DAN JOLLEY: HEART OF THE FIRESTORM

**MattBrady** · 02-09-2004, 02:52 PM

With the buzz and fuss, you’d think that Dan Jolley and artist ChrissCross had done something like killed off Hal Jordan and replaced him with Kyle Rayner as an all-new Green Lantern. After all, who could guess that DC’s Firestorm, a nuclear-powered superhero could be the center of controversy?

Things are set to heat up in May when the new Firestorm #1 hits, an all new start for an all new ongoing series starring an all new character as Firestorm. Instead of a merged form of Professor Martin Stein and Ronnie Raymond (as originally created) or just Ronnie Raymond (as later modified), this Firestorm is a young kid named Jason Rusch and…well, whoever is nearby at the time.

The news that the original Firestorm won’t be the star of the new series has caused concern to outright anger among hardcore Firestorm fans who’ve been holding the torch for a return of Ronnie Raymond in his own series after DC had begun giving him more and more face time in cameos over the last couple of years. (Although, as an aside, with the revelation made that the mantle is being passed, speculation has been hot and heavy that Ronnie will be the hero to bite it in the first issue of DC’s Identity Crisis, which also debuts in May.)

Jolley spared Newsarama a few minutes to talk about the new kid, and the decisions that went into the series.

Newsarama: Alright, from the start, we’ve got to kill this one early – why did you opt to go with Jason, rather than Ron?

Dan Jolley: It was a group decision, actually. Peter Tomasi approached me about working on the series, and the new character just sort of evolved out of conversations we had about it, along with input from Dan DiDio.

There were a number of reasons to do it, most of them stemming from the need to attract as large an audience as possible — appealing to readers who don’t necessarily know about the decades of continuity behind Ron’s character. It wasn’t lightly-made decision, but I believe it was the right one.

NRAMA: You’ve gotten some…flack for the decision already. Some are already writing the series off, because Ron’s not around. Is that a big worry for you? Are you modeling your career after Ron Marz?

DJ: Well, the decision itself has definitely come under attack, but I personally have not, not really. Some of the long-time Ron Raymond fans contacted me months ago and asked me to come and make an appearance on the DC Message Boards, even if I couldn’t give them any spoilers about the project. - which I couldn’t; for a long time I could only say, “Sorry, I can’t talk about the book yet” over and over.

So I went there, and started up a dialogue of sorts with them. They know I’m sympathetic, so even if they don’t support what I’m doing for DC, they’ve still been very cool to me. So no, to answer your question, I’m not very worried about the negative responses I’ve seen. What I am though, is extremely confident in this series. I think it’s going to appeal to a very broad base of readers, and even to a lot of the skeptics, once they actually see what we’re doing. Plus I think things are sufficiently different, circumstantially and otherwise, that Ron Marz doesn’t have to worry that I’m trying to swipe his identity.

NRAMA: Okay, fair enough. So give us a character sketch – who is Jason?

DJ: Jason Rusch is a 17-year-old African-American Detroit native; he’s just graduated from high school, and he’s desperately trying to scrape up money to pay for Fall term at college. His best friend Mick is already there for summer school, and that just makes Jason want to go all the more, but the situation is made more difficult thanks to the complicated relationship Jason has with his father, Alvin.

Actually, “complicated” wouldn’t be as accurate as “love-hate.” Alvin has a number of problems — some emotional, some physical — which at times severely disrupt Jason’s life, and force him into making decisions he otherwise wouldn’t. A lot of what Jason does, and who he is, is fueled by his relationship with Alvin.

NRAMA: Already, it’s been played up that Jason isn’t Ron Raymond, and has a different approach to the powers and solving them. Can you give an example of how his approach to solving problems is different than Ronnie’s?

DJ: To begin with, at least, Jason solves a lot of problems in ways he doesn’t quite intend to; while his grasp of Firestorm’s abilities isn’t what you’d call out-of-control, there is definitely a period of adjustment and experimentation involved. In his private life, Jason approaches things quite differently from the way Ronnie would in general; Ronnie, for example, is a gifted athlete, a very good-looking, physically competent guy, whereas Jason, while he’s hardly a troll, is often extremely shy and insecure. His friend Mick wouldn’t hesitate to characterize Jason as a “colossal geek.”

NRAMA: Originally, Ron Raymond and Professor Stein were pushed together in a nuclear accident to form Firestorm – fusion, nuclear…it all made sense in a comic book science way. Now, it’s all about the “Firestorm matrix,” and describing it as something that’s almost alive. So what is “Firestorm” - an entity, a force, an elemental being, what?

DJ: It’s a complicated thing, that’s for sure. Originally, what was supposed to happen was that Professor Martin Stein, a middle-aged scientist, was slated to become Earth’s fire elemental after being “killed” in a nuclear blast; but teenage jock Ronnie Raymond happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and when both men were caught in the explosion, it merged them both into one being, who became known as “Firestorm.”

Much later — after the character had gone through a number of incarnations and configurations – it was revealed that this merging happened in part because Ronnie had a dormant meta-gene, and his unique makeup influenced the creation of Firestorm. So later on, when Stein and Ronnie separated completely and Stein became the pure elemental, he activated Ronnie’s meta-gene, thereby allowing Ronnie to become Firestorm without merging with anyone else.

Now, another unique set of circumstances has come into play, conferring the Firestorm abilities to Jason Rusch. But exactly what those circumstances are, I’m not at liberty to reveal.

Yet.

NRAMA: Okay – let’s try an end run, then. Give us the shorthand of its powers – elemental level manipulation, right?

DJ: Yeah, transmutation of matter was always a trademark power of Firestorm; he also had flight, intangibility, a measure of invulnerability, low-level super-strength, and the ability to fire super-hot “fusion blasts” from his hands.

NRAMA: And it requires two people to activate? Why? Is this a fusion thing that ties into the whole nuclear aspect?

DJ: It is indeed! Or at least it was, until Ronnie Raymond’s meta-gene was activated, and he became able to assume his Firestorm identity alone. Now, as stated above, there’s another one-of-a-kind situation arising, which will result in Firestorm again being formed by merging two people into one. It’s slightly different this time, though, in that Jason will be able to merge with (almost) anyone he chooses to; he’s not bound to one specific person, as Ronnie was. As fans on the message boards have already pointed out, that alone opens up a whole can of worms as far as story potential goes.

NRAMA: And the costume is part of it?

DJ: Yes it is, and exactly how will be revealed as the first year of the story unfolds.

NRAMA: Back to Jason – how does he get the powers? What’s his immediate response to getting them?

DJ: How he gets the powers, initially, is a complete mystery to him, as you’ll see in the first issue. His immediate response, as I think most rational people’s would be, is to freak the hell out.

NRAMA: How does he view the powers? A blessing? A curse?

DJ: Jason quickly comes to view his powers as an escape. It’s definitely more blessing than curse for him — at least until he begins to explore some of the ramifications of his actions that he hadn’t foreseen, and uncover some of the initially hidden history behind his new identity. That’s when things begin to go screamingly out of control…

NRAMA: Does the hierarchy of the DCU notice that Firestorm is back? After all, Batman found Flash pretty quick after he recently disappeared and came back…

DJ: Oh, Jason’s arrival definitely does not go unnoticed. He gets a couple of visits from a few of the more prominent members of the superhero community pretty early on - which reduce him to slack-jawed, fanboy awe more than once.

NRAMA: Can you tease the first arc? Are we going to see some old Firestorm nemeses and characters come back, thinking this is the old guy and looking to settle some scores, or is it all new from here on out?

DJ: The first arc is all about Jason’s personal life - and a particularly bad decision he made, and how it’s affected by his sudden, inexplicable transformation. It gets pretty deeply into Jason’s character, as well as his new superheroic persona. By the end of Issue One, readers will understand exactly who Jason is and where he’s coming from; by the end of Issue Two, readers will have seen some Firestorm-related things that they’ve never seen before, and in Issue Three I think we’ve got one of the more substantial “Oh Sh*t” moments I’ve ever committed to paper.

As far as old characters versus new, we’ll have a pretty healthy mix, I think, though I do foresee leaning more heavily toward the new; and rest assured, when the world realizes there’s a new guy behind the Firestorm wheel, Jason will be getting a lot of attention. And not much of it the good kind.

chooch55555 · 02-09-2004, 03:10 PM

I'd like to see Ronnie Raymond come back and have a chance to shine, but I'm also a fan of passing on the mantle. I really enjoyed the Kyle Rayner/Wally West/Connor Hawke team-ups because of the sense of legacy. Not sure why I find that cool, I just do. This move seems really surprising coming from the current DC administration/creative team. Seems like most of them are big Silver Age fans that want their GL/GA/Flash back. Some of them (i.e. Alex Ross) go so far as to say the SA version of a character is the version.

Meandering back to a point, I'm going to give this book a shot. Dan Jolley really has been a nice guy over on the DCMB even though his work (and sometimes himself) is being attacked before anyone sees the product.

Kamandi2 · 02-09-2004, 03:10 PM

I'm definitely one of the Ronnie Raymond fans who could be considered a skeptic. That said, I'm more than willing to give this new series a try. It's a bold move to make the lead African-American. The fact that there have been no black characters to last any great length of time in their own title (none more than 5 years) shows that DC is willing to experiment and hope for the best.

The idea of merging with anyone who is near him is interesting. Can he absorb a villain to stop them?

In a crowd, does he get to select his victim...errr....partner?

If there is no one else near him in sight, can he not transform or does it just grab the closest person not in his line of sight?

Can he only merge with people or can animals (Krypto?) be pulled into the matrix?

Even if it fails, it should prove interesting.

John Osen · 02-09-2004, 03:12 PM

Lex · 02-09-2004, 03:17 PM

Okay, I get more and more excited about this project every time I hear something new about it. I can't wait! It sounds like it is going to be a really good read.

What is it now? The beginning of Feb? And it comes out in May. Frick... but I think it's worth the wait.

Michael Norton · 02-09-2004, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Dan Jolley: It was a group decision, actually. Peter Tomasi approached me about working on the series, and the new character just sort of evolved out of conversations we had about it, along with input from Dan DiDio.

[/b]

Well, as fans of Young Justice can attest, that last name can't be a good sign for this title.

I like Jolley's writing, as I usually like Johns until DiDio stuck his nose into YJ and turned it into TeenTitans so I don't know. I'll buy # 1 but I honestly am having more and more problems with DC since DiDio started poking around everything.

It's all this emphasis on the new, instead of the quality that really gets me.

Michael Norton

Brian Langlois · 02-09-2004, 03:20 PM

Allow me to be the first voice of dissent. Here's my problem with the Firestorm thing.

There are two types of comic fans in the world: Firestorm Fans and Non-Firestorm Fans. The Firestorm Fans, while the smaller of the two groups, are the ones who are rabid for the return of Ronny Raymond. Teh Non-Firestorm Fans really could care less either way and are equally as likeley to pick up the book whtere Ronny is or is not in it. So here is what happens in two scenarios:

Use Ronny Raymond, the Firestorm Fans are very happy and the Non-Firestorm Fans are ambivalent. They may or may not buy the book.

Use someone new and the Non-Firestorm Fans are still ambivalent, but the Firestorm Fans are completely pissed off. Now a guaranteed part of your audience is gone.

So, it is only good sense that they use Ronny Raymond as their chances for success are higher. Granted, I'm one of the Firestorm Fans so I may be a little biased. Still, it really makes no sense to put a new character in the role for no reason at all. It's not like sales on the book are down and they want to revitalize it. It could be just as much of a fresh start for Ronny Raymond. It's just another example of DC using a recognized name to push something that is completely different and unnecessary. The fans have clamored for Firestorm for the last few years and this is what DC gives us. I'll pass, thanks.

Brian Langlois · 02-09-2004, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Michael Norton
Well, as fans of Young Justice can attest, that last name can't be a good sign for this title.

I like Jolley's writing, as I usually like Johns until DiDio stuck his nose into YJ and turned it into TeenTitans so I don't know. I'll buy # 1 but I honestly am having more and more problems with DC since DiDio started poking around everything.

It's all this emphasis on the new, instead of the quality that really gets me.

Michael Norton

I agree 100%. DiDio is trying to turn DC into NuMarvel. It's time to send him packing.

Lex · 02-09-2004, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Michael Norton
Well, as fans of Young Justice can attest, that last name can't be a good sign for this title.

I like Jolley's writing, as I usually like Johns until DiDio stuck his nose into YJ and turned it into TeenTitans so I don't know. I'll buy # 1 but I honestly am having more and more problems with DC since DiDio started poking around everything.

It's all this emphasis on the new, instead of the quality that really gets me.

Michael Norton

Really? That's funny. Ever since DiDio started being involved in DC's books, I've seen a huge increase in quality. To me, it seems like he is making sure each and every one of DC's books is the best it can be. He seems to have a love for these characters and it shows in the work he puts into it.

I loved YJ too, but I feel that the transfer to TT will be the best for Robin, Superboy, Wonder Girl and Kid Flash.

As a huge DC fan, I feel very happy that DiDio is at the center of where all the books are heading.

Taylor Porter · 02-09-2004, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by John Osen
The flack about not bringin Ron back is much ado about nothing. I never liked him.

I agree. I read almost all 100 issues of Firestorm's last title, but I have no attachment to Ronnie. It's not like they're doing Superman without Clark Kent or something. Firestorm is already a sort of obscure character, and his alter-ego even moreso. The only people who really care about this are the old diehard fans, and they're simply not enough to keep a new title afloat. This book NEEDS new fans if it's going to succeed, and new fans don't care about Ronnie, nor should they. I think going with a new character is a very wise decision.

EDIT: Oh, by the way, I think ChrissCross is a really talented guy. Good luck to him.

tralfaz · 02-09-2004, 03:24 PM

hmmm... this may prove to be cool. Im talking Spider-man cool

mrhelm · 02-09-2004, 03:25 PM

I'm a huge freakin fan of Firestorm I own about 90% of the original run, most bought as back issues. Hell, I even bought Extreme Justice because of Firestorm.

That being said, I'm very happy Ronnie Raymond is not apart of this series. I think the main problem writers had in keeping the book interesting was how boring Ronnie really is. By issue 50 most of his problems had been solved and he seemed to be this rather generic guy. His character development stopped and that's a bad thing.

I think Dan Jolley has some good ideas for this series, and I for one will buy it. Hopefully it will last a few years and not be another 12 issue cancellation.

Lex · 02-09-2004, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Brian Langlois
Allow me to be the first voice of dissent. Here's my problem with the Firestorm thing.

There are two types of comic fans in the world: Firestorm Fans and Non-Firestorm Fans. The Firestorm Fans, while the smaller of the two groups, are the ones who are rabid for the return of Ronny Raymond. Teh Non-Firestorm Fans really could care less either way and are equally as likeley to pick up the book whtere Ronny is or is not in it. So here is what happens in two scenarios:

Use Ronny Raymond, the Firestorm Fans are very happy and the Non-Firestorm Fans are ambivalent. They may or may not buy the book.

Use someone new and the Non-Firestorm Fans are still ambivalent, but the Firestorm Fans are completely pissed off. Now a guaranteed part of your audience is gone.

So, it is only good sense that they use Ronny Raymond as their chances for success are higher. Granted, I'm one of the Firestorm Fans so I may be a little biased. Still, it really makes no sense to put a new character in the role for no reason at all. It's not like sales on the book are down and they want to revitalize it. It could be just as much of a fresh start for Ronny Raymond. It's just another example of DC using a recognized name to push something that is completely different and unnecessary. The fans have clamored for Firestorm for the last few years and this is what DC gives us. I'll pass, thanks.

You logic is kinda flawed, Brian. Part of the "Non-Firestorm fans" are new readers who might welcome a character like Jason. And there may be a lot of "Firestorm fans," but I don't think they are a big enough group to warrent making a book just for them.

DC is being smart in trying to make this new Firestorm book as successful as it can be.

Outshined_One · 02-09-2004, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Michael Norton
I like Jolley's writing, as I usually like Johns until DiDio stuck his nose into YJ and turned it into TeenTitans so I don't know. I'll buy # 1 but I honestly am having more and more problems with DC since DiDio started poking around everything.

It's all this emphasis on the new, instead of the quality that really gets me.

Teen Titans also happens to be one of the best team books on the market at this moment. I think that change was necessary because Teen Titans was becoming one of the more popular cartoons and DC wanted YJ to become more marketable towards the target audience for Teen Titans. That strikes me more as common sense than anything.

I'm not some one who is intimately familiar with DC continuity, so this change is not one that bothers me. In fact, as an aspiring writer, I'm going to give kudos to Jolley and other people involved in this process for making this book different.

I can't think of many titles off the top of my head that have an African American teenager as the lead character. I really love the idea of Jason Rusch having the need to merge with people he chooses in order to become Firestorm. This definitely will have plenty implications if he wants to keep a secret identity.

I'll pick up the first issue. This sounds promising.

kingofcities · 02-09-2004, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kamandi2

The idea of merging with anyone who is near him is interesting. Can he absorb a villain to stop them?

In a crowd, does he get to select his victim...errr....partner?

If there is no one else near him in sight, can he not transform or does it just grab the closest person not in his line of sight?

Can he only merge with people or can animals (Krypto?) be pulled into the matrix?

This sounds like a great new premise for the character. You could write a years worth of plots alone just out of the questions Kamandi2 asked. Great art samples too! Can't wait.

Kent

OM · 02-09-2004, 03:41 PM

...A quick disclaimer: I have a lot of respect for Dan's work, and everyone's entitled to one mistake. Alas, Dan chose Firestorm for his one mistake.

Quote:

Dan Jolley sez:
There were a number of reasons to do it, most of them stemming from the need to attract as large an audience as possible — appealing to readers who don’t necessarily know about the decades of continuity behind Ron’s character.

...Fuck'em. I, for one, am tired of my favorite characters being debased and/or discarded by writers trying to appeal to the short-attention span geeks. If they're too goddamn lazy to catch up on continuity, let'em go back to masturbating with their Game Boys and X-Boxes.

Quote:

Dan Jolley sez:
It wasn’t lightly-made decision, but I believe it was the right one.

...Funny. I seem to recall Jimmy Palmiotti writing this on Superboy's tombstone not too long back. Guess you can quote him again 12 issues from now.

And yeah, I'm actually being optimistic here. I did say 12 issues.

Quote:

Originally posted by Brian Langlois
I agree 100%. DiDio is trying to turn DC into NuMarvel. It's time to send him packing.

...When compared to Eddie Berganza, Dan DiDio is a godsend. This reimaging attempt with Firestorm is simply his one mistake as well, and one that will backfire badly in the long run.

...Some of Dan Jolley's concepts, however, have merit. The concept of having the prime identity merge with anyone to become Firestorm is a good one, and I forsee a fun issue where the kid merges with two sexy identical twins who'd rather party than save the world.

...Which, of course, would have been right in character with Ronnie, more proof that there was AbZero reason to bring in someone other than Ronnie for the prime identity. Dan & Dan(*) could have had their cake and let the Ronnie fans eat it too, but for the misguided belief that they needed this change to bring in the non-fans and continuity challenged we Ronnie fans not only get sodomized, we don't even get a thank-you kiss afterwards.

At least the kid's not getting a job as a super in the ghetto...

(*) Can't call'em D&D because TSR would sue :-P

saiyanspider · 02-09-2004, 03:44 PM

I'm looking forward to the series because it sounds good, and chris cross.

I'm glad they made the new guy an african american, we need more diverse characters, especially in a title's lead.

I also agree about the legacy aspect, the whole passing of the torch is always cool.

Kevin T. Brown · 02-09-2004, 03:45 PM

Quote:

(Although, as an aside, with the revelation made that the mantle is being passed, speculation has been hot and heavy that Ronnie will be the hero to bite it in the first issue of DC’s Identity Crisis, which also debuts in May.)

Actually, Identity Crisis has been pushed back to June. And more feul for all the speculation is that Firestorm was initially an April release and IC in May. So now it's May for Firestorm and June for IC. Another reason for "concern" is Dan Jolley mentioning that Ronnie will be "addressed" in the new book.... That does not exactly bode well for the character.

And if anyone here reads the Firestorm section of the DCMB, they know my position concerning this book. One thing that really gets me is that Dan Jolley has been taking a lot of heat on the boards, probably far more than he should... However, if he had even said 1/10th of what he mentioned here, some of the venom may have been alleviated. Especially where the comment about it being a group effort is concerned. There are times this "gag order" makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.....

Finally, Brian Langlois is fairly accurate in his assumption about die-hard Firestorm fans not picking up this book. DC has immediately lost a core group of fans. A much larger group of fans than I think they're realizing. While there may be some who will regardless, there are many more (like myself) who have no interest in a faux-Firestorm.

Part of me hopes the book does really well for Dan and CrissCross's sake, but the larger part of me wants it to fail miserably so we can get the Firestorm character we have been begging DC to print for years.

John Osen · 02-09-2004, 03:45 PM

jkm · 02-09-2004, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mrhelm
I'm a huge freakin fan of Firestorm I own about 90% of the original run...

The original run only lasted 5 issue. You are probably thinking of the second series (Fury of Firestorm) which lasted 100 issues.

saiyanspider · 02-09-2004, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by OM
...A quick disclaimer: I have a lot of respect for Dan's work, and everyone's entitled to one mistake. Alas, Dan chose Firestorm for his one mistake.

...Fuck'em. I, for one, am tired of my favorite characters being debased and/or discarded by writers trying to appeal to the short-attention span geeks. If they're too goddamn lazy to catch up on continuity, let'em go back to masturbating with their Game Boys and X-Boxes.

...Funny. I seem to recall Jimmy Palmiotti writing this on Superboy's tombstone not too long back. Guess you can quote him again 12 issues from now.

And yeah, I'm actually being optimistic here. I did say 12 issues.

Dude calm down, I don't have a "short attention span", but did it ever occur to you that some of us have lives, and can't invest the money, and time to catch up to speed on 20 years worth of continuity? I have a kid, work, I'm doing the best I can to keep up with whats going on now let alone with a character who hasn't had his own title in like years. sometimes this is the best route to go.

tralfaz · 02-09-2004, 03:47 PM

Quote:

And yeah, I'm actually being optimistic here. I did say 12 issues.

ive got a feeling youre wrong on this one chum. This could be a very strong book. It has all the classic ideas:
a young boy gets powers
he copes with powers
he has problems with parents
he has problems socially
his only escape is his powers

as much as I liked Ronnie, this may prove to be a fun series.

Fazhoul · 02-09-2004, 03:57 PM

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who's skeptical about this book. Nothing about it makes me want to read it. I don't like the sound of the story changes they've made and I've never been a big fan of CrissCross' artwork. So, for me at least, there's two strikes against it. I will probably pick up at least the first issue to see if it confirms or dispels my doubts.

If James Robinson, David Goyer & Geoff Johns can take the JSA with SIXTY years of continuity and make it a hit for DC then why are TPTB at DC worried about fans having trouble with 25 years of continuity for Firestorm? Why not publish a trade or two of Firestorm's old adventures? I am more than little tired of characters getting dumped because of "too much continuity".

OM · 02-09-2004, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Fazhoul
If James Robinson, David Goyer & Geoff Johns can take the JSA with SIXTY years of continuity and make it a hit for DC then why are TPTB at DC worried about fans having trouble with 25 years of continuity for Firestorm? Why not publish a trade or two of Firestorm's old adventures? I am more than little tired of characters getting dumped because of "too much continuity".

...Well said! If we ever meet, remind me to buy the first couple of rounds!

Quote:

Originally posted by Kevin T. Brown
Part of me hopes the book does really well for Dan and CrissCross's sake, but the larger part of me wants it to fail miserably so we can get the Firestorm character we have been begging DC to print for years.

...That same philosophy is the one that Battlestar Galactica fans currently face. The problem is that what will happen is that those in charge at DC will a) blame the Ronnie fans for the book's failure, b) then claim that a new Firestorm book is out of the question because there's not enough demand for one, using the faux-Firestorm book as proof.

Golden Rule Of Corporate Rule #1: Never admit you were wrong when what you give the consumer what you want instead of what they want and they throw it back in your face with "Fuck Off" spraypainted on the shipping box. Otherwise, you'll have to cater to *their* needs instead of -your- whims, and the power trip will lose its high and become just another job.

Fazhoul · 02-09-2004, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tralfaz
ive got a feeling youre wrong on this one chum. This could be a very strong book. It has all the classic ideas:
a young boy gets powers
he copes with powers
he has problems with parents
he has problems socially
his only escape is his powers

as much as I liked Ronnie, this may prove to be a fun series.

Yeah, it was too bad that Ronnie didn't have any of those themes going for him. Oh wait, HE DID.