CREDITS: Written by Rich Fogel; directed by Curt Geda.
REVIEW: Hey they brought a new, albeit extremely minor, Batman Family rogue to the animated screen! Firefly definitely takes advantage of the production's growing ease with fire, smoke and heat effects. There's so much atmosphere in the scenes where Firefly has set something ablaze, it was worth introducing the character. Certainly, pyromania is a pathology that can work in the Batman universe, but Firefly is more obsessed stalker than firebug, having tied his life up with popular pop star Cassidy, her pyro effects man/rejected boyfriend turned bad.
And while it's kind of fun to see the rock music set in Gotham - and coincidentally, a culturally clueless Bruce Wayne - Cassidy is TERRIBLE. We only hear a bit of a single song, but it's all over the place, and really doesn't honor the real-life singer forced to perform it. It seems that Cassidy (who looks like a young Maggie Sawyer) is all about fire lyrics, puns and stage effects, and doesn't have a whole lot of depth. It's amusing when all the characters get into it, but a little dull over time. There's theme, and then there's homogeneity. And I'm not sure what to think of Cassidy when she tries to seduce Batman. There's no reason for it, and it makes her seem sinister. Suddenly, I'm thinking she really did play mind games with Lynns and that he might have reason to be angry at her (not that it condones his behavior). But this is never really resolved. I don't particularly buy her pyrophobia at the end either.
Fire is rough on the clothes - that white Elvis suit hilariously doesn't make it out alive - so Batman adopts a fireproof costume for the occasion. Though a nifty toy idea, it makes him look like the Black Panther. Or perhaps it's what gave birth to Batman Beyond. Or the more recent Batwing. But not quite Batman enough. I dunno.
IN THE COMICS: Garfield Lynns, Firefly, first appeared in Detective Comics #164 (1952) and was a lighting technician who turned to crime, but his shtick was life-like illusions and bright lights. He's been amalgamated with another Batman villain, Firebug (namechecked by Batgirl), an arsonist equipped with advanced fire tech. Both characters look a bit the same, but both use much brighter color schemes, while the show's Firefly is more sober. There's something of Marvel's Beetle in his armored get-up. The comics that followed the show reintroduced Firefly to match. Cassidy's next tour namechecks a couple of other fire-based DC characters, including Heat Wave (a Flash villain) and Firestorm (the Nuclear Man).
SOUNDS LIKE: Firefly is played by Mark Rolston (Aliens, Shawshank, The Departed, etc. etc.). Cassidy is voiced by actress and singer Karla DeVito, whose song "We Are Not Alone" was featured in The Breakfast Club. David Paymer (Drag Me to Hell, Howard the Duck, Mr. Saturday Night) plays Cassidy's agent Frank. DJ Howlin' Jake is none other than Biff Tannen himself, Thomas Francis Wilson, Jr. And Bruce Wayne's date Shannon is voiced by Jane Wiedlin, lead guitarist of the Go-Go's.
REWATCHABILITY: Medium - A perfectly fine introduction to a limited, but visually explosive, villain. The story isn't very memorable however.
Comments
Does he say anything along the lines of "Punk is nothing but death, and crime, and the rage of a beast" by any chance?
Ohhhh, yes. So much so. That was painful.
"And I'm not sure what to think of Cassidy when she tries to seduce Batman."
Ugh, and now I'm reminded of the Killing Joke animated film again. Ugh.
"Or perhaps it's what gave birth to Batman Beyond."
That's what my wife said. I indignantly replied that it was missing a large red bat, so clearly wasn't anything LIKE Terry's suit. :-)
I gotta say- and this was probably an issue with established rogues too, and I just never noticed- but just like with Calendar Girl, I am really distracted by 'where did he get the MONEY for all this?!?' Plus, I find the character a little too one-note. (He likes fire. Boom. Got it.) Still, as you say, a visually-striking episodes with all of the fire effects.
Already famous in the DCAU as the voice of the guy who murdered The Flying Graysons.