TITLE:  Firestorm: The Nuclear Man, Annual #5
AUTHOR:  John Ostrander
ARTISTS:   Joe Brozowski, pencils;  Alfred Alcala, inks
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
ORIGINAL PRICE:   $1.25
RELEASE DATE:  1987

By Mike Bessler
Contributor, Commisar of Comic Book History

If I lived in the Marvel Universe, my uncanny ability to recall the exact location where I purchased each and every comic book in my collection might well be classified as a “mutant power.” With respect to Firestorm: The Nuclear Man, Annual #5, I scored my copy right off the rack…er, shelf…of the local Circle K next to my mom’s favorite sewing shop.  The year was 1987.

The mid 1980’s was something of a personal “Golden Age” of comics for me.  I started reading comics in the late 1970’s after my folks purchased a couple of big batches of comics for me from an uncle. For several years, I read and re-read the same pile of comics picking up an occasional new issue here and there on random errands around town. My collecting really picked up in 1983 or 1984, just in time for groundbreaking comics events like Marvel’s Secret Wars and DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths. Indeed, those series’ (and a handful of others like them) ultimately raised my expectations and standards regarding plot lines and story telling. Firestorm: The Nuclear Man, Annual #5 – published just two years after the conclusion of Crisis– bore many of the hallmarks of the big, bombastic miniseries events from years prior, featuring a large and diverse ensemble of heroes and villains cast in a strong and compelling story with earth-shattering ramifications.

I had been a fan of Firestorm prior to ’87 as he had proven to be one of DC’s most decidedly offbeat heroes. In his original (and most recognizable) incarnation, his secret identity was actually two individuals: high school football prodigy Ronnie Raymond and renowned physicist Martin Stein. I won’t re-hash the entire origin here but it’s sufficient to simply note that this “dual identity” formula made Firestorm a uniquely entertaining comic series.

By 1987, DC had decided that Firestorm’s character – although unusual and unorthodox by many standards – was in need of an overhaul. The Cold War was still in full swing thanks to an amped up arms fostered largely through the policies of two-term U.S. President Ronald Reagan and, moreover, the prevailing political mentalities of the day made nuclear war seem like a very real possibility to pretty much everyone on the face of the planet. Trust me; I was there…

This omnipresent real-world crisis provided the premise for the storyline launched by writer John Ostrander in Firestorm #62. In this tale, an ailing Professor Stein convinces Ronnie to use the power and influence of Firestorm to compel the world’s leaders to adopt a policy of total nuclear disarmament. The campaign was Stein’s attempt to save the world from annihilation before he succumbs to a growing brain tumor. Sure, it sounds something like the plot from Superman IV: the Quest for Peace, but I am relatively confident in asserting that the Firestorm team pulled it off a little better than the late Christopher Reeve and company.

Firestorm issues 63 and 64 led into Annual #5, providing a suitable amount of time for the plot to gather momentum. President Regan is cast in a supporting role along with “Major Zastrow,” a fictional character shaped in the tradition of Stalin-era NKVD Chief Lavrentiy Beria. As the story unfolds, the USA and the USSR find themselves in reluctant collaboration as they resist Firestorm’s anti-nuke agenda. The Annual becomes “Ground Zero” for the showdown between the super hero and the super powers.

As mentioned above, some of the power in this issue comes from the sheer volume of guest stars. The issue opens with Firestorm and his friend Firehawk in Times Square duking it out with the post-Legends incarnations of the Justice League (including Batman, Mister Miracle, Martian Manhunter and Guy Gardener, et al) and the Suicide Squad (featuring Killer Frost, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Parasite and others). The super-teams are acting on a Presidential Order to apprehend Firestorm and, while one might think it should be relatively easy for somewhere ‘round a dozen super-types to take down just one of their own, the end comes neither quickly nor neatly. In fact, the Suicide Squad –being composed of super-villains, — can hardly stay focused on their quarry when presented with the option to mix it up with their old foes of the Justice League. So the resulting melee is actually a three-way battle with heroes fighting heroes and heroes fighting villains. It’s a well-orchestrated conflagration with an impressive series of skirmishes, including:  Firehawk v. Killer Frost; Guy Gardener v. Multplex; Deadshot v. Blue Beetle; Batman v. Captain Boomerang; Black Canary v. Killer Frost v. Martain Manhunter v. Firehawk; Slipknot v. Mister Miracle…and a butt-load of other fights. All of this transpires while Parasite runs amok terrorizing super-humans and bystanders alike. Lest anyone forget this is a Firestorm mag, our protagonist musters his faltering strength to deliver a knockout blow to Parasite before departing the chaos of downtown New York and retreating to the Nevada desert.

As Professor Stein and Ronnie convalesce in an “ice dome” created by Firestorm, the governments of the Unites States and the Soviet Union have decided on a course to eliminate ol’ flame-top once and for all. The Soviet hero Pozhar (“Fire”) is dispatched on behalf of both nations to do final battle with the nuclear man. A grueling battle follows during which Pozhar confesses to his counterpart that he is also unpopular with his own government and harbors suspicions that the USA and USSR seek their mutual destruction by forcing them to fight to the end. Nevertheless, their battle rages on, both on land and in the air above the Nevada desert. Indeed, in the midst of their clash, the American and Soviet governments execute the final step in their plan to rid the world of both super-beings by initiating a nuclear strike that will ostensibly destroy Firestom and Pozhar.

The critical moment in this tale comes as Firestorm defeats Pozhar by rupturing the Russian’s containment suit, reducing him to little more than a talking, flaming skeleton. Firestorm then splits involuntarily into his two alter egos after Dr. Stein suffers a seizure due to his deteriorating health. As Stein and Raymond try in vain to once again form Firestorm to stave off the imminent nuclear impact, Pozhar offers his own energy to try and facilitate their fusion. As the three men join hands, the warhead detonates and the heroes are consumed in the ensuing blast.

The world's first look at the "new" Firestorm. Image from FirestormFan.com.

Now if I’ve held your attention thus far while failing to convey that this indeed a hidden gem , I must sincerely apologize. The important thing here (as the Dead Milkmen say in the intro to “Bitchin’ Camaro”) is that the final panels of Firestorm Annual #5 are what make this book so important to the DC Universe’s historical canon. As the smoke clears from the nuclear blast, a gallery of onlookers including representatives of the USA, USSR and the international media gaze in shock at the lone survivor of the explosion. It’s one guy…Firestorm.  Not the old Firestorm, mind you. He’s different. How he’s different is not yet clear.  But it will be soon enough…

In Firestorm #65, we learn that Firestorm still has a “dual identity” but with two notable exceptions:  (1) Dr. Martin Stein is curiously missing in action (more on that another day)  and (2)  Pozhar’s secret identity Mikhail Arkadin is now Firestorm’s other half, having joined the Firestorm matrix by fusion during the nuclear blast. The addition of  Arkadin to the Firestorm matrix would ultimately provide new layers and dimensions to the Firestorm character and, although Firestorm and his alter egos would undergo further changes in the months to follow, the plots and stories which evolved following the events in Annual #5 made for terrific reading.

The Cold War allegedly ended in 1989, somewhere around four years after the release of Firestorm Annual #5. The sweeping changes to the geopolitical landscape brought about new paradigms, new concerns and new crises. When read today, the characters and story of Annual #5 almost play out as a sort of pop culture time capsule. Nevertheless, the underlying themes of this book have some enduring appeal. Folks still worry about the future of our planet as the world seems to get smaller and smaller with every new and exciting advance in technology. Wars are still fought and boundaries are drawn and re-drawn. We struggle sometimes to see our role in such a mass of competition and confusion but in the end, we’re all in it together…

So why not try and make the world a better place while we’re still here to enjoy it?