Firestorm, the Nuclear Man #2 (April 1978)

Back in December 2018, I took a look at the first issue of Firestorm's first solo series. I found it to be an enjoyable first issue, clearly in the vein of early Spider-Man. So, would the second issue be just as enjoyable? Let's find out in my review of Firestorm, the Nuclear Man #2!

The cover is a Al Milgrom piece, and it's pretty...interesting. You got Firestorm being ambushed by the new villain he's facing here. He's pleading for Superman's help, but the Man of Steel is basically like "Yeah, you're on your own, kid." This gives the cover a bit of a Silver Age vibe thanks to the whole "Superman is being a jerk" shtick that it's using. It's kind of funny to see in a Bronze Age-era comic.

"Danger Doubled is Death!" 
Writer: Gerry Conway
Penciler: Al Milgrom
Inker: Bob McLeod
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Letterer: Ben Oda
Editors: Gerry Conway, Jack C. Harris
Executive Editor: Joe Orlando

The story begins with Firestorm flying down to help and old man who is being used as a punching bag.

"Here I come to save the dayyyyyyy!"

The men were sent by a "Mister Oswald" to do a little bit of Mafia-style debt collection. Our matter-manipulating hero is able to stop them by turning the sidewalk into tar. Ronnie Raymond wishes his favorite girl Doreen Day could see him like this. Ronnie and Dr. Martin Stein debate in Firestorm's head whether Doreen would be impressed by Firestorm's powers. Firestorm tries to impress a girl by turning a piece of metal into a bouquet of roses. The girl just faints in response. 

Firestorm flies off, then splits into Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein. Because Stein was unconscious when the bomb that turned him and Ronnie into Firestorm went off, he has no memory of his time as one half of the Nuclear Man, which ends up bewildering a cop that was trying to get some answers out of him out about the Hudson plant explosion. 

"Ay! Ah'm a cop, and you will respect mah authoritah!"

He's then confronted by a furious Danton Black, who is going to sue him. He claims Stein stole his plans for the plant's reactor and caused the explosion to cover it up. Stein calls him a fraud, and Black stomps away, vowing to get Stein back. However, he starts to feel strange. He gets a splitting headache, and he's starting to see double. Remember, in the last issue, Black was also caught in the explosion that created Firestorm. I think it's going to cause problems for him, too...

Back at school, Doreen is reading about Firestorm in the paper, and she thinks "Hey, this guy's pretty cool." Future Thinker Cliff Carmichael is not so impressed. He sees Firestorm as just another violent moron.  Ronnie angrily tries to introduce Cliff's mug to his fist, but Doreen gets him to calm down, and tells Cliff to get bent. 

Later, at Chez Raymond, Ronnie asks what he thinks of Firestorm. Mr. Raymond tells him that he thinks Firestorm is taking the law into his own hands, and he feels that is not a good thing. A disheartened Raymond goes out for a walk. It seems like he can't get anything right for a change. But enough of this teenage angst. This comic promised us Superman, so let's deliver on that, shall we?

"This is Clark Kent for WGBS, and Rao, I miss my old job..."

Yes at the time, Clark Kent was working as a television reporter for WGBS. After delivering his report, he sheds his suit to go check out this new nuclear-powered hero. In the Hudson power plant, Dr. Martin Stein is working on some repairs. He's lamenting about Danton Black's court order, and the governor's concerns about the plant. However, his worry session gets interrupted by a guest. Or should I say, a pair of guests.

"That's right, Stein! Danton Black is TWINNING AT LIFE!"

Meet the new and improved Danton Black, aka...Multiplex. He has the power to show multiple movies at once! ...how'd he get a supervillain costume so fast? Ronnie felt the ambush, realizing that he and Stein in their civilian forms share a Corsican Brothers-style connection. Ronnie tries to make his way to the plant, but he can't quite there. So, he tries to trigger the transformation into Firestorm. It not only works, but it allows Firestorm to go instantly to the plant, where he confronts Multiplex.

Multiplex believes that since the radiation of the plant gave...him? them? their powers, further exposure will make those powers stronger. Firestorm and the twin terrors brawl, but each of the individual Multiplexes are really strong, and combined with their teamwork, are able to knock the Nuclear Man around. Luckily, Superman arrives to help.

"Everyone gets one, Ronnie."

However, Multiplex is able to get away. Firestorm is left confused, until Stein points out that there's an experimental pile in the physics lab at State University. Rejuvenated, the Nuclear Man flies off. What does Superman do? He just decides to stand there. Did Zack Snyder write this?

Anyway, Firestorm makes his way to State U, which was near Central Park. Multiplex tries to absorb the radiation in the pile, but they discover the pile is empty, and they're starting to weaken. You see, when Ronnie first engaged Multiplex here, he seemingly tried to blast the twin supervillain...and missed. But in actuality, he was aiming for the radioactive uranium in the pile, changing it to phosphorescence. 

Yeah, a little science lesson here. Phosphorescence is not a substance, it's a property a substance can have. Materials that are phosphorescent don't emit radiation it absorbs right away. For example, have you seen a watch whose face can glow in the dark? That's because the watch's face is made of materials that are phosphorescent. Basically, Firestorm turned the radioactive uranium into a material that absorbs radiation. So, when Multiplex tried to absorb it, they essentially...short-circuited. Looks like Stein's smarts are rubbing off a bit on Ronnie.

Superman arrives as Ronnie unmasks the twin terror. And yup, they're Danton Black. The two heroes take them to a hospital, where the two Dantons merge back into one, presumably due to the radiation charge wearing off. Ronnie and Martin worry that Danton may remember being Multiplex, and he may return to menace them again.

On a happier note, Superman thinks our neophyte hero has potential. Perhaps one day, Firestorm may be able to call himself a member of the Justice League. The story ends with the Nuclear Man flying through the air in joy. Yeah, his day was not a complete loss after all. He stopped Multiplex, and Superman gave him props. 

I honestly enjoyed this comic. With the origin out of the way, we're able to delve into Ronnie and Martin starting their crimefighting career including facing their first supervillain. As I said about the first issue, there is a bit of early Spider-Man vibe, and that vibe continues on here, with things seemingly not ever working out right for Ronnie. It's a classic way to convey relatability, as everyone had felt like they had one of those days where nothing has ever seemed to go right. And Al Milgrom's art is wonderful to look at.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2011 trade paperback Firestorm: The Nuclear Man. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, and wear a mask! Join me next time when the Legion of Super-Heroes continue being haunted by a great darkness...