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Field Guide to Superheroes Vol. 4 (ICONS)

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The Field Guide Vol. 4 continues the definitive encyclopedia of superhero archetypes in modern comics. 

Written by Jason "Dr. Comics" Tondro, a literature professor who has focused his studies on comic books, the Field Guide is a gold mine of ideas and inspiration for your next hero. After a discussion of each archetype, the Field Guide then gives a fully fleshed out hero, suitable for immediate use as a PC or important NPC in your ICONS campaign.

Rather than break archetypes down by power set, the Field Guide looks at the character's origin and role in the story. This makes the archetypes much more versatile and puts the emphasis on character, rather than power. Archetypes detailed in part 4 include:

  • The Sidekick was trained by a veteran hero and usually has powers similar to that hero. He may be young and still in training, or else ready to go off on his own.
  • A Spin-Off Heroine is a female hero who is based on a male one. This gives her an ally and a reputation, but also a self-image problem.
  • The Super Cop is a public servant – usually but not always a policeman – who has become a superhuman or who is armed with high-tech weaponry.
  • The Super-Patriot wears a costume based on the flag. He personifies his national virtues and is highly respected, even though he has few powers.
  • The Super Weapon is an ordinary person who has either been given or has found vast cosmic power. Now he has to figure out how to use it.
  • The Ultimate Hero is one of the greatest heroes on the planet. He has many highly effective powers, but he is also forced into a leadership role and must abide by a strict moral code.
  • An Undersea Hero is at his best when in the ocean, exploring the depths or protecting it from exploitation by ignorant surface dwellers. He may be human or a resident of Atlantis.
  • The Woman Warrior is a very physical-minded heroine who eagerly exchanges punches with male musclemen.
  • The Weapon Master seldom has powers, but makes up for it by his mastery of one type of weapon, often laden with high-tech gadgets.
  • The Young Hero is a teenager with powers that he is just learning to control.

The Field Guide series contains material that may not be appropriate for younger readers. Parental discretion is advised when buying the material for young adults under the age of 14.

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Reviews (2)
Discussions (2)
Customer avatar
Chad K March 27, 2020 2:05 am UTC
Will the series be available as POD? I see it mentioned, but no option to buy a POD. Maybe a combined edition?
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Customer avatar
James D March 27, 2020 3:01 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Ah! I should have updated the description, my apologies. This volume is the only one available in POD because it is the only one we had the art assets for when we went into layout. We didn't release it as a POD on Drive-Thru, but you can find it on Amazon by searching for the title. If we decide to do a compiled edition of all four volumes, we would need to revise all of the books and include all new art for the first three, which isn't currently in our plans... but if we have enough people asking for it, I'll certainly take it into consideration!
Customer avatar
JR P November 02, 2017 1:44 pm UTC
Is this series up to Assembled Edition rules? I keep buying products that look great only to discover they are for the last edition of Icons. Thanks!
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Customer avatar
James D November 03, 2017 4:22 am UTC
PUBLISHER
This product was last updated roughly two years before the Assembled Edition was released, sorry!
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Customer avatar
JR P November 03, 2017 2:36 pm UTC
Thank you for the quick reply. These guides look great!
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Customer avatar
James D November 04, 2017 1:11 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Hope you like them! The fourth one was published after I took over Vigilance Press, so it has a bit of a different look than the others.
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File Last Updated:
July 24, 2012
This title was added to our catalog on July 11, 2012.
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