“You’re comic issue number is too high!”
Firestorm #100
FINAL ISSUE
DC Comics (August, 1990)
“Blaze Of Glory” WRITER: John Ostrander SPECIAL GUEST WRITER: Gerry Conway ARTIST: Tom Mandrake SPECIAL GUEST ARTISTS: Al Milgrom, Joe Brozowsky and J.J. Birch, & Tom Grindberg COLORIST: Nansi Hoolahan LETTERER: J.W. Ghastly EDITOR: Dan Sapler “FIRESTORM” CREATORS: Gerry Conway & Al Milgrom
A scientist, thanks to Rasputin’s suggestion, call Firestorm, Firehawk, and Professor Stein to tell them that Brimstone (a failed Darkseid experiment Firestorm tackled before) is planning to turn the Sun into a weapon to destroy the Earth. However, Firestorm (at this point revealed to be Earth’s Fire Elemental by the Earth-Spirit Maya) can’t leave the Earth without dieing. Martin comes up with a plan to create a new Firestorm with himself at the core as it was intended to be, but in space. Firestorm is able to separate back to Ronnie, Mikhail, and Svoartch (his evil clone…really long story), going along with the plan due to feeling guilty about sending Brimstone’s technoseed into the sun, causing this mess. Martin’s plan works and as the new, intended Firestorm…a being of pure energy…takes out Brimstone, but this causes a black hole to form in the sun. Firestorm/Martin is forced to close the hole from the other side, wandering forever (or until DC returns the character) in an alternate universe. Ronnie is reunited with Lorraine and his family, and Mikhail is back with his wife and daughters.
What they got right: As final issue sacrifices go this was rather good, and it wraps up all the loose ends. There’s also a good run at the entire history of the character that might drive people to find the back issues and get caught up.
What they got wrong: That said, I have my problems. I wasn’t around for the hole “elemental” thing and the only other one I remember is Swamp Thing as the Earth Elemental. However, this wasn’t the Firestorm I signed on for. I likes the story of a superhero whose mentor is in his head as the two work out their personal lives, their friendship, and their dual-shared identity. This is nothing like the Firestorm I got into and in the end that Firestorm is gone, replaced with (backstory aside) just another hero. The Martin-alone Firestorm just isn’t the same. It’s like Ostrander (and whomever was responsible for the Elemental thing) took out everything I likes about Firestorm and what was left might have been good, but isn’t the character I first met on Super Friends that became my second favorite (after Superman, of course) DC superhero.
Recommendation: A good end, but the Firestorm I liked was long since gone. As a critic I’d say check it out, but as a fan I’d say start with the earlier, Conway-written stories to see what Firestorm is supposed to be like.
And with that, unless I find the trade of the first mini, that’s the last of Firestorm until I reach the later comics with Jason, three issues of which I have.
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