Welcome to another day dedicated to Mayfairstivus, a holiday celebration of the Mayfair DC Heroes role playing game from the 1980s. A number of DC comic related blogs will be running DC heroes posts during this early holiday period.
I posted the DC Heroes V2.0 Superman and Lex Luthor stats late last week. Today I am happy to be posting the DC Heroes V1.0 stats on Supergirl!
Back in the late 80s, I was playing DC Heroes as Wildfire from the Legion. I am a giant Legion fan and Wildfire is my favorite so it was great fun to act as the hot-headed anti-energy construct. Mayfair had supplemental information books out put out for different teams including the Legion. The books are co-written by Paul Levitz, so there is definitely an air of legitimacy. You get the sense that Levitz loved authoring the book and ranking the Legionnaires based on their power levels and skills. As the collector I am, I have held on to the 2 Legion books released for posterity.
Here is the Supergirl entry. Sorry the font is so small. The entry is a post-humous one as this was published after Crisis on Infinite Earths. I have said all along that I think Levitz had an affinity for Supergirl so I bet he pushed for her to be included. After all, Legion fans might want to play her regardless of current DC Continuity.
As you can see, just by the sheer text in the purple field, Supergirl has a lot of powers, skills, and vulnerabilities, etc. that needed to be ranked.
The history section concentrates on her time with the Legion including her initiation into the group and her missions against Darkseid and the Dark Circle on Weber's World. It also includes a line about her relationship with Brainiac 5 ... a relationship that "ranged from adolescent flirtation to something more, but which was never as important to her as to him." Ouch!
There is no artist credits listed any where in the book but this looks like Ed Hannigan's work.
For ease of your eyes and so you don't need to download the above picture, here is a quick look at her offensive stats. Remember, this is version 1.0. Superman's strength was a 50 and was the highest listed stat. So Supergirl is just below that level.
This picture is clearly Greg LaRocque's work. He was the current Legion artist.
And, for comparison's sake, here is Superboy.
Earlier this year, I did a review of Supergirl's Legion appearances during the Levitz years and she was treated with complete respect. She was an enthusiastic hero who engaged in fisticuffs with Darkseid and battled the Emerald Empress. So I was not surprised, in reviewing these books, to notice that Supergirl is nearly uniformly stronger and tougher than Superboy. My guess is that Levitz wrote her as a more polished and experienced here than Superboy was when they were with the Legion.
Still ... it is pretty cool to see these numbers laid out.
The book contains information on all the current Legionnaires as well as stats for Legion villains as well.
It also includes some smaller things that I really loved. For example, here is a pictogram of the Legion emblems seen on the monitor board. I like how the male and female symbols are incorporated in a number of emblems as a way to explain the Legionnaires powers. I mean is anything more perfect than Shrinking Violet's and Colossal Boy's?
And there is also a great Legion group shot done by LaRocque.
There on the middle left is Supergirl, flying amongst the group. I am so happy that the current Supergirl has a Legion affiliation.
The book is a great resource for fans of the Levitz Legion. I am so happy I held on the book. The only downside is the jarring purple ink motif which I think takes away from the book rather than adding to it.
I hope you are enjoying the Mayfairstivus as much as I am!
The blogs below are joining in the Mayfairstivus celebration and are fantastic! So please visit them as well.
The Anti-Didio League of America
The Aquaman Shrine
Booster Gold:BOO$TERRIFIC
Comic Make Me Happy
The Continuity Blog
DC Bloodlines
Diana Prince as The New Wonder Woman
Doom Patrol:My Greatest Adventure #80
Firestorm Fan
Flash: Speed Force
Girls Gone Geek
Green Lantern Corps: The Indigo Tribe
Hawkman:Being Carter Hall
Justice League Detroit
Martian Manhunter vs. The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Once Upon A Geek
Power of the Atom
Subject: Suicide Squad [Task Force X]
5 comments:
'. a relationship that "ranged from adolescent flirtation to something more, but which was never as important to her as to him.'
That is definitely how Levitz wrote it to begin with in Great Darkness. It was never really accurate though. Just to name one pre crisis story, Supergirl is the only legionnaire to break out of a matriarchal queen's mind control because Shadow Lass started insulting Brainy and Kara snapped. That doesn't strike me as someone who doesn't feel the same, that strikes me as someone who doesn't overly emote. Its almost normal in their lack of overwrought drama.
Thank you so much for digging that Legion book out! I've never seen it, and it looks fantastic. I love all the old member icons, and classic Greg LaRocque!
Anj, Did you get the Atlas of the DC Universe Atlas with foldout maps in it, that came out in 1990 with Paul Kupperberg as the credited writer on it?
Along with the 8 pewter Legion figures that came out around that time too?
While I didn't know how to role play back then (and I still don't know how). I still got these two items along with a the role playing book too.
Anj, Did you get the Atlas of the DC Universe Atlas with foldout maps in it, that came out in 1990 with Paul Kupperberg as the credited writer on it?
I did not get that book (or the figurines). Is it worth hunting down?
The Atlas shows and tells about the DC Universe up to 1990. It's meant for role playing but has great cross over for the comic book reader.
It goes to show how the characters and their origins changed a great deal over the years.
Like the original Vril Dox II was an adopted son, forced to pose as the original Brainiac's son and now he was a clone.
BTW wasn't it in the early issues, that Vril said his mother was a woman who gave birth to him (who promptly forgot him due to her brainwashing by the Computer Tyrants) and then he was forced grown into adulthood in a matter of hours? As the issues/years his story changed and Vril II became a clone?
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