This was unexpected, because this was not one of the five DC comics I had planned on reviewing alongside the rest of the new universe. However one of the two creators of this character Gerry Conway passed away at age 73 on April 27th, 2026. I don't know why I didn't decide to discuss Firestorm because I really quite enjoy this character and his adventures. I will get into more detail in the next posts. I was pretty sad when I heard the news. It was shocking and everything. I will hope to show you why Gerry Conway was a pretty talented writer with this story. So let's get on with this review!
Gerry Conway, also known as Gerard Francis Conway was born on September 10th, 1952. He literally started in comics in like the late 1960s at 16 years old, being inspired by Jim Shooter. I still haven't read his earliest DC work but his work for Marvel at 17 is pretty good, especially Spider-Man. Gerry really had a handle on that character I believe. He was Editor In Chief for Marvel for like a month and a half. I guess it was a big job for a 23 year old dude. He then went back to DC and worked on like an almost decade long run on the Justice League of America. He would then somewhat transition to Television, writing for 1980s cartoons such as GI Joe, The Transformers, The Centurions, My Little Pony, Dinosaucers, Spiral Zone and Dino Riders. I don't know why but I get the feeling portnoyd really liked Dinosaucers as a child.
Gerry then left comics for a while in 1991. His last title at the time was Web of Spider-Man/Spectacular Spider Man that I talk about a LOT. I will discuss one issue from that run sometime soon. I hope. He worked on TV shows such as Monsters, Batman: The Animated Series, Spider-Man the Animated Series, Perry Mason (the made for TV movies. He wrote two of them!), Diagnosis Murder, Father Dowling Mysteries, Fatman and Jake, Silk Stockings, Law and Order, Hercules the Legendary Journeys and Law and Order: Criminal Intent. I have never seen any Law and Order but knowing Gerry wrote a few episodes makes me want to check it out.
Gerry also co-created many pretty popular characters. the first one of them has to be The Punisher with Mr. John Romita Sr.. I don't think I have to explain a single thing to anyone whos ever glanced at a comic book or seen any of the 823590250 Marvel TV Shows and Movies who the Punisher is. Gerry also helped create Power Girl with Ric Estrada and Wally Wood (who drew the characters boobs bigger each time she showed up until some lady on DC's staff told him to stop. I want to say it was either Ramona Fradon or Marie Severin. Wally was a rascal), Firestorm who we will get into soon. He also created Vixen with Bob Oksner. Maybe the last three are just more comic book cult hits but the man should get into the Hall of Fame just for the Punisher (which he is being indicted to sometime this year!)
So why did I give Gerry Conway like three paragraphs and other people just one. Well two reasons. The man was that prolific that he really deserved three paragraphs to discuss his work and the characters he created that I like. Well Gerry was one of the guys who got me into comic books. I first got my first comics (well the first ones I remember, I probably got some Ninja Turtles by Archie or Archie comics beforehand.) in a Christmas stocking in 1993. Or maybe 1994. I really do not know. Two were written by the guy who wrote Darkhawk (and were the only comics written by him that I had owned at that point and for like decades) and the other was written by Terry Kavanugh. They entertained me enough that I wanted more from the Second Page Bookstore, a chain of three stores owned by the same people that would show up around my town. I would pick up Spider-Man, X-Men and....Fantastic Four. That's not a knock on the Fantastic Four but the last really really super popular era they had at the time was like the John Byrne stuff. I would pick up those series and most of the comics within were written by either Gerry Conway, Roy Thomas, Roger Stern and Bill Mantlo. I will always love the stuff those guys made regardless of what people say. They were the ones who got me into it! I have now spent way too much money on four color crack thanks to Gerry!
Firestorm was created by Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom in 1978 for the DC Explosion. Thats what they called their attempt to put out more magazines. It was not a success. I do believe some of winter blizzard had a big reason to do with why they had to dial BACK their comics in something people called the DC Implosion. Firestorm's original comic only lasted five issues. Gerry however was not going to let the character go down in smoke so he added him to the Justice League of America, big artist guy ALEX ROSS thinks this moment is when DC fell down. Alex Ross is kind of goofy for that opinion, sorry! So the character got to stay in the lime light because of that. He would get back ups in the Flash comic and then a new series in 1982. That series lasted for a 100 issues, fifty five of them I believe Gerry would write. John Ostrander would come in and change the comics a lot. I'm not a huge fan of these changes and will leave them to whenever I review a random issue of the comic he wrote. Apparently they brought the character back for a new #1 just recently. I have not bought it because I do not have money. I am a poor boy.
So I took like a week off from writing this review, or maybe more. I started it on May 4th, 2026 and now it is May 12th,2026. The only thing I did from that time was while awake I would catalogue my way to large comic collection, which will just end up getting larger because I do not know how to quit but I did find this issue and we can return to what we were doing. Hooray! So you might be asking yourself Who or what is Firestorm? Firestorm is one of those super heroes that is actually two people. In this cast, AWARD WINNING Physicist Martin Stein and Ronnie Raymond a teenager who's not the smartest. They got caught in a radioactive explosion as many superheroes find themselves in and now can fuse together to become FIRESTORM. Ronnie controls everything and Martin Stein who was unconscious when the explosion happened can only give advice as to what to do. I like both of these characters and think they work together pretty well.
We start off with Firestorm coming to the aid of the police trying to stop a man who wants to start an explosion. A cop isn't too fond of Firestorm so he changes his gun into a water pistol. Other cops try to shoot him but he just changes his Atomic Density to make it impossible for them to shoot him and look cool for the TV cameras. Speaking of TV Lorraine Reily who would become FIREHAWK has th ehots for Firestorm and wants to make sweet love to him AND tries to when she becomes FIREHAWK several issues later. At least I believe that's what happens as its been awhile since I took this old and dusty comic out of its old and dusty bag that was in an old and dusty box that was in an old and dusty room in my old and dusty house. I am constantly sneezing. Anyway Martin Stein finally gets Ronnie to stop showing off and go attack the man. The man he's going up against is QUBECOIS and is not very happy about people stealing gas and other things from his country. IT'S OUR COUNTRY MR. FRENCH CANADIAN MAN.
Firestorm thinks THE FRENCH CANADIAN is full of shit and won't pull the bomb so he flies off and tries to grab him at a different angle, however HE DOES pull the bomb. Don't worry Firestorm most people in OUR country think they are full of shit, you just happened to find the one crazy one who really meant it. He now has to use all of his strength to pull all of the NUCLEAR shit out of the air and into himself. He does it and then passes out falling to the ground just to find a news reporter named ED RAYMOND wanting to interview him. Ronnie FLIES OFF FREAKED OUT because as you guessed it Ed is his dad! Oh shit we finally go to the bad guy of the issue, or bad girl, and boy howdy she's not happy that ANDRE missed. Fuckin ANDRE. She talks to herself in FRENCH about how there are other targets and nothing matters not success or failure BUT CAUSING TERROR!!! I think she's wrong there though as you should care if your terror attack succeeds or not but what do I know! Ed Raymond goes to work at some newspaper and Ronnie comes to visit. But that isn't it, PLASTIQUE has shown up and is ready TO BLOW SHIT UP (and she does to you know get her point across)
Plastique should have been born forty years ago so she could post on bluesky about terrorizing americna capitalists who destory the forests in HER country. aka OUR country. OTHER PEOPLE LIVE IN CANADA YOU GOOBER She talks about all kinds of stuff while Martin Stein tries to get closer to the building so they can become Firestorm if need be, however ED RAYMOND is glued to RONNIE and won't leave! Martin Stein gets in to the building then gets scared about getting caught, GETS CAUGHT, runs off and breaks his glasses by stepping on them. Martin Stein is Velma confirmed. Anyway he's still trying to get to the power switch in the basement so he can turn the power off so Ronnie can turn them into FIRESTORM and beat some ass. Speaking of which Ed Raymond is angry at Ronnie for being like "the lady's got us in a vise!" and he's like "NEVER THOUGHT I RAISED A QUITTER!!! and other things and tells him to leave him alone" and I'm like DUDE this woman is willing to blow herSELF up along with YOU so stop your MACHISMO BULLSHIT for one second you TWIT.
Plastique grabs a girl to hold her close so no one tries to take her down, gets ready to start the explosion before the lights get turned off! MARTY DID IT! Ronnie turns them into Firestorm and CRASHES THE SOUND BARRIER before Plastique can do anything. He then comes back and gets the girl away from her but she throws off several explosions, before she can do ANYTHING ELSE he uses his powers to turn her suit into NOTHING and then grabs the two explosive devices and throws them into the air, saving the day. He ends up going to see his father and he was like I THOUGHT YOU DIDNT WANNA SEE ME and his dad was like man im a pig headed jackass and then says how about we walk home nad have a chat and the issue ends on a nice little note.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Man, Gerry Conway for the most part always told a pretty good story, yes he had duds but really even Babe Ruth didn't hit a homer every damn time at bat and this was a pretty good story. It has thrills, chills, a nice ending, some comedy, a sexy lady who wants to blow up your face (and hers too). Truly a lot of fun with some really great art. I think we will have to read some later era John Ostrander Firestorm to see if my feeling son that has changed. We will see what happens later.
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