If our weekly Ask Chris column isn't enough of definitive comic book (and pro wrestling) opinions for you, good news: ComicsAlliance is proud to present Here's The Thing, a series of videos where you can join our own extremely opinionated senior writer, Chris Sims, as he dives into comics history to explain why you're wrong and he's right.

This week, a few viewers write in to ask about the history of Firestorm, a relatively obscure DC Comics character who was most prominent in the 1980s. As you may already know, obscure DC characters from the '80s are Chris's entire jam, which sends him on a long explanation of who Firestorm is and how he came to be, from the DC Implosion to Brave and the Bold.

Show Notes:

  • Catch up on the original Firestorm stories with DC's paperback collection from a few years back.
  • Perhaps Firestorm's most enduring contribution to the DC universe was "Curt Nolland," a stand-in for Smokey and the Bandit-era Burt Reynolds, with whom Killer Frost was briefly infatuated.
  • Gerry Conway has a long and incredible career in comics, but non-comics readers may recall him as the writer of the episode of Baywatch Nights that had a mummy in it.
  • Seriously.

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