Merry Clixmas

The list of characters appearing in the next set of DC Heroclix figures (called "Origin") was made public knowledge yesterday (see list below).

Numbers 1- 78 are "REVs"; those are (usually) one sculpt that appears on three different levels of dial (Rookie, Experienced, and Veteran), each with its own stats and powers. The last twelve are "Uniques"; they have only one dial.

#01-03 Blackhawks (Stanislaus/Hendrickson/Blackhawk)

Well, this will make Devon happy. This is a clever use of the REV. Instead of each level representing a different stage of one person's career, they represent different persons wearing the same uniform. I happened to know Totaltoyz is working on a custom Lady Blackhawk you can buy to complement these guys.

#04-06 Phantom Lady

I'm guessing the R and E versions will represent the original streetfighter Phantom Lady; not being very powerful, those would be lower point figures, explaining why she's in the second lowest slot. Perhaps there will be a high-point Veteran who is the new Phantom Lady in all her extradimensional glory.

#07-09 Robotman (Cliff Steele)

Ah, Cliff Steele, DC's answer to Ben Grimm. I assume he'll just be a "tank", with powers like Charge and Superstrength. I hope against hope that he'll be wearing a jacket and boots like Morrison put him in; somebody who originally had a human body would feel funny running around naked even after getting a robot body instead.

#10-12 Ray

Will the sculpt make creative use of translucent plastic? I'm assuming the Ray will bring Flight and Superspeed to the Freedom Fighters team, which will help put them on the map figuratively and literally.

#13-15 Wildcat

Another gift for Devon. I'm curious what's on his dial that would make his Rookie worth more points that the Ray or Robotman! I hope they give him something clever like Enhance or Support; something that gives him value to his teammates, rather than just a slugger.

#16-18 Damage

Yay; I always thought he was so hot; there aren't a lot of short guys in comics. I used to think he just blew up, but judging from the recent issue of Justice Society, he's got Superstrength and Toughness too. Will his team abilities be Titans on the Rookie, Outsiders on the Experienced (the Outsiders Team ability, which has to do with immunity to Perplex, is being shared by the members of the Doom Patrol), and JSA on the Veteran? I hope they use his purple and orange costume; I liked that one.

#19-21 Halo

Sigh.

#22-24 Mano

Another potentially cool use of translucent plastic for his head bubble. Giving the extraordinary power of his hand, I'm thinking he'll have Quake and Exploit Weakness. Now we'll have all of the Fatal Five except for Tharok, and the Brainiac Unique can fill in for him until he arrives.

#25-27 Shadow Thief

I cannot imagine how bizarre this sculpt might be. But finally we have some Hawkman villains to work with! And I can't wait to pit him against Manhunter or Firestorm.

#28-30 Knockout

Another "Chick Brick" with a boring "tank" dial. Still, she'll be fun for those all-female games we sometimes play.

#31-33 Copperhead

Can you believe a loser like Copperhead getting a clix, let alone being this high on the list? I tell you, that guy must have a great agent.

#34-36 Question

Almost certainly will have Stealth and Perplex, a deadly combination that you previous had to resort to the Atom or the Martian Manhunter to get. I expect to see him lurking around the board a lot. I wonder how a team with him, Captain Atom, and Blue Beetle II would do?

#37-39 Animal Man

Like Vixen, he'll probably have one dial that's Aquatic, one that's Airborne, and one that's Grounded. Most players will flavor the flying one, but I'll be all over the Aquatic. Yet another figure to join Aquaman's finny friends on the water map. It will also be a natural teamed with Adam Strange and Starfire (and probably the only way she'll see play at my house).

#40-42 Cat-Man

Further proof of the existence of the gods, or, at least, of Gail Simone. Like Copperhead, his Rookie will be marked as a Batman Enemy, so he'll be helping Catwoman out in my Gotham games.

#43-35 Booster Gold

Booster was in the first DC set; he was the ideal "taxi" for carrying around other figures (like Blue Beetle). But he didn't have many powers on his dial, and that made him less than thrilling (the Rookie was famous for having no powers at all!). This new one could have all sorts of powers, including Imperviousness, Defend, Deflection, Ranged Combat Expert, Force Blast, Quake, Charge. The real question is: will Skeets play any role in this figure?

#46-48 Atom

There was a convention-exclusive Atom with a kick-ass dial for only 50 points, but it had no sculpt on it because you couldn't see the Atom. Cute; cheap, but cute. This REV version will surely have some fun sculpt, maybe something that shows him in the act of shrinking. I hope they capture some of his "leap and smack" action with powers like Leap/Climb, Charge, and Combat Reflexes. Throw in Stealth and Perplex and this could become one of the most popular figures on the board.

#49-51 Mirror Master

This is one of the two DC characters people talk about in discussions of "hard powers to duplicate". But apparently they've done a good job. I'm sure he'll be annoyingly hard to hit, and full of Perplex and Phasing. Ordinarily, we don't allow using more than one figure of any particular character in a game, but I'm sure we'll make an exception for the Mirror Master! The Flash family will have to face a whole team of Mirror Masters at some point.

#52-54 Triplicate Girl

This is the other figure people talk about in those discussions! But if they made Madrox, they can make Triplicate Girl. I'm intrigued by the fact that she's so high on the list, meaning her Rookie isn't a low-point figure; I expected her to be in one of the lowest slots. I'm guessing that means Perplex on the front of her dial. The Legion is staring to be really interesting as a Heroclix team!

#55-57 Supergirl

They already did a Supergirl; I believe she was one of the first DC pieces with Running Shot. But she was marred by a low defense value; if you Outwit her Invulnerability, she falls over like a drugstore spinner rack. I just hope they don't waste one of the new versions by giving it the Outsiders Team ability.

#58-60 Hawkman

Maybe they should just call this set "Devon's"; the only thing it's missing is Lady Cop. There was a Hawkman in the original DC set, but he was, frankly, more like Sitting-Duckman. He was always the first to get knocked out, no matter what game he was in. Wizkids apparently set out to fix this problem. His placement high on this list (and some secret inside knowledge I have) tell me that this Hawkman will be feeding lots of opponents their teeth. I hope he has Regeneration courtesy of the Nth Metal!

#61-63 Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandmark)

Her absence has been keenly felt on every Wonder Woman team I compose. I look forward to seeing her zappy lasso in action (perhaps as Exploit Weakness). I'll be unhappy if she has no range; the zappy lasso should be worth at least a range of two.

#64-66 Cyborg Superman

I had little interest in this character until he became part of the GL rogues gallery. Now the Manhunter robots can go on a team with him and beat the snot out of Hal Jordan. Beating the snot out of Hal Jordan always makes for a fun evening.

#67-69 Steel

Thank goodness! The Steel from the original set is still playable, dial-wise, but it's famously ugly. The new one should fix that, because John Henry is a right purdy man. Since it started Heroclix, Wizkids has gotten more clever and subtle in their dials. Nowadays, a smart fighter like Steel might start with heavy combat stats, but later down the dial turn into more of a support player, maybe even have Outwit or Enhancement.

#70-72 Mr. Miracle

I've little love for Fourth Worlders, but even I will enjoy seeing Mr. Miracle with Big Barda on the board. Besides, with Phasing, Flight, and a high defense, he'll make a good utility player on JLA teams (but only ones with JLI-era figures!)

#73-75 Mon-El/Valor/M'Onel

Oh, yes. Now the Legion is a very different team.

#76-78 Green Lantern/Sentinel

Personally, I was hoping for at least a Rookie Alan Scott that wasn't too powerful. Someone who won't completely overshadow a Wildcat. But his placement so high on the REV list makes me think I won't be getting that.

#79-81 Shazam!

There have been two Unique Captain Marvels, but an REV is overdue. Simply placing "the wisdom of Solomon" (as represented by Outwit) at different places on his dial, changes the figure's gameplay considerably. And it can always be spiced up with a "Billy Batson" click somewhere on the dial, where Cap is powerless and vulnerable.

#82-84 Martian Manhunter/J'onn J'onzz

JJ already has a Unique, but there's way too much going on with him to be represented in just one dial. Really, I'm hard pressed to think of a power you couldn't put on his dial. And REV will give lots of different flavors of J'onn to choose from.

#85 Starman (Ted Knight)

This thing better rock the drama. I plan on using it to kick Ultraman's teeth in. This, along with the next one, is what will make it finally possible to field a reasonable JSA Classic, with Starman, Sandman, the real Green Lantern, the real Flash, Wildcat, Hippolyta, Hourman (repainted), Hawkman, and Dr. Fate.

#86 Sandman (Wesley Dodds)

It really doesn't matter what it does, does it? As long as it looks really cool standing with Dr. Mid-Nite.

#87 Blue Beetle III

Maybe seeing this figure in action will give me some kind of handle on just what Blue Beetle can do. Still, it will never match the fun of using the original Blue Beetle figure to force-blast opponents off of rooftops.

#88 Mr. Mind

I just sleep easier knowing that there's a Heroclix of a mass murdering Venusian worm with glasses. Don't you?

#89 Jakeem Thunder (and T-Bolt)

This figure will crack the Heroclix world. With an insanely high defense that it can share with other JSAers, Jakeem is going to be a staple on every nigh-undefeatable JSA team from here on in. I'm also thinking it will be a transporter with Phasing, so it can carry other figures around. And how can it not have Probability Control?

#90 Gentleman Ghost

Translucent plastic, please! Another hard-to-hit Hawkman foe to hang out with Shadow Thief. Another step closer toward my longed-for all-Hawkman game. I'm predicting that once the new Hawkman is available, the old Hawkman figures will become very popular again, being used as generic Thanagarians. I've already prepared for GG's arrival; I bought some ghostly Horroclix figures to use as his ghost goons.

#91 Vandal Savage

Another Evil Mastermind dial that probably won't translate very well, like Kobra and Luthor. He'll have Regeneration, but you may have to ask yourself the question, what are you regenerating for?

#92 Johnny Quick (Crime Syndicate)

This will help make the CSA more interesting and leave us only one step (Power Ring) away from replaying Crisis on Earth-3.

#93 Negative Woman (Doom Patrol)

Gee, I didn't think anyone even remembered Negative Woman. She'll seem a little odd working with Rita Farr; what's next, Celsius?

#94 S.T.R.I.P.E.

Not a fan of Frankenstein Junior, but it will look fun with the Rookie Stargirl.

#95 Batman (Golden Age)

A lower-point Batman (like the one in the Icons set) will be lots of fun and see lots of play, particularly against the classic Batman Enemies. Besides, I'm hoping the sculpt is really spooky.

#96 Superman (Golden Age)

Now, this will be interesting. A Superman whose power aren't overwhelming. Leap/climb instead of flight; probably no ranged attack. Expect to see him frequently paired with the Golden Age Batman and the Icons Robin on "World's Finest" teams.