From: gt1759c@prism.gatech.EDU (Don Morris)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: Re: Gaiman/DC Elementals
Date: 21 Jan 93 19:40:33 GMT
Organization: Ulcer-Causing Institute of Technology/NE Student

In <1993Jan21.011734.11552@wam.umd.edu> lecuyer@wam.umd.edu (Catherine L. LeCuyer) writes:

>In article <1993Jan20.184912.1@hamp.hampshire.edu> jlmiller@hamp.hampshire.edu writes:
>>
>>Funny, I was just discussing how interesting a DC elemental story would be with
>>someone (Hi Cathy). So who have we got? Erm, Swamp Thing, Firestorm (He is
>>still around, isn't he?)...I would consider Buddy Baker (Animal Man) to fall
>>into a catagory somewhere...Hmm. 
>>And yes, Gaiman is one of the few who could pull it off...Others would be
>>(dream list!) Alan Moore, Jamie Delano, Grant Morrison, Len Wein, ..lots of
>>other people who's names escape me for the moment.
>>Storywise...I dunno. But it's something to think about!
>>jonathan.

>I actually think whoever might do this should create new characters
>more along the lines of Swampy (when he was written by Moore). I 
>don't really know what Firestorm is like - is he a superhero rather
>than a supernatural?

Urk... Just what Firestorm needs _another_ complete rewrite of his history
ignoring all the past. Sorry, thanks for playing. The DC Elementals at present:

Swamp Thing: Earth/Plant
Captain Atom: Quantum (kinda is/kinda isn't an Elemental. Pretty silly)
Red Tornado: Air
Firestorm (Martin Stein): Fire/Plasma
Niaid [sp?] (Formerly Japanese Radical Environmentalist): Water

Any new characters brought in would have to be for other elements. As to what's
going on with the Elementals, as far as I know only Swampy does anything.
Captain Atom is still in a wheatfield in Kansas since Armageddon: Alien Agenda,
Martin Stein is still in the Otherspace since War of the Gods, Niaid hasn't
been seen to my knowledge since the Elemental War in Firestorm #91-94, and I
have _no_ idea where Red Tornado has been, although he has a robot shell again.

As far as what Firestorm is, he started out a superhero (Fusion-powered, with
a power boost from the Sun [unspecified method, but Sunspots temporarily 
lowered his power levels in Annual #3), and through a bastard rewrite by 
John Ostrander in Firestorm #87 (which ignored previous history _completely_)
was changed into Earth's Fire Elemental. In Firestorm #100, Martin Stein 
(ex-part of the Original Firestorm and Firestorm, Mark II) became the 
Elemental, and was then able to leave Earth.

If you care, I have my own theory of Firestorm's origin I wrote up a while
back that explains the whole mess in a way I can buy, I'll email it to you.

BTW - I guess that since the Spectre seems to be the only Cosmic Level magical
entity in DC (re: Crisis), he might be in the running for "Magic Elemental".
Supes could be Orphan Elemental......Starman (he's not _really_ dead, who is
in DC?) could be the Stellar Elemental.....Green Arrow is the Accuracy 
Elemental.... :) :) :)

Donald Morris                         Box 24815 Ga. Tech Station
vapspze@prism.gatech.edu              Atlanta, GA 30332
====================================================================
"I want to live as an honest man, to get all I deserve and to give all I can.
	And to love a young woman, who I don't understand...."
		-Suzanne Vega, 'The Queen and the Soldier', _Suzanne_Vega_