THE FIRE AND WATER PODCAST: Episode 37
The official podcast of THE AQUAMAN SHRINE and FIRESTORM FAN
Episode 37 - Firestorm #14 and Aquaman #14 Reviews
Shag and I discuss the latest issues of FIRESTORM and AQUAMAN! This time we review THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MAN #14 (by Dan Jurgens, Ray McCarthy, and Hi-Fi) and AQUAMAN #14 (by Geoff Johns, Pete Woods, Pere Perez, and more). We wrap up with your listener feedback!
Have a question or comment? Send us an e-mail at: firewaterpodcast@comcast.net
Also, you can leave a comment on our sites:
THE AQUAMAN SHRINE - http://www.aquamanshrine.com
FIRESTORM FAN - http://firestormfan.com
FIRE AND WATER PODCAST TUMBLR - http://fireandwaterpodcast.tumblr.com
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Intro theme, "That Time is Now," by Michael Kohler. Outro music by Daniel Adams and The Bad Mamma Jammas!
http://www.facebook.com/BadMammaJammas
Thanks for listening! Fan the Flame and Ride the Wave!
Monday, December 10, 2012
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6 comments:
For my comments on the Firestorm portion of the 'cast, see Firestorm Fan. But about its Aquaman portion...
This was the first issue that actively kept my attention since the first few last year. It started plot threads about characters we know as opposed to lots of new characters we don't (i.e. the Others). The new art was fine for me, and I really like that sunken ship, for example.
Ocean Master, Garth, a legacy old-timey Aquaman , marine lore, and Manta turning down Waller... I thought that was all GREAT STUFF. I'm sorry it wasn't your cup of salty tea!
Was it stupid to bring the Manta helmet? It looked broken. Easy mistake.
Great song! But then I like all those sad Aquaman songs.
1. I don't have any comic book shirts older than Chad Bokelman. All of those grew too tattered and tight on my aging, expanding body across the decades, and that kid missed the first two rounds of Batmania. Actually no, I'm not going to pile on the "New Frank," even if that nickname underscores how you could almost fit two of Chad's lifetimes into my own.
2. Like a jilted ex, I've looked to ICv2 in hopes that Stormwatch would go into a sales freefall after Martian Manhunter left (as the book on its own is lousy.) #1-6 saw the real drop, shedding 20,000 readers, nearly half its initial audience. From there, each month has had roughly a thousand reader attrition, which is kind of awful. A crossover with Red Lantern buoyed the book for a month, but the shift from #9 to #10 cost two thousand readers, and each month through #13 has continued the -1,000 trend per month (exempting a +4,000 spike for #0, but #13 still posted a grand loss from #12.)
Martian Manhunter has had no appreciable effect on the book's downward sales trend, so it's good DC doesn't pay attention to his lack of appeal in placing him on Justice League of America, or else he'd have stayed on the Firestorm death march with Stormwatch.
3. Gee Firestorm, don't you have a supporting cast of your own?
4. Something that never occurred to me: John Byrne has never significantly contributed to either of your characters.
5. The TV Detective did not survive as a feature after it was dropped from 'Tec. Roy Raymond was co-featured in Detective Comics for two years before the introduction of Martian Manhunter, and he left three years before J'onn J'onzz, but they did cohabitate for a time.
6. Is the younger generation less racist? Comment from Chad?
7. I curse inside my head every time I see Slimfast Amanda Waller. It makes me inexplicably furious. I wanted to read Team 7, but I couldn't get past Amanda Weightwatcher's appearance. She's everything I hate about the New 52 in a nutshell. Every time I consider buying a Captain Atom trade paperback or some other nod of approval toward the new status quo, something like the Venitian Wall makes me recoil.
8. I can't defend Rob's negativity about Aquaman #14 because the scripts have sucked since #1, but it makes sense that it would be more obvious without Reis concealer. I'm already gone, myself.
9. Aren't there already a few "It Isn't Easy Being Aquaman" songs circulating out there? This is the most professional sounding that I can recall, good enough that I'd listen to it on purpose beyond the novelty factor. I'd love to hear a co**-rock, "f-yeah I'm in the JLA" song for Firestorm. He's an '80s extended electric guitar solo kind of hero. I guess that makes Aquaman more of a Gordon Lightfoot. Chad won't get that reference.
10. I don't think the Who's Who podcast should have guests. Fire & Water is more fluid (pun intended,) where W'sW is more deliberate in its production and more dependent on two specific personalities sharing their love for the DC Universe. Whether you add to or take away from the established formula, the podcast is diminished if it's not exactly 1 Shagg + 1 Robb. Plus, there's no Zook entry, and given the legions of "Z" characters at DC, I consider the very existence of Who's Who in its published form to be an offense to Martian Manhunter fandom.
11. I can defend Rob's dismissal of Peter David. I read his Hulk for years, even though I hate the Hulk, and he's one of my all time favorite comic writers. Still, PAD's Aquaman was misguided and survived on his cult of personality more than inherent quality.
12. As of this moment, the only monthly titles I'm collecting are the (seemingly cancelled) National Comics and Revival, which I'm going to switch to buying in trade paperback, as I do The Walking Dead and Empowered. I plan to give Justice League of America and Vibe extended try-outs, but should they falter, I'll be out of DC Comics entirely. Any possibility Vibe Magazine played into the crazy long title for the comic?
Again, I'm with Rob in giving corporate comics the finger. I just haven't found many independent comics to replace them with (including the crappy Creator Owned Heroes.)
13. Reasons To Hate Commenting At The Aquaman Shrine: I had to break my feedback in two because of Blogspot word count restrictions, and had to pass through a total of three word verification gates to post them.
Aquaman #14 was cool and all, but you guys glossed over what was clearly the best part of the issue - a New Orleans Saints reference! WHO DAT!?!
I find it kinda funny, yet kinda irksome that Rob always seems to find a way to hate on Geoff Johns, considering how much good he's done for the Sea King and his minions. Granted, I'm admittedly a mindless Johns follower, but my point remains valid.
I have to agree with both Rob and Shag that these issues were "meh" and "awesome," respectively.
Starting with AQUAMAN, why the hell feature the lead guy ON THE COVER and then never feature him clearly in the story? That's just stupid, or bad communication. Doesn't look like he deserves the whole "blofeld" treatment, anyway. Art was great, I thought, but Johns loves these side-trips (like with the Essex) that is supposed to mean something "deep" but never does.
I understand what "Cynical" means about ragging on Johns, but really, when he is great he's awesome; when he's not, he's terrible. Seems that way to me, anyway.
As for FIRESTORM, this was absolutely my favorite issue so far. DEF the closest so far to what I consider the original "spirit" of the character. I do wish he could have his own sense of supporting characters so I could care about them, and not have to worry about who the hell Captain Atom is this month. ;-)
Sad that Listener Feed-Back got truncated. At his secret orphanage (somewhere in Kansas) Little Russell Burbage cried himself to sleep after listening to this broadcast...
Way late to the podcast, but I just started listening:
I don't have much to say about Firestorm, but I loved the issue of Aquaman.
Orm came off as both regal and vaguely sinister. Brilliant scripting; I loved every panel.
I can't believe you guys didn't even mention Garth. I geeked harder then I have over the whole 52 run. Curse of the purple eyes; outcaste from atlantis; Orm's protection? Those two panels got me more excited then any cross-over event could.
I also really dug the flashback to Aurthor's ancestor in the 80's esque costume. Nice callback. i kept trying to figure out if the captain of the ship was a call back to an older villain, but honestly there are too many pirate-esque characters in Aquaman's past.
Random thought: Is it just me or are Ocean Master's eyes a bit purple on the cover?
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