The Fury of Firestorm #6 Review
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Rafael De Latorre
Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo
Letterer: Lucas Gattoni
Cover Artists: Rafael De Latorre & Marcelo Maiolo
Variant Cover Artists: Brad Walker & Maiolo; Eric
Canete; Juni Ba
Editors: Marquis Draper, Andrew Marino & Brittany
Holzherr
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99/$4.99 Card Stock
Release Date: September 9, 2026
After Dr Polaris killed his son, Dr Martin Stein worked
tirelessly to create metahumans that the US government could control. But while
trying to protect other parents from losing their children, Martin's goal
outweighed his ethics. Eventually, Ronnie Raymond and Lorraine Reilly realized
how Martin had tricked them. So, despite what they accomplished together,
Firestorm and Firehawk eventually parted company with manipulative Martin.
Now, Firestorm and Firehawk are back, but the artificial
intelligence Martin designed controls Firestorm. Can Lorraine Reilly and Martin
Stein help Ronnie prevent the Firestorm Matrix from transmuting everything in
creation? Or does Martin Stein have another secret agenda? Let's put on our
flame-resistant clothes, leap into The Fury of Firestorm #6, and see!
Story
After Lorraine Reilly brought Dr Martin Stein to Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, they beheld a giant crystal protecting Firestorm. Firehawk invaded
the Matrix’s new home and freed Ronnie from memories of working with the
Justice League. But when Dr Martin Stein used his device to enter Firestorm’s
home, the Matrix recognized him as its father. And instead of casting the
Matrix out of Firestorm as he promised, Martin destroys his device.
In The Fury of Firestorm #6, Ronnie, Lorraine, and Martin
work together again. This time, they battle supervillains in Ronnie's memories.
Or perhaps it is an alternative reality created by the Matrix. Life may have
torn them apart. But in this realm, Martin, Ronnie, and Lorraine can fight
destructive metahumans to their hearts' content.
As Jeff Lemire muses on the relationships that define us,
Martin Stein becomes a father figure. Ronnie and Lorraine love him. Yet Martin’s
innate need to control others has prompted them to build barriers to protect
themselves from his manipulative nature. Like its Human counterparts, the
Firestorm Matrix also seeks freedom from the Humans who once controlled it. Yet
while Ronnie, Lorraine, and Martin seek a way to regain control of Firestorm,
the artificial intelligence protects them. And instead of transmuting
everything around it, the Matrix hesitates to destroy its creator’s world in
The Fury of Firestorm #6.
Art
While Firestorm kneels before its creator, Lorraine also
kneels before the man who transformed her into Firehawk. Her features contort
as Martin smiles and destroys the device that could have banished the Matrix
from Firestorm. Yet while Firestorm and Lorraine raise an arm to ward off the
resultant explosion, Martin throws his arms wide as the flames hurtle toward
him. Then Firestorm stands alone and gazes down in contemplation.
As Rafael De Latorre transports readers from Firestorm’s
physical domain to a mental mindscape, Marcelo Maiolo adorns Ronnie’s dreamlike
existence with a recollection of the four-color era. Off-white pages replace
bright white borders, while shades of green link Martin and Ronnie. Yet yellow,
orange, and red link Martin with the “children” he created and link Firestorm’s
crystal home with the memories he has placed the Humans inside. Yet everyone
has a special place to call their own. As the Matrix contemplates its future,
Ronnie, Lorraine, and Martin invade a realm dominated by violet and indigo with
just a hint of blue.
Lucas Gattoni conveys speech with black uppercase letters in
white balloons. Firestorm’s yellow dialogue appears in red balloons. When
Lorraine transforms into Firehawk, she speaks into light blue fields. Martin's
blue-and-white face accompanies a storm cloud as he counsels Ronnie in his
pseudo-memories. Colored letters reveal the stress the Humans are enduring.
Sound effects accompany Martin's act of mercy, his intrusion on Ronnie and
Lorraine's privacy, and an action that will change everything. Thanks to DC
Comics for sharing this story with us.
Final Thoughts
Locked together inside the Firestorm Matrix, Ronnie Raymond,
Lorraine Reilly, and Dr Martin Stein struggle with deactivating it. Yet after
the Matrix remembered how Martin created it, and how Ronnie controlled it while
Martin advised him, the Matrix ponders Martin's original intentions. As the
characters confront their fears, love, desire for control, anger, and
compassion, they reach for a slender thread of hope, even if their choices will
part them forever in The Fury of Firestorm #6.
Rating 9.8/10
To look inside see The Fury of Firestorm #6 Preview.
For what happened last time, see The Fury of Firestorm #5 Preview.
For what happened before that, see The Fury of Firestorm #4 Preview.
For what happened even before that, see my preview of The Fury of Firestorm #3.
For what happened even more before that, see my review of The Fury of Firestorm #2.
For how this series started, see my preview of The Fury of Firestorm #1.
