Review: The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men Vol. 3- Takeover

Quick Summary

Pros: Having a singular Firestorm works well near the end of the book.

Cons: The main characters do not operate well together and fall deep into very generic stereotypes. The story is bland and not very interesting.

Overall: This is a by the numbers superhero story that offers little outside some predictable storytelling and underwhelming action. Many of the book’s major flaws revolve less around specific infractions and more around a general lack of interest. Both the story and characters fail to provide a compelling reason to become invested in the work, causing interest to dry up. This volume might appeal to readers looking for a very standard superhero story but not to anyone looking for something more.

Story

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men Vol. 3: Takeover is a significant change in pace for the series, though not necessarily for the better. Written by Dan Jurgens, this volume takes a less complex, more straightforward approach to Firestorm, returning to some of the character’s most beloved features. However, this approach also leaves the story generic and boring, making it more predictable and less exciting than ever before. In addition, the heroes themselves are less interesting in the way they act together and apart from one another. Overall, the final volume in The Fury of Firestorm is a bit of a let down and definitely a drop in quality for the series as a whole.

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The first thing readers will notice about Takeover is the dramatic change in Firestorm as a character. Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond are no longer individual heroes; instead they combine strengths to form one individual Firestorm. I was happy to see this status quo return, as having two personalities in one body is one of the most unique and interesting features of Firestorm.

However, within this specific volume, the split personality of Firestorm is not utilized effectively. Ronnie almost completely commands the duo’s body and makes almost every decision on his own. Meanwhile, Jason only chirps in to give an occasional word of warning. Near the end of the book, there are a few moments where Jason and Ronnie make an effective team; Jason gives Ronnie insightful advice and Ronnie is able to use it to the duo’s advantage. However, since these moments are relegated to the last few chapters, and it ends up being too little too late.

Their relationship isn’t the only problem between the two heroes, as their characters have also been wiped clean of personality. In the past two volumes, Jason and Ronnie were hot-headed and occasionally unlikable but they still had layers and were interesting for that reason. In this volume, both characters conform entirely to their respective stereotype; Jason is a nerd and Ronnie is a jock. It makes the entire book more predictable and less entertaining.

This problem continues past character personalities and into the story. Takeover is a very by the numbers superhero story that takes no risks and offers few surprises. It hits all of the standard tropes: it starts with a fight against a mad scientist, moves into a misunderstanding/conflict between heroes, and concludes with the main character facing off against a whole team of bad guys. There is very little about the story that ends up being particularly memorable. For some, this might not be too much of a problem, but those looking for something different will be disappointed.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork in Takeover ends up being fairly average overall. Pencils from Dan Jurgens and inks from Karl Kesel and Ray McCarthy give the book a nice level of detail and polish. In addition, the bold and bright nature of the art helps show off the heroic nature of the heroes in this story. This is particularly nice in moments where Firestorm squares off against another super-powered threat, which often leads to explosive and action-packed pages. The solid visuals here don’t quite make up for the lackluster story, but do help this volume a bit overall.

Continuity

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men Vol. 3: Takeover continues the story from The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men Vol. 2: The Firestorm Protocols (Review).

The Fury of Firestorm series ends with this volume. However, Firestorm’s adventures continue at the end of the Justice League Vol. 3: Throne of Atlantis (Review) and at the beginning of Justice League Vol. 4: The Grid (Review).

This volume also references another comic book, detailed below:

• Plotlines involving Captain Atom and Doctor Megala from Captain Atom Vol. 1: Evolution and Captain Atom Vol. 2: Genesis are referenced throughout this volume.
  • Captain Atom’s story continues in Legion Lost Vol. 2: The Culling (Review).
    
• The Teen Titan’s origin and fight against N.O.W.H.E.R.E. is detailed in Teen Titans Vol. 1: It’s Our Right to Fight (Review).