Firestorm #1 Review

Summary

Jason Rusch has a swollen eye and has to go home without working at the restaurant he has a job. This proves to be a problem since his father has an amputated hand and injured back. He also plans to go to college and losing out on a pay check means he can’t pay tuition so he can’t go. when his abusive father realizes he wont be able to work for awhile which means his son can’t pay him rent he is upset for obvious reasons. Jason decides to take a loan from a local drug dealer to pay his tuition. His friend from college disapproves but it’s already done.

At night he picks up the package and goes to the drop off. On the way a fiery explosion slams into his car. He wakes up hours later and rushes to the drop off point. Once there a shootout ensues, seeing one of the men dead cause him to transform into firestorm.

The Good

The art was pretty good, all the characters were very expressive in body and facial features. We got into Jason’s head and the many problems that litter his life. His father’s history is also touched upon and the questions of where is his mom are brought up. Also of note was the use of art to illustrate the abusive relationship between father and son. Never stated here but the way the characters interacted it was pretty clear Jason was terrified of this man. This is not how a father normally reacts when upset with his son, this dude was all over our protagonist like white on rice.

The gangster/drug dealer/loan shark will also pop up later no doubt, he’s presented here as clearly a future antagonist. Again the art helps to set things up as the man looks like a caricature of a devil.

Our protagonist also has a clear confidence problem and is very timid. This establishment of his personality so early on makes for future character development next issue.

Another black superhero is born- always good to see a new addition 🙂

The Bad

There was something very unlikable. I’m not sure what it was his angry father, the situation he got caught up in or was it the ending of the issue but there was a disconnect at some point. I never got drawn into the story.

It was like reading/watching a  soap opera. I know It’s intended for me to sympathize with the lead and I did but not to the extent I’m sure was intended. Maybe things will improve but as of right now Jason is not an impressive character. He seems prone to making really dumb decisions and has no spine. Some people will not “get” or “like” him at all.

The Ugly

As a first issue it was average, the art was what carried the bulk of the “weight” it conveyed stuff that would otherwise be put in an info box. There were problems surely but nothing that made the book “unreadable” much room for improvement but still a 2.5/5