Here is the description from the TwoMorrows website:

Back Issue! #112
Hunker down in your fallout shelter with Back Issue #112’s explosive “Nuclear Issue,” starring the Fury of Firestorm! Also: Dr. Manhattan, a DAVE GIBBONS Marvel UK Hulk interview, villain histories of Radioactive Man and Microwave Man, Bongo’s Radioactive Man and Fallout Boy, and the one-shot wonder, Holo-Man! With CARY BATES, PAT BRODERICK, GERRY CONWAY, STEVE ENGLEHART, RAFAEL KAYANAN, BILL MORRISON, FABIAN NICIEZA, JOHN OSTRANDER, ROY THOMAS, and more! Featuring a Firestorm cover by Pat Broderick. Edited by MICHAEL EURY.
84 Full-color pages
$8.95
Ships May 8, 2019

Get out there and pick up your copy!

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!

Here is the description from the TwoMorrows website:

Back Issue! #112
Hunker down in your fallout shelter with Back Issue #112’s explosive “Nuclear Issue,” starring the Fury of Firestorm! Also: Dr. Manhattan, a DAVE GIBBONS Marvel UK Hulk interview, villain histories of Radioactive Man and Microwave Man, Bongo’s Radioactive Man and Fallout Boy, and the one-shot wonder, Holo-Man! With CARY BATES, PAT BRODERICK, GERRY CONWAY, STEVE ENGLEHART, RAFAEL KAYANAN, BILL MORRISON, FABIAN NICIEZA, JOHN OSTRANDER, ROY THOMAS, and more! Featuring a Firestorm cover by Pat Broderick. Edited by MICHAEL EURY.
84 Full-color pages
$8.95
Ships May 8, 2019

Be sure to pre-order your copy from your local comic shop today!

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!

Eddie Slick first appeared back in Fury of Firestorm #51 & #52 (1986). When he was first introduced, Eddie was a corrupt boxing manager. He had no super powers, but was a surprising look-a-like for Professor Martin Stein. When Eddie reappeared in Firestorm the Nuclear Man #74 & #75 (1988), he’d been buried alive in the desert by his gangster “friends”. Through a series of unique events, Eddie survived and was transformed into a creature entirely composed of sand, able to control other sand at will. He called himself “Sand Demon” and went on a rampage across Las Vegas. From next week’s preview of The Flash, it appears the TV version of Eddie Slick has similar powers.

From a creator rights perspective, this character raises an interesting question. Writer Gerry Conway and artist Joe Brozowski created the character of Eddie Slick. However, Eddie didn’t have any super powers in those appearances. Writer John Ostrander and artist Joe Brozowski introduced Eddie Slick’s powers and the Sand Demon persona. So which writer gets financially compensated for Kett Turton’s portrayal on The Flash next week? Is the Sand Demon derivative of Eddie Slick, or the same character? Is this another creator rights situation similar to what happened with Caitlin Snow? I can’t help but wonder.

Below you’ll find an amazing recap of Eddie Slick/Sand Demon’s history found on Comic Book Movies: Who’s Who:

Not much is known about Eddie Slick’s early life, apart from the fact that he had always been good in making the worst choices possible. He lived in New York City, and he was a small-time crook, a gangster-wannabe who always tried to make money the fastest way possible. He joined a group of professional criminals, some true mobsters who had quite a taste for gambling…especially when they won. In order to become good friends with them, Slick reinvented himself as a boxing manager, obviously doing his best to fix the competition, warning his pals which fighter they had to place their bet on. His most succesful athlete was a beast of a man stage-named King Crusher, who was doing good…but not good enough. Slick drugged all his athletes as a rule, but with Crusher he decided to do something more, and when he managed to put his hands on some experimental mutagenic steroids, he treated Crusher with them. As a result, King Crusher surely became bigger and stronger, and he kept winning a match after the other…but the process wasn’t stopping, and he became strong to superhuman levels; the steroids also affected his psyche, and the wrestler went mad. In a vengeful rampage, King Crusher targeted Eddie, and the manager couldn’t do anything but run from him. Luckily enough, in NYC’s streets King Crusher saw Professor Martin Stein, who was dating Emily Rice. Coincidentally, Stein looked exactly the same as Slick, and the wrestler targeted him instead. Stein had the time to look for his young friend Ronnie Raymond and to merge with him to form the superhero Firestorm, defeating King Crusher and saving Eddie Slick in the process…but the whole illegal steroids traffic, the gambling circuit and all Slick’s affairs were exposed, thus ending the crook’s criminal career.

Eddie Slick managed to avoid prison, but that wasn’t a stroke of luck at all: his powerful friends from the mob had lost a fortune with the King Crusher affair, and they wanted to exact justice their own way. Slick was deemed responsible for the entire situation, and the gangsters decided to make an example of him: they brought him to their headquarters in Las Vegas, and they executed him by buring him alive in the Nevada Desert. The sand of the desert, however, was irradiated, and the close encounter with Firestorm had already modified Slick’s organism: instead of dying as he was supposed to, Slick was transformed into a creature entirely composed of sand, able to control other sand at will. Weeks spent underground had also made Slick insane, and he emerged from the desert pretty much deranged: naming himself Sand Demon, Slick returned to Las Vegas and started hunting down his former friends and employers, killing them one after the other. These murders attracted the attention of the new Firestorm (formed by Ronnie Raymond and Mikhail Arkadin), who was looking for a still MIA Martin Stein. From the news, Ronnie believed that the Sand Demon was actually Stein, and traveled to Las Vegas to try and make him “come back to his senses”. In the middle of a desert, with all that sand at disposal, Slick proved to be an extremely dangerous opponent even for Firestorm, especially considering that the latter was restraining himself believing he was facing his friend Martin Stein. When Ronnie realized the Sand Demon wasn’t Stein at all, and that he was far too powerful and too crazy to be controlled, he stopped holding back, and he used his powers to overheat Slick, turning him into glass. The Sand Demon’s body fell to the floor and shattered, thus ending the short-lived superhuman existence of Eddie Slick.

Eddie Slick is, simply put, a complete failure. Greedy, vulgar, sneaky, Slick makes the one and simple mistake of believing himself to be extremely smart, while he’s actually quite a dumb man. As the Sand Demon, he’s a remarkably powerful being, entirely made of sand (thus invulnerable to most arm) and capable of manipulating surrounding sand as well: in the Nevada Desert, he has an entire state to control, thus creating sandstorms, tornadoes and even gigantic quicksands. Just as powerful as he is crazy, Sand Demon is an extremely dangerous man, once stupid and mediocre, now stupid and lethal.

So Eddie Slick joins the long list of Firestorm characters to appear on The Flash:

• Ronnie Raymond (Firestorm) played by Robbie Amell
• Professor Martin Stein (Firestorm) played by Victor Garber
• Caitlin Snow (Killer Frost, eventually) played by Danielle Panabaker
• Danton Black (Multiplex) played by Michael Smith
• Bette Sans Souci (Plastique) played by Kelly Frye
• Jason Rusch (Firestorm, in the comics) played by Luc Roderique
• Henry Hewitt (Tokamak) played by Demore Barnes
• Eddie Slick (Sand Demon) played by Kett Turton
• Clarissa Stein (Clarissa Clemens, in the comics) played by Isabella Hofmann
• Quentin Quale (Stein’s boss in the comics) played by Bill Dow
• Felicity Smoak played by Emily Bett Rickards  (okay, she’s from Arrow, but she still originated in Firestorm)

With all these Firestorm characters on The Flash, I can’t help wondering if at some point we’ll see Hyena, Typhoon, or Black Bison. While I ask that, I can also argue against them. Hyena might be too redundant on The Flash as an animal foe after introducing Gorilla Grodd. Typhoon might be too redundant on The Flash after introducing Weather Wizard. That leaves Black Bison, which would be really cool, but walks that dangerous line of reinforcing stereotypes. So bottom line… watch for Zuggernaut and Bazooka Joan in season three!!

C’mon Shag! What about The Flash Season Two Premier?!?

By this point, I’m sure some of you are wondering why I haven’t mentioned the events of The Flash season premier. I’m sure some folks haven’t had a chance to watch the episode yet, and I don’t want to be the guy to spoil it for them. We’ll talk about that later. Yes, we definitely will.

Support Firestorm (and Sand Demon)! Fan the flame!

Ostrander & Mandrake are running a Kickstarter campaign for their new graphic novel, Kros: Hallowed Ground. It’s a passion project they’ve wanted to publish for a long time. As of this posting, there are only 7 days left in the Kickstarter campaign. Please support these Firestorm creators! I did!

Here is the description of the graphic novel from John Ostrander & Tom Mandrake’s Kickstarter:

Kros: Hallowed Ground began over 10 years ago as a tale of horror set during the Battle of Gettysburg. A dream project for us both, it waited silently, like a vampire in the shadows… The story was written, some pages were drawn–atmospheric, dark murky landscapes, the dimly lit surgeon’s tent, a figure swirling from the smoke of battle…

It’s time to hear the wolf’s howl; to watch the undead descend like buzzards to the feast.  It’s time to unleash the vampires…

All wars are horror stories.

Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863. The blood soaked battlefields of the Civil War draw Vampires who descend to feed on the wounded and dying as Blood calls to Blood. One man, a Vampire Hunter named Kros, stands against them, waging a battle at night as fearful and horrific as the battles fought during the day.

KROS: HALLOWED GROUND is a 128 page horror graphic novel by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake. Kros is a dream project and Kros’ story is one we have been wanting to tell for a long time.

Below you’ll find a sample page from this gorgeous-looking graphic novel! Can’t wait to read it!

If you can’t give financially, please help spread the word through social media. Every little bit helps!

Support Firestorm (and Ostrander & Mandrake on Kickstarter)! Fan the flame!

These promotions cover issues starting around Fury of Firestorm #22, and run all the way up to #100. One of the things I love is finding plots or concepts in the promotions that never appeared in the comic. These were story ideas the author was considering while planning future months, but ultimately chose not to pursue. I find those “road not taken” ideas fascinating.

These scans were compiled by Match-head and Nuclear Sub, Joe X! My apologies to Joe for taking so long to post these pages. He sent them to me way back in July 2014! Sorry, Joe! I chose not to crop the surrounding page(s) as they make for fascinating reading. You’ll notice the Firestorm entries have been highlighted in yellow to make it easier to find. Click each image to enlarge and read!

Amazing Heroes #39 – January 15, 1984

Note the mention of the never-published Firestorm Graphic Novel. Man, I would have loved to have seen that book!

Amazing Heroes #62 – January 1, 1985

Note the mention that Cliff Carmichael will be Ronnie’s roommate in college. I don’t recall that happening, but to be honest it’s been a while since I read issues in the 40s & 50s. I may be mis-remembering.

Amazing Heroes Preview Special #1 – Summer 1985

Note the mention of Firehawk joining the Justice League! Wow! This was during the Justice League Detroit era, so Firestorm was no longer on the team. That would have been fantastic to see Firehawk battling crime without Firestorm. A real chance to spread her wings (pun intended) and show the readers she’s a strong independent character. Also, another mention of the never-published Firestorm Graphic Novel.

Amazing Heroes Preview Special #2 – Winter 1986

Note the interesting ideas about Firestorm working for the Police and concerns of brutality. That would have been an interesting plot thread to see develop. Another mention of the never-published Firestorm Graphic Novel and Conway’s hope to place Firehawk in the Justice League!

Amazing Heroes Preview Special #3 – Summer 1986

This one is a little sad. This promotional copy would have been written about the time Gerry Conway was let go from the Firestorm book. Notice editor Denny O’Neil is being interviewed instead of Gerry. Many of these ideas were either never realized, or written by subsequent writers. There is mention of a new villain named “Lava” that never appeared. Also, Denny definitively put an end to the hopes of a Firestorm Graphic Novel.

Amazing Heroes Preview Special #4 – Winter 1987

Shades of the Blank Slate Firestorm being hinted at here.

Amazing Heroes Preview Special – Summer 1987

Pretty  much everything here happens exactly as they described (except the spelling of Zuggernaut). I’m surprised they gave away so much of the plot in this preview magazine. I’m glad I didn’t read this before the issues; all the surprises would have been spoiled!

Amazing Heroes #133 – January 15, 1988

Again with the major spoilers! Geez! Save your 75 cents kids. Read this and you don’t even need to pick up the issues to know what is happening!

 Amazing Heroes #145 – July 15, 1988

More issue by issue spoilers this time. Plus, a nice mention of Firestorm’s rising sales, and suggestion of a Soyuz mini-series that never materialized.

Amazing Heroes #157/Preview Special #8 – January 15, 1989

Building towards the Elemental Firestorm storyline! Interesting that they compare Rasputin to John Constantine. Plus an abandoned plot of Doreen in trouble. Man, it would have been great if the Parasite had eaten Doreen!

Amazing Heroes #170/Preview Special #9 – August 1989

Whoa, satire? We’ve come a long way.

Amazing Heroes Preview Special #10 – March, 1990

A slight hint about the series ending with issue #100 in the phrase, “… final, fateful changes…”  Other than that, no real way to tell the adventures of our favorite Nuclear Man (or Elemental Man by this point) would be coming to an end.

What a fun trip down memory lane! Plus some new realizations about abandoned plot threads. My thanks to Joe X for sending these my way!

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!

I recently sat down to discuss this issue with Stella, host of BATGIRL TO ORACLE: THE BARBARA GORDON PODCAST. We also chatted about the Batgirl #41 variant cover controversy, Chuck Dixon writing female characters, Harley Quinn and the Joker’s abusive relationship, The Flash TV series, the cultural acceptance of comics, my love of Barbara Gordon, and much more! Stella is an outstanding podcaster and a very gracious host. Be sure to check out her podcast, BATGIRL TO ORACLE: THE BARBARA GORDON PODCAST! My thanks to Stella for having me on the show!

Below you’ll find the Oracle-centric pages from Firestorm #98 written by John Ostrander (also author of Suicide Squad), with art by Tom Mandrake and Carlos Garzon!

Below is the cover to Firestorm #98; one of my favorites from this era!

Thanks again to Stella for having me on the show! I had a blast! You can follow BATGIRL TO ORACLE: THE BARBARA GORDON PODCAST at The Batman Universe Podcast Network, Facebook, and Twitter!

Support Firestorm (and the BATGIRL TO ORACLE PODCAST)! Fan the flame!

Check out full coverage of the Suicide Squad script over on Bleeding Cool. Below I’ve posted the two script pages related to our Nuclear Nemeses (yes, that’s plural for “nemesis” – I looked it up).

First is a small snippet from the script featuring our favorite multiple man!

Next, the Mindboggler takes to the screen!

Not sure if this film will ever see production, or once the movie is made if these characters will actually make the cut. Regardless, pretty cool they made it this far!! Also, I can’t discuss Suicide Squad without acknowledging the comic writer was none other than Firestorm scribe John Ostrander!!

My thanks to Diabolu Frank for sending the news my way! Thanks Frank! Be sure to check out Franks blogs by clicking here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here.

Support Firestorm (and a Suicide Squad feature film)! Fan the flame!

The 69th episode of THE FIRE AND WATER PODCAST is now available for your listening pleasure! THE FIRE AND WATER PODCAST is the official podcast of FIRESTORM FAN and THE AQUAMAN SHRINE.

This episode Rob and Shag dive into the first Aquaman Annual in 15 years! Next we remember the legendary Nick Cardy (by the way, he was a WWII veteran — Happy Veteran’s Day!). The show wraps up with a discussion about DC moving their offices to the west coast.

You can find the 69th episode of THE FIRE AND WATER PODCAST on iTunes. While you’re there, please drop us a review on the iTunes page. Every comment helps! Alternatively, you may download the podcast by right-clicking here, choosing “Save Target/Link As”, and selecting a location on your computer to save the file (26 MB).

As always, thanks to my co-host Rob Kelly, Sea King of THE AQUAMAN SHRINE, for doing all the post-production on these episodes! Opening theme, “That Time is Now,” by Michael Kohler. Special thanks to Daniel Adams and Ashton Burge with their band The Bad Mamma Jammas for our fantastic original closing theme! This episode brought to you in part by InStockTrades.com!

Have a question or comment? Looking for more great content?

• Send us an e-mail: firewaterpodcast@comcast.net
• Check our Tumblr: fireandwaterpodcast.tumblr.com
• Visit The Aquaman Shrine: www.aquamanshrine.net
• or leave a comment below!

Check out these amazing Nick Cardy covers below!

Support Firestorm and Aquaman! Fan the Flame and Ride the Wave!

]]> http://firestormfan.com/2013/11/11/fire-water-69/feed/ 7 The 69th episode of THE FIRE AND WATER PODCAST is now available for your listening pleasure! THE FIRE AND WATER PODCAST is the official podcast of FIRESTORM FAN and THE AQUAMAN SHRINE. This episode Rob and Shag dive into the first Aquaman Annual in 15 ... The 69th episode of THE FIRE AND WATER PODCAST is now available for your listening pleasure! THE FIRE AND WATER PODCAST is the official podcast of FIRESTORM FAN and THE AQUAMAN SHRINE. This episode Rob and Shag dive into the first Aquaman Annual in 15 years! Next we remember the legendary Nick Cardy (by the way, he was […] » John Ostrander http://firestormfan.com/2013/08/20/legends-ad/ http://firestormfan.com/2013/08/20/legends-ad/#comments Tue, 20 Aug 2013 09:30:02 +0000 http://firestormfan.com/?p=8331 The following post of awesomeness is dedicated to my good friends: Siskoid, Diabolu Frank, and Benton Grey. Bask in the “Wow” that is Legends, gentleman. Yes, it’s really that good! Click the gorgeous image below to enlarge.

Oh yeah, and it’s John Freakin’ Byrne drawing our favorite hot-head! Sweet!

A quick nod to a few gentleman with good taste in crossovers: Martin Gray, Kyle Benning, and Anj! Good on you, boys!

For more on this ad, visit the following blogs: DC in the 80s and DC Comics of the 1980s. Yes, those are two different sites, both full of 1980s goodness!

Support Firestorm (and Legends)! Fan the flame!

Check out this cool promotional blurb from Direct Currents #16 about the coming of the Elemental Firestorm! Click the image to enlarge!

Man, I love me some Elemental Firestorm! That piece makes we want to break out those issues and read them all over again!

If you aren’t familiar with Direct Currents, they were a free promotional magazine containing approximately 8 pages soliciting the titles being released by DC Comics that month. My local comic shop didn’t typically carry Direct Currents, so it was always a treat to find one in other shops.

My thanks to Michael Bailey of the Fortress of Baileytude sending this scan my way!

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!