Bobby Drake: Iceman Appreciation 2019

[Triniking1234]

Neal Adams' art is too good.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

X-Factor #44 Sep 1989
Judgement War! Part 2 of 7. "Another World!"
Continued from last issue...

With X-Factor separated on an alien world when they were teleported into the middle of a battle between the Chosen and the Rejects,
Cyclops finds himself alone in the evacuated battlefield as Gammenon the Celestial slowly descends on the area.
Unable to stop the giant cosmic being with his optic blast, Cyclops instead
decides to try to blast a hole in the ground deep enough to avoid getting crushed.

Meanwhile, the Beast has fled with the Rejects along with one of their warriors Zharkah.
When Zharkah wonders what tribe Beast has come from, Hank considers that she may not be able to
understand the concept that he came from another world decides to pretend that he has partial amnesia.
Zharkah believes this and thinks that his mind has been partially wiped by one of the Chosen's Jammers.

This allows Hank to ask questions about he conflict between
the genetically pure Chosen, and the mutates known as the Rejects
and the fact that the "space god" that has arrived on their world has come for
yet another test of their world, one which Zharkah believes they will not pass.
Arriving at the Reject village, Beast is shown that they live in tall platforms suspended over their refuse.
He is shown Old Vlon, a powerful Telekinetic that was mind wiped by a Jammer.
Beast also meets Zharkah's child and sees the grief of the pregnant reject Wilghe
when she learns that her husband Zheops had died in the battle.
As Zharkah goes to aid the grieving widow, she tells Beast to go and get some food.
As Hank wanders away, he considers the parallels on this world with human mutant relations on Earth.
Upon thinking about the fate of his comrades, Beast wonders how the Chosen would view
his comrade Archangel who is mostly human if not for his blue skin and metallic wings.

If Beast could look upon his friends fate, he would learn that Warren is a prisoner of the Chosen and has his wings restrained in a plastic restraint
as Princess Seera and Lord Rask and one of the Chosens scientists try to make sense out of why a "Reject" would save the Princess in combat.
They refuse to believe Warren's stories that he has no idea what the conflict was about, or that he is from another world.
When Rask intends to put Warren into the arena, Warren breaks free and attempts to flee.
However Rask manages to incapacitate Warren again with his force blasts.
Witnessing this display, the Princess can't help but find Warren's display magnificent.
All present believe that Seera was speaking of Rask except for her robot ZZ-105.
Zee-Zee points this out when they are walking away from the lab alone, and although the Princess
struggles to understand it she can't help but wonder what her feelings about the encounter are.
When she begins talking of the stories Zee-Zee told her as a child about how children used to be birthed
the robot warns her not to tell anyone that it told her such tales and insists that they are false.

When a supply robot zips past them, Seera and Zee-Zee go into another lab where another scientist is examining Iceman with Lev watching over.
Confusing him for a "Dueler", a class of the Chosen with an alternate form,

and Lev is mocked for attacking one of her own in battle when she confused him for a Reject.
When the scientist finds no records, they dismiss him as probably being a member of some outer colony that is bad at keeping records.
When Bobby revives, they begin trying to ask him questions,

but find that he has amnesia. When he attempts to reach out and touch the princess
-- an act that is forbidden -- the scientist knocks him out before he can.

He then turns Bobby over to Lev to try and stir his memory.

While back at the site of the battlefield, Gammenon has left leaving giant foot prints in his wake.
Cyclops manages to blast his way out to the surface and finds a green skinned telepath waiting for him.
The man asks Scott if he is one of the Chosen or a Reject.
Scott tells him that he is from a far away world and that his friends are missing.
Helped out of the pit, Cyclops begins calling out to his friends, however the humanoid
tells him it's ultimately useless as there is nobody around and invites him to follow.
As Cyclops is led away, he wonders what became of his friends, and most importantly, his son Christopher.

Back at the Chosen's citadel, Seera looks over the vats of genetic material that they use to create new members of their race.
She remarks over how fewer and fewer batches of these artificially created people come out pure enough to live in their society, or alive for that matter.
When a sci-bot overhears Seera talking about how it must have been "better" when children are born biologically it begins demanding answers.
However she threatens to send it off for repairs in order to keep it quiet and send it on it's way.
She is then met by Father-Sun, the man who recovered young Christopher Summers from the battle field.
Feeling an instant maternal love for the child she offers Father-Sun Zee-Zee's entire supply of mood altering drugs in exchange for the child.
When he turns around to get the bounty of narcotics, Seera uses her own jamming powers to make Father-Sun forget about the child completely.
Not wanting to have to give the child up to the scientists, Seera hides young
Christopher within Zee-Zee so that she can smuggle the boy back to her quarters.

Back at the home of the Rejects, Beast is joined by Zharkah whom he begins asking if anyone has seen his friends.
When he begins describing Marvel Girl to Zharkah, the Reject wonders if he is referring to the
"Chosen" woman they have captured after jamming and is now locked up in one of their dungeons.
Finding Beast's questions suspicious she decides to keep this bit of information from him to see what else she can learn from him.
Beast himself decides it's best to continue to keep up his feigned amnesia in order to get the answers he wants.
Turning his attentions to a shooting star he wonders how their Ship is faring since it was captured by the Celestials.
High above the planet, Ship is continuing to explain to Gammenon about it's origins that it's known about since it's come online.
However, the massive Celestial doesn't seem to be satisfied with the tale and as Ship continues to probe deeper into his data banks he
comes to consider that it might not have been built by Apocalypse, but by some other force all together and decides to tell it's tale again.

Scott is led to an underground cavern where he is introduced to the Beginagains, a group of Rejects and Chosen
who have come to realize that unity is the only way for either of their races to survive.
They explain to Scott that the arrival of the "Space God" Gammenon was ordained
as the Celestials have come to their planet many times to judge it's inhabitance.
In every previous encounter, they have been deemed worthy to continue.
However, Zalph has had a preventative flash that suggests that this time, they might not be so lucky.

Story by Louise Simonson http://www.comicsreporter.com/index....uise_simonson/. Art by Paul Smith and Al Milgrom.

[PetPigeon]

Wasn't there some talk about Gerry and Sina Grace's books being similar and some stink in the air about it?

Yes, Sina was crying and saying Duggan basically took his whole cast which is so ridiculous. I'm sure none of Sina's abysmal original characters will appear and Duggan won't write everything with the elegance of a sledge hammer.

[Anduinel]

I don't really tweet but I want someone to tweet Gerry Dugan and ask if he read Iceman's solo series and if it has influenced his team at all.

I'd be surprised if it hadn't -- Duggan and Grace do know each other -- and I hope it did. I'd like to see some of the threads from the solo revisited during Marauders, like where Christian Frost fits in with this new state of mutantcy.

[Shreene]

I'd be surprised if it hadn't -- Duggan and Grace do know each other -- and I hope it did. I'd like to see some of the threads from the solo revisited during Marauders, like where Christian Frost fits in with this new state of mutantcy.

Wouldn't he still be legally insane?

[Anduinel]

Wouldn't he still be legally insane?

Last we saw, he was much improved. And he wouldn't be the only one on the island dealing with mental health issues.

[RachelGrey]

Last we saw, he was much improved. And he wouldn't be the only one on the island dealing with mental health issues.

yeah Emma worked with him for a while, he appeared with Emma when they both helped the X-Men fight the ice constructs made by Sinister. Christian convinced Emma to help.

Later in the Winters End comic Christian approached Bobby to thank him for helping him get free of his psychosis over his father's abuse and death. Christian gave Bobby a cheque to use however he wanted and Bobby gave the money to the Morlocks.

I would like to see Christian again, it would be neat if Bobby has two guys to try and date, and have Emma giving him the "eye" when he comes to her house to take Christian out.

[PhoenixStudies]

Bobby's omega potential from the story that first confirmed him as an omega mutant.

[PhoenixStudies]

[PhoenixStudies]

Last ones...

[Nicoclaws]

So Iceman is back to the speedo (not fresh, but still one of my favs) and he finally get a Dauterman cover !
Any speculation about the semi-naked man with him on the cover ?

[Dante Milton]

character sketch by Russell Dauterman

[Havok83]

I dont like his ice form for Bobby

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

I font like it as well

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Uncanny X-Men #61 Oct 1969
"Monsters Also Weep"
Continued from last issue...

While going out to investigate reports of a reported winged mutant, Angel runs into Sauron,
the pterodactyl man who was once renowned scientist Karl Lykos. Confronting the creature,
Warren falls prey to his hypnotic gaze and is made to see phantom images of gigantic flying monsters.
Realizing that they are only illusions, Warren manages to shake off
the effects and resume his attack on Sauron. However the creature flees.

This flight is short lived when the other X-Men catch up to Warren and Cyclops
strikes Sauron with an optic blast and held in place telekinetically by Jean.
However, Sauron uses his hypnotic gaze to make Marvel Girl see the other X-Men as monsters.
Sauron laughs at this, leaving him open to an attack from both Angel, Beast and Iceman.
Only Iceman's ice powers seem to have much of an effect on Sauron.

Back at Lykos' office a phone rings which starts to make Alex begin to stir.
While back at the battle, Sauron begins to change back into his human form.
Catching Warren in his hypnotic gaze once more, the rapidly changing Sauron orders Angel to take him back to his office.
As Warren sprints off with the now human Lykos in hand, the X-Men call out to Warren to stop
helping their enemy escape, and Lykos vows that the X-Men will see Sauron again very soon.

Returning to his office, he finds that his fiancée Tanya has arrived at his office and is looking over the unconscious Alex Summers.
Shocked to find her here after her father had forbidden her to see him,
she tells him that she had a premonition that something was wrong and had to come and see him.
Scott and the other X-Men soon arrive at Lykos' office in their civilian guises
to check on Alex having given up searching for Warren for the time being.
They arrive just as Alex awakes. He thanks Karl for his help and books a second appointment.
The happy scene is shattered when Tanya's father arrives, furious that his daughter has disobeyed his wishes
and has come to see Lykos, whom Mr. Anderssen believes to be nothing but a fraud and charlatan.
Lykos agrees with Anderssen, that only money and power will make him worthy of Tanya's love and vows angrily to get it.
Tanya storms out in tears with the elder Anderssen following after her.
When the X-Men ask about the billing, Lykos tells them he will mail it to them
and dismisses them and begins plotting to become Sauron once more.

Returning to headquarters, the X-Men find Angel waiting for them in some kind of trance.
Snapping him out of it, Warren screams out Lykos' name and lashes out forcing Hank to knock him out.
Realizing that there is some sort of connection between Karl Lykos and Sauron, the X-Men change into their costumes
and decide to go and investigate, leaving Lorna to keep an eye on Alex and Warren.
As the X-Men leave, Lykos arrives at the X-Mansion and breaks in.
When overhearing Lorna trying to talk to a sleeping Alex, he overhears her say that she is a mutant.
Serving his needs, Lykos sneaks up behind her and begins to absorb her energy, turning into Sauron once more.

Sauron attacks Anderssen in his home and Anderssen recognizes Sauron's voice to be that of Karl Lykos.
Suddenly, the X-Men arrive and attack Sauron, driving him away.
Sauron momentarily regains the facilities normally maintained as Karl Lykos and realizes how evil he has become.
When the X-Men ask Tanya where Lykos might go, she lies and tells them that
she doesn't know, wanting to pursue him to provide support him through this time.

Karl travels to his father’s old home in Tierra Del Fuego where it's isolation will keep him away from human
hosts in the hopes that he will eventually "starve" to death having been cut off from and human energy sources.

Days later Tanya, who deduced where Lykos had gone arrives, much to his horror.
Realizing that he must end his life quickly, Lykos attempts to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff.
The X-Men, having followed Tanya in secret, attempt to stop both
lovers from going over the cliffs edge, with Iceman erecting an ice barrier.

He is only in time to save Tanya from the lethal plunge. With Lykos presumably dead,
the X-Men comfort the grieving Tanya and take her away from the scene.

Script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Neal Adams, inks by Tom Palmer