DCU Comic Book Reviews

FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MAN #31

In My Father's House, Part Four

January 2007

Written by Stuart Moore

Pencils by Jamal Igle & Freddie E. Williams II

Inks by Keith Champagne & Freddie E. Williams II

Cover by Brian Stelfreeze

Synopsis

In Upstate New York, Jason Rusch suddenly realizes that Gehenna’s “father” is the man responsible for making his life hell for the past year.  Gehenna tells Jason that she is nothing like him.  Professor Stein, however, realizes the identity of her father:  Henry Hewitt.  Firestorm grabs Gehenna and they fly back to Hewitt Enterprise where they encounter Tokomak and the Pupil.  Tokomak explains everything, how he created clones (the dollies) and nuclear explosions throughout the world to give him unlimited nuclear power.  By the time he has finished, Firehawk, Pozhar, and the Pionic Man arrive to help in the fight.  Tokomak attempts to use Firehawk against Firestorm, but Jason pulls Lorraine into the matrix to save her.  Eventually, Firestorm defeats Tokomak.  Just before he dies, Tokomak tells Jason, “I know why you’re Firestorm.”

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

Oh, no.  Please don't tell me that this issue contains the exposition scene in which the villain explains all of his terrible plans.  Anyone who reads this site on a regular basis knows that I absolutely hate exposition scenes and especially the “talking villain” scene.  While it was nice to get the whole picture of Hewitt’s plan, I was annoyed that Jason never really figured it out so much as guessed right.  Very frustrating.  On top of that, I think I want to go and punch out the person who was responsible for placing the Firestorm and Firehawk fight on the cover.  It ruined a perfectly good “uh-oh” moment.  I realize these things are done in advance and are done to sell the issues, but in this case, it was a poor decision.  I spent the entire issue trying to figure when the fight was going to happen

Despite these two quibbles, this was a good solid issue with a lot of little touches that reward the readers for sticking around.  Some of those scenes include Stein stopping Jason from getting violent with Gehenna by mentioning his father.  Or the moment when Jason pulls Lorriane into the matrix with is framed by scenes from previous issues showing them together.  Or the way Stein and Jason work together, waiting for the one moment, to knock out Tokomak.  Finally, how can I one NOT love the scene when Professor Stein separates from the Firestorm matrix just so he can punch out the Pupil?  Ha!

And, hey, is that Vandal Savage getting the cloning technology?  I gotta give Stuart Moore credit for tying a Firestorm story into a JSA Classified story (beginning with issue #10) which Moore also wrote.  How many writers connect their own separate stories together like that?  That is so cool.

 

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