Take a good look at the image below. This doesn’t bode well for our favorite Nuclear Men…

According to Ethan, below is the British Firestorm from issue #8!
I love the way the British flag was worked into the costume! Brilliant!

The next two below are from issue #7 and are CREEPY!

The one below was labeled as, “Jason and his father comfort Ronnie Raymond’s mother.”
Oh-oh. That doesn’t sound good for Ronnie!

Finally, below is a blazingly cool drawing of Pozhar, the Russian Firestorm.

I can’t wait for The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #7 & #8 by Joe Harris and Ethan Van Sciver! If you want to keep up with Ethan on Facebook, click here.

Special thanks to fellow match-head Brandon Leonard for letting me know about some of these images. Thanks, Brandon!

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Below is a drawing Firestorm co-plotter and cover artist Ethan Van Sciver posted to his Facebook over the weekend labeled simply as “Mikhail”.  When asked by one commenter if this was supposed to be Star Wars’ Dengar, Ethan expounded by saying, “Russia’s Firestorm, Pozhar.”  So that confirms that the new Pozhar will be Mikhail Arkadin.  We’ll have to wait and see if the character resembles the pre-New 52 Mikhail in any way.

Below is the cover art to The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #4 due December 28.  Based upon the Russian language characters on the cover, most people suspect this is Pozhar.  Time will tell!

Finally, we’ve got solicitations for upcoming issues that specifically name Pozhar.  Check them out below:

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #6

In the blink of an eye, Ronnie and Jason witness a horror so gruesome, the two young Firestorms will question their entire futures as Super Heroes. As if that wasn’t enough, Pozhar, the Russian Firestorm, shows the two boys exactly how dangerous their world has become.

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #7

New co-writer Joe Harris (Ghost Projekt) joins Ethan Van Sciver in this white-hot jumping-on issue! Plus: Van Sciver provides interior art for what’s sure to be one of the most talked-about comics of the year! As the fallout from the recent rogue Firestorm attack spreads and threatens to bring down Zither-Tech and the Firestorm Protocols, Ronnie Raymond pursues the Russian Nuclear Man Pozhar on what may well turn out to be a suicide mission. Meanwhile, Jason Rusch is made an offer he can’t refuse. Separated in an evolving game of international atomic brinkmanship, each Firestorm faces a world more dangerous than he ever imagined… while one gets a life-altering shock you’ll never forget!

It’s been fun looking back at Mikhail’s adventures this past week!  Such a great character and a wonderful addition to the Firestorm mythos! I’m looking forward to seeing where this new version will take us!

Support Firestorm (and Pozhar)! Fan the flame!

In Firestorm the Nuclear Man vol. III #27 (Sept. 2006) by Stuart Moore and Jamal Igle, Mikhail Arkadin returned to comics after a more than fifteen year absence.  Some time prior to his reappearance, Mikhail was exposed to plutonium from a dirty bomb while inspecting a former Soviet power plant in Lithuania.  This resulted in Mikhail gaining his new powers.  He adopted a new costume and began calling himself Firestorm.  Since then he’d been operating in Eastern Europe trying to prevent nuclear disasters.  Once Firehawk informed Mikhail of Jason’s role as Firestorm, he re-adopted to his Pozhar codename.  Sadly, we also discovered that his wife Nina had left him some time ago.  When Jason first met Mikhail in issue #28, a battle nearly erupted between the two of them (in classic superhero team-up fashion).

Next, our heroes were ambushed by some atomically-powered Dolly cyborgs. In his Pozhar identity, Mikhail helped Firestorm and Firehawk defeat the man-machines.

Y’know, I really dig Pozhar’s symbol on this costume.  It’s like a zoomed-in version of the classic Firestorm symbol.  If you look, you can clearly make out the edge of the sun symbol, along with the three electron paths.  Nice attention to detail, Mr. Igle!

Then, in an effort to trace the origins of the Dolly attackers, our favorite Nuclear heroes freed the Pionic Man (a former Firestorm foe) from his containment at S.T.A.R. Labs.  This lead to Hewitt Enterprises, the place where Lorraine first became Firehawk against her will (in Fury of Firestorm #17, way back in Oct. 1983).  Mikhail joined Lorraine and Professor Stein in their investigation at Hewitt Enterprises.  There they met Victor Hewitt, CEO of the company and son of Henry Hewitt.

Later, Jason discovered that Victor Hewitt was actually Henry Hewitt (a.k.a. former Firestorm villain Tokomak).  After being defeated by Firestorm way back in Fury of Firestorm Annual #1 (1983), Henry merged with a clone of himself taking on the role of his own son, Victor Hewitt.  Victor had been manipulating events in Firestorm’s life for quite some time, including directing the actions of: the Pupil, the Pionic Man, the Dollies, and even Jason’s girlfriend Gehenna (who turned out to be another altered clone of Henry Hewitt – awkward!).  Victor explained his imminent plan for causing numerous nuclear disasters around the world, while at the same time making himself invincible. Jason, Professor Stein, Firehawk, the Pionic Man, and Pozhar put a stop to Tokomak before he could realize his mad scheme.  During the final battle, Jason unintentionally caused Tokomak’s death.

With the world saved, our heroes took some time to catch their breath.  When we last saw Mikhail, he and Lorraine were ringing in 2007 with a New Year’s Eve kiss.

This was Mikhail’s last appearance before the New 52.  I gotta say, there are certainly worse ways to go out.  Way to go, Mikhail!

That’s it for today! Come back tomorrow as we wrap-up our look at Pozhar!

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First and foremost is Mikhail’s family.  Mikhail was a committed family man, even though the duel life of Firestorm sometimes created difficulties.  In the image below you’ll see (from L to R): Serefina Arkadina (Mikhail’s niece, a.k.a. Firebird), Mikhail with his two daughters (Irena and Sofia), Nina Arkadin (Mikhail’s wife), and Alexander & Sylvia (Mikhail’s brother and sister-in-law, and parents of Serefina).  Alexander often came to the rescue, whether it was securing release for Mikhail from the KGB or securing Mikhail a teaching position at the University.  While Alexander was helpful, he was also very critical of Mikhail.  As an employee of the Soviet government, Alexander was concerned about Mikhail’s seemingly erratic disappearances (truthfully, the time Mikhail was away as Firestorm).

Next up is Mikhail’s other brother, Dmitri.  Dmitri’s life had taken a dramatically different path from either Alexander or Mikhail.  Dmitri was a black market profiteer.  While his dealings were shady, he was very kind to his extended family.  Below you’ll see a typical Arkadin brother gathering.

Mikhail’s niece Serefina had telepathic powers.  She adopted the superhero codename of Firebird and organized a team of other super-powered teenagers.  Soyuz was the Russian equivalent of the Teen Titans.  Below you’ll find their Who’s Who entry from Who’s Who Update ’88 #3 (Oct. 88).  Click the image to enlarge.

Next up is Gregori Eilovotich Rasputin, an acquaintance of Dmitri’s.  Rasputin was a mysterious man with occult powers.  When asked if he was descended from the mad monk of legend Rasputin, his response was, “Perhaps I AM the mad monk of legend.”  Rasputin helped Ronnie and Mikhail better understand the true nature of Firestorm, which lead to the creation of the first Elemental Firestorm.

Now we’re moving on to Pozhar’s adversaries!  First up is Stalnoivolk/The Steel Wolf (Ivan Illyich Gort).  He was sort of like a Soviet Captain America with the face of Joseph Stalin. He wasn’t a super villain, he was just a super-powered soldier that followed orders.  A very dangerous and destructive cold war relic.  Below you’ll find his Who’s Who entry from Who’s Who Update ’88 #3 (Oct. 88).  Click the image to enlarge.

Major Zastrow is a creepy old bald guy with a tremendous amount of clout with the KGB.  He’s like the Soviet equivalent of Amanda Waller and is the head of a secret covert operations team called the Red Shadows.  He created numerous headaches for Mikhail and his family.  Below you’ll find a shot of Zastrow.

Finally we have the Zuggernaut.  Not the most fondly remembered of Firestorm villains, but his origin was tied to the Soviet Union.  Zuggernaut seemed to have been inspired by the creatures from Aliens, but maybe that’s just me.  Below you’ll find Zuggernaut’s entry from DK’s DC Comics Encyclopedia, Updated and Expanded Edition (September 2008).

That’s it for today!  Come back next week where we’ll wrap-up our look at Pozhar!

Support Firestorm (and Pozhar)! Fan the flame!

When we first met Mikhail Arkadin (the man who would become Pozhar), it was after the Chernobyl accident.  The majority of his skin had been burned off and he continued to burn uncontrollably; miraculously he survived.  Below is the first shot we ever saw of Mikhail taken from Fury of Firestorm vol. II #62 (Aug. 1987), drawn by Joe Brozowski and Dick Giordano.

After being recruited by Major Zastrow, Mikhail was fitted with a Rocket Red suit of armor.  Around this time he was assigned the codename “Pozhar”, meaning “destructive fire”.  Below you see Mikhail testing his powers taken from Fury of Firestorm vol. II #63 (Sept. 1987), drawn by Joe Brozowski and Sam de la Rosa.

After surviving the blast of a nuclear missile, Pozhar and Firestorm were fused into one single entity.  This merged being became the new Firestorm; an incarnation I refer to as the “blank slate” Firestorm.  Below is the first image we ever saw of this new Firestorm taken from Firestorm the Nuclear Man Annual vol. II #5 (1987), drawn by Joe Brozowski and Alfredo Alcala.

When not Firestorm, Mikhail was returned to his Russian home.  His body had returned to normal and his Pozhar powers were only present when he was part of Firestorm.  Below is a shot of Mikhail Arkadin looking quite normal taken from Firestorm the Nuclear Man vol. II #80 (Dec. 1988), drawn by Tom Grindberg and Sam de la Rosa.

In Firestorm vol. II #85 (May 1989), Ronnie Raymond and Mikhail Arkadin were permanently absorbed (or so we thought) into the Firestorm entity.  The resulting merger created the Firestorm Elemental incarnation.  Below is the cover to Firestorm vol. II #92 (Dec. 1989) featuring the Elemental Firestorm drawn by Tom Mandrake.

In Firestorm vol. II #100 (Aug. 1990), the Elemental Firestorm released Mikhail and Ronnie.  Mikhail was joyously reunited with his wife and children.  This was the last time we’d see Mikhail for a long while.

More than fifteen years later, Mikhail returned in Firestorm the Nuclear Man vol. III #27 (Sept. 2006).  Mikhail had regained his Pozhar powers after being exposed to plutonium released by a dirty bomb.  Mikhail resumed being a superhero, and even teamed up with Firestorm again during the Jason Rusch/Professor Stein era.  Below you’ll find an image of Mikhail’s new Pozhar costume taken from Firestorm the Nuclear Man vol. III #27 (Sept. 2006) drawn by Jamal Igle and Keith Champagne.

Finally, below is the cover from The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men vol. IV #4 drawn by Ethan Van Sciver.  It features a character we believe to be the New 52 incarnation of Pozhar.  We don’t know much about this new Pozhar other than he’s Russian.  Hopefully some semblance of the fantastic character of Mikhail Arkadin will remain within the reimagined Pozhar.

That’s it for today!  Come back tomorrow as we continue our look at Pozhar!

Support Firestorm (and Pozhar)! Fan the flame!

Mikhail Denisovitch Arkadin was a nuclear technician at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Russia (you can probably guess where this is going).  When not working, Mikhail was a family man.  His wife’s name was Nina, his daughters Irena and Sofia.  Unfortunately Mikhail was caught in the Chernobyl disaster; the only reason for his survival was the activation of Mikhail’s metagene.  Mikhail spent several months in a catatonic state.  When he awoke, the majority of his skin had burned off and he continued to burn uncontrollably, and somehow he continued to survive.  Mikhail was then recruited by Major Zastrow, leader of the Red Shadows, and given the codename Pozhar (translates to “destructive fire”).  Mikhail was fitted with a Rocket Red suit of armor and began testing his new powers.  Mikhail discovered that he’d gained the ability to: burn through just about any substance, create geysers of lava, project blasts of fire, and reduce any matter on hand into consumable energy for himself.

Through a series of circumstances (which you should really read for yourself: Fury of Firestorm #62-#64, Firestorm the Nuclear Man Annual #5, and Firestorm the Nuclear Man #65), Mikhail found himself part of the Firestorm matrix.  No longer was the Nuclear Man the fusion of teenager Ronnie Raymond and scientist Professor Martin Stein.  After Firestorm The Nuclear Man Annual #5 (Oct 1987), Firestorm was composed of teenager Ronnie Raymond and Russian nuclear technician Mikhail Arkadin.  Whenever they were merged as Firestorm, both Raymond and Arkadin were trapped inside the fused body unable to affect its actions.  The being in control of the Firestorm form was independent from Raymond and Arkadin and acted very detached.  The new Firestorm had his own personality and desires, yet he seemed to lack any life experience and had no memories.  He was a blank slate.  Many months later it was revealed the blank slate entity controlling Firestorm was actually Professor Stein’s amnesiac subconscious.  For more on the “Blank Slate” Firestorm, please click here.

When not Firestorm, Mikhail was returned to his Russian home.  His body had returned to normal and his Pozhar powers were only present when he was part of Firestorm.  Mikhail’s regular life began to settle down and he secured a position teaching nuclear physics at a University.  The Firestorm comic during this era spent much of it’s time splitting the action between the United States and Russia.  Some of the Russian subplots included: the Cold War super-soldier Stalnoivolk, Zastrow’s continued manipulation, the alien Zuggernaut, Mikhail’s brothers, his niece Serafina and the teen super-team Soyuz, Mikhail’s rocky relationship with his wife Nina, the blinding of his daughter Sofia, and the mysterious Rasputin.

The “Blank Slate” Firestorm’s existence lasted nearly two years.  Neither Ronnie nor Mikhail were part of the series during the Elemental Firestorm era; they had both been absorbed into the Elemental entity.  Mikhail briefly reappeared in Firestorm #100, reunited with his wife and children.  Years later, Mikhail regained his Pozhar powers after being exposed to plutonium released by a dirty bomb.  Mikhail resumed being a superhero, and even teamed up with Firestorm again during the Jason Rusch/Professor Stein era.  We’ll talk more about Mikhail’s recent exploits later this week!

Writer John Ostrander took a big gamble changing Firestorm as dramatically as he did back in 1987.  I believe it was a gamble that really paid off!  Changing Firestorm to be half-American and half-Russian was a brilliant move, especially during the late 1980s.  With the United States and the Soviet Union the major nuclear powers at the time, it made perfect sense.  These changes brought lots of interesting new situations, settings, and characters.  Best of all, we got the incredibly likeable Mikhail Arkadin!  Mikhail will be remembered fondly as an integral part of the Firestorm mythos.

Below you’ll find Pozhar’s entry from DK’s DC Comics Encyclopedia, Updated and Expanded Edition (September 2008).  For fun, notice the accidentally-included notes after “Hair”.

Next up is a decent write-up about Pozhar from eNotes.com.  I believe this content was originally posted to Wikipedia, but was later eliminated as they consolidated Firestorm-related pages.

Pozhar

First appearance: Fury of Firestorm #62, (August 1987)
Alter ego: Mikhail Denisovitch Arkadin
Created by: John Ostrander (writer) and Joe Brozowski (artist)

Fictional character biography

Mikhail Denisovitch Arkadin was a nuclear technician at the Chernobyl nuclear power generating plant in Russia. After an accident in reactor #4 caused an out-of-control fire, his metagene was activated. Major Zastrow, leader of the Red Shadows, arrived at the scene of the accident and recruited Mikhail.

In 1986 after Gerry Conway’s departure, John Ostrander took over the writing chores on Fury of Firestorm. His first major story arc pitted Firestorm against the world, as the hero (acting on a suggestion from a terminally ill Professor Stein) demanded the U.S. and the Soviet Union destroy all of their nuclear weapons. After tussles with the Justice League and most of his enemies, Firestorm faced off against Pozhar in the Nevada desert, where both had an atomic bomb dropped on them.

When the smoke cleared, a new Firestorm was created who was made up of Raymond and Arkadin, but controlled by the disembodied amnesiac mind of Professor Stein. The stories featuring this version of the hero were highly political, with a good deal of action taking place in Mikhail Gorbachev’s Moscow.

The Raymond/Arkadin Firestorm proved to be a transitional phase, as in 1989, Ostrander fundamentally changed the character of Firestorm by revealing that Firestorm was a “Fire Elemental”. Taking his cue from Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing (a plant elemental), Firestorm now became something of an environmental crusader, formed from Raymond, Arkadin, and a Soviet clone of the previous Firestorm, but with a new mind. Professor Stein, no longer part of the composite at all, and cured of his cancer, continued to play a role as adviser.

Eventually, it was revealed that Stein had originally been intended to be the fire elemental solely by himself: the inclusion of others in the Firestorm entity, such as Raymond and Arkadin had always been by accident. In order to defeat the monster Brimstone, who was threatening to destroy the Sun, Firestorm split into his three parts and allowed Stein to transform into Firestorm. Arkadin then presumably returned to his homeland, depowered.

Mikhail’s niece is Serafina Arkadin (Firebird); she is the leader of Soyuz, the Russian equivalent of the Teen Titans.

One Year Later

Mikhail Denisovitch Arkadin returned as Pozhar in Firestorm the Nuclear Man v3 #27, September 2006. In issue #29 Mikhail reveals that he regained his powers after being exposed to the plutonium released by a dirty bomb.

Powers and abilities

Pozhar can alter the density of his own body, project bolts of nuclear energy, fly at great speed, and absorb radiation in to his body harmlessly.

According to Firestorm v3 #29, Pozhar is an energy transformer, not an energy battery like Firestorm or Firehawk, so he is incapable of retaining large stores of energy and uses up whatever he absorbs. Pozhar usually converts matter into energy to recharge himself, but can also absorb extant radiation.

Notes:  In Russian the word “pozhar” means destructive fire.

That’s it for today!  Come back tomorrow as we continue our look at Pozhar!

Support Firestorm (and Pozhar)! Fan the flame!

At one point, John Ostrander was interested in producing a Soyuz mini-series with artist Joe Brozowski.  Makes you wonder what that would have been like!

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On a more positive note, the solicitation was released this week for The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #6 scheduled for February!  Check out the solicitation and the gorgeous cover below!  Click the image to enlarge.

Written by GAIL SIMONE and ETHAN VAN SCIVER
Art by YILDIRAY CINAR and NORM RAPMUND
Cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER

In the blink of an eye, Ronnie and Jason witness a horror so gruesome, the two young Firestorms will question their entire futures as Super Heroes. As if that wasn’t enough, Pozhar, the Russian Firestorm, shows the two boys exactly how dangerous their world has become.

DC Universe | 32pg. | Color | $2.99 US

On Sale February 22, 2012

First, what an amazing cover by Ethan Van Sciver! This may be my favorite yet! The cover really conveys the enormity of whatever terrible situation Jason and Ronnie have found themselves in. Also, I love how the craters form the Firestorm symbol! So cool!

Second, did you read the solicitation verbiage? Did you notice… Pozhar?  Oh yeah!  It’s POZHAR!  That’s right, the alter-ego of Mikhail Arkadin (at least, in the previous continuity)!  For you newer readers, Mikhail Arkadin used to be a major part of the Firestorm matrix.  From 1987 through 1990, Firestorm was composed of Ronnie Raymond and Mikhail Arkadin (along with Professor Stein’s subconscious, but we didn’t know that at the time). Mikhail was a very active part of the “Blank Slate” era of Firestorm, and a passive part of the Elemental Firestorm era.  Personally, I consider Mikhail the forgotten hero of Firestorm.  He doesn’t come up often in Firestorm discussions nowadays.  Most people focus on Ronnie, Professor Stein, or Jason (myself included).  However, I gotta tell ya, Mikhail deserves to be lauded as a core Firestorm cast member.

Keep in mind, all of that was in the previous continuity.  In The New 52, Pozhar will obviously be different.  He might turn out to be a hero or a villain; or he might not even be Mikhail Arkadin.  Only time will tell.  I don’t know for a fact, but I suspect that was Pozhar on the cover of The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #4.

This solicitation has inspired me to put together a Mikhail Arkadin/Pozhar entry here at FIRESTORM FAN within the next few weeks.  In the meantime, click here for my thoughts on the “Blank Slate” Firestorm.  My thanks to match-head Brandon Leonard for the heads-up about this solicitation.

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Stuart Moore wrote FIRESTORM vol III for 19 issues from 2005 through 2007.  Thanks to the length of his run, Stuart has written Jason Rusch more than any other writer.  Stuart’s run brought dramatic changes for the FIRESTORM title, including: the return of Professor Martin Stein and Mikhail Arkadin, Firehawk joined the Firestorm matrix, incredible growth in Jason’s character, the introduction of Gehenna, and much more!

Stuart Moore has been a writer, a book editor, and an award-winning comics editor. He’s written many titles, such as: NAMOR: THE FIRST MUTANT, CLOAK & DAGGER, WOLVERINE NOIR, THE 99, DETECTIVE COMICS, EARTHLIGHT, PARA, SHADRACH STONE, and much more!  Before turning to writing, Stuart was a book editor at St. Martin’s Press, publishing a wide variety of science fiction and pop culture books. More recently he served as editor of the Virgin Comics / SciFi Channel comics line, and of the bestselling Marvel Knights imprint, where his credits included Brian Michael Bendis’s ALIAS and DAREDEVIL and the Garth Ennis/Steve Dillon PUNISHER. At DC Comics, Stuart was a founding editor of the acclaimed Vertigo imprint, where he won the Will Eisner award for Best Editor 1996 and the Don Thompson Award for Favorite Editor 1999. His editorial credits there include PREACHER, THE INVISIBLES, SWAMP THING, HELLBLAZER, THE BOOKS OF MAGIC, TRANSMETROPOLITAN, and too many others to mention.

Stuart was kind enough to spend some time discussing his run on Firestorm with FIRESTORM FAN.

BACKGROUND

FIRESTORM FAN: How did you first get interested in reading comics and what were some of your favorites?

STUART MOORE: Most people I know either liked DC or Marvel growing up…I have a slightly different story. When I was young, I only read DC Comics; I think I still have a copy of ACTION from when I was five years old. Then, when I was in high school, a friend sat me down with huge piles of Marvel comics — this was before trade paperbacks, but it was the same effect, just enormously long, sprawling runs of stories. And it completely changed me, opened up my mind to all this great, crazy stuff. So to me, DC Comics are the books I loved as a kid, but Marvel are the really exciting, dangerous ones.

FF: What attracted you to writing comics and how did you break into the business?

SM: I’d always done some writing, but I started out as a book editor, then a comics editor. When I was at DC/Vertigo, DC wasn’t really encouraging staff people to write anymore, which I understood — there’s a lot of potential for conflicts of interest there. Though I’ve come around a bit to thinking it can be managed, and that some of the best work of the ’70s and ’80s was done by writer/editors.

Anyway, I left DC in 1999 and had a short stint at Marvel Knights, then started writing full time. I wrote everything — indy stuff, my own work, short stories for anthologies. I still do, actually. Jumping around between genres, styles, and companies keeps me fresh.

FF: What do you find are the major influences on your work?

SM: There are a hell of a lot of them, actually. In comics: Alan Moore, Steve Gerber, Howard Chaykin. In books: Philip K. Dick, Charles Willeford, Cordwainer Smith, recently Rick Moody. A lot of film, too, particularly the work of Alex Cox.

FF: Who would win in a fight – Willie Lumpkin or Doiby Dickles?

SM: Bet on the mailman. He’s got all the keys.

FIRESTORM

FF: How did you get the Firestorm assignment?

SM: I’d written some JLA ADVENTURES stories for Steve Wacker, who fled to Marvel after almost a year editing the monstrous 52. At that time, Steve had recently inherited FIRESTORM, which was going through a gradual but full creative team changeover. Steve knew I had a background in science fiction and thought that would work for the character.

FF: You incorporated lots of Firestorm history into your run (i.e. Firehawk, Pozhar, Tokamak).Were you familiar with the character before taking the job? If so, do you have any favorite issues, storylines, or characters?

SM: I love the character…I actually got hooked in the first few issues of the very first run, when it was abruptly canceled in the middle of a storyline. It was the purest example of a Marvel-style character in the middle of the DC Universe, which was pretty cool at the time. Firestorm also had a great rogues’ gallery, and Firehawk was a volatile, exciting supporting character.

FF: What aspects of Firestorm did you enjoy writing the most? What aspects did you find the most challenging to write?

SM: I really liked Jason, the character. It was very important to me to deal with his relationship with his father and his mother, whom I introduced. The stuff with the father was tricky because the book had been written into a corner: In the very first issue, before I came onboard, we’d seen Jason’s father hitting him. To my mind, once you do that, the character either has to fight back directly or else he has to roll out a series of complex, difficult distancing techniques, which people in abusive relationships do all the time. I worked pretty hard on that aspect of the story.

The pseudo-science was fun too. And the racial undertones, which were mostly in the background but very, very important to who the character was.

The challenging part was that the editorial mandates about the character changed frequently. That’s part of working on a company-owned book, and I think we rolled with it all pretty gracefully.

FF: Were there any situations where editorial or company-wide events impacted your plans? Did the Infinite Crisis, Villains United, and OMAC Project tie-in stories come naturally or did they create challenges for you?

SM: Oh, that was part of the game from day one. FIRESTORM was a borderline-selling book when I came on; we knew we had to take every opportunity offered to keep sales up. And I liked the idea of Jason, who had just graduated from high school, being the young guy thrown into the middle of the DCU, almost like an identification character for the reader. “That’s Donna Troy! She looks like a goddess!” That sort of thing.

FF: What would you say are some elements that make a story a “Firestorm story”, rather than just any other superhero story?

SM: There have been several different takes on the character, so I don’t know if you can generalize too much. But to me, it’s the interplay between the two people making up the persona. We dealt with that in a lot of different combinations. I initially resisted bringing Professor Stein back into the book, but I will say that once it was him and Jason, the character just MOVED. It shows that Gerry Conway knew what he was doing — the young kid, all energy and impulse, combined with the older man who knew the science. They’re doing a variant on that now, with Jason as the science-savvy half.

FF: While working on Firestorm, you had the opportunity to work with Jamal Igle on interiors, and Matt Haley & Brian Stelfreeze on covers. What were some characteristics these artists brought to your stories? Did you write full-script or plot-first, and how collaborative were your relationships?

SM: Full script, as I write just about everything. Jamal was a great collaborator…he’s very underrated; he can draw anything, and when you give him a little room, there’s an amazing power to his action sequences. I had a storyline in mind that we didn’t get to, a racially sensitive story about Jason’s mother, and I probably would have asked Jamal to be a more active co-plotter on that.

As for the covers, both artists were just great. I didn’t have much direct interaction with Matt or Brian, but they did superlative work.

FF: You created some interesting supporting characters for the Firestorm title. Were there any you enjoyed writing more than others?

SM: Gehenna was a lot of fun…her directness, her lack of tact. I thought Professor Stein would be a drag, but I kind of liked him as the shell-shocked older guy among all these young people. And Lorraine, Firehawk, was great to write. I loved that she had a whole career, a calling that was important to her and that had nothing to do with being a superhero. Sometimes she seemed like the only adult in the whole book.

FF: Just to satisfy my fanboy curiosity, I always had the sense you were leading up to Jason and Doctor Otaki merging to become Firestorm. Was that ever part of your plans?

SM: No, that was never the plan. I can’t remember exactly how she fit in…I think she was just there as one of Jason’s many mentors, somebody who’d been through real bad shit on a level he’d hopefully never know.

FF: Any thoughts about what happened to Gehenna after your Firestorm run and in Blackest Night?

SM: It wasn’t what I’d have done, but that’s fine. When you create characters for company-owned books, they always live on (or die, in this case) after you’re done with them.

FF: In the climatic battle with Tokamak, he said to Jason, “I know why you’re Firestorm”. Jason never uncovered what that meant. Can you tell us anything about that cryptic message?

SM: I did have something in mind for that…after all, it was never really explained why the Firestorm energy chose Jason when Ron Raymond died, though the Earth-8 thing provides a certain justification, now. Anyway, I had an idea for an extended story involving Jason’s ancestry and the origins of life on Earth, little stuff like that. I’m sure there are notes for it around somewhere, which I’ll use for something else. But I deliberately wrote the ending so it could also be read just as Tokamak screwing with him, giving him one final jab.

FF: Why did you leave the Firestorm book?

SM: I left because it was canceled. Then they decided to extend it for three more issues, tying it heavily into some New Gods continuity, and they brought the late, much-missed Dwayne McDuffie on to do those. But the book was already dead.

AFTER YOUR FIRESTORM RUN

FF: You recently had the opportunity to write the Ronnie Raymond/Jason Rusch incarnation of Firestorm in JLA/The 99. What differences did you find writing Firestorm for that mini-series versus your previous Firestorm experience?

SM: I originally thought I’d stay away from that character, leaving those scenes to Fabian (my cowriter), precisely because it WAS so different from the character I’d written. But through circumstance, I wound up writing a lot of those scenes, and I really enjoyed it. Firestorm’s role in JLA/99 kept growing because of his powers — he’s a great team-up player because he’s very mobile, and because he can actually draw members of the other team inside himself.

FF: You’ve written more Jason Rusch stories than any other writer. Any words of advice for Gail Simone, Ethan Van Sciver, and Yildiray Cinar as they relaunch Firestorm?

SM: Oh god, I wouldn’t presume to give advice. Those guys know what they’re doing. The initial graphics look fantastic.

FF: What comic books are you reading nowadays?

SM: Most of my mainstream work is at Marvel these days, and I read basically everything there by Bendis, Fraction, Millar, lots of other guys I don’t want to offend by forgetting to mention. I’ll read anything by Grant Morrison, whom I’ve known forever. I’ve recently been catching up on SCALPED, THE BOYS, and SCOTT PILGRIM, all of which are absolutely amazing in completely different ways. But I read a lot more prose these days.

FF: Looking back at all the work you’ve amassed during your career, what are you most proud of? What do you consider a high point both personally and creatively?

SM: FIRESTORM is the longest run I’ve had on a company-owned book, and I’m still proud of the character work in particular on that book. My original graphic novels PARA and EARTHLIGHT are both very personal works that I like quite a bit. I also really like the Wolverine stories I’ve written, particularly WOLVERINE #41 (“The Package”), WOLVERINE NOIR, and the UNDER THE BOARDWALK special. But the answer to that question changes every day. I wrote some STARGATE ATLANTIS comics that absolutely no one read — I have scientific proof — but that came out really nicely.

FF: Are there any projects you are currently working on or have coming up?

SM: I’ve just finished up NAMOR at Marvel, which finished off pretty strong, I think. Since then I’ve written a bit of SPIDER-MAN and I’m currently adapting the upcoming JOHN CARTER film into a young adult novel for Disney. In July, I had a WOLVERINE/DEADPOOL: THE DECOY one-shot,  from Marvel, and a sort-of adaptation of the new CONAN film, THE MASK OF ACHERON, from Dark Horse. I have a few original comics projects in development, and I also run a small graphic-novel packaging partnership called Botfriend. I like to keep busy.

FF: What would your dream comic book project be?

SM: I don’t think in terms of ultimates and dreams; but a long-form, creator-owned monthly would be great. Other than that, I’m happy bouncing around.

Thanks to Stuart Moore for generously donating his time to this interview! To keep up with Stuart, check out on his blog, Pensive Mischief, and follow him on Twitter. Be sure to tell him FIRESTORM FAN sent you!  For more on Stuart’s era of Firestorm, click here for a FIRESTORM FAN interview with artist Jamal Igle!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed the interview!

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John Ostrander wrote 45 issues of FIRESTORM vol II from 1987 through 1990.   Besides Firestorm co-creator Gerry Conway, Ostrander has written the character more than any other author.   The dramatic changes Ostrander introduced to Firestorm generated lots of positive buzz.  Thanks to Ostrander’s bold new direction and creativity, change has become an integral part of the Firestorm character.

John Ostrander started in the comic book business in 1983 and was incredibly successful.  By 1987 he was writing five different monthly titles!  He is best known for his work on SUICIDE SQUAD, GRIMJACK, THE SPECTRE, and STAR WARS: LEGACY.  Ostrander has written hundreds of fantastic comics and was nominated for the Comics Buyer’s Guide Award for Favorite Writer in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000.  Probably his most lasting contribution to the DC Universe was the recasting of the former Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, into the information and computer specialist Oracle.  Currently he is working on STAR WARS LEGACY: WAR from Dark Horse Comics.

John was kind enough to spend some time discussing his run on Firestorm with FIRESTORM FAN.

THE EARLY YEARS

FIRESTORM FAN: John, how did you first get interested in reading comics and what were some of your favorites?

JOHN OSTRANDER: Well, my boyhood was during the Fifties and my mother was convinced, thanks to Doctor Wertham and the article Seduction of the Innocent, that comic books were quite bad for you so, of course, I had to find them and read all of them that I could. I was in Catholic school and they did have a monthly comic book there called TREASURE CHEST, that was approved and there actually were some good stories in it and which I still remember. Of the forbidden fruit, I remember liking the BLACKHAWKS a lot and BATMAN. Real keen on CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN, which I still think is a GREAT title for a comic. I later discovered Marvel with issue 49 of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and read all of those that I could. Loved and learned a lot from Kirby and Lee, especially on the FANTASTIC FOUR. Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams on GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW was a revelation to me in college. More realistic art and the stories wove social issues into dynamic superhero action.

FF: You started your career at First Comics in 1983 writing books such as WARP, STARSLAYER, and GRIMJACK. Within just a few years, you were working for major publishers writing as many as five monthly comics all at the same time. What attracted you to writing comics and how would you describe your early experiences?

JO: Oh, I had long wanted to write comics. I’d been in theater and had already written a few plays. I’d been a great reader and I wanted to give back to that from which I had gotten so much pleasure. Making a living from it was just astounding to me. The early experiences were learning ones. Mike Gold, my old friend and the editor in chief at First Comics called me up one day and asked me if I’d like to try and write an 8 page backup for the adaptation of the play WARP that they were going to do. I was a big fan of the play so I submitted things and Mike kept correcting it and sending it back to be re-worked until, finally, he announced that my story was going to be in the back of their first issue of WARP. “Oh,” I said, “that’s cool. Ummmm, do I get PAID for it?” Mike told me I was an idiot and YES, I was going to be paid. Thus began my career.

FF: Your first work at DC was in 1986 writing a major company crossover entitled LEGENDS. What brought you to DC and such a high profile assignment?

JO: Again, it was Mike Gold. He had gone to DC and one of his first projects was a follow-up to CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS. He wanted a new voice to add something to the project and I got coupled with a DC heavy, Len Wein, on the project. From that followed my DC career. Including Firestorm.

FIRESTORM YEARS

FF: How did you get the Firestorm assignment?

JO: Gerry Conway, the creator, didn’t want to do the tie-ins with LEGENDS that the book was going to have so it was suggested that, since I knew what was going on in LEGENDS, that I write them. Afterwards, Gerry came back for a few issues but decided it was time to move on. Denny O’Neil, who was now the editor of the book, liked my fill-ins and turned the book over to me. So started my Firestorm run.

FF: Your Firestorm adventures took the character in a very different direction than the previous writer. Was the change in direction intentional or was it simply a by-product of the stories you wanted to tell?

JO: I think that if you switch the writer, the new one SHOULD take the character in a different direction of some kind, inject some fresh ideas and fresh energy into the book. There should be respect for the continuity but one shouldn’t be chained to it. The book wasn’t doing especially well in sales at the time and I was given six months to boost its numbers. We did well enough to keep running for a while.

FF: What aspects of Firestorm did you enjoy writing the most? What aspects did you find the most challenging to write?

JO: What annoyed me to start was how Ronnie jerked around Martin’s life. Martin didn’t know he was part of the Firestorm matrix and when Ronnie formed Firestorm, Martin had no memory of it. He thought it was blackouts or something. It wrecked his career and much of his life. So that was a challenge that had to be addressed. I liked the concept of Firestorm, however – two separate beings combining to become one superhero – and the fact that Firestorm could manipulate energy. That was always interesting to play with. And I liked several of the supporting cast members as well.

FF: You introduced a lot of interesting supporting characters to the Firestorm title. Folks like Mikhail Arkadin, the kids of Soyuz, the Institute for Metahuman Studies, the Captains of Industry, Rasputin, Shadowstorm, the Black Gods, and many more. Were there any of them you enjoyed writing more than others?

JO: Mikhail Arkadin really shook up the status quo on the book and that was great. I liked Soyuz a lot. I’d always wanted to play with the Black Gods (a result of my reading African mythology and folk tales). The Captains of Industry was an interesting idea, I think, but I don’t think my execution was all it might have been. Not really well thought out.

FF: Were there any characters you discovered you didn’t really care for?

JO: A lot of the older villains didn’t do much for me which is why I didn’t use a lot of them.

FF: On several occasions, supporting characters from one of your books would crossover into another of your books. For example, Doctor Simon LaGrieve was a regular in both FIRESTORM and SUICIDE SQUAD. Many of the Suicide Squad members were originally Firestorm villains. It’s almost like you had your own cool little corner of the DC universe. Was there any motivating reason you kept your books so inter-connected? Did breaking into DC with Legends influence you to produce crossovers more regularly?

JO: I liked universes that had characters from one book crossing into another even on an informal basis. I always thought that was a good idea and more fun for the reader. Also, in Suicide Squad, we had a tendency to kill of baddies now and then. You couldn’t always go to another book’s writer or editor and say, “I’d like to use so and so and kill them off. Do you mind?” Whereas on Firestorm, I controlled that book. And if I wasn’t willing to kill off some of my cast, why would anyone else let me do it?

FF: While working on the Firestorm character, you had the opportunity to work with some great artists like Joe Brozowski, Ross Andru, Tom Grindberg, and Tom Mandrake. Each artist had their own distinctive look. What were some characteristics that different artists brought to your Firestorm stories? Did you write full-script or plot-first, and how collaborative were your relationships with the artists?

JO: As I recall, it was generally plot-first. I might consult with the artist if there was a big change or some new character. If they had some thoughts, I was willing to listen to them and incorporate those ideas if I felt I could. Mostly, however, I wrote and they drew. As you said, each artist brought something unique to the work and I enjoyed working with them all. Mandrake is also a great friend and I enjoyed working with him a lot. I always do.

FF: Do you have any favorite issues or storylines from your time on Firestorm?

JO: I really enjoyed the storyline leading up to the “death” of Martin Stein and our first revamped visual on Firestorm which wound up in the Annual that year. Martin’s later return was also a favorite of mine. The Black Gods story. I haven’t read the books in a long time so it’s a little hard to pick out others.

FF: Your run on Firestorm can be divided into the “Blank Slate” era and the “Elemental” era. Do you feel a stronger connection to one or the other? Is one Firestorm more “your” character than the other?

JO: Not really. It was a means of evolving the character. The “elemental” Firestorm gave me a look I preferred.

FF: You inherited from the previous writer the subplot of Professor Stein dying from cancer. Was it decided from the start to let the cancer storyline run its course, or were there discussions on how to “cure” Stein?

JO: No. Gerry Conway and I never had a conversation as to where he was headed with that subplot. I decided that if it was a given that Stein had brain cancer and it was inoperable, that we should just follow that to its logical conclusion. At the time, I had no intentions of bringing Martin Stein back.

FF: Leading up to the introduction of the Blank Slate Firestorm, editor Denny O’Neil made several references in the letter columns to your master plan to transform Firestorm. When you developed this storyline, was it planned all along for the Blank Slate Firestorm to eventually become the Elemental, or did that idea come about later?

JO: The Elemental Firestorm came later. The blank slate was what Denny was referring to.

FF: What was the inspiration for the Elemental Firestorm? And what input did you have on character design?

JO: At the time, Swamp Thing had developed into the Earth Elemental. In mythology, the elements were defined as Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. I think they had already decided that Red Tornado was actually the Wind Elemental so it seemed logical (to me at least) that Firestorm was the Fire Elemental. Tom and I had conversations, as I recall, about the new look. Guilty confession – while I liked Firestorm having fire for hair, I felt the original look made him look like a Bunsen Burner. The flowing fiery mane was a lot cooler, IMO. I also liked bare feet – it made him look more primitive, more “elemental”.

FF: On more than one occasion, your Firestorm stories included elements of African culture – The Eden storyline and the Black Gods storyline. What spawned your interest in African culture?

JO: As I said earlier, I’d read lots of African mythology as well as other mythologies around the world. I was always struck by how powerful the stories were. There were pantheons and gods as interesting and varied as the Norse or Celtic and yet very few people had heard of them. I tweaked it a bit for the comics medium, yeah, but the characters and some of the stories are real close to what I had read and learned.

FF: The character of Rasputin was one of your more enigmatic supporting characters. He went on to appear in your Captain Atom issues after the Firestorm series ended. Just to satisfy my fanboy curiosity, did you envision him as the original Grigori Rasputin that advised the Romanov dynasty or was he something else all together?

JO: Good question. Let’s just leave it enigmatic.

FF: There was a noticeable level of maturity displayed within your Firestorm run. While most series in the late 80s featured a villain-of-the-month, Firestorm was regularly tackling socially relevant subjects. Some of the letter writers published compared the Elemental run of Firestorm to mature reader titles such as Sandman, Animal Man, Green Arrow, and The Question. What feedback did you receive at the time about the maturity of these storylines? And was there any consideration given towards making Firestorm a mature reader title back then?

JO: I don’t think there was a necessity then or now for it to be labeled “mature readers”. The label usual meant nudity, profanity, or extreme violence and Firestorm didn’t have any of that. I wrote on topics that interested me, that I thought would make good stories. It harkened back to Denny O’Neil’s run on GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW which fused social consciousness with great superhero stories. Denny, as editor, later advised me that our first job was telling a good story. We can say anything we want but first we have to tell a good story. That’s what the folks pay their money for. I wasn’t looking to be “relevant”, I was looking to make the stories more interesting, to relate it to the world around us, to what was happening at the time. All because I felt it would make a better STORY.

FF: What non-comic material were you reading back then? How did you stay current on the social issues you addressed in your books?

JO: I’m an avid reader. I still read at least one newspaper every day, plus magazines, and, these days, news blogs. I listen to news on the radio. I’ve read history and biography and, if a topic interests me enough to do a story with it, I’ll do some research. Same was true back then. Read, see what catches my eye, look into it a bit.

FF: The villain Brimstone appeared in your very first Firestorm story as well as your last. Did you choose him intentionally for your final issue to serve as a sort of bookend?

JO: I honestly don’t remember. It’s not unlikely but I just can’t swear that was consciously in my mind.

FF: FIRESTORM #100 was your final issue. You wrote a very nice letter in the back explaining your reasons. Quoting from that letter, “I really feel I’ve written all the Firestorm stories that are currently in me to write.” Were there any regrets leaving the book? Did you later find other Firestorm stories inside of you? Given the chance, would you make the same decision again?

JO: Yes, I would make the same decision again. It was the right one to make. If you’re feeling stale, it’s time to go. I have no regrets about doing Firestorm or leaving when I did. And I still don’t think I have any Firestorm stories in me. OTOH, if the editor was to call me and ask if I do an issue or two – well, never say never.

AFTER FIRESTORM

FF: Have you kept up with the changes Firestorm has been through? If so, any thoughts on that direction?

JO: I know OF them but I really haven’t been keeping track. When I walk away from something I try not to look back.

FF: I’ve always been impressed with your ear for dialogue. You are always spot-on, regardless of whether it’s a god or a regular person. Do you ever struggle with dialogue? How do you find the right voice?

JO: I was in theater for many years before I became a comic-book writer. As part of that, I studied Improvisation with Del Close. Plus I have a fair ear for mimicry. I “hear” the characters in my head as I write them so that helps a lot. I wrote plays before I wrote comics so that taught me how to write character into the dialogue. A lot of it is finding a cadence for a character – that reads well on the page. People may not be aware of it but they notice it. Another trick is to “cast” your character’s voice – they don’t have to match physically but they should vocally. It’s as if you were casting an animated version of the characters. It doesn’t just have to be actors, either. You could use a friend or relative’s voice just as easily. They don’t have to be alive, either. Just a voice you can “hear” in your head and then assign it to a character. That can really help.

FF: If you had the ability to change one thing about the comic book industry, what would it be?

JO: I’d make sure I had more work to begin with.   Seriously – a lot of people in the industry suffer without health care. I’d love to see the industry find a way to let freelancers buy into corporate health insurance at reasonable rates.

FF: Yourself excluded, are there any contemporary writers that are carrying your torch?

JO: I don’t know if they are necessarily carrying my torch but there are a slew of REALLY good writers in the industry today, people whose work I admire. Gail Simone, Geoff Johns, Brian Michael Bendis, Peter Tomasi, Grant Morrison (IMO, his Ultimate Superman was the QUINTESSENTIAL Superman) Kurt Busiek (loves me that ASTRO CITY), J. Michael Straczynski. Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, Mike Mignola, Joss Whedon and so many others. Anyone I’ve neglected to mention, please forgive me. I recently collaborated with Rick Remender, Stuart Moore, and Rob Williams on a miniseries over at Marvel called ONE MONTH TO LIVE. Really collaborative and all the guys (and the editor, Steve Wacker, and his assistant, Alejandro Arbona) really worked well together and made the series, for me, very memorable.

FF: Looking back at the work you’ve amassed, what are you most proud of? What do you consider a high point both personally and creatively?

JO: Beside FIRESTORM? GRIMJACK, SUICIDE SQUAD, WASTELAND, THE KENTS, BLAZE OF GLORY and APACHE SKIES (two Westerns I did at Marvel), THE SPECTRE, HEROES FOR HIRE, my STAR WARS work, BATMAN: GOTHAM NIGHTS, BATMAN: SEDUCTION OF THE GUN, the BLACKHAWKS SPECIAL I did, MARTIAN MANHUNTER, and HAWKWORLD. I don’t think I could pick among them.

FF: What would be your dream comic book project?

JO: Every project is my dream project.

FF: Finally, what are you working on now?

JO: For almost the past decade, I’ve been doing STAR WARS comics with Jan Duursema. In particular, the past few years we’ve been doing STAR WARS: LEGACY which jumps everything down the time line about 140 years from the end of A NEW HOPE (the original Star Wars movie for those who need clarifying). We’ve been dealing with Luke Skywalker’s descendant, Cade Skywalker, a different Empire and lots of new Sith. We’re now winding it up with a six issue miniseries – STAR WARS LEGACY: WAR – which has just started. These are just good comics, whether you’re into Star Wars or not. Great characters, great art, lots of action, and tricksy plotting. I think all the back issues are now available in TPB format. After that, Jan and I have another Star Wars project in the works. In the past year, I’ve done some SUICIDE SQUAD/SECRET SIX work with my pal, Gail Simone and, as I mentioned above, ONE MONTH TO LIVE over at Marvel which will be released in hardcover in January and in TPB format sometime later. Some of my GRIMJACK stuff is available in TPB format as well. And I’m always working on new pitches so we’ll see what happens in 2011.

Thanks to John Ostrander for generously donating his time to this interview!  Be sure to pick up STAR WARS LEGACY: WAR (issue #2 is on stands now!) as well as other collected works from John Ostrander.  To keep up with John, check him out on his message board at the World Famous Comics Community and Facebook.  Be sure to visit and tell him FIRESTORM FAN sent you!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed the interview!

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!

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