Firestorm #3

Jun 1978 · DC · 0.35 USD

📊 ~31,001 copies sold its debut month

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“Kiss Not the Lips of Killer Frost”

★ 1st appearance — Crystal Frost

About this Issue

Firestorm #3 (June 1978) marks the debut of Killer Frost — Crystal Frost — one of the most consequential villains to emerge from DC's Bronze Age. As Firestorm's primary arch-nemesis, Crystal Frost launched a legacy that would stretch across three separate characters carrying the same mantle, from Louise Lincoln through the New 52's Caitlin Snow, each leaving a significant stamp on DC continuity. The issue is also notable for delivering the character's complete origin in a single self-contained story: her transformation, her motivation rooted in unrequited love and workplace misogyny, and her first battle with Firestorm are all established here. That moral complexity — a brilliant scientist wronged by the men around her, pushed past a breaking point into villainy — gave Killer Frost a psychological depth unusual for a new villain's debut and helped the character endure across decades of DC publishing.

In "Kiss Not the Lips of Killer Frost," Firestorm faces a chilling twist when Dr. Crystal Frost, caught in a super-refrigeration chamber at the secret Mohole One facility, undergoes a transformation that awakens a dangerous new identity. Written by Gerry Conway and illustrated by Al Milgrom, with inks by Bob McLeod and colors by Mario Sen, this 1978 issue explores the volatile intersection of science and power, all under a cover by Al Milgrom that captures the eerie intensity of the moment.

writer Gerry Conway · artist Al Milgrom · inker Bob McLeod · colorist Mario Sen · letterer Ben Oda · cover Al Milgrom

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $10

CGC 9.8 · 112 in census $244

CGC 9.6 · 131 in census $119

CGC 9.4 · 73 in census $65*

CGC 9.2 · 63 in census $47

CGC 9.0 · 27 in census $38

CGC 8.5 · 32 in census $38

Show all 22 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 26 in census $35

CGC 7.5 · 14 in census $35

CGC 7.0 · 13 in census $35

CGC 6.5 · 6 in census $27*

CGC 6.0 · 3 in census $26*

CGC 5.5 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 5.0 none in existence

CGC 4.5 none in existence

CGC 4.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 3.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 3.0 none in existence

CGC 2.5 none in existence

CGC 2.0 none in existence

CGC 1.5 none in existence

CGC 1.0 none in existence

CGC 0.5 · 2 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

More listings for this title

NM $3.75 NM $3.79 FN $3.99 VF/NM $3.99 NM $4.65 VF/NM $4.99 VF/NM $4.99 VF/NM $4.99

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History

Firestorm #3 was written by Gerry Conway and illustrated by Al Milgrom — the same creative team who had debuted Firestorm just two issues earlier in March 1978, part of DC's ambitious 'DC Explosion' initiative to launch a wave of new titles. Conway, who had honed his craft writing The Amazing Spider-Man at Marvel and had carried over a storytelling philosophy of dense subplots and rich supporting casts, wasted no time expanding Firestorm's rogues' gallery with a villain who stood in thematic counterpoint to the nuclear hero himself. Edited by Jack C. Harris, the issue was produced during a period of creative optimism at DC that would be abruptly curtailed: the original series ran only to issue #5 before the company-wide 'DC Implosion' cancellations hit, ending the first Firestorm run prematurely. The issue was later reprinted in the 2011 trade paperback Firestorm the Nuclear Man, which collected issues #1–5 alongside Flash backup stories.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance and full origin of Killer Frost (Crystal Frost), created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Al Milgrom — cover date June 1978.
Story title: 'Kiss Not the Lips of Killer Frost!' — Crystal Frost, a former student of Professor Martin Stein at Hudson University, is accidentally locked in the Thermafrost cooling system she designed at the Mohole 1 Research Station in the Arctic, and is transformed into the heat-absorbing, cold-projecting villain Killer Frost.
Crystal Frost is established from the outset as Firestorm's primary arch-enemy; the issue details her motivation (unrequited love for Stein, resentment at being dismissed by male colleagues) and her defeat by Firestorm converting a room into a refrigeration unit.
Pencils and cover by Al Milgrom; inks by Bob McLeod; script by Gerry Conway; edited by Jack C. Harris.
Killer Frost's Crystal Frost incarnation is the first of three characters to carry the name: Louise Lincoln (Fury of Firestorm #34, 1985) and Caitlin Snow (New 52) followed, with the lineage traceable directly to this issue.
Cliff Carmichael — Ronnie Raymond's antagonistic classmate — and supporting cast members Doreen Day and Dr. Wallace Hapgood also appear, part of Conway's ongoing effort to build a dense Spider-Man-style supporting cast around Ronnie's high school life.
The issue was reprinted in the 2011 DC trade paperback Firestorm the Nuclear Man, which collected the complete original 1978 series alongside early Flash backup stories.
Killer Frost subsequently appeared in DC Comics Presents #17, Justice League of America #195–197, and multiple animated projects including Young Justice (voiced by Sarah Shahi) and Justice League Action, cementing her status as one of DC's most recognizable ice-based villains.