FIRESTORM J!
I’m no longer interested in doing 50 issues of New Warriors at Marvel or launch a badass new Mr. Terrific series at DC Comics. It’s sad to admit, but I think that time for me has passed and I’m okay with that for many different reasons. First, I’m not a monthly comics schedule guy. Sucks, but I’m just not capable anymore. I can produce my best pencils on an 8 week schedule per 20-22 page comic. Solid pencils & inks on the same timeline. At this stage in the game I’m just not interested in sacrificing quality over speed. So, that won’t cut it working a monthly at the big two. Also, the odds of getting a writer that I REALLY want to work with telling the type of stories I want to work on with characters I enjoy is slim. Second, I’m much more interested in putting my own characters and stories on the shelf than maintaining someone else’s IP. Don’t get me wrong. I love SO many Marvel & DC characters and if the timing and conditions were right (after establishing my own stuff of course) I would kinda dig coming back and doing something cool. Especially with the right team. That said, I’m trying to build something here. Something that may very well take YEARS, but I’m in it to win it. Besides, the comics world is ever expanding with new creators with new characters and new stories from ALL walks of life that can ONLY be told by those creators. Doesn’t matter if it’s superheroes, sci-fi, romance, drama, comedy, or anything else in between. If even one person reads your work and becomes a fan then it wasn’t for nothing.
On that note, there are quite a few Big Two characters whom I’ve always liked, but I don’t think I’ve ever drawn before. I’ve never been a big fan art guy (because I always have my own characters on the brain or redesigning existing one! LOL!), but I’m getting this itch to draw all the ones I enjoy. Firestorm is definitely one of those I’ve never drawn before, but loved. When I first saw him way back when Starman, Blue Beetle, & Blue Devil hit the stands at DC in The Fury of Firestorm in the 80’s (Fury of Firestorm hit in 1982, but I came to it late) and then again in the Superfriends/Super Powers Team tv show, I was hooked. Ronnie had a good run and was a major player in the DCU for a time, but after becoming an elemental and all the storylines that came after we didn’t hear much from the Nuclear Man. Then in 2004 enters Jason Rusch! Awwww man! I don’t need to tell you how awesome it was to see one of my favorite DC characters not just come back, but as a POC!?! It was one of the few race swapped changes that felt …right. At any rate, Firestorm has a special place in my heart and I realized that as much as I loved the character I don’t believe I’d ever drawn him. So, Here we go. Not just a character I’ve never drawn before, but the first brand new drawing for the site! More stuff like this is on the way and MORE!!
ENJOY!!
-Ray