The Fury of Firestorm #6
The Fury of Firestorm #6 is a double-barreled Bronze Age key that earns its place in two separate collecting universes simultaneously. Its primary Firestorm story concludes the two-part Pied Piper arc by bringing a classic Flash villain — Hartley Rathaway — squarely into Firestorm's world for what is also the first appearance of the supporting character Helen Day. Far more broadly, the issue is one of roughly fourteen DC titles with a November 1982 cover date to carry the self-contained 'Fate Is the Killer' Masters of the Universe insert preview, meaning it stands as one of the earliest periodical comics in which He-Man, Skeletor, Battle Cat, Stratos, Mer-Man, the Sorceress, and their Eternian companions appeared — acting as a direct promotional bridge between Mattel's toy line and DC's upcoming MOTU mini-series.
In "The Pandrakos Plot," Superman is pulled through a mysterious vortex and crash-lands in Eternia, where he’s thrust into a battle between Skeletor, Beast-Man, and Mer-Man over the Power Sword. With Zodac’s warning echoing in the background and the fate of the sword hanging in the balance, Superman and He-Man must stand against Skeletor’s dark ambitions. Written by Paul Kupperberg and illustrated by Curt Swan, with inks by Dave Hunt and colors by Anthony Tollin, this 1982 DC adventure features a dynamic cover by Pat Broderick and Dick Giordano.
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The Fury of Firestorm was the 1982 revival of DC's Nuclear Man, written by Gerry Conway (who had also created Firestorm in 1978 with Al Milgrom) and drawn by Pat Broderick, with Dick Giordano serving as managing editor and also contributing inks on the direct-edition cover. Issue #6 resolves the mythology-laced two-parter that began in #5, then pivots to host a 16-page Masters of the Universe preview — a DC-wide marketing push timed to the launch of the MOTU mini-series in December 1982 — that was inserted into a wide array of DC's November 1982 titles at the same time.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Concludes the two-part 'Pied Piper's Pipes of Peril' story begun in Fury of Firestorm #5; Firestorm defeats Pan by trapping him in a steel cube and submerging him in the Aegean Sea, ending the satyr-transformation threat.
- Contains the first appearance of Helen Day (Doreen Day's mother), a supporting character whose first name would not be spoken in-story until Fury of Firestorm #10.
- Marks a significant crossover appearance for Pied Piper (Hartley Rathaway), a villain traditionally associated with the Flash, cementing his broader DC-universe presence; his next appearance after this issue was The Flash #325.
- Carries the 16-page 'Fate Is the Killer' Masters of the Universe insert (cover-dated November 1982, its own separate indicia reading 'Masters of the Universe Preview'), one of approximately fourteen DC titles to include the same insert that month — among them Action Comics #537, Batman #353, New Teen Titans #25, and Wonder Woman #297.
- The MOTU insert story features He-Man (Prince Adam), Skeletor, Battle Cat (Cringer), Teela, Man-at-Arms, Beast Man, Mer-Man, Stratos, Zodac, and the Sorceress — several of whose key character details (Cringer as Battle Cat's alter ego, Queen Marlena's Earth origins, Zodac as cosmic enforcer) were being formally established for the first time across this batch of DC inserts.
- In the MOTU insert, the Sorceress is depicted wearing the serpentine armor traditionally shown on Teela, while Teela herself wears a plain guardswoman outfit — a costume distinction unique to this early DC continuity.
- Written by Gerry Conway and pencilled by Pat Broderick; the direct-edition cover was inked by Dick Giordano, while the interior story was inked by Rodin Rodriguez (whose name was misspelled 'Rodriquez' in the issue's credits).
- The main story was later reprinted in the Mexican anthology Supermán (Editorial Novaro) #1496 (November 15, 1984).
Cast · 30 characters
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Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
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In Eternia, Zodac attempts to warn Prince Adam about a death he has foreseen. Skeletor searches the Dark Sea for the missing half of the Power Sword. On Earth, Superman follows three energy spheres underwater, where he is pulled into a vortex. Superman arrives in Eternia, and is faced with Skeletor, Beast-Man and Mer-Man. Superman gets one half of the Power Sword away from Skeletor, but Skeletor attacks with the remaining half. He-Man arrives and picks up the fallen half, hurling it at Skeletor. The power of the sword disintegrates Skeletor. He-Man dies but is revived by the sword's energies.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).