Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #2 (1978)

   The second issue to Firestorm features a gimmick that was everywhere in 1978- the Superman team-up. With the Superman movie due out later in the year, DC and Warner Brothers were trying to get the word out any way possible. Thus, if you were a struggling or fledgling comic book at that time and you were a DC Comic- well then the Man of Steel would be visiting your corner of the DC Universe real soon. (Ths same principle worked in the 90s with fan-favorite Wolverine appearing in just about every Marvel comic imaginable and right now in the Marvel NOW! books with the box office darlings Guardians of the Galaxy guest starring in something every month.

    In this issue, along with meeting the Man of Tomorrow, Firestorm meets his first arch enemy- Multiplex. During the explosion that turned Ronnie Raymond and Dr. Martin Stein into the Nuclear Man, it split one of Stein's professional rivals into 2 villains. I never knew the definitions for fusion (how Firestorm is formed) and fission (the process that divides Multiplex in two) until now.

   Who says comics aren't educational?

    This exciting issue is more Firestorm's baby than it is Superman's and that's how it should be. But I did like how this issue was the starting point in making Firestorm an eventual member of the Justice League of America (and the Super Friends if you want to get technical about it.)  I'm very glad that I decided to finally give this short-lived series from the 70s a try. It's a really good title that just didn't get a fair shake until about 5 years later with the near decade-long publication of Fury of Firestorm.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.