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Deathstorm vs Firestorm Action League 2-Pack

Back in July I reported the Batman: Brave and the Bold Action League was being re-branded as the DC Universe Action League.  A DC Universe Action League pack containing Firestorm and Black Lantern Firestorm was announced during the San Diego ComicCon.

Looks like those toys should be hitting stores soon!  Below is a photo of that 2-pack, now labeled “Deathstorm vs Firestorm”.

Deathstorm vs Firestorm Action League

It’s worth noting the Firestorm figure is based upon the current Brightest Day version, rather than the Batman: Brave and the Bold version.

I’m not sure of the exact release date of this figure set.  I know review copies were mailed recently to Action Figure Insider and it appeared in at least one eBay auction here in the U.S.  If anyone sees these toys in stores, please give us a heads-up.  It would be nice to know when they are released.

My thanks to Doug Zawisza (of the Doom Patrol blog) and CJ Writes for sending this information my way!  Thanks, guys!

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OFFICIAL: Deathstorm Represents 1990s Villains

We’ve been speculating for a while, but now it’s official.  In an article for USA Today last week, Geoff Johns confirmed our suspicion that Deathstorm represents the dark and hardcore comic book characters from the 1990s.

Here is the relevant quote from the USA Today article:

And Deathstorm has popped up, obsessed with destroying Firestorm and having the ability to conjure Black Lanterns. “He’s a character that’s really fun to write. We wanted to basically create a 1990s villain who loved being from the 1990s,” Johns says, laughing. Tomasi says that Deathstorm “has got some big surprises up his sleeve, which are pretty great. There’ll be cool stuff coming up with him.”

Deathstorm

At least now we know for sure.

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Mayfairstivus – Multiplex and Plastique

Today concludes my coverage of Mayfairstivus, the celebration of Mayfair Games’ DC Heroes Role-Playing Game! What a crossover it’s been!  Over 60 posts across 19 different blogs!  Unbelievable!  Just goes to show how much excitement this game system can generate.  Today we’ll be looking at the RPG statistics for a few more of Firestorm’s rogues: Multiplex and Plastique.  I apologize for missing yesterday here;  a lack of sleep and real-world stress finally caught up with me.

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!

Fury of Firestorm #15 featuring Multiplex

Multiplex Mayfair DC Heroes RPG statistics 1988

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.

Fury of Firestorm #7 featuring Plastique

Plastique Mayfair DC Heroes RPG statistics 1988

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.

  • Black Canary, Big Barda & Starfire – Get Your Mayfairstivus On – GIRLS GONE GEEK
  • Hawkman!HAWKMAN: BEING CARTER HALL

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

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Mayfairstivus Day 8 – Weasel, Mindboggler, Stalnoivolk and Zastrow

Welcome back for the eighth day of Mayfairstivus, the nine day celebration of Mayfair Games’ DC Heroes Role-Playing Game! Today we’ll be looking at the RPG statistics for a few more of Firestorm’s rogues: Weasel, Mindboggler, Stalnoivolk (Steel Wolf), and Zastrow!

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.

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.

Fury of Firestorm #38 featuring the Weasel

Weasel Mayfair DC Heroes RPG statistics 1988

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.

Fury of Firestorm featuring Mindboggler

Mindboggler Mayfair DC Heroes RPG statistics 1988

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.

Fury of Firestorm #62 featuring Zastrow

Firestorm the Nuclear Man #71 featuring Stalnoivolk and Zastrow

Stalnoivolk and Zastrow Mayfair DC Heroes RPG statistics 1990

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.

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

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Mayfairstivus Day 7 – The New Thinker and Brimstone

Welcome back for the seventh day of Mayfairstivus, the nine day celebration of Mayfair Games’ DC Heroes Role-Playing Game! Today we’ll be looking at the RPG statistics for a couple of Firestorm’s foes/antagonists: the new Thinker (a.k.a. Cliff Carmichael) and Brimstone.

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.

The New Thinker from Suicide Squad - 1991 DC Comics Who's Who

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

The New Thinker from Suicide Squad - 1991 DC Comics Who's Who

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.

The New Thinker from Suicide Squad - 1993 Mayfair DC Heroes Role-Playing Game Who's Who

The New Thinker from Suicide Squad - 1993 Mayfair DC Heroes Role-Playing Game Who's Who

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.

Brimstone from DC Comics - Mayfair DC Heroes RPG statistics 1988

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).

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

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Mayfairstivus Day 6 – An Element of Danger Module

Welcome back for the sixth day of Mayfairstivus, the nine day celebration of Mayfair Games’ DC Heroes Role-Playing Game! We took a break on Saturday and Sunday, but we’re back today for more Mayfairstivus holiday fun!  Today we’ll be looking at the one and only Firestorm module published for the DC Heroes RPG back in 1986.  I’m presenting several scans from the module to give you a flavor of the content.  Additionally, we’ll see statistics from the DC Heroes first edition RPG for Firestorm rogues: Slipknot, Silver Deer, and Stratos.

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.

Mayfair DC Heroes RPG Module: An Element of Danger starring Firestorm

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

Mayfair DC Heroes RPG Module: An Element of Danger starring Firestorm

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

Mayfair DC Heroes RPG Module: An Element of Danger starring Firestorm

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.

Mayfair DC Heroes RPG Module: An Element of Danger starring Firestorm

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.

Silver Deer - Mayfair DC Heroes RPG Module: An Element of Danger starring Firestorm

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

Stratos - Mayfair DC Heroes RPG Module: An Element of Danger starring Firestorm

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).

Slipknot - Mayfair DC Heroes RPG Module: An Element of Danger starring Firestorm

Slipknot - Mayfair DC Heroes RPG Module: An Element of Danger starring Firestorm

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

Mayfair DC Heroes RPG Module: An Element of Danger starring Firestorm

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!

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

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Mayfairstivus Day 3 – Elemental Firestorm

Welcome back for the third day of Mayfairstivus, the nine day celebration of Mayfair Games’ DC Heroes Role-Playing Game! Today we’ll be looking at role-playing statistics for the Elemental Firestorm.

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.

Firestorm from 1989 Mayfair DC Heroes Role-playing Game

Firestorm from 1989 Mayfair DC Heroes Role-playing Game

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.

Mayfair DC Heroes Role-Playing Game Newsletter - Elementals with Firestorm, Red Tornado, Naiad, and Swamp Thing

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.

Firestorm from 1993 Mayfair DC Heroes Role-playing Game Who's Who Supplement

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!

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!

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Mayfairstivus Day 2 – Firestorm

Welcome back for the second day of Mayfairstivus, the nine day celebration of Mayfair Games’ DC Heroes Role-Playing Game! Today we’ll be looking at role-playing statistics for the original Firestorm and the “Blank Slate” incarnation.

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.


Firestorm in 1985 Mayfair DC Heroes RPG

Firestorm in 1985 Mayfair DC Heroes RPG

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!!!

Firestorm in 1985 Mayfair DC Heroes RPG

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.

Firestorm in 1993 Mayfair DC Heroes Who's Who Supplement RPG

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).

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

Support Firestorm (and Mayfairstivus)! Fan the flame!

Mayfairstivus Day 1 – Remembering the Game

Welcome to Mayfairstivus!  Mayfairstivus is a celebration of Mayfair Games’ DC Heroes Role-Playing Game! This excellent RPG was published by Mayfair from 1985-1993.  Today through December 9th we’ll be remembering this outstanding game.

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.

Mayfair Games DC Heroes role-playing game editions

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.

Mayfair Games DC Heroes role-playing game sourcebooks and modules

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.

Mayfair Games DC Heroes role-playing game advertisement

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.

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

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

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Favorite Covers: Fury of Firestorm Annual #2

One of my all-time favorite Firestorm covers.  Cover art by Rafael Kayanan and Dick Giordano.

Fury of Firestorm Annual #2

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