Firekind
Encyclopedia
Firekind ran in the weekly anthology comic 2000 AD for 13 issues in 1993
. It was written by John Smith
, with art by Paul Marshall.
had contacted John Smith
and suggested he might want to write a story involving dragons to make up for the lack of fantasy in the comic. According to Smith:
The story started in 2000 AD #828 (1993 and ran through to issue #840. However, part 7, which should have run in issue #834, was omitted. According to John Tomlinson
, another assistant editor:
Paul Marshall spotted the error but the production staff were running sufficient far-ahead that they were putting together issue #839 and the missing episode had to be run after the final insallment.
The story was reprinted in Extreme Edition #8 (2005).
planet Gennyo-Leil whose atmosphere
is a toxic hallucinogen. Though he initially gains the inhabitants' trust, his mission is compromised by the arrival of a merciless gang of mercenary
poacher
/ torturers. But Gannyo-Leil is not without defences...
's Avatar has a number of parallels with Firekind:
1993 in comics
-January:* Doom Patrol #63: " The Empire of Chairs," Grant Morrison's final issue as Doom Patrol writer.-February:* Action Comics, with issue #686, suspends publication following "The Death of Superman."...
. It was written by John Smith
John Smith (comics)
John Smith is a British comics writer best known for his work on 2000 AD and Crisis.Smith's work is characterised by intricate, sometimes obscure plots and an interest in taboos and the occult, told in an elliptic, fractured narrative style reminiscent of Iain Sinclair or the cut-up technique of...
, with art by Paul Marshall.
Publication history
Firekind came about as part of the "Spring Fever" promotion at 2000 AD after a change in distribution saw a big drop-off in sales. The assistant editor Alan McKenzieAlan McKenzie
Alan McKenzie is a British comics writer known for his work at 2000 AD.-Biography:McKenzie worked for Marvel UK during the early 1980s, editing Starburst, Cinema and Doctor Who Monthly magazines. After leaving the Marvel staff in 1985, he wrote several Doctor Who comic stories for the Monthly under...
had contacted John Smith
John Smith (comics)
John Smith is a British comics writer best known for his work on 2000 AD and Crisis.Smith's work is characterised by intricate, sometimes obscure plots and an interest in taboos and the occult, told in an elliptic, fractured narrative style reminiscent of Iain Sinclair or the cut-up technique of...
and suggested he might want to write a story involving dragons to make up for the lack of fantasy in the comic. According to Smith:
The story started in 2000 AD #828 (1993 and ran through to issue #840. However, part 7, which should have run in issue #834, was omitted. According to John Tomlinson
John Tomlinson (comics)
John Tomlinson is a British comic book writer known for his work on various 2000 AD strips.-Biography:Tomlinson worked at Marvel UK in the early 1990s and helped nurture various talents, including Matthew Bingham and John Freeman. He has co-written strips with Nick Abadzis.He was editor of 2000 AD...
, another assistant editor:
Paul Marshall spotted the error but the production staff were running sufficient far-ahead that they were putting together issue #839 and the missing episode had to be run after the final insallment.
The story was reprinted in Extreme Edition #8 (2005).
Plot synopsis
The self-contained story concerns a human botanist named Larsen who travels to the alien jungleJungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
planet Gennyo-Leil whose atmosphere
Atmosphere
An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...
is a toxic hallucinogen. Though he initially gains the inhabitants' trust, his mission is compromised by the arrival of a merciless gang of mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
poacher
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
/ torturers. But Gannyo-Leil is not without defences...
Avatar
James CameronJames Cameron
James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
's Avatar has a number of parallels with Firekind:
- A human goes to a jungle world with deadly plant and animal life, as well as poisonous air.
- Floating rocks fill the sky.
- Aliens inhabit the planet and are not understood by the humans.
- A human goes to the natives and lives among them.
- The aliens ride dragons.
- The protagonist eventually helps the aliens defeat the humans with help coming from the planet itself, which turns out to be 'aware'.
- Both Firekind and Avatar depict a native species and environment interconnected through some sort of "neural net"