One of the aspects of the blank slate Firestorm that was intriguing was that Firestorm could simultaneously maintain two entirely different theaters with supporting casts on both side of the world and maintain a presence in both of them. In Pittsburgh he had Ed and Felicity, Lorraine, and, to a certain extent, Martin Stein. In Russia he had Mikhail’s family, the Arkadin’s formidable KGB enemies, and Soyuz as allies. Firestorm himself could speak both English and Russian fluently. I thought this degree of intrigue was… intriguing.

It’s too bad the Cold War, inconveniently for the book, ended, perhaps forcing Ostrander’s hand to change the theme of the book quite radically. I remember that environmental consciousness was becoming quite trendy around 1989-90; 1990’s Earth Day was quite a big deal. So I understand it. But I still don’t happen to think “Firestorm the Fire Elemental” has quite the same ring to it as “Firestorm the Nuclear Man.”