Fun Run for 6/18/05

Today's fun run is John Ostrander's run on Firestorm.

Ostander came on to the book with the book nearing cancellation, and when a book is that close to cancellation, you have to try something different - and Ostrander certainly did that!

With Professor Stein nearing death due to a brain tumor, Ronnie and Stein decided to do one last good deed and try to force America and the USSR to do a nuclear disarmament.

I thought this was an interesting idea, and Ostrander handled it quite well (with the reactions of the various figures in the world).

In addition, Ostrander worked in his new Suicide Squad characters into the story as well, in a conflict with Firestorm.

Really fun stuff.

Then Ostrander introduced the NEW Firestorm, who was a merger of a Russian hero, Ronnie Raymond, with the body being controlled by an amnesiac Professor Stein. A "Stranger in a Strange Land" type of deal.

The art was by Joe Borowski , and it was good.

Later on, Ostrander (when Tom Mandrake took over) went in a much different direction, with Firestorm as a Fire elemental.

That stuff was a lot weirder (but still good), but the early issues of his run, with Ostrander and Borowski, were my favorites.