With Ronnie showing up all over recent solicitations, I've heard a lot of people speculate that DC Editorial insisted on putting him back in the book to improve sales. Those of us who have been following the Firestorm rumor mill know better. There has been plenty of discussion about Ronnie's return since the book launched. At one point, I thought it might be interesting to compile all of those hints. I started putting them together and the evidence for his return seemed overwhelming. I realized that writers drop hints here or there and don't intend anyone to put them all together and spell it out for the entire audience, so I checked in with Dan Jolley. We agreed that it would be a little too spoilerish. Now that we've all seen the solicitations to issues 10 and 11, the cat's out of the bag. I'd simply like to catalog some of the statements to demonstrate that this was all part of the original plan.
As you read this, keep in mind that the first issue of the book came out in May 2004.
"I understand everyone's concern about the possibility that Ronnie Raymond won't appear in the new series. The thing is, DC and I have very specific things in mind for Firestorm, and MAN OH MAN am I not allowed to talk about them yet." - Dan Jolley
"The possibility" is the first thing that caught my eye. He will not confirm that Ronnie isn't in the book. He's also enthusiastic about something that he implies will be good news for those who are concerned about Ronnie's absence which, you have to imagine, would be his presence.
See the post here.
In response to someone who was very concerned about Ronnie's absence, Dan had the following to say: "I would love to go into great detail, telling you what we have planned for the upcoming Firestorm book -- there are even a few hints I'd like to drop that you might not mind hearing."
Again, you know he simply couldn't be talking about news of Ronnie's fate. He couldn't possibly believe that the person who expressed the concern "wouldn't mind hearing" of Ronnie's permanent death.
See the post here.
"We will address the Ronnie Raymond issue and the questions will be addressed. He might even appear in the new Firestorm." - Dan Didio (source)
That's something an exec is unlikely to say unless there are, in fact, plans.
From the Comics Continuum report of the DC Panel: "Jolley said that how the new Firestorm fits in with the old one will be explained by the end of the first year of the title."
I think this panel may be the source of the "new status for Ronnie by the end of issue 12" rumor that was floating around. If someone knows differently, please let me know.
"Honestly, I don't know how long-time Ronnie Raymond fans are going to react to the information revealed (starting with issue 4, dropping a bomb in issue 6 -- but not truly wrapping up till further down the road). I'd like to think that they will be happy, but the longer I'm in this business the more I realize that everything is subjective, and that you absolutely cannot please everyone no matter how hard you try." - Dan Jolley
Clearly indicates that he'll deal with Ronnie past issue 6. The most telling part, however, is that he'd like to think Ronnie fans will be happy. While this doesn't tell you what will happen, it absolutely precludes things like permanent death or ignoring the character. The thread is here. Site registration required.
Speaking to someone who is very attached to Ronnie: "Firestorm is very much a part of the DCU, and his involvement in the larger scope of things will be increasing as the series progresses. As for a mentor -- I have plans. I can't tell you what they are yet, but I think you'll be pleased." - Dan Jolley
Hmmmmmmm.
Speaking to the same poster who had just voiced a hope of interaction between Ronnie and Jason: "And as for your hope for future issues...I really can't say much without giving things away. But I think you'll find the last quarter of Firestorm's first year very interesting."
Finally, I find this particularly amusing now. Yours truly wrote: "I can't wait to hear certain people claim that Dan made this or that change due to fan pressure. It's like clockwork. "
Dan's response: "I'm waiting for that myself. Especially since everything in the first year was planned out before I ever set fingers to keyboard on issue 1."
Hah! Caught some of you.
There were several other hints here and there, but you get the idea. When the solicitations for issues 10 and 11 came out, a lot of people perked up and paid attention. I still don't know what role Ronnie will play in the long term, but it's abundantly clear to me that his return was built into the book's plan from the beginning based on this evidence that goes back more than a year. Not knowing what was to happen with Ronnie was certainly painful for his fans, but I think we might be witnessing one of the more compelling, natural character transitions I could imagine.