. Great bronze age run. The Sphinx arc was a fun ride.
Both of these characters had some of the best costumes of the Bronze Age. Nova, however, always struck me as the product of a Hollywood sales pitch, sort of Green Lantern meets Spider-man. Richard Rider had all the insecurities and real-life problems of Peter Parker, but his stemmed not from being smart, rather from being more of a jock. (It's interesting that Flash Thompson has now developed into Venom and flies with the Guardians of the Galaxy just like Nova did.) I agree with Luther that the Sphinx run was great and ending with the FF in the mix was a master stroke all around. Firestorm, on the other hand, while Stein and Raymond were supposed to complement one another more often than not ended up being hindered in the development of either as individual characters. Still in a fight between the two? Edge goes to Firestorm.
This is actually a good match-up of characters that emerged in the Bronze Age. But I really can't say which I like better, to be honest. I guess I like the idea of Nova a little better, and his costume is quite spiffy, but I only read the last few issues of his series, which then folded into that space opera story arc going on in Fantastic Four.
On the other hand, I had the whole run of Firestorm's first series, which was pretty lackluster in terms of both stories and art, even though the character and his whole set-up were pretty cool. I liked the Firestorm back-ups that appeared in Flash much better, and the relaunched series was pretty good (and Broderick's art was quite nice) - at the least the first dozen or so issues that I followed. Even so, as in the case of Nova, I liked him well enough but he just wasn't necessarily a favorite. So it's a draw for me...
Like Colin, I really can't comment on Firestorm. I've never read any of his solo appearances, and only know of him otherwise through appearances with the JLA or in The Brave and the Bold.
So it's Nova. That being said, I felt that the Richard Rider character was just an update of Spider-Man's life and foibles. Additionally, that the first Nova was part of a larger corps seemed to rip off the Green Lanterns of the DCU. So a poor mark for that.
But that Nova costume... wowza. Love it!
Doug
Flash is now Venom???!!! W.t.h.have I been missing since 1975??? Next thing I know you'll tell me Gwen Stacy had an affair with Norman Osborne and had twins!!! LOL!
I'm not really in love with either character. I never cared for Nova's solo comic; as Doug said, I think they were trying to make lightning strike twice and have another Spider-Man/everyman hit ... which would've been fine if it worked, but I don't think they pulled it off. But I liked Nova with the New Warriors (especially when Nicieza was scripting).
Same with Firestorm; I haven't read his solo stuff (it's on the list!) but he wasn't bad with the JLA. That being said, I really like Firestorm on Legends of Tomorrow ... Victor Garber (Canadian!) is great as Martin Stein and Franz Drameh makes a good contrast as Jax.
Mike Wilson
Guess I'll break with the consensus today and go with Firestorm. Like others here, I've never read his solo stories. Only know from his JLA service and his prominent role in Crisis on Infinite Earths (where his relationship with Killer Frost was hilarious). But I liked the character, found his powers fun, and really liked the interplay between Ronald and Professor Stein. And I really like his current role in CW's "Legends".
On the other hand, I read most of Nova's run, and never found him that interesting. Certainly not bad, just like a watered-down version of Spider-man...
Hi all,
I lean towards Firestorm. And the clincher for me was his second series The Fury of Firestorm from 1982. I thought the first two years on that run were quite good (and more dynamic and fleshed out the original series). Gerry Conway and Pat Broderick did a nice job mixing the soap opera aspects with the action.
I do think both characters had villains that I liked - and those were some of the better mid-power range villainous creations of the later Bronze Age.
Hi all,
I lean towards Firestorm. And the clincher for me was his second series The Fury of Firestorm from 1982. I thought the first two years on that run were quite good (and more dynamic and fleshed out the original series). Gerry Conway and Pat Broderick did a nice job mixing the soap opera aspects with the action.
I do think both characters had villains that I liked - and those were some of the better mid-power range villainous creations of the later Bronze Age.
Well, I've read assorted issues of both of their original series, but not the entire run. I'd give the edge to Firestorm, because although I've been a Marvel junkie my entire life, ol' buckethead loses originality points - I think Marv Wolfman was trying to recreate a Peter Parker-like character but in the end just created a carbon copy (Peter Parker = Richard Rider). I certainly felt a sense of deja vu when I read some of Nova's early issues, it was like 'hey, I've read this before in the pages of Spidey!'.
So, although I'm not the biggest fan of Firestorm, he does pip Nova by a nose in my book.
- Mike 'Guy Gardner? Matt Murdock? Reed Richards? Bruce Banner?' from Trinidad & Tobago.
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