Here is the description of the book from the Green Ronin website:

The DC Universe features a dazzling array of characters who have thrilled readers for generations. Now they come to life for tabletop gaming in DC ADVENTURES Heroes & Villains. Vol. I covers characters A–K, from Abra Kadabra and Adam Strange through Kid Flash and Kobra. Each entry comes complete with DC ADVENTURES game information, character details, and a full-color illustration from one of DC Comics’ best artists. Heroes & Villains also includes entries on various teams, from the Justice League and Justice Society to the Injustice Gang and the Fearsome Five. With Heroes & Villains in-hand, you have a tremendous wealth of material for your DC ADVENTURES games, all usable with the award-winning Mutants & Masterminds game system!

Below you’ll find the statistics for Firestorm (as he was at the conclusion of Blackest Night).

Pretty cool!  They didn’t get all the details about the first Elemental Firestorm exactly correct, but this coverage is otherwise fantastic! In addition to Firestorm, the book also includes statistics for Firehawk and Killer Frost! Beyond Firestorm-related characters, this book includes other favorites of mine, such as: Aquaman, Blue Devil, Doctor Fate, Flash (all of them!), the JSA, Animal Man, Kyle Rayner, Hawkman (and Hawkgirl & Hawkwoman!), Blue Beetle (all of them!), and so many more! All of the entries are pre-Flashpoint, so you get a look at the characters just before The New 52 began.

I gotta tell you, this is a really gorgeous book! It’s 320 full-color pages packed with information and beautiful illustrations culled from years of DC comics. For me this book is a melding of two great worlds – DC Comics and Mutants & Masterminds. I’ve been an avid reader of DC Comics for over 25 years, and I roleplayed using the Mutants & Masterminds system for about three years and really enjoyed it.

Order your own copy from your local comic book shop! Alternatively, order a copy through the Green Ronin Publishing online catalog. Now I can’t wait for the next book, DC Adventures Heroes & Villains, Vol. II due in January!

Support Firestorm (and DC Adventures role-playing)! Fan the flame!

One of the tools I’ve used over the years was the 1993 Mayfair Games role-playing supplement to Who’s Who in the DC Universe.  Each supplement page included a complete list of comic book appearances for that specific character.  Seriously, a COMPLETE list up to the date of publication.  It’s amazing!  Below you’ll find the Firestorm list of appearances through 1993 from the supplement.

What a great resource!  Think Firestorm’s listing is long and overly-detailed? You should see Superman’s list of appearances!  It’s insane!

The Firestorm listing above was extremely helpful in my back issue hunting.  In fact, I managed to pick up every appearance of Firestorm on this list, with the exception of one comic. For whatever reason, I was never able to find a copy of BLASTERS SPECIAL #1.  I know, BLASTERS, really?  This INVASION spin-off was not exactly a top-seller, but I still was unable to find a copy… until a few months ago!  I was trolling through some fifty-cent bins and stumbled across my own personal Holy Grail of Firestorm back issue finds - BLASTERS SPECIAL #1!  I couldn’t believe it!  My long journey of seeking Firestorm back issues was finally at an end.  With an amazing amount of satisfaction, I plunked down my two quarters for this comic.

After nearly 20 years hunting this comic, it was finally in my hands!  I anxiously flipped through the book looking for my favorite Nuclear Man.  Surely if I’ve waited this long for the comic, Karma should deliver an amazing Firestorm appearance.  Doesn’t that seem cosmically fair?

I finished flipping through the comic, but failed to find Firestorm.  Huh?  I tried again.  After a second more thorough examination, I found Firestorm in the comic!  Yup, he appeared in exactly one panel.  That’s right, just one.  And he didn’t even have a speaking part.  Just some guy stuffed in the corner of a mediocre splash page.  What a disappointment!  To save you match-heads the effort of digging up BLASTERS yourself, below is the one panel Firestorm appears in.  Click the image to enlarge.

Geez.  After a nearly twenty year search, that’s it?  Such a disappointment.  The burden of being a completist is a heavy one.

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!

The more observant readers may have noticed that Mayfairstivus happens to coincide with Hanukkah.  Good catch.  A few of us DC Comics bloggers agreed to use this year’s Hanukkah celebration as an excuse to run a series of posts related to character cards and other items from Mayfair Games’ long-running DC Heroes line.  There will be a few different blogs participating, so check the links below for more Mayfairstivus activities (with apologies to the Costanza family).  Many thanks go out to mastermind 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…) for suggesting this celebration! Thanks, Frank!

I gotta say, I LOVE this game!  I purchased all three editions as they were coming out.  While I used this system on-and-off for years, I mostly played while the second edition was the current release.  The 1985 and 1989 editions were packaged as box sets, whereas the 1993 edition was a softcover volume.  See the covers to all three editions below.

The groups I played with always used our own original characters, but I still picked up quite a few of the sourcebooks and modules.  Click the image below to enlarge.

DC helped support the game system with house ads in their comic books.  The ad below featuring Firestorm ran in comics cover-dated April 1986.  I always liked that Firestorm was labeled as a “Rising Star”.  It made me feel like he was definitely going places.

If you’ve ever role-played superhero games, then I’m sure you feel there was a “magical” system for you. One that sticks out in your memory as a fantastic game system. Mayfair is that system for me! It wasn’t the game mechanics that I loved, it was more about the products and accessories.

The Mayfairstivus celebration continues at the following blogs!  Be sure to check them out throughout the Mayfairstivus celebration.

• 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

Finally, here are a few previously published Mayfair-related posts by friends worth checking out too!

• Firestorm’s stats from Mayfair’s Who’s Who supplement – FIRESTORM FAN
• Firehawk’s stats from Mayfair’s Who’s Who supplement – FIRESTORM FAN
• Killer Frost’s stats from the 1989 edition of DC Heroes – FIRESTORM FAN
• Blue Devil’s stats from Mayfair’s Who’s Who supplement – ONCE UPON A GEEK
• Watchmen’s stats from the Mayfair module Who Watches the Watchmen? – ONCE UPON A GEEK
• Superman characters from the 1985 & 1989 DC Heroes editions – FORTRESS OF BAILEYTUDE
• Aquaman’s stats from the 1985 DC Heroes edition – THE AQUAMAN SHRINE
• Aquaman’s stats from the 1993 DC Heroes edition – THE AQUAMAN SHRINE
• Deathstroke the Terminator’s stats from the 1993 DC Heroes edition – POWER OF THE ATOM
• Steel’s stats from the 1993 DC Heroes edition – DC BLOODLINES
• Wonder Woman’s stats from the 1993 DC Heroes edition – WONDER WOMAN: DIANA PRINCE
• Martian Manhunter’s stats from the 1993 DC Heroes edition – IDOL-HEAD OF DIABOLU
• Batman’s stats from the 1993 DC Heroes edition – JUSTICE LEAGUE DETROIT
• Atlas of the DC Universe – IDOL-HEAD OF DIABOLU
• 1985 Grenadier Models JLA & Adversaries Miniatures – … NURGH …
• Martian Manhunter 1985 Grenadier JLA & Adversaries Miniature – IDOL-HEAD OF DIABOLU
• Commentary on the same DC Comics house ad for the Mayfair game that I ran above – NURGH …
• Another DC Comics house ad for the Mayfair game featuring the Teen Titans – … NURGH …
• Siskoid’s collection of home made stats – DC HEROES – SISKOID’S COLLECTION

Be sure to come back tomorrow when we look at Firestorm from the 1985 edition of the game!

Support Firestorm (and Mayfairstivus)! Fan the flame!

The original Killer Frost (Dr. Crystal Frost) premiered in Firestorm vol I #3 (1978) and died in The Fury of Firestorm vol II #21 (1984).  After Frost’s death, her good friend Dr. Louise Lincoln recreated the conditions that turned Crystal Frost into Killer Frost.  Lincoln was imbued with the same powers and became Killer Frost II in The Fury of Firestorm the Nuclear Man #34 (1985).  In 1995, Killer Frost II made a deal with the demon Neron which granted her even greater power.  Since then, Killer Frost has appeared in numerous places across the DC Universe (i.e. Green Lantern, Suicide Squad, Villains United, Salvation Run, Justice League of America, and even the Justice League Unlimited cartoon).  I won’t delve further into her history as the encyclopedic entries below will cover that better than I could.

Below is the cover for the original Killer Frost’s first appearance (June 1978).  Art by Al Milgrom.  Writers often use the “opposites attract” nature of hot and cold to create sexual tension between Firestorm and Killer Frost.  This helps to make their ongoing encounters more interesting.

Below is the Killer Frost entry from Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #12 (February 1986). The art in the entry below is by Al Milgrom, co-creator of Firestorm and artist on Firestorm vol I. This particular issue of Who’s Who was published around the same time as The Fury of Firestorm the Nuclear Man vol II #45, so information presented was current to that point.

If you are interested in reading the text, click to enlarge the image.

Below is the fantastic cover to Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #12 (February 1986).  I love that Killer Frost plays such an important part in the cover image. Art by Paris Cullins (of Blue Devil fame) and Dick Giordano.  Click to enlarge the image.

The entry below was published in DK’s DC Comics Encyclopedia, Updated and Expanded Edition (September 2008).  The Killer Frost entry was written by Scott Beatty.

The piece below comes from the DC Heroes Role-Playing Game second edition produced by Mayfair Games in 1989.  Specifically this came from the “Background/Roster Book”.  This wasn’t the first time Mayfair produced stats for Killer Frost, but these are the updated ones as her first edition stats were changed.

Finally we’ve got the Killer Frost Heroclix from Wizkids released in 2004 as part of the DC Unleashed set.  HeroClix is a collectible miniatures game in which players construct teams of heroes and villains to play out a battle turn-by-turn on a grid map.  This figure looks great!  The translucent blue really makes her stand out.  Nicely done, Wizkids!

That’s it for our first installment of the Firestorm Rogues Gallery!  Be sure to come back later this week for more on Killer Frost.

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!