Wonder Woman #16 – “Bird of Paradise/Bird of Prey” – Len Wein/George Perez/Bob Smith
This one continues from last issue, with Silver Swan attacking the fair where Wonder Woman is appearing for charity. Sliver Swan’s sonic blast brings down the Ferris wheel and Wonder Woman has to catch it to keep all the kids on it from being killed. (Steve helps out by catching a kid who falls.) Silver Swan’s old friend (Maxine) doesn’t think Silver Swan could be this cruel on her own, blaming Swan’s husband (Henry Armbruster) for pushing her into it. Maxine is right, Armbruster is goading Silver Swan over a microphone, but nobody knows that. Solomon, who wants to kill Silver Swan to avenge his
father, has been grabbed by an undercover cop, but Maxine manages to get away. Silver Swan feels guilty about almost killing the kids on the Ferris wheel, but when Armbruster urges her to let loose with an even more powerful blast, she obeys, devastating the fairgrounds (which lets Solomon get away from the cop). Parroting Armbruster’s words, Silver Swan demands all the money raised for the kids, saying that the fair is a shallow glorification of Wonder Woman. The charity organizer seems to agree, blaming Wonder 
Woman for Silver Swan’s attack. Wonder Woman is forced to fly the money up to Silver Swan, who’s using a sonic shield to avoid being shot by the cops. Turns out someone slipped some data chips in with the cash and that’s what Armbruster is really after. Solomon tries to shoot Silver Swan when she drops her shield to take the money, but Maxine warns her and Wonder Woman deflects the shot. Silver Swan blasts the tree Solomon is in and Steve pushes Maxine out of the way just in time. Wonder Woman grabs Silver Swan and pulls her away from the fair, causing her to drop the loot in the woods. Swan fights back, knocking Wonder Woman into the ocean and
trying to blast her. Wonder Woman uses a cloak she was wearing to give Silver Swan a vicious wet towel-snap and uses her tiara to clip Swan’s wings. Wonder Woman wraps her cloak around Swan’s face and begs her to surrender, but Swan freaks out and lets off a sonic blast so powerful that they’re both flung miles apart. Wonder Woman returns to Boston and tells Steve how she met his mom under Themiscyra, giving him her service pistol. In a series of epilogues, we see Solomon is comatose in hospital, Maxine got away, and the money was recovered, but the two bags containing the microchips weren’t found … maybe Armbruster got to them. Vanessa is jealous of her 
boyfriend’s crush on Diana, so she’s thrilled when she hears Diana has the hots for Superman. Using Myndi Mayer as a go-between, Diana talks to Clark Kent, who promises to arrange a meeting with Superman. (Myndi is pissed off that her PR firm isn’t allowed to cover the big date.) On Mount Olympus, we see Hermes fleeing some mysterious attackers who blast him before he has the chance to warn the other gods. (This story was continued in various Superman titles, which I don’t review, so I’ll give you a quick rundown: the mystery villain is Darkseid trying to take over Olympus; Superman and Wonder Woman stop him, but decide they’re too different to have a relationship, although Superman does share his secret identity with her.)
Firestorm #71 – “Hammer and Tong” – John Ostrander/Joe Brozowski/Sam De La Rosa
Last issue, Ronnie Raymond’s home was invaded by Stalnoivolk, who’s there looking for Firestorm. In Russia, Mikhail Arkadin’s wife (Nina) was thrown out a window by KGB interrogator Soliony, hoping to force Mikhail into revealing that he’s Firestorm. But neither of them can trigger the transformation because the part of Firestorm that’s neither Ronnie nor Mikhail has been hijacked into the timestream by a ghost calling himself the Flying Dutchman. He’s actually the consciousness of a hippie professor (Rikkard Rynders) who accidentally
killed himself in the 60s trying to send his mind through time. Rynders figures he can use Firestorm’s consciousness to rescue his body before it dies in the past. In Russia, Mikhail’s niece Serafina and her friends turn out to have super-powers and rescue his wife. They cause a blackout and escape, leaving Nina behind. That makes Soliony suspicious, thinking Mikhail used his powers to rescue his wife during the short time the lights were out. In New York, Ronnie’s grandfather (Richard Dare, aka Aviator and Captain X) knows Stalnoivolk and warns him to back off, but the big Russian won’t listen. In 
the timestream, Firestorm leaves Rynders’ body, telling him he has no power to change Rynders’ fate. Rynders gets pissed off and says Firestorm was drawn into the timestream through a wormhole and can’t return to his own time. Firestorm spends the next twenty years in the timestream observing history, especially that of Ronnie and Mikhail. When he gets back to the present and finds out Stalnoivolk is threatening Ronnie, he makes mental contact, urging Ronnie to become Firestorm. As Stalnoivolk slaps Dare down, Ronnie makes contact with Firestorm’s essence and Mikhail feels it too.
They form Firestorm and blast Stalnoivolk through the wall. They start fighting and Stalnoivolk wastes a bunch of cops, causing Firestorm to get tough. He encases Stalnoivolk in steel and pounds him with stone fists until he’s unconscious. Firestorm goes to check on the Raymonds, while Zastrow claims custody of Stalnoivolk under diplomatic immunity. Firestorm is shocked to find that Dare is dead, his neck broken by Stalnoivolk’s blow and Firestorm splits into Ronnie and Mikhail so Ronnie can mourn his grandfather.
Warlord #129 – “The Vision Quest” – Michael Fleisher/Jan Duursema
This one starts with Travis Morgan having a nightmare about Tara and the Scavenger of Souls. Things don’t get much better when he wakes up, as he’s forced to fight some barbarians who are chasing a rather attractive (and tough) woman riding a dinosaur. The woman (whose name is Aoife, although she doesn’t really look Irish) thanks Morgan and seems to be able to sense what’s in his heart. Elsewhere, Mariah is enjoying a naked swim and Danny Maddox is enjoying watching her. When she’s attacked by a flying serpent, Maddox shoots it
with the rifle he brought from Russia last issue. Mariah is very grateful, but before she can figure out a way to thank Maddox, some tribesmen in robes approach them. The tribesmen are awed by Maddox’s “magic fire stick” and warn them they’d better hide because more flying serpents are on the way. Aoife tells Morgan she’s on a vision quest to the Tourmaline Sea (which Morgan’s never heard of) trying to find her life’s destiny. Her vision powers tell her Morgan is grieving for his lost wife, although she might’ve figured 
that out anyway. The tribesmen (who are straight out of a Conan story) take Mariah and Maddox to their camp, which is built around the remains of a crashed ship of some kind (although the tribe seems to think it’s a meteor). They’re hoping Maddox can help fight off the sky serpents with his fire stick, but Mariah notices the land around the camp is dry as a bone and wonders if leakage from the crashed ship’s power plant has poisoned the soil. The high priest isn’t happy to see outsiders (probably considering them a threat to his authority) and warns them away from the ship. Naturally, they go to
check it out and find a skeletal pilot still wearing a flight-control helmet. When Maddox puts it on, he’s tuned in to the ship’s controls. The high priest comes in to give them shit, but he’s interrupted when some sky serpents attack. Maddox uses the ship’s energy beams to blast the serpents, earning the cheers of the crowd and a big smooch from Mariah, who looks about ready to bang him. Mariah’s been acting weird through this whole issue, very clingy and deferential, not her usual kick-ass self. Maybe her time in the 
GULAG killed her self-confidence, or maybe it was breaking up with Machiste. Aoife and Morgan head into town and Aoife has a vision of the wall in the market collapsing. She warns the vendors and Morgan pulls her away just as the wall is about to crush her. Morgan wonders if Aoife’s vision told her he would save her life. In Shamballah, Jennifer wonders what Khnathaiti is up to and sends a bird to spy on her, but Khnathaiti blasts the bird, causing a painful psychic backlash to Jennifer. (As of this issue, Warlord went bi-monthly, so my reviews will reflect that.)