In this review of The Fury of Firestorm #2, the Nuclear Man continues with an internal struggle that’s spilling over to the outside world. How can further catastrophe be avoided?
THE FURY OF FIRESTORM #2
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art and Main Cover: RAFAEL DE LATORRE
Variant Covers: RILEY ROSSMO, MARK SPEARS, SANFORD GREENE
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 5/13/26
This review contains spoilers
The Fury of Firestorm #2 kicks off with some backstory on how Ronnie Raymond and Professor Martin Stein first met. Ronnie’s an average student at the University of Pittsburgh and lies his way into an assistant’s position with Stein.
Through further backstory memories, we find out that Ronnie’s mother died when he was eight and his dad was never there for him, leading to his feeling of being alone.
The professor quickly sees through Ronnie’s facade, realizing his new assistant has no clue of what he’s doing. Despite this and the fact that Ronnie is really there mainly to impress a girl, Stein lets him stay on the job, seeing the potential in the kid. Over the next few panels, we see their working relationship continue to develop, with Ronnie becoming more confident in himself.
Threats from protestors outside Stein’s lab turn real when a bomb detonates, resulting in the fusion of Ronnie and Stein, but at this point in the story, we return to the present day, outside of Firestorm’s old memories, but still within Firestorm’s mind. Here, the dark Nuclear Man vaporizes Ronnie (as seen in The Fury of Firestorm #1), apparently ridding himself of Ronnie’s control.
The faceless version of Firestorm sits on a bench in Bedford as the army monitors the situation. The general realizes there’s nothing more they can do, as things have gotten out of their control. Fortunately, several familiar faces show up to face off with the Nuclear Man, ending The Fury of Firestorm #2.
Analysis
Jeff Lemire recently confirmed this series has been extended to nine issues rather than the original six, due to the high demand for the first issue. That’s excellent news for this story, as I don’t think six issues would have been enough to do it justice. In The Fury of Firestorm #2, Lemire has done a good job of feeding us a little more background as to what makes these characters tick, but still leaves plenty enough to be explored in upcoming issues.
We can see through Ronnie’s memories that he has some confidence issues. He struggles with his own identity, but Stein is able to see something in him which helps to build him up. This is fitting for the character of Firestorm, a literal combination of Ronnie and Stein.
What’s really interesting so far, though, is that a lot of this story seems to be taking place within the mind of a dark version of the Nuclear Man. In place of his face is just a dark void with glowing eyes. The Firestorm matrix looks to be functioning on its own without Raymond or the professor in control. Lemire hasn’t revealed exactly what’s going on, but that will come in time.
Right now, we have an insanely powerful being about to face off with several very powerful superheroes. The final page of The Fury of Firestorm #2 reveal has Supergirl, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter floating down from above Firestorm preparing to engage in an epic battle. Even as strong as these heroes are, I think dark Firestorm would have an easy time with them. Lemire will have to keep the power levels turned down a bit or risk having an overpowered character run over everyone in his path.
I’m looking forward to this fight in the next issue, but I’m even more interested in finding out where Professor Stein is, since we got a brief teaser at the end of the first issue, but nothing in The Fury of Firestorm #2. I think he’s the key to all of this, especially if everything is taking place within Ronnie’s mind.
The artwork remains consistent with Rafael de Latorre illustrating and Marcelo Maiolo coloring. One of my favorite pages is the one right after the bomb explodes in the lab and Firestorm is revealed on a splash page. The character is somewhat in silhouette against a fire and embers background. It’s a great use of dark and light colors. The final page reveal is another fun one, as we’re looking up over Firestorm’s shoulder as the five heroes hover above.
Final Thoughts
The Fury of Firestorm #2 continues with the mysterious vibes of a darker Firestorm. It leaves us with unanswered questions, but also prepares us for a massive battle between some awesome characters. If you’ve ever been remotely interested in Firestorm (and even if you haven’t), this one is worth a read. Have fun, comic lovers!
