Spotlight on Firestorm - The John Ostrander Era

Firestorm
The John Ostrander Era

by Brian Grindrod

Firestorm is the brainchild of writer Gerry Conway and artist Al Milgrom which made its debut in March 1978 in his self titled series. After a mere five issues, the title was cancelled alongside many others in what has now become known as the DC Implosion. The character was given another chance at his own series in 1982 with Conway at the helm. After 54 issues and 4 Annuals, editor Denny O'Neil handed the book over to Grimjack creator/writer, John Ostrander, who had a garnered a strong following with this series published by First Comics during the early 1980s.

Firestorm is an interesting character that always had the potential to be complex and intriguing. This super-hero is actually two people in one. This results from a nuclear fusion accident between teenager Ronnie Raymond and physicist Martin Stein. When joined to form the Firestorm matrix, Raymond controlled the physical and mental aspects while Stein was a disembodied voice advising Ronnie on how to use his powers. Firestorm was able to restructure any physical matter on an atomic level and could fly. With such amazing capabilities, Firestorm could become a God and change the course of humanity at his discretion.

Gerry Conway had presented him as a straightforward super-hero with a supporting cast who had to deal with day to day problems as well as squaring off against bizarre villains. Ostrander drastically changed the dynamics of the character and the series with his arrival on issue 55 & 56 that were crossovers from the 1987 Legends mini-series which he also co-wrote.

The relationship between Professor Martin Stein & Ronnie Raymond as well as the title's direction was heading into an important alteration with deep significant changes. The character was not revamped or rebooted nor was 9 years of continuity flushed down the toilet just for the sake of being trendy. In fact, editor Dennis O'Neil expected to alienate long-time readers of the book and lose a few along the way. But it was a chance that DC was willing to take with a character that was getting stale. I figure some readers may have been angered, others delighted while other fans may have found the stories demanding besides puzzling. But dull? No way. With each installment, I was getting excited to see what Ostrander was going to do next.

A rift was growing between Stein & Raymond unlike that of a married couple that has ceased to communicate with each other. In a two part story featuring the first appearance of the Post-Crisis Parasite, Ronnie discovers that the reason Martin had been acting differently in recent weeks was due to his dealing with an inoperable brain tumour in which he had at most, one year left to live.

This beautifully set up a relevant story arc which was published in issues 61 to 65 and the 1987 Annual. I regard this story line as one of my favourites from the super-hero genre. Ostrander addressed topics that were and still affect every nation on this planet. He pushed the boundaries of super-hero storytelling published by mainstream companies (DC & Marvel Comics) in an ongoing monthly format by seriously examining East-West Cold War relations and the threat of Global Nuclear Annihilation. From ex-President Ronald Reagan to appearances by the Suicide Squad & the Justice League to the implication of the KGB, Ostrander gave a realistic glance as to what would happen in a world populated by God like beings. Super-heroes who would truly want to make the world a safer place for future generations by making demands from powerful countries possessing such destructive forces to disarm their missiles. This is not your greasy kid stuff which is published for the sake of garnering media exposure or a semblance of social and political commentaries that is banal as well as trivialized.

This story arc is the foundation of what would lie ahead for the character and the series. Stein does not form part of the Firestorm matrix anymore. Instead, Mikhail Denisovitch who gained extraordinary abilities in miraculously surviving the nuclear Chernobyl plant accident is now the one who merges with Ronnie to make up the being known as Firestorm. Mikhail who was code named Pozhar (Fire) by the KGB.

A testimony to Ostrander's respect for readers; he did not portray a caricature of a Russian citizen. Mikhail is a family man who serves the state but loves his wife and children. Ostrander also shows the unlimited power the KGB still held upon the Soviet Communist government and those who lived under its rule. This opened the door for new unique stories with a fresh cast of characters and possibilities.

Later issues saw the emergence of a third core character developing in Firestorm - his own. Like each and every one of us, Firestorm wants to love & be loved. Not just simply exist to thwart the scheming of villains, aliens and madmen. Ronnie & Mikhail comply to this new persona and give Firestorm a life of its own. Again, Ostrander tackles social, political and world topics which was first spearheaded into our conscience by Bob Geldoff's Live Aid Concert. Although Firestorm's intentions are noble, his actions results in more bloodshed & tears. A harsh brutal lesson for a being who can alter molecular structure but is often times helpless.

Although the premise of the DC's 1988 Invasion series in which every title tied into it was mediocre at best, Ostrander seized the opportunity to bring Firestorm to the next level. Borrowing Alan Moore's premise to turn Swamp Thing into a force of nature, Ostrander recreated the character to be a Fire elemental. In a four part story arc entitled The Elemental War, Ostrander reintroduced a long time obscure character called Red Tornado. Tornado was now shown as the elemental of air while the story introduced earth's physical manifestation of water, Naiad. John Ostrander wanted to delve into environment, pollution and how corporations destroy as well as plunder the planet's life giving resources.

Due to the poor paper quality on which the art was reproduced as well as the standard coloring and separation practices which were at the mercy of the technology of the time, production standards is certainly not what can be expected in today's comics. Ostrander was paired with skillful artists who rendered justice to his stories. Joe Brozowski, Tom Grindberg and Tom Mandrake each brought a style and look which complemented Firestorm's redesign. Another testimony of the editorial vision of this book to keep the character in a constant progression was to allow Joe Brozowski to try out a new pencilling style for a few issues. Under the pseudonym of J.J. Birch, Brozowski experimented on a new approach to telling a story. Catwoman fanatics will certainly recognize this name! DC kept this a mystery so that the fans would not judge this style to the one they had become accustomed to on prior issues.

Although the series ended with issue 100, Ostrander's vision of the character did make for a fantastic run which lasted approximately 4 years (44 monthlies and one Annual). Not to mention a continuous stretch of 42 consecutive issues. Alongside Alan Moore's Swamp Thing, Frank Miller's Dark Knight and Mike Grell's Green Arrow, Ostrander's run on Firestorm addressed topics that proved that comic books are not just for kids. Unfortunately, the title did not benefit from the present resources now at a creator or publisher's disposal to garner the attention this body of work so justly deserved. I am sure it would have received the proper accolades and acknowledgments. However, I can still point you to an impressive series that is no longer published but can be readily found in the back issue bins of any great comic book store.