Final Crisis Aftermath Run #5 - DC

This series is about Mike Miller . . the Human Flame. He's the guy whom Libra took under his wing in Final Crisis and granted him his wish . . he wanted the Martian Manhunter to pay for all the grief he had caused him over the years. So . . Libra got Jonn, and killed him. That's how this guy came out of relative obscurity. Anyways, in this series, so far . . General Immortus . . another villain from the archives . . again took the Human Flame under his wing and 'updated' him. He basically revamped and reshaped his whole body. His contingency was . . Mike's pain receptors were left intact, until he proved his loyalty to the General. We're talking about flame powers here. Heat! Lots of it! Flame powers, and metal objects protruding out of your skin don't mix well with human physiology. And even though he did become more powerful . . Mike felt like he was double-crossed. So, the first chance he got . . he and the Seductress lit out on their own. She was another of the General's test subjects. She's been following Mike around ever since. But Mike hasn't stopped to ask her a single question. Like . . what are your powers? Are you using them on me? She's obviously already proved her loyalty to the General, so . . why is she with Mike? Is she keeping tabs on him for the General, or does she have some other alterior motive? Yes she's hot, and well endowed, but . . that's no reason to just take her at her word. Many men have gone down that path and failed. Why should Mike think he's any different? Anyways, they end up at STAR Labs last issue because Mike thinks that he can get more power there. There they accidentally let loose a 26-dimensional Hypergriffin. And they run into Dr Xenophon Quincy, the Asst. Director, who's trying to stop it. After interrogating him for a while, they find out that he can do a procedure on Mike called 'cellular microfission' that will give him the power enabling him to contain this Hypergriffen. It's done with Nanotechnology, but . . it has a side-effect. First it's very painful. All of his other modifications will cease to operate. And, he finds out later, "Without a massive influx of neutrons, the nanoreactors will cease to function. You'll be right back to normal in a matter of hours." Then he finds out, "The only way to stabilize the reaction process would be to immerse yourself in the pressure chamber of a PWR nuclear reactor." Now why did he have to go and tell Mike that? Since there just happens to be a nuclear reactor nearby, in White Mountain . . that's right where Mike's heading. Consequences be damned. On his way he finds out that his powers aren't as easy to operate as he thought. And . . he picks up some 'friends'. Namely, John Stewart, Firestorm and Red Tornado. They picked up the Seductress and know what Mike's plans are, so . . they're out to stop him. Obviously. But then Mike plays them and John Stewart punches him right into the reactor. The issue ends with the whole facility going up in smoke. So what about Mike? Did he survive? Has he been amped yet once again? And when is this guys luck going to run out? I like Matthew Sturges story here. It's a little 'out-there', but . . it's fun. Kind of. Freddie Williams II is also doing a great job with the art. But . . there's only 1 issue to go. So the ultimate fate of Mike Miller will be decided then. I can't wait.