Issue(s): Power Man #32
Cover Date: Jun 76
Title: "The fire this time!"
Credits:
Don McGregor - Writer
Frank Robbins - Penciler
Vincent Colletta - Inker

Review/plot:
Luke Cage is hired by a black family living in a hostile white suburb. Their house is attacked by a guy named Wildfire, who isn't a super-villain so much as a guy with a flamethrower in a funny costume.

Luke has much more difficulty with him that i would have thought. The family's house gets burned but the father is determined to stay in the neighborhood. Wildfire attacks a second time and the family's son is killed in the subsequent fire.

Don McGregor does a good job tackling social issues, but i really find myself not liking Frank Robbins' cartoony exaggerated art.

In much lighter news, Luke has far more success with the vending machine at the Gem Theater than usual.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This has been placed earlier than its published date in order to fit in better with Luke Cage's appearances in the Defenders. There is nothing specific in this issue that dictates placement.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

"Simmons" may be a reference to Alex Simmons, Don McGregor's fanzine co-contributor.

McGregor stated a villain called Mr. Acid would appear in this book, but evidently that didn't happen.

Weirdly, some narrative captions in this issue call Wildfire "Inferno".

I suspect the reason we never saw Wildfire again was because DC had a Wildfire of their own in the Legion of Super-Heroes, who began receiving much more prominence when Gerry Conway took over the title.

The Simmons family(the surviving ones, anyway) aren't tagged here, and they do appear in McGregor's subsequent issues.

Added them. Thanks.

A flamethrower with a sight, and a guy who aims with it.