Comic 5: Ordeal of Fire

Comic 5: Ordeal of Fire
Comic Information
Outside/Alt Title	The Ordeal of Fire
Author	Story: Sean Catherine Derek Script: Greg Farshtey
Illustrator	Elmer Damaso

"Don't you understand? Hero Factory's reign is over. Every moment you heroes exist from now on, you do so only through my mercy." -Fire Lord in Comic 5: Ordeal of Fire

Plot

So far only the first half of the Ordeal of Fire comic has been released, but the story begins in the same way as HF005. Someone has planned an attack on Tanker Station 22; the problem is so severe that it takes six heroes to maintain control of the station. Alpha Leader Preston Stormer has formed a group including Furno, Breez, Surge, and newly upgraded heroes Nex and Evo to defeat the fire villains that planned this attack. Though Stormer appears familiar with the criminals known as Jetbug, Nitroblast, and Drilldozer, Fire Lord remains a mystery. Furno immediately attacks the Firelord, but in vain as his blast is absorbed into the villain's body. Drilldozer manages to take out Breez and Firelord defeats Furno with ease.

Seeing no other way out,Stormer uses all his strength to punch Firelord, thus giving his comrades time to flee much to Surge's chagrin. The group leaves the station, thankfully with minimal damage, but Stormer is more determined than ever to undergo what is known as the "upgrade," in order to match Firelord's power. Nex and Evo warn Stormer and the group that the upgrade is not a very pleasant experience, and there have been many complications. Despite this, Evo adds that the amount of power gained from the upgrade is worth it. The Alpha Leader describes the process of his change as something that he knew took seconds, but felt like hours. At the end of the first half of the comic, the heroes emerge amazed at their new strength.

It IS the ultimate showdown, only Godzilla's plane couldn't make the battle in time.

Differences from the T.V. Show

This comic has drifted far more from the original Sean Catherine Derek script than any comic yet to be seen. Immediately, you see Nex and Evo saving a group of workers from being melted down inside their own facility. Having the two 2.0 rookies on the Tanker Station itself takes on an entirely new approach to their characters. Unlike the TV show where we didn't get to see Nex and Evo other than one being the jovial and upbeat guy while the other a silent ninja, the comic depicts them in a more friendly way if not brotherly at times. They will sometimes call each other 'tinhead' or 'bolts' during a crisis; even in the first page Nex makes a bet with Evo about 'if he is wrong' then he promises not to speak for an entire four seconds.

...You know...for kids!

HF005 made Nex and Evo into advertisements for the toys that they actually are while rarely getting into their relationship with one another. The comic book, on the other hand, puts them in a situation that all heroes were built for (a dangerous situation) so that they are free to act like themselves and do what they were meant to do. What is also only mentioned in the comic is that Nex and Evo were once ordinary heroes that were chosen to get the upgrade first. Interestingly enough, the movie never mentions this and leads the audience to believe that the two were simply built as 2.0s to begin with. Instead, the comic implies that the pair had a life before the upgrade and probably underwent many missions as 1.0 heroes. Telling us this fact makes Nex and Evo feel more like people, rather than products that were just built off the Assembly Tower.

See lego! See! This is what we call 'character relationships.' Sound it out with me.

Another little tid bit the comic provides is telling us that Nitroblast is wanted in half the galaxy, Drilldozer once put a whole squad of heroes into the medwing, and Jetbug is just plain crazy. Since neither of these three had any personality in the movie, these small descriptions help the audience understand that none of these guys are push overs because of previous deeds they've committed or reputations they've gained.

Seriously Stormer? "A hero is not useless as long as his quaza core still glows?" That's like saying you're not dead as long as you're alive.

Once of the more interesting differences between these two mediums is Firelord himself. While the Firelord had some very interesting dialogue in the movie, his lines didn't get lengthy until the heroes underwent the upgrade. In the comics, however, Firelord has a lot of interesting things to say. He even chastises Furno for being to eager in battle by saying "Ah youth, so reckless...Sometimes fatally so. Really, Stormer, you should have trained the child better than this. He'll never last at this rate." Never in the movie had Firelord acted so calm and in control, but at the same time he hasn't lost his need to continue absorbing energy. This Firelord is also less merciful, as when Drilldozer arrived with an unconscious Breez, who he had defeated (another difference between the two series), he tells him to find a 'soft rock' to dump her on as a means of charity. Fire Lord also doesn't call the Alpha Leader 'Preston' as he did in the show. Thankfully the comic book Firelord has kept his tragic villain status, especially when asked why he was attacking the station in the first place; his reply being: "I'd like to say 'fun', but that would be a lie."

On a smaller note, the comic has taken an interesting outlook on the idea of the 2.0 upgrade being dangerous. This is stressed far more in the comic. Even the jovial Nex tells Stormer that there is nothing pleasant about the upgrade itself. Apparently, the machine was having a few malfunctions after Nex and Evo were changed into their 2.0 forms, thus it is currently prohibited for other heroes to upgrade. HF005 had Akiyama Makuro merely mention once that the upgrade had some 'kinks to work out,' but he never went beyond that scope. The comic provides a much more detailed explanation.

Lastly, and probably the most notable difference, is that Surge was not captured in this continuity nor does he stay on Tanker Station 22. Any HF fan, who followed the news reports on the HF website, knows that Lego constantly advertised that Surge was kidnapped by the fire villains. The comic takes another approach by making Surge uneasy about leaving the station, but promises that he will bring Fire Lord to justice. Surge even gets upgraded as a 2.0 hero along with the rest of the group, which dramatically changes the second act of Ordeal of Fire since he was barely present at all in HF005, let alone with his upgrade.

Characters

• Preston Stormer
• William Furno
• Mark Surge
• Natalie Breez

  

  "We can not be beaten!" "Uh, Stormer, what's that big hole in your back?" "Unless we get shot from the back."

• Julius Nex
• Nathan Evo
• Fire Lord
• Jetbug
• Drilldozer
• Nitroblast

See Also

• HF005
• Comic 1: Trials of Furno
• Comic 2: Core Crisis
• Comic 3: Enemy Within