Fire & Water 184 – Aquaman #s 9-13/Fury of Firestorm (Classic) #29

After a long break, the issue reviews are back! Shag and Rob catch up with the Sea King, taking a look at AQUAMAN #s 9-13, followed by "The Assassination Bureau", from THE FURY OF FIRESTORM (Classic) #29 by Joey Cavalieri, Rafael Kayanan, and Rodin Rodriguez! We wrap up with your Listener Feedback!

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13 responses to “Fire & Water 184 – Aquaman #s 9-13/Fury of Firestorm (Classic) #29

  1. Ah can’t wait to meet you boys and share some viddles with you’ns. Maybe Cindy can whip up a veg-ee-terry-in vershun of her famus roadkill stew for Rob.

    I REALLY need to remember to set the DVR up to record Justice League Action! We don’t watch much regular TV nowadays, so I keep forgetting to catch it. Off to youtube!

    I’m not sure how the Aqua-title is going to go back to normal after this either. Maybe Aquaman cuts ALL ties with Atlantis? I’m sure Rob wouldn’t mind that. One of my biggest gripes with comic creators of the past several decades is escalating things beyond the breaking point, and expecting the status quo to settle back in after a certain time. You can argue one of the first examples was the death of Aquababy/Arthur Jr. I mean could you really see Aquaman NOT killing Manta for that? Or when the Joker made it personal by crippling Barbara, killing Robin and then later Sarah Essen Gordon? Not that I want my heroes killing willy-nilly. No way. But if the creators go there and they don’t respond in a fashion that ends the threat, it makes them seem impotent. If the DCU just forgives Atlantis AGAIN, that’s a lot to swallow. Plus it’s too Marvel-like, where Atlantis invades every other Wednesday.

    I’m kind of with Rob on Bazooka Joan. She’s intentionally absurd, so it works. But obviously, neither she nor Stratos (I keep thinking of the winged He-Man character) got Who’s Who entries, so I guess you’re not alone, Shag!

    I agree that Ronnie’s treatment of Felicity was kind of disturbing. Sure it was funny in a sophomoric way, but the fact that he taunted her about the men enjoying her naked appearance takes it to a slightly creepy level. This isn’t Spidey webbing J. Jonah’s mouth shut. It’s several steps beyond. Bad Ronnie! Maybe he just wanted someone else to appear naked and soapy after all of his shower changes?

    Glad you guys are thinking ahead to episode #200.I think you should do a meta-special where you review all 200 plus episodes of your own series and comment on it. Very Morrison.

    Chris, happy to b Mrs. Franklin’s Boy Toy

  2. I bought this Firestorm and loved Bazooka Joan. If only we saw her evil ally, ‘My turtleneck is too big’ Girl!

    Growing up in a rather conservative household, I have to admit that I thought Mindboggler was hot in a ‘forbidden fruit’ sort of way. Alas, she isn’t long for this world once Ostrander gets hold of her.

    As for Aquaman, the art is just luscious! Middleton did a run on Supergirl back in the early Gates/Igle run and they were gorgeous as well!

    1. Yes! Middleton’s Supergirl covers are phenomenal as well! He’s one of my top favorites. That makes me want to check and see if he has an art book out. His work is so good.

  3. Ah, the issue so full of Forgettable Firestorm Foes that the Mindboggler stands out as the most interesting.

    Stratos beats Firestorm in the all-important puffy sleeves category, though. (Throughout, Firestorm’s sleeves are not reacting to the supposed wind. Are they actually filled with stiff foam?)

    I’m stuggling to think of what kind of character Bazooka Joan would make a suitable foe for. Hawkman?

  4. Something I thought I would never hear on a F&W podcast:

    Time code 53:53 : “While I love seeing a hot woman naked”.

  5. Great to have you guys back talking Aquaman and Firestorm.

    The recent Aquaman issues have been bonkers good, Abnett is using the fortnightly schedule to add texture to the story, so as well as such exciting moments as the attacks by the Pretendy Atlanteans, we get to know the characters better.

    It’s funny, I was just thinking yesterday that the Josh Middleton covers should be collected in a book and here’s Rob saying that very thing – mind, we do agree on EVERYTHING, wasn’t I admitting to ‘hearing’ Nanny and the Professor months ago, in the feedback? And I’m not afraid to tell you I actually watched the thing as a nipper, along with My Three Sons and the Debbie Reynolds Show.

    I do not understand how anyone can’t smile at Bazooka Joan. Yes, she’s throwaway, but gloriously so. I bet Conway just wanted a few no-marks to make up the numbers in The Assassination Bureau (did you mention the movie link there, I may have missed it?). Shag, you were wondering whether Conway or Cavalieri came up with the villains, I’d guess the latter as they have that extra side of goofy naffness Cavalieri, whom I love, served up in such strips as Green Arrow and Black Canary (Death Dealer, Ozone…).

  6. I share Chris’ concern that the Atlantis vs the surface world plot as been done to death by Marvel, and doesn’t need to be overdone by DC, as well. While it has been a few years, it still doesn’t feel like Throne of Atlantis happened all that long ago. Especially given the similarity in plots between the two story lines (i.e., a secretive third-party engineers a conflict between Atlantis and the United States to further their own agenda).

    All that being said, I’ve been enjoying Abnett’s run on the book. Particularly, the work he has done to flesh out Aquaman’s supporting cast. Also, I have to admit that I’m curious to see how the prophecy of the Fatal Queen plays out. I just hope this is the last Atlantean invasion we see for a while. Speaking of supporting cast, what I’d really love to see is a short one or two part story where Arthur, Mera, Garth, and Tula team up for a fun, old-school adventure.

    1. Oops. I forgot to give my thoughts on the Firestorm issue. I freely admit that I am a Firestorm noob, and most of what I know about the character I’ve learned from this podcast. I’ve been enjoying all the kooky villains that have made their appearances in recent issues, and get the feeling that the creative team was having a blast working on this book. That definitely increases my enjoyment as a reader/listener. I’m looking forward to seeing how this assassination plot plays out.

  7. The Breathtaker Who’s Who entry makes a reference to an Incognito entry that did not appear in the series. Someone has to do something about that…

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