BACKGROUND

To better understand Firestorm’s role in Blackest Night and Brightest Day, you have to look back a bit further. In Identity Crisis #5 (December 2004), Ronnie Raymond was killed by the Shadow Thief.  It wasn’t a glorious death, it was a simple on-the-job accident.   In Firestorm vol 3 #1 (July 2004), the Firestorm matrix crashed down on Jason Rusch transforming him into the new Firestorm.   While Ronnie’s death and Jason becoming Firestorm happened out of order from the reader’s perspective, it was straightened out within the pages of the comics after a few months.

Jason had a rotating cast of partners join him within the Firestorm matrix; most notably: his best friend Mick Wong, Professor Martin Stein, Firehawk, and his girlfriend Gehenna.  Jason Rusch’s monthly Firestorm series was canceled with issue #35 (June 2007). Jason and Gehenna continued together as Firestorm and eventually joined the JLA in Justice League of America vol 4 #15 (January 2008).  They operated with the team through Justice League of America vol 4 #37 (released September 2009).

SPOILER WARNING – This post contains SPOILERS for Blackest Night #1-8 and Brightest Day #1-23.  You’ve been warned!

BLACKEST NIGHT #0 (released May 2009) through #8 (released April 2010)

Blackest Night was written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis.  Firestorm’s involvement with Blackest Night pre-dated the series itself by months.  In September 2008, Geoff Johns publicly announced that Ronnie Raymond would be a Black Lantern in Blackest Night.  This got the Firestorm fan community buzzing!  It was a long wait for us match-heads until Blackest Night finally hit the stands.

At the beginning of the Blackest Night storyline, Jason and Gehenna visited the grave of Ronnie Raymond with Professor Martin Stein.

Next up we saw Jason and Gehenna struggle as they discussed their relationship.  Gehenna wanted to get married one day and start a family with Jason.  Jason wanted that as well, but at the time he was more concerned with finishing college. It didn’t make it any easier that Gehenna could read his mind when they were merged as Firestorm.  She could sense what Jason was really feeling, regardless of what he said or didn’t say out loud.

While at the Hall of Justice, Firestorm (Jason and Gehenna) and other heroes were ambushed by a collection of Black Lanterns.

One particular Black Lantern was a representation of Ronnie Raymond as Firestorm.  This Black Lantern Firestorm managed to forcibly remove Gehenna from the Firestorm matrix. The Black Lantern then forced Jason to bond with him and watch in horror as he transformed Gen into table salt.

This was an incredibly gruesome scene that resonated with most readers, whether they were a fan of Firestorm or not.   Jason remained trapped in the Black Lantern Firestorm matrix, struggling to free himself.  At the end of Blackest Night, Nekron is destroyed and the White Lantern resurrected twelve deceased heroes and villains.  Ronnie Raymond was among those resurrected.  Apparently with resurrection also come new costumes.  Who knew!?!?

Ronnie didn’t seem to have any memories of events that took place after his death in Identity Crisis, this included his post-death appearances in Firestorm vol 3 and the Black Lantern’s actions in Blackest Night.  Meanwhile, Jason blamed Ronnie for Gehenna’s death.

BRIGHTEST DAY #0 (released April 2010) through #23 (released April 2011)

Brightest Day was written by Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi.  The Firestorm related sections were penciled by Scott Clark and inked by Dave Beaty.  For the resurrected characters, Blackest Night led directly into Brightest Day.  Brightest Day began for Firestorm fans at Gehenna’s funeral.  Jason still blamed Ronnie for the death of Gehenna, while Ronnie was acting like an apathetic frat boy.

Jason and Ronnie found themselves stuck together as Firestorm.  Ronnie controlled the body, while Jason served as the telepathic adviser.  Neither Ronnie nor Jason was happy with this situation.  Jason was used to being in control of Firestorm and Ronnie just wanted his life back to normal.  Professor Martin Stein and Ray Palmer, the Atom, stepped forward to help our young heroes.

Ronnie and Jason eventually separated back into their own bodies.  Jason threw himself into his studies, while Ronnie drowned his sorrows in alcohol.  Their grief and frustration were understandable.  The love of Jason’s life had been murdered and he was forced to play a role in the act.  Additionally, Jason felt his control over Firestorm had been ripped away from him.  Meanwhile, Ronnie was coping with the fact that he’d died and someone replaced him as Firestorm.  Additionally, Ronnie remembered the actions of the Black Lantern Firestorm, making Ronnie question whether he truly was responsible for killing Gehenna.

In an effort to save a life, Jason and Ronnie reformed Firestorm.  Needless to say they didn’t work very well together.  Around this time they became aware of a third malignant presence within the Firestorm matrix.  Ronnie and Jason began to understand they were in this dangerous situation together and began to cooperate.

Unexpectedly, the White Lantern assigned Firestorm a mission.  This resulted in Ronnie and Jason switching control positions within the Firestorm body – Jason now controlled the body while Ronnie was the telepathic adviser.  The White Lantern wanted Ronnie and Jason to learn from each other so they’d be prepared to save the White Lantern from the Black Lantern Firestorm.

Soon after the Professor dropped some real bombshells on Jason and Ronnie.  You can read all about it by clicking here, but I’ll do my best to quickly sum it up.   The Professor explained the Firestorm Matrix is the spark that preceded The Big Bang. Yes, THE spark that triggered The Big Bang, the creation of the universe.  Also, the combination of Ronnie and Jason together as Firestorm is highly unstable. Whenever they argue and get agitated, they risk accidentally triggering a new Big Bang.  If they argue, they could destroy the universe.  That’s quite an incentive to play nice.

Immediately following these revelations, the third malignant presence within the Firestorm matrix decided to make an appearance.   The Black Lantern Firestorm emerged from the matrix, literally ripping Firestorm apart.  This separated Ronnie and Jason and knocked them both unconscious.  This was a shocker as all the Black Lanterns were thought destroyed in the conclusion of Blackest Night.  The Black Lantern Firestorm rechristened himself, Deathstorm.  Deathstorm then forced Professor Stein to bond with him.

According to Brightest Day writers Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi, Deathstorm represents the dark and hardcore comic book characters from the 1990s.  That explains his attitude, dialogue, and some of his appearance.

While the appearance of Deathstorm and the subsequent kidnapping of Professor Stein were horrific, it did help clear the air between Jason and Ronnie.  Here was concrete evidence that Deathstorm was responsible for Gehenna’s death and not Ronnie.  With that, the biggest emotional barrier between Jason and Ronnie was lifted.  Ronnie and Jason quickly reformed Firestorm to combat Deathstorm, once again with Ronnie in the driver’s seat and Jason as his co-pilot.

Deathstorm transported Alvin Rusch, Jason’s dad, to the Professors laboratory and forcibly bond with him too.  His goal was to emotionally torture Ronnie and Jason which would hopefully result in a new Big Bang thus destroying the universe.  The doppelganger then retrieved the mysterious White Lantern.  Deathstorm next demonstrated that his transmutation powers were superior to Firestorm’s by transforming organic matter.  Deathstorm created a new squad of Black Lanterns based upon the recently-resurrected twelve heroes and villains.  Click the image below to enlarge.  You’ll notice the image below is an homage to the resurrection scene in Blackest Night #8.

Deathstorm was to deliver the White Lantern to the Anti-Monitor in the Anti-Matter Universe.  Before making the delivery, Deathstorm decided to have some fun and emotionally torture Professor Stein and Alvin Rusch for a while.  What a sick freak!

After a power-surge which they thought would trigger a new Big Bang, Firestorm was transported to the Anti-Matter Universe.  There they found the Anti-Matter trying to unlock the secrets of the White Lantern, along with Deathstorm and his Black Lanterns lackeys.  Firestorm attacked the villains hoping to free Professor Stein and Jason’s dad, and retrieve the White Lantern.   Ronnie and Jason were finally in sync as Firestorm and truly operated as a team.

During the battle, the Anti-Monitor blasted Firestorm forcing Ronnie and Jason to split apart.  Looking to feed off strong emotions, Deathstorm intended to kill Jason the same way he killed Gehenna by turning him into salt.  Ronnie leapt in front of Jason to save him, planning to take the blast himself.  Well apparently being heroic was in the air that day because Professor Stein leapt in front of Ronnie, taking the blast himself.  The Professor was rapidly transmuted into salt, but not before sharing a few heartfelt things with Ronnie.

At this point the White Lantern decided that Firestorm had completed his mission and Ronnie Raymond was declared, “Life Returned.”  Was his life just on loan up until this point?  Does the White Lantern represent some sort of cosmic pawn shop?!?!?  The White Lantern then destroyed the Black Lanterns, returned Firestorm to Earth with the lantern itself, and returned Jason’s dad to Detroit.

Shortly after returning to Earth, the White Lantern explained how it arranged for Ronnie and Jason to witness Professor Stein’s death to help them embrace being Firestorm.  Needless to say this didn’t sit well with Firestorm.  Apparently the White Lantern had been manipulating all the resurrected characters, ultimately leading to this moment.  With little warning, Firestorm was suddenly transformed into a Fire Elemental, along with Aquaman (water), Martian Manhunter (earth), and Hawkman & Hawkgirl (wind).  The elemental’s purpose is to defend the Earth from the Dark Avatar (Black Lantern Swamp Thing).  This was the White Lantern’s plan all along.

And that takes us to the end of Brightest Day #23.  The final issue ships tomorrow to comic book stores, ending this year-long storyline. Love it or hate it, there is no denying that Blackest Night and Brightest Day have been very good for Firestorm’s popularity.  Sure ole match-head has endured serious tragedies such as the death of Gehenna and Professor Stein, but if you look from a real-world perspective Firestorm is more popular than he’s been in decades.  That’s gotta count for something and should translate into more regular adventures for our favorite Nuclear Man.

ELEMENTAL WILD SPECULATION

So Firestorm’s an elemental … again.  Considering he previously spent several years as an elemental, this should feel like old home week for him.  It’s a safe assumption that by the end of Brightest Day (or at the very least the end of Brightest Day Aftermath: The Search for Swamp Thing), these heroes will be returned to their human form.  However, since Swamp Thing looks to become a major player in the DC Universe again, wouldn’t it be interesting if some remnant of the elemental plot carried on?  What if DC decided to continue the elemental concept after Brightest Day, but instead of these mainstream heroes being the elementals, perhaps someone from their back story that has died recently could become new elementals.  For example, what if Professor Martin Stein once again becomes a fire elemental; Tempest becomes a water elemental; D’kay or Dr Erdel’s daughter becomes the earth elemental; and finally Hath-Set or Shiera’s mother becomes the air elemental.  I’m specifying recently deceased characters because that often ties into elemental creation in DC.  I know it’s a crazy idea, but I’m grasping at straws for Professor Stein to stay around. Additionally, Professor Stein reminded the readers in Brightest Day that he was once a fire elemental. Perhaps that was foreshadowing for what comes later.  Again, I know I’m really reaching but a little harmless speculation never hurt anyone.

TODAY’S CROSSOVER

To help get everyone psyched for Brightest Day #24 and to recognize each of the elementals, we’re running a blog crossover today!  First up, enjoy these Silver Age-style fun facts about the elements courtesy of Rob from THE AQUAMAN SHRINE.

Too funny!  I love those!  Thanks, Rob!

Next, be sure to visit our blogging partners and fellow elementals today for their recaps of Brightest Day.

• The Aquaman Shrine
• The Idol-Head of Diabolu, A Martian Manhunter Blog
• Being Carter Hall

My thanks to my blogging buddies for participating in today’s crossover!  While I was already excited for the conclusion of Brightest Day, it’s more fun to celebrate with friends.

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!

Much to the surprise of everyone, FIRESTORM FAN had been transformed overnight into B’WANA BEAST’S BLOG! Click the image above for a closer look and to see more of the page.  There were 10 new posts about B’wana Beast just waiting to confuse and befuddle the faithful readers of FIRESTORM FAN.

• Why a B’wana Beast Blog?
• B’wana Beast in Who’s Who 1985
• B’wana Beast gets animated!
• Best B’wana Beast Covers of All Time
• B’wana Beast Action Figures
• B’wana Beast Cosplay at DragonCon 2010
• POLL: B’wana Beast or Freedom Beast?
• B’wana Beast Temporary Tattoo
• Napoleon Dynamite’s Liger – B’wana Beast’s Greatest Achievement?
• B’wana Beast and Beta Ray Bill – Marvel vs DC Amalgam

I was fairly pleased with how it turned out.  The new page layout was especially cheesy-looking (as I intended), and I fell in love with my goofy B’WANA BEAST’S BLOG logo!   I thought the 1960s checkerboard topper was just the right touch.  My good friend Ravenface later suggested adding an additional apostrophe to the final title, resulting in B’WANA BEAST’S B’LOG!  That’s brilliant!  If I’d continued with the B’wana Beast site I totally would have added that extra apostrophe.

An ironic aspect of this re-branding was that I knew practically nothing about B’wana Beast before I wrote those posts.  I had seen him in Animal Man years ago, but had no recollection of those stories at all. Each post I wrote, I learned a little more about the Jungle Master.  By the end I had taken a shine to the character, especially his portrayal in Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series.

Based upon some comments and message board posts, I apparently fooled a few people (or rather they were kind enough to play along).  I guess changing the focus of your blog from a C-level character to an F-level character isn’t that astonishing, so some folks didn’t give it a second thought.

THE CROSSOVER

The real “wow” factor of this April Fool’s Day joke was the number of blogs that changed their focus from low-profile characters to even lower-profile characters.  There were nine different sites participating in this re-branding crossover.  Below I identify the blogs involved and present a screen-shot of their site from April 1:

• DC BLOODLINES: A blog for lesser known DC characters transformed into a site dedicated to the independent powerhouse, Marshal Law! The five sites below are all run by our good buddy and master blogger, Frank Lee Delano!  Take some extra time to check out his April Fool’s Day posts.  He constructed them in such a way that they look like several independent posts.  The reality is that he created just one post per site last Friday, but carefully formatted each one to look like multiple posts.  Amazingly clever!

• DIANA PRINCE AS THE NEW WONDER WOMAN: This Wonder Woman blog went in a bold new direction focusing on Airboy’s supporting character, Valkyrie!  Plus it was done entirely in German!  How cool is that?!?!

• POWER OF THE ATOM: The blog for the Atom and Captain Atom metamorphosed into a site dedicated to the 80′s sci-fi classic, Dreadstar!

• JUSTICE LEAGUE DETROIT: The blog dedicated to the Detroit-era of the Justice League was remodeled to focus on it’s hippest member, Vibe!  Paco is one of my favorite forgotten characters, so this was a special treat!

• THE IDOL-HEAD OF DIABOLU, the Martian Manhunter blog shape-shifted into a site dedicated to the obscure supervillain, the Osprey!

• SPEED FORCE: The Flash blog changed it’s vibrational frequency and became a blog dedicated to Barry Allen’s evil twin, Blue Cobalt!   Kelson and crew did a really great job transforming their site -  redirecting to a new URL, changing the overall color from red to blue, the Twitter feed, and more!

• BOOSTERRIFIC: The blog dedicated to the king of capitalism, Booster Gold, was preempted by the comrade of communism, Red Star!  On Friday, Boosterrific redirected viewers to a new URL – RedStarFire.info.  I instantly fell in love with that gorgeous and iconic banner!   Great job, Walter!

• THE INDIGO TRIBE: This Green Lantern blog was hijacked by Roscoe Dillon, The Top!  Our pal liquidcross had some fun channeling the undead spirit of The Top.  Be sure to read the comments!  Hilarious!

• FIRESTORM FAN: And finally, it was goodbye Firestorm and hello B’wana Beast for this blog!

CONCLUSION

This crossover was a blast!  It was very loosely organized and each blogger did their own thing.  I enjoyed pulling together my B’wana Beast site and posts, but enjoyed even more reading what everyone else did for the crossover!  The folks above deserve applause!  Please visit their sites and heap praise upon them!

We’ve begun something of a tradition for April Fool’s Day blog crossovers.  It all started back in 2009 with our big “Vibe: Rebirth” crossover – ONCE UPON A GEEK, SPEED FORCE, JUSTICE LEAGUE DETROIT, FORTRESS OF BAILEYTUDE, CRIMSON LIGHTNING, and K-SQUARED RAMBLINGS!  That’s still one of my favorites!

For further 2011 April Fool’s Day recap coverage, be sure to check out Speed Force and Frank’s sites (such as The Idol-Head of Diabolu)!

We now return you to your regularly-scheduled Nuclear Man programming.

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!

Let’s face it, everyone makes a relationship mistake at some point.  You look back years later and wonder, “What was I thinking?!?!”  Well, Firehawk’s relationship mistake was Booster Gold.   Let’s take a look at how it all began…

FIRESTORM vol II #100 (August 1990) – EXTREME JUSTICE #0 (January 1995)

At the close of Firestorm #100, it looked like Ron Raymond and Lorraine Reilly (a.k.a. Firehawk) were headed for relationship bliss.  Sadly, by Extreme Justice #0 Ron was most definitely flying solo.  That means that either Ron and Lorraine didn’t work out as a couple, or they never really got off the ground.  They seemed like a match made in heaven.  We may never know what happened between these nuclear paramours, but it’s probably safe to say that Firehawk was lonely and vulnerable afterward.  That would help explain what happened next…

CHASE #4 (May 1998)

The Teen Titans (the Dan Jurgens team, led by an age-reduced Atom) were making a public appearance when Booster Gold arrived to grab some of their spotlight.  Oh Booster, you shameless glory-hound!   Without warning, a group of supervillains attacked!  At the same time, Firehawk arrived on the scene apparently with the intention of trying out for the Teen Titans.  It was a hard-fought battle, but in the end the Titans, Booster, and Firehawk prevailed.  Booster even managed to save Firehawk’s life, which clearly impressed the young lady.

Lorraine was swept off her feet by Booster.  I suppose it’s understandable.  He was a handsome, charming guy that had just saved her life.  A partnership was formed, and something a little more.

I want you to notice a particular line.  One of the first things Booster says to Lorraine is, “You’re, uh, seeing Firestorm or something, right?” Sort of an abrupt question to ask a young lady at a moment like that, one that I’ll address in just a bit.

After their meeting in Chase #4, Booster Gold and Firehawk became quite the celebrity couple.  The press dubbed them “Red and Gold”, a pun on the old “Blue and Gold” duo of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold.  The crazy part is that Firehawk isn’t red!!!  Booster and Firehawk both wear blue and gold!  They say love is blind, perhaps journalists are too.

One thing that has always bothered me about this issue is that Firehawk was planning to try out for the Teen Titans.  The TEEN Titans!?!?!  Firehawk is at least college-aged, why would she be interested in hanging with a bunch of high school kids?  If she’d never shown up to meet the Titans, she would have saved herself a bunch of heartache.

DCU Heroes Secret Files and Origins #1 (February 1999)

Booster Gold and Firehawk’s off-again/on-again romance continued for a few years.

Guide to the DC Universe 2000 Secret Files & Origins #1 (March 2000)

On one particular occasion, there was a very uncomfortable confrontation between Firehawk and Firestorm about Booster Gold.

THE END OF THE ROMANCE

Booster Gold and Firehawk were last seen together as a couple in the scenes above from the Guide to the DC Universe 2000 Secret Files & Origins #1.  By Formerly Known as the Justice League #1 (September 2003), Booster was in a relationship with a woman more than 30 years his age.  In classic Booster style, he was using the older woman for her money.  Classy, Booster; real classy.  Obviously his relationship with Firehawk had ended prior to that point.  Their relationship is never really mentioned again, but Firehawk did direct a snarky comment towards him in 52 #1 (July 2006).

This panel seems to imply that Firehawk and Booster Gold’s relationship didn’t end well.  No real shocker there.

OH FIREHAWK, WHY BOOSTER GOLD?

Firehawk is a bright lady.  Why, oh why did she have to fall for a lecher like Booster?  People often make mistakes in love, but this was a big one.

Booster Gold is best known for his love of three things: 1) gorgeous women, 2) money, and 3) fame.  Without a doubt, Firehawk is an attractive woman.  Additionally, the Reilly family is loaded!  Firehawk’s father was a Senator for goodness sake.  You know she’s gotta have a healthy trust fund or dowry stashed away.  It seems pretty obvious to me that Booster had ulterior motives for trying to get into Firehawk’s nuclear hot-pants.

REVENGE ON FIRESTORM?

Remember the line Booster asked Firehawk, “You’re, uh, seeing Firestorm or something, right?” Seemed like an odd question at the time, right?  Well, it just so happens that Booster and Firestorm had some bad blood between them.  So beyond Firehawk’s hotness and financial wealth, perhaps Booster pursued the nuclear princess in an effort to get back at Firestorm.  Maybe Booster saw this as a chance to steal Firestorm’s “girl”!

Here are a couple examples of Firestorm and Booster Gold clashing back in the Extreme Justice days.

Extreme Justice #10 (November 1995)

Extreme Justice #12 (January 1996)

In both instances, Firestorm was definitely teasing Booster.  No way around that.  Firestorm was being a jerk.  It’s kind of surprising that Ron picked on Booster so much, especially after Booster’s sidekick Skeets helped Ron through his cancer treatments.  However, was anything Firestorm did REALLY that out-of-line?  Think of all the pranks Booster played during the JLI days.  Firestorm’s hijinks were nowhere near Booster’s accomplishments.  Were harmless jokes such as these truly motivation enough to actively pursue Firestorm’s lost love?  Does some macho teasing justify breaking Firehawk and Firestorm’s hearts even further than they already were?  I don’t think so Booster.  I just don’t think so.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY FIREHAWK

Without a doubt, Firehawk is better off without Booster in her life.  I’m not sure who Firehawk is spending Valentine’s Day with this year, but I wish her a very happy one.   Who knows, now that Ronnie is back amongst the living, perhaps they’ll give their relationship another try.

Now this is just my take on the situation. Be sure to head over to BOOSTERRIFIC today to read Walter’s take on the doomed romance. My thanks to Walter for joining me in today’s crossover!

Support Firestorm and Firehawk (but not Booster Gold)!  Fan the flame!

Since we’re talking crossovers here, let’s have one of our own!  Our good buddy Frank Lee Delano is spearheading a New Year’s Day crossover featuring pin-ups from the Rogue’s Gallery comic!  Be sure to check out these blogs on New Years Day for more great pin-ups!

• DC Bloodlines – Dementor by Ray Lago
• Diana Prince as The New Wonder Woman – Cheetah by Cliff Nielsen
• The Idol-Head of Diabolu (Martian Manhunter blog) – Mongul by John Hanley
• Power of the Atom – Chronos by John Van Fleet

My thanks to Frank for the suggestion and the scan!  For more information on the Rogue’s Gallery comic, please click here.  For more information on Underworld Unleashed, please click here.

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!

THE BELLE REVE SOURCEBOOK – FIRST EDITION – 1988

Both Multiplex and Plastique’s entries come from the Belle Reve Sourcebook, dedicated to the Suicide Squad.  There are psychological notes in each entry that pertain to the Squad and help flesh out the character for the reader.

Multiplex has always been one of my favorite Firestorm rogues.  The main reason for my love of the character is probably nostalgia.  Firestorm vol I #2 was one of the earliest Firestorm comics I purchased.   I must have read that comic one hundred times.  Another reason for my enjoyment of the character is the shared origin with Firestorm.  Both born from the same nuclear accident, Multiplex was Firestorm’s opposite number – Firestorm is the fusion of two people; Multiplex is fission of a single person into many.  Finally, I can’t help but love that Multiplex’s duplication power is limited to his own personal mass.  The more duploids he creates, the smaller they become.  Love that!  Don’t get me wrong, I recognize the cheese factor in Multiplex, but I simply don’t care.  He’s a classic Silver Age villain.

I hope we get to see this villain again as Firestorm begins new solo adventures.  Now that we’ve learned Firestorm contains the spark that started the Big Bang, I wonder what that means for Multiplex since he gained his powers in the same explosion.  Hmmm…  I smell a potential retcon coming!

Plastique is a fan favorite rogue, but for reasons that escape me.  Sure she’s super-hot and got naked in her first appearance.  Beyond that, did any of her actions really rate being a top rogue for Firestorm?  She did appear fairly early in the Fury of Firestorm run, so she qualifies as one of Firestorm’s oldest rogues.  I’m not saying I don’t like the character, I just don’t personally consider her a “go to” villain for ole match-head.

NEGLECTED ROGUES

It’s a shame we never got statistics for other Firestorm rogues such as Typhoon, Hyena, the Enforcer, Tokamak, Zuggernaut, and Shadowstorm.  Stats were published for some other related characters, but I didn’t get a chance to feature them here during Mayfairstivus this year.  Black Bison appeared in the first edition box set.  Parasite had a Mayfair Who’s Who supplement page.  Finally, Naiad had a Mayfair Who’s Who supplement page that varied from the newsletter we presented during Mayfairstivus.  Perhaps we’ll look at these in some future posts.

MAYFAIRSTIVUS

Don’t forget, the Mayfairstivus celebration was spread across numerous blogs.  Below is a complete list of all the blog entries in the Mayfairstivus crossover.  Be sure to check out these fantastic posts!  If any further posts are published, I’ll update this list.

• Jericho 1989 Mayfair Games Card – THE ANTI-DIDIO LEAGUE OF AMERICA

• Aquaman 1989 – Mayfairstivus: - THE AQUAMAN SHRINE

• Booster Gold Character Card – BOOSTERRIFIC

• Booster Gold Stats – A Mayfairstivus for the Rest of Us! Day 2 – BOOSTERRIFIC

• Booster Gold Modules – A Mayfairstivus for the Rest of Us! Day 3 – BOOSTERRIFIC

• Skeets – A Mayfairstivus for the Rest of Us! Day 6 – BOOSTERRIFIC

• Equipment – A Mayfairstivus for the Rest of Us! Day 7 – BOOSTERIFFIC

• Time Sphere – A Mayfairstivus for the Rest of Us! Day 8 – BOOSTERIFFIC

• The Question 1989 Mayfair RPG Game Card – COMICS MAKE ME HAPPY!

• Batman 1989 Mayfair RPG Game Card – COMICS MAKE ME HAPPY!

• Plastic Man 1989 Mayfair Games Card – THE CONTINUITY BLOG

• Bronze Tiger 1989 Character Card – DC BLOODLINES

• Captain Marvel 1989 Character Card – DC BLOODLINES

• John Constantine- Hellblazer 1989 Character Card - DC BLOODLINES

• The Huntress 1989 Character Card – DC BLOODLINES

• Sergeant Rock 1989 Character Card – DC BLOODLINES

• Blackhawk 1989 Character Card – DC BLOODLINES

• Jonah Hex 1989 Character Card – DC BLOODLINES

• Power Girl 1989 Character Card – DC BLOODLINES

• The Creeper 1989 Character Card – DC BLOODLINES

• The Cheetah 1989 Character Card – DIANA PRINCE: WONDER WOMAN

• Troia 1989 Character Card – DIANA PRINCE: WONDER WOMAN

• Wonder Woman 1989 Character Card - DIANA PRINCE: WONDER WOMAN

• Changeling – Mayfairstivus – DOOM PATROL: MY GREATEST ADVENTURE #80

• Remembering the Game – Mayfairstivus Day 1 – FIRESTORM FAN

• Firestorm – Mayfairstivus Day 2 – FIRESTORM FAN

• Elemental Firestorm – Mayfairstivus Day 3 – FIRESTORM FAN

• An Element of Danger Module – Mayfairstivus Day 6 – FIRESTORM FAN

• The New Thinker and Brimstone – Mayfairstivus Day 7 – FIRESTORM FAN

• Weasel, Mindboggler, Stalnoivolk and Zastrow – Mayfairstivus Day 8 – FIRESTORM FAN

• Multiplex and Plastique – Mayfairstivus – FIRESTORM FAN

• Flash in the DC Heroes RPG – FLASH: SPEED FORCE

• Captains Cold & Boomerang in the 1989 DC Heroes RPG – FLASH: SPEED FORCE

• Black Canary, Big Barda & Starfire – Get Your Mayfairstivus On – GIRLS GONE GEEK

• Catwoman, Raven & Black Adam – Our Mayfairstivus Finale – GIRLS GONE GEEK

• Green Lantern Corps – Mayfairstivus – GREEN LANTERN: THE INDIGO TRIBE

• Hawkman! – HAWKMAN: BEING CARTER HALL

• Dale Gunn in the 1990 Justice League Sourcebook – JUSTICE LEAGUE DETROIT

• Vixen 1989 Character Card – JUSTICE LEAGUE DETROIT

• Elongated Man 1989 Character Card – JUSTICE LEAGUE DETROIT

• Vibe in the 1990 Justice League Sourcebook (Deceased) – JUSTICE LEAGUE DETROIT

• Steel in the 1990 Justice League Sourcebook (Deceased) – JUSTICE LEAGUE DETROIT

• Despero’s 1990 The Justice League Sourcebook Entry – MARTIAN MANHUNTER: THE IDOL-HEAD OF DIABOLU

• Darkseid the Destroyer Character Card – MARTIAN MANHUNTER: THE IDOL-HEAD OF DIABOLU

• Manhunter (Mark Shaw) Character Card – MARTIAN MANHUNTER: THE IDOL-HEAD OF DIABOLU

• The Sandman Character Card – MARTIAN MANHUNTER: THE IDOL-HEAD OF DIABOLU

• Despero: Who’s Who in the DC Universe #2 (September 1990) – MARTIAN MANHUNTER: THE IDOL-HEAD OF DIABOLU

• Martian Manhunter 1989 Character Card – MARTIAN MANHUNTER: THE IDOL-HEAD OF DIABOLU

• DC Heroes RPG – Mayfairstivus Day 1- ONCE UPON A GEEK

• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Edition – Mayfairstivus Day 2 – ONCE UPON A GEEK

• Doctor Fate – Mayfairstivus Day 3 – ONCE UPON A GEEK

• Animal Man – Mayfairstivus Day 6 – ONCE UPON A GEEK

• Starman (Will Payton) – Mayfairstivus Day 7 – ONCE UPON A GEEK

• Mayfairstivus – Be Part of the Legend – ONCE UPON A GEEK

• Doctor Light 1989 Character Card – POWER OF THE ATOM

• The Atom 1989 Character Card – POWER OF THE ATOM

• Captain Atom 1989 Character Card – POWER OF THE ATOM

• Ivy Town, Connecticut: 1990 The Atlas of the DC Universe – POWER OF THE ATOM

• Reign of the Superman #49: DC Heroes’ Supermen – SISKOID’S BLOG OF GEEKERY

• Celebrating The Mayfair DC Heroes Role Playing Game – SUPERGIRL COMIC BOX COMMENTARY

• Supergirl In The DC Heroes Game (featuring the Legion) – Mayfairstivus Post 2 – SUPERGIRL COMIC BOX COMMENTARY

• Brainy and More Supergirl Stuff – Mayfairstivus Post 3 – SUPERGIRL COMIC BOX COMMENTARY

Thanks for helping us celebrate Mayfairstivus.   If you want to see more Mayfair-related posts in the future, let me know in the comments!

Support Firestorm (and Mayfairstivus)! Fan the flame!

Before I jump into today’s statistics, I wanted to mention two of the lovely ladies of Firestorm – Firehawk and Killer Frost.  In case you missed it, both of these characters RPG statistics were covered prior to the Mayfairstivus event.  I didn’t want anyone to think I was neglecting two critical characters in the Firestorm mythos. Below you’ll find links to those entries, plus one more for Firestorm himself.

• Firehawk’s stats from Mayfair’s Who’s Who supplement
• Killer Frost’s stats from the 1989 edition of DC Heroes
• Firestorm in Mayfair’s Who’s Who supplement

Now, on with today’s rogues…

THE BELLE REVE SOURCEBOOK – FIRST EDITION – 1988

Both Weasel and Mindboggler’s entries come from the Belle Reve Sourcebook, dedicated to the Suicide Squad.  There are psychological notes in each entry that pertain to the Squad and help flesh out the character for the reader.

I don’t have a tremendous amount to say about the Weasel.  He was an adequate rogue, but felt somewhat like a Hyena stand-in.  I thought resurrecting him in Blackest Night was an interesting choice.

Mindboggler was never one of my favorite rogues.  I liked what was done with her later in Suicide Squad, but her Firestorm appearances didn’t blow me away.  Illusion and mind control powers are not my preferred power set for villains.  Typically superhero struggles are a physical affair.  Often when mental powers enter the mix, it fails to translate for the reader.  That is not always the case, but more often than not.  My opinion is also probably tied to her appearance.  While punk was popular in the 1980s, I’m not sure this is what it looked like.

THE ATLAS OF THE DC UNIVERSE – SECOND EDITION – 1990

Both Zastrow and Stalnoivolk’s (Steel Wolf) entries come from Mayfair’s Atlas of the DC Universe.  I always liked Stalnoivolk.  He was sort of like a Soviet Captain America with the face of Joseph Stalin.  He wasn’t a super villain, he was just a super-powered soldier that followed orders.  Zastrow was just plain creepy.  Great character and interesting to read about, but creepy.

MAYFAIRSTIVUS

Don’t forget, the Mayfairstivus celebration continues at the following blogs!  We’re winding down, but check out these blogs through the end of Hanukkah.

• The Anti-Didio League of America
• The Aquaman Shrine
• Booster Gold: BOO$TERRIFIC
• Comics Make Me Happy!
• The Continuity Blog
• DC Bloodlines
• Diana Prince as The New Wonder Woman
• Doom Patrol: My Greatest Adventure #80
• Flash: Speed Force
• Girls Gone Geek
• Green Lantern: The Indigo Tribe
• Hawkman: Being Carter Hall
• Justice League Detroit
• Martian Manhunter: The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Once Upon a Geek
• Power of the Atom
• Subject: The Suicide Squad (Task Force X)
• Supergirl Comic Box Commentary

Come back tomorrow when we put a bow on this celebration!  We’ll wrap up our Mayfairstivus coverage with Multiplex and Plastique!

Support Firestorm (and Mayfairstivus)! Fan the flame!

Below you’ll find the DC Comics Who’s Who entry from 1991 that includes Cliff Carmichael as the new Thinker (he’s the one in the top left hand corner).  Back when Cliff was bothering Ronnie Raymond on a regular basis, he wasn’t yet a cyberpunk maniac.  That didn’t happen until Cliff was exiting the Firestorm series and moving over to the Suicide Squad series.  One of the best never-seen moments must have been when they shaved off Carmichael’s mutton chops.  I’m sure the Suicide Squad had some mutton chop threshold that Captain Boomerang was already exceeding.

Cliff never faced Firestorm as the Thinker during his time with the Suicide Squad.  Cliff returned over a decade later in his Thinker persona to battle the Jason Rusch Firestorm.  This was during Firestorm vol. III #11-13, when Jason was merged with a sort of matrix-ghost of Ronnie Raymond.

Below you can read the Suicide Squad Who’s Who entry, including the bits about the new Thinker.  Click the image below to enlarge.

Below you’ll find the Mayfair Games’ DC Heroes Who’s Who corresponding entry for the Suicide Squad (including Cliff Carmichael’s RPG statistics).  Click the images below to enlarge.

Next up you’ll find the first edition stats for Brimstone from 1988!  While Brimstone began as a world-wide threat during the Legends mini-series, he quickly seemed to become a Firestorm villain.  In fact, Brimstone fought the first three incarnations of Firestorm.  The Ronnie Raymond/Professor Stein original Firestorm battled Brimstone during Legends.  A while later the “Blank Slate” Firestorm battled Brimstone in his own series.  Finally the Elemental Firestorm battled Brimstone in Firestorm #100.

MAYFAIRSTIVUS

Don’t forget, the Mayfairstivus celebration continues at the following blogs!  Be sure to check them out throughout the Mayfairstivus celebration (Dec. 1-9).

• The Anti-Didio League of America
• The Aquaman Shrine
• Booster Gold: BOO$TERRIFIC
• Comics Make Me Happy!
• The Continuity Blog
• DC Bloodlines
• Diana Prince as The New Wonder Woman
• Doom Patrol: My Greatest Adventure #80
• Flash: Speed Force
• Girls Gone Geek
• Green Lantern: The Indigo Tribe
• Hawkman: Being Carter Hall
• Justice League Detroit
• Martian Manhunter: The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Once Upon a Geek
• Power of the Atom
• Subject: The Suicide Squad (Task Force X)
• Supergirl Comic Box Commentary

Come back tomorrow when we look at the RPG statistics for the Weasel, Mindboggler, and Stalnoivolk!

Support Firestorm (and Mayfairstivus)! Fan the flame!

Below you’ll find the awesome cover to the Firestorm module, “An Element of Danger”!  The cover was sketched by Ed Hannigan, pencilled by Denys Cowan, inked by Bob Smith, and colored by Bob LeRose.  The perspective is kind of funky but I still dig it.  You can’t beat Dr. Alchemy and Matter Master standing over a steaming cauldron!  Check out the classic henchmen in the back.  Love it!   Steve Perrin wrote the module and Jackie H. Leeper was the editor.  Final note, interesting that Mayfair chose to use the Firestorm logo from the first ongoing series, rather than the Fury of Firestorm logo from the series being published at the time.

Below is the back cover to the module.  I love old promotional copy!

Below is the table of contents. Kind of a cool shot of the nuclear man!

Below is the all-important Gamemaster’s Introduction.  This page was intended for the person running the game (i.e. controlling the flow of the story and the villains).  This page presented some back story on the adventure as well as a summary that helped the Gamemaster prepare.  To read the page, click the image for an enlarged version.

Below you’ll find information on the Firestorm rogue Silver Deer.  The statistics presented are from Mayfair’s DC Heroes RPG first edition.  Personally I always found Silver Deer fairly alluring.  Maybe that’s just me.

Next up we’ve got RPG statistics for the Firestorm rogue Stratos.

The final set of RPG statistics for today belongs to Firestorm rogue Slipknot!  Slipknot appeared a few times in Mayfair’s DC Heroes RPG (like in the Suicide Squad sourcebook).

Finally, the page below is presented as an example of a typical encounter.  To read the page, click the image for an enlarged version.

That’s it for our coverage of “An Element of Danger”!  While we didn’t present the entire module here, I hope this gave you a taste of the content.  It’s a shame Firestorm didn’t get any further modules or a sourcebook, however, I’m thankful for the one module we did get!

MAYFAIRSTIVUS

Don’t forget, the Mayfairstivus celebration continues at the following blogs!  Be sure to check them out throughout the Mayfairstivus celebration (Dec. 1-9).  I’d like to send a quick thank you to Walter from the BOO$TERRIFIC blog!  He provided me with a Photoshop template that adds a nice shadow effect on the scanned cards we displayed on Friday.  Thanks Walter!   Additionally, a huge thanks to Frank Lee Delano (of the blogs: Martian Manhunter: Idol-Head of Diabolu, Justice League Detroit, Atom: Power of the Atom, Wonder Woman: Diana Prince, DC Bloodlines, and …nurgh…) who not only masterminded the crossover, he also provided most of the card scans!  Thanks, Frank!

• The Anti-Didio League of America
• The Aquaman Shrine
• Booster Gold: BOO$TERRIFIC
• Comics Make Me Happy!
• The Continuity Blog
• DC Bloodlines
• Diana Prince as The New Wonder Woman
• Doom Patrol: My Greatest Adventure #80
• Flash: Speed Force
• Girls Gone Geek
• Green Lantern: The Indigo Tribe
• Hawkman: Being Carter Hall
• Justice League Detroit
• Martian Manhunter: The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Once Upon a Geek
• Power of the Atom
• Subject: The Suicide Squad (Task Force X)
• Supergirl Comic Box Commentary

Come back tomorrow when we look at the RPG statistics for the new Thinker (a.k.a. Cliff Carmichael) and Brimstone!

Support Firestorm (and Mayfairstivus)! Fan the flame!

DC HEROES ROLE-PLAYING GAME – SECOND EDITION – 1989

When the second edition of Mayfair’s DC Heroes RPG was released in 1989, Firestorm had only recently transformed into his Elemental incarnation.  The character was still developing and his abilities had not been fully explored.  The first two editions of the RPG came with collections of character cards that included statistics.  Below you’ll find the Elemental Firestorm character card (front and back) included in the 1989 edition of the DC Heroes RPG.   I really wish they’d asked Tom Mandrake to do the card art, or at least borrow some stock image of Firestorm that Mandrake had done.  While this drawing isn’t terrible, it doesn’t do justice to Mandrake’s gorgeous look.  These statistics were based upon what was known of the character at the time.  Interesting to note that below they incorrectly included Martin Stein as one of the Alter-Egos.

DC HEROES ROLE-PLAYING GAME NEWSLETTER – SUMMER 1990

Mayfair Games mailed to subscribers a quarterly newsletter on the DC Heroes RPG featuring updates and promos for upcoming products.  These newsletters were super-cool and I was fortunate enough to obtain five editions of this newsletter.  The Summer 1990 edition published a follow-up to The Elemental War that included updated statistics for each of DC’s Elementals.  You can see below Firestorm’s statistics and abilities had been expanded as compared to the character card above.  As the character continued to evolve, Mayfair did their best to keep pace with his stats.

WHO’S WHO IN THE DC UNIVERSE ROLE-PLAYING SUPPLEMENT #3 – 1993

By 1993, Firestorm was a footnote at DC Comics.  His monthly series had ended and the character had been banished to another part of the universe.  He received a wicked-cool Who’s Who entry in 1991 and a companion Who’s Who entry from Mayfair for the RPG in 1993.  At this point the character had been completely fleshed out and Mayfair was finishing their third edition rules, therefore these statistics were about as accurate as you were going to get.  It’s worth noting that this version is the Martin Stein Elemental Firestorm.

MAYFAIRSTIVUS

Don’t forget, the Mayfairstivus celebration continues at the following blogs!  Be sure to check them out throughout the Mayfairstivus celebration (Dec. 1-9).  Also, I’d like to send a quick shout-out to Tom Hartley.  Tom inadvertently created the Mayfairstivus holiday by selling his second edition DC Heroes RPG box set to Frank Lee Delano (the mastermind behind the Mayfairstivus crossover event).  Thanks Tom!

• The Anti-Didio League of America
• The Aquaman Shrine
• Booster Gold: BOO$TERRIFIC
• Comics Make Me Happy!
• The Continuity Blog
• DC Bloodlines
• Diana Prince as The New Wonder Woman
• Doom Patrol: My Greatest Adventure #80
• Flash: Speed Force
• Girls Gone Geek
• Green Lantern: The Indigo Tribe
• Hawkman: Being Carter Hall
• Justice League Detroit
• Martian Manhunter: The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Once Upon a Geek
• Power of the Atom
• Subject: The Suicide Squad (Task Force X)
• Supergirl Comic Box Commentary

We’re taking a break on Saturday and Sunday.  Our Mayfairstivus coverage will resume on Monday!  Come back then when we look at the one and only Firestorm RPG module!

Support Firestorm (and Mayfairstivus)! Fan the flame!

DC HEROES ROLE-PLAYING GAME – FIRST EDITION – 1985

One of the things I love the most about the DC Heroes box sets are the character cards.  The cards from the first edition measure 3.25″ by 4.25″.  Below you’ll find the Firestorm character card (front and back) included in the 1985 edition of the DC Heroes RPG.  I’m fairly confident this beautiful artwork is by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez.

Also included in the first edition were super-cool character tokens to be used for tabletop play action.  Below is the token for the Firestorm.  Love it!!!

WHO’S WHO IN THE DC UNIVERSE ROLE-PLAYING SUPPLEMENT #3 – 1993

Over time Mayfair tweaked the system, changed some rules, and reassessed several characters statistics.  Below you’ll find the original Firestorm’s statistics as they appeared in 1993.  Several characteristics and powers had changed since the first edition above.   There is also a short section below dedicated to the “Blank Slate” incarnation of the character.

The section above on “Firestorm Reborn” has always bothered me.  They state the “Blank Slate” incarnation of Firestorm has the same stats as the original version.  I don’t agree.  When Mikhail joined the matrix, he brought with him some of the Pozhar powers.  For example, the “Blank Slate” Firestorm was able to shoot eye beams and create lava geysers.  The original Firestorm never demonstrated these abilities. The statistics above include three vision powers, including “Heat Vision”.  These powers weren’t present in 1985 statistics, nor in the Firestorm entry in the 1990 Justice League Sourcebook.  I suggest the inclusion of vision powers in the statistics above should only apply to the “Blank Slate” version.

Additionally, I believe the “Blank Slate” Firestorm should have the power of “Bomb” to represent his lava geyser power.  Finally, I would suggest the “Blank Slate” Firestorm’s Dexterity and Willpower would be lower than the original Firestorm’s.

*Whew* Glad that’s off my chest.  I went so geeky with that commentary I think I spooked myself.  It’s just a game, dude.  Chill out! 

MAYFAIRSTIVUS

Don’t forget, the Mayfairstivus celebration continues at the following blogs!  Be sure to check them out throughout the Mayfairstivus celebration (Dec. 1-9).

• The Anti-Didio League of America
• The Aquaman Shrine
• Booster Gold: BOO$TERRIFIC
• Comics Make Me Happy!
• The Continuity Blog
• DC Bloodlines
• Diana Prince as The New Wonder Woman
• Doom Patrol: My Greatest Adventure #80
• Flash: Speed Force
• Girls Gone Geek
• Green Lantern: The Indigo Tribe
• Hawkman: Being Carter Hall
• Justice League Detroit
• Martian Manhunter: The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Once Upon A Geek
• Power of the Atom
• Subject: The Suicide Squad (Task Force X)
• Supergirl Comic Box Commentary

Be sure to come back tomorrow when we look at the RPG statistics for the Elemental Firestorm!

Support Firestorm (and Mayfairstivus)! Fan the flame!