Who's Firehawk?

Who's This? The Nuclear Woman.

The facts: Lorraine Reilly first appeared in Fury of Firestorm #1 (June 1982) as a possible love interest for the Nuclear Man (anyone but Doreen Day, amirite?), getting her share of damsel-in-distress moments until FoF #17, when th 2000 Committee tries to replicate the nukular accident that created Firestorm on her and turning her into Firehawk. After initially being used as a threat, she soon turns on her masters and becomes Firestorm's heroic (but occasional) partner. She later joins the Captains of Industry and retires in the early 2000s to become a U.S. Senator like her father, and in One Year Later, is a member of Firestorm's short-lived JLA. Later still, she became part of the Firestorm matrix controlled by Jason Rusch. The New52 had a different person - a French woman - playing the role of Firehawk.
How you could have heard of her: Last seen as a member of Red Tornado's One-Star Squadron.
Example story: The Fury of Firestorm #17 (October 1983) "On Wings of Fire!" by Gerry Conway, Pat Broderick, George Tuska and Rodin Rodriguez

Part of the story arc that made me a Firestorm fan, I think I've always preferred THIS costume for Firehawk even if her second one is pretty cool. Artists just had a hard time with its asymmetrical hawk profile and it never looked as good as her Who's Who entry. But let's get into it... Lorraine has been kidnapped and the 2000 Committee's wiped her brain clean (preparation is everything). She's hanging in a heavy water tank in the middle of fancy reactor and Multiplex is about to throw a switch on her. The first thing that happens is that her wetsuit and breathing mask are completely disintegrated!

Disintegrated only for the time it takes to awaken... feelings... but on the next page, she's altered it into a costume. Which is the last time Firehawk would have matter transmutation powers (or was the new costume also from this?).

The guide to knowing on whose side Firehawk is on: Long hair, good. Short or upward-trending hair, evil. Borne of wings of nuclear flame, she bursts out of the containment chamber, but Committee leader Hewitt (who will become Tokamak), puts the Vulcan whammy on her: "My mind is your mind. My desires are your desires.

And of course she's sent out to kill Firestorm (who's already hurting in the wake of his father's apparent death). Sucker punch incoming!

I find it very interesting that Firehawk considers herself a composite being because of Hewitt's influence, matching her psychology with Firestorms. Hewitt is her Professor Stein in a way, but she's really lost her "Ronald". We'll later get a "blank slate" Firestorm, so this is par for the course in the Nuclear Family (uh... not THAT Nuclear Family). Doesn't take long for Firestorm to notice that she's smoking hot.

She even sets FIRESTORM on fire! How is that even POSSIBLE?!

The Nuclear Man is extinguishing every fire he can, but after a cop is set ablaze and barely rescued, he goes nuts and rams into her, crashing through St. Patrick's Cathedral. And "like a fire caught in an explosion", her flame is out, she reverts to Lorraine, and Firestorm is shocked.

This is a very nudie issue, isn't it?

A star is born, by which I mean to say Firehawk should have been a bigger deal in the DCU. She was in and out of Firestorm-related books, sure, but mostly relegated to crowd scenes and giant battles during crossovers, never achieving solo book status. I think she had it in her. Anyone else?

Who's Next? The Emerald Lady.