Bobby Drake: Iceman Appreciation 2018

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- Bizarre Adventures (Volume 1) #27 (Second story)
Release Date- July 1981
Writer- Mary Jo Duffy
Artist- George Perez & Alfredo Alcala

Major Notes
Features Iceman

Brief Summary

Iceman: Winter Carnival

Iceman is visiting Dartmouth College during a winter carnival. The theme of the carnival is superheroes and Iceman is admiring an ice sculpture of his friend and fellow original X-Man Angel. He sees the other sculptures of various superheroes and sees that there is not one of him. Using his ice powers Iceman creates a sculpture of himself.

He is then approached by a group of students who are somewhat upset that the statue has appeared in front of their frat house. They question Iceman about it and behind his back he creates a snowball and throws it at their leader. This starts a friendly snowball fight as they all gang up on Iceman. There is no malice in the attack and as Iceman talks to the leader afterwards he hears someone shouting for help.

A group of thieves are stealing some hi-tech computer equipment and while they are escaping they are firing at the students. Iceman freezes himself over and attacks the thieves easily overwhelming them.

When the thieves are defeated he is thanked by both the campus police and the mysterious Professor Thatcher who tried to stop the thieves himself. Iceman decides to stay at the college and contribute to the fair as he creates ice slides and perform great feats using her ice powers. He likes the applaud he gets from working solo as he is often in a team.

Later he is enjoying some food in the dining hall when a police lieutenant comes up to him. At first Iceman thinks that the lieutenant is here to arrest him but instead he asks Iceman about the event that transpired a few short hours ago. The lieutenant explains that the equipment that was being stolen was a new hi-tech computer created by the Avenger known as Yellowjacket. It is here for testing and now is safely locked up in the computer centre. Iceman is also asked about the Professor who raised the alarm. One of the students comments that he has seen the Professor around but doesn’t know exactly what he teaches. None of his friends are on Professor Thatcher’s course and Iceman finds this suspicious.

That night the thieves are back since the robbery earlier was a phoney one set up by Professor Thatcher. In the robbery a box with a man inside was planted inside the building and the police carried it inside thinking that it was part of the stolen equipment. The man inside has unlocked the doors so that they can go inside and steal the actual equipment. Thatcher is with thieves and while he walks with the equipment he talks about his intellect and that in this part of the country there are no superheroes to stop him. He walks past the sculptures while he is talking and suddenly realises that he has walked past two different sculptures of Iceman.

One of the sculptures is indeed Iceman and he attacks the thieves freezing one of them instantly. He is easily able to defeat the other thieves until only Thatcher himself is left. Thinking that the Thatcher will be a pushover he lets his guard down allowing the villain to blast him using a blaster in his cane. This weakens Iceman and Thatcher takes the opportunity to try and escape. Iceman begins to melt but he doesn’t allow himself to be defeated and freezes himself over again.

Iceman creates an ice slide to try and chase after Thatcher but that is blasted as well. The villain makes his way down the ski slope, he believes that Iceman cannot hope to catch him but is very much surprised to see Iceman coming after him using a set of ice skis.

Attracted by the noise the group of drunken students appear and surround Thatcher thinking that it is some kind of party. He threatens to overload his cane and cause it to explode killing them all if Iceman doesn’t back off. The hero takes matters into his own hands and freezes the cane before throwing it up into the air and it explodes.

Thatcher is arrested and the students celebrate Iceman’s victory. Iceman himself is glad that he could help and walks away knowing that he has done good today. The computer system is safe and he has made some new friends.

My Thoughts

So we’re going for the second story in Bizarre Adventures #27. The first story was based on deceased X-Man Jean Grey but this one is about one that is still amongst the realm of the living. Iceman takes centre stage and it is nice to read a little about him since his role in the X-Men series has been practically non-existent since the introduction of the New X-Men.

Instead of seeing Iceman as part of a team with either the X-Men or the Champions, instead we get to see our favourite walking ice cube have a chance to shine in his own solo story. It was not the best solo story for a team player that I’ve read but it is far from the worse. It gave Iceman a chance to show that he is a capable hero by himself and doesn’t really need a team to show how much of a hero that he is.

One thing to point out about the issue was that it came out around the same time as the animated series Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends which starred you know who. Maybe this story was also a form of advertising him for the upcoming series. It is not the first time that Marvel have done something like that and it is certainly not the last either. Too bad the show didn’t last all that long but hey it was still a good show with some memorable episodes.

Back to the issue at hand the general story wasn’t all that bad, the winter setting was perfect for Iceman since having it take place during the summer would have felt a little out of place for someone who’s most famous for manipulating ice. We got to see him take down a few would be crooks and make a few friends along the way. Too bad they didn’t know that Bobby Drake and Iceman were one in the same or else they would know that they would have never had a chance against him in a real snowball fight.

Professor Thatcher is a guy who to my knowledge only appears in this issue and no other comics. He seems to be a man who believes that he is actually smarter than he really is. A little like the Riddler in Batman but without the question marks and the death traps. His idea wasn’t too bad but it would have been more plausible if he had actually gotten a proper job at the college to further his cover. At least then he wouldn’t have been all the suspicious. His cane wasn’t too farfetched in comparison to other weapons that I’ve seen in comics, it would be the sort of thing that a guy like him would carry around.

The ice sculpture angle was fun to see and it gave Iceman a good place to hide. Since he looks like an ice statue himself it was the perfect cover for him. Having sculptures at that time of year was definitely not out of place and it allowed us to see Iceman using stealth. Something that he is not too known for.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 6 out of 10. It was a good read but not as good as the Jean Grey story previously.

Next Issue
What If (Volume 1) #27

[i cant think of a shorter name]

Hiiiiiii! I am new here. This is my first post and it's to support Bobby. I have been a big fan of Iceman since the series Spider and his friends when i was a boy. Now i am 16 (still a boy) and really love him in the comics. Go on Ice fans

[cc008]

Haven't seen this thread in quite some time.. kind of strapped for news these days. Teen Bobby will be appearing in Cyclops #12, though.

[cc008]

Here we go!

[cc008]

[Beezzi]

Bobby! Finally!

Oh please, let this be a nod to the good ol' guy we know! Love that look.

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- Iceman (Volume 1) #1
Release Date- December 1984
Writer- J.M. DeMatteis
Artist- Alan Kupperberg

Major Notes
First Iceman solo comic

Brief Summary

The Fuse

A war is taking place on an alien planet leaving most of the cities in ruin. Many inhabitants have been enslaved or slaughtered while in a fortress the being behind it named Oblivion sends two of his stooges named White Light and the Idiot to find a particular person. He reminds them of the price of failure.

Meanwhile in Port Jefferson Long Island Iceman is hurrying to his father’s retirement party. He is using his powers to slide over the streets. He is nervous about seeing his parents since they don’t entirely approve of him being a mutant and want him to become an accountant rather than a superhero. As he goes by a bus he sees his cousin Mary and quickly grabs her. She knows his secret identity but he isn’t too worried about revealing it to the public due to this stunt. He is constantly being mistaken for the Silver Surfer. She can see that there is something on his mind and he tells her about his relationship with his parents.

Suddenly he sees a family walking underneath and the adult daughter catches his eye. He quickly puts Mary down on the ground and then goes over to the family. He tries to impress the girl but she and the family panic and flee. Iceman realise what has happened and suddenly a crowd gather around him. Then a policeman comes up to him about the seeming kidnap of Mary. At first he thinks that Iceman is the Silver Surfer but when he realises that he is a mutant he calls him a freak. Iceman freezes him up so that he has time to think, he isn’t happy about what the officer has said.

Iceman goes into a neighbour’s garden as he ices down and begins to get changed. He thinks about the current state of anti-mutant hysteria. Unfortunately he attracts the attention of the dog and soon the resident of the house who is an old woman pops her head out of the window. She believes that he is a sexual deviant who is undressing and sets her dog on him. Iceman has no choice but to flee.

By the time he has gotten away he thinks about when he found his own dog and wasn’t allowed to keep it. He isn’t really paying attention to where he was going and he runs into the family again. They don’t realise that he is Iceman and they seem to be very nice people. He tells them that he is the son of William and Madelaine Drake and they tell him that they’re the Smiths. Iceman doesn’t really know how to talk to the daughter and as they leave he discovers that her name is Marge and she lives next door.

Iceman eventually gets to his parent’s house and at first everything seems to be well but when they suddenly talk about him giving up being a superhero and becoming an accountant he realises that this is what he had been dreading.

Meanwhile at the local police station the officer talks to one of his colleagues about his encounter with Iceman. Suddenly a portal appears before them and White Light and the Idiot step through. The Idiot states that they’re in the right place but suddenly the officers pull a gun on them. White Light uses his powers commands them to be quiet and drop the gun. They do as he says and then uses his powers to make them go home and to bed. With the officers gone the pair start their hunt.

At the Drake House the party is in full swing as a couple of aunts coddle Iceman. They are hurting his cheeks but Mary is able to pull him away stating that there is an emergency in the kitchen. They actually go outside and begin to talk, Iceman says how his parents are trying to ignore the fact that he is a mutant and how he is torn between staying hidden and being normal or being a superhero. Suddenly Madelaine arrives with Cousin Joel who wants to give Iceman advice about accounting. Iceman isn’t interested with this and basically sends the advice back into his face. This causes his parents to become angry with him and he walks away as his father shouts at him.

Iceman bumps into Marge again who had been takin a tray of brownies to the party. They are properly able to introduce one another while at the house with the old lady White
Light and the Idiot arrive. They have disguised themselves but as they enter they put the old woman and her dog to sleep. White Light pulls out a device that amplifies the Idiot’s tracking abilities. He is then able to locate their target and they quickly move for both their sakes.

Iceman and Marge are still talking and their conversation has moved onto their own families. The Smiths seem to be very normal and his family are also normal but he feels that there is a rift between them. They seem to really like each other but before it can go any further White Light and the Idiot comes crashing down from above them. Marge flees inside the house while Iceman ices over and defends himself. It is a seesaw battle between them but he doesn’t know that the Smiths have fled through a portal located in one of the closets.

Meanwhile next door the Drake family realise that there is a battle taking place next door. Madelaine instantly becomes worried about Iceman and they watch the Idiot taking down house right on top of him. As the dust settles they see that Iceman has protected himself with an ice dome while also using it to protect White Light and the Idiot. The villains suddenly disappear in a portal and before he can explain what’s happened the police officer arrives to place him under arrest while the Drakes can’t believe that Bobby Drake is Iceman.

My Thoughts

Well here we begin with the first issue of Iceman’s first solo Limited Series. It is the first time that Iceman has been the subject of a post since Bizarre Adventures and to tell you the truth I have missed him. I did like him in the original X-Men comics but I know that soon enough I’ll be reading about him regularly again.

Since we haven’t really been covering Iceman since he left the X-Men shortly after Giant Size X-Men #1 we haven’t really been following what he has been doing. From his little recap we know that he’s been a member of the Champions and the Defenders. Unfortunately those stints have not been as memorable as his membership of the X-Men which one day he will eventually return to.

I did find it funny how Iceman was constantly being mistaken for the Silver Surfer. They do look very similar and it was the Silver Surfer who more or less stole the look, not the other way around. Even in merchandising I’ve seen the two characters get mixed up (even I’ve done it once or twice). Well they both came out of the mind of Stan Lee so you can see why they’re similar.

We also saw that there was a rift between Iceman and his family since they want one life for him while he prefers another. This is something that we have seen numerous times in both reality and fiction. Hell we’ve even seen it in the Dazzler series (which had the recent graphic novel mentioned). It is something that it believable, especially after the fact that Iceman is a mutant.

There are several characters introduced in this issue which don’t get any page time after the series has ended. We have Marge and the Smiths who definitely have something going on with them since they fled through a portal which isn’t entirely normal. Then we have Oblivion who seems to be an alien overlord and his two stooges. The first being
White Light who can basically do the Jedi Mind Trick amongst other things and the Idiot (what a name) who are basically his lapdogs. Not sure exactly who they were looking for but at this point it seems to be Iceman.

The overall story was alright with subjects that weren’t entirely superhero like. When I say that I mean about Iceman coming to blows with his family although his cousin Mary is still on his side. We also learned that Iceman is half Irish Catholic and half Jewish. This is a little something that does give us a sense of realism to the story. I also noticed that when Iceman was arrested the officer was wearing his dressing gown. I found this humorous since it was the same officer who had been racist towards him and had been sent home by White Light.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 7 out of 10. It was a pretty good start to the series.

Next Issue
Beauty and the Beast (Volume 1) #1

[cc008]

I got that mini for Christmas last year and really enjoyed it. Fun little series that I thought held up fairly well.

[a0040pc]

Issue Information
Title- Iceman (Volume 1) #2
Release Date- February 1985
Writer- J.M. DeMatteis
Artist- Alan Kupperberg
Major Notes
None

Brief Summary

Instant Karma!

White Light and The Idiot tremble before the towering, shadowed figure of Oblivion. They are reduced to nothingness before an alien woman with four arms is called forward. Her name is Kali and she is commanded to succeed where the White Light and the Idiot failed. She and a hoard of giant winged spiders venture forward to find their prey.

At the police station Iceman has explained that the beings who attacked him were Soviet spies. All but Officer Ralph believe him and as Iceman leaves Ralph hurls verbal abuse at him for being a mutant. Iceman responds by throwing a snowball in his face and then sliding away.

As Iceman makes his way towards home he remembers the events that have led to this moment. He is thankful that due to his status as a Defender people tend to believe whatever he tells them. He does begin to wonder what happened to the Smith family and as he slides above their destroyed house he notices a strange box in the rubble. He picks up the box and then slides through the window of his room next door and he begins to think that he wasn’t the target of White Light or the Idiot.

As soon as he steps into his room he discovers that his parents are waiting for him. His father in particular is furious by what has happened and that the family now know that he’s a mutant. He believes that superheroing will get Iceman killed and he storms out of the room and claims that he will never forgive his son. Iceman’s mother then steps out but not without her own words which pile on the guilt for Iceman. Now that he is alone he does consider what he’s been told and even looks at a picture of himself with his parents when he was younger. He thinks about a time when his parents were younger and he hears the box besides him make a noise. Before he can do anything about it he and the box both disappear.

Somewhere in England in 1892 the Smith Family are settling down in their new lives in this era. Everything seems to be fine but suddenly their fireplace turns into a computer and it is sounding. Marge’s brother Walter goes to check it out and discovers that someone has used one of their so called bounce boxes. The screen shows that it is Iceman who is using the bounce box and the family fear that he might bounce his way out of existence. They urge Marge to help him but she tells them to be quiet or else she’ll bounce them out of existence. The family reluctantly do as they are told.

Iceman suddenly drops to the ground and has no idea where he is. A policeman comes up from behind him and questions him in why he is only wearing underwear. From the posters and the newspapers nearby Iceman knows that he has travelled through time. The police officer tells him that it is 1942 so Iceman ices up and slides away. In response he shoots at Iceman and one of the bullets goes clean through his arm making him drop the box. Iceman is able to grab the box and make distance between him and the police officer but he is in pain and it isn’t long before he falls unconscious. When he hits the ground there is a man and woman standing before him.

When Iceman wakes up the next person that he sees is a man with a striking resemblance to his father except younger. He also sees a younger version of his mother as well who had wanted to call the police but Willie hadn’t let him. Willie explains how Iceman looks a lot like his younger brother who died while fighting the Japanese. He feels guilty since he couldn’t join the army due to a heart condition. Madeline tells him that he is a wonderful man and shouldn’t think it.

Iceman wishes to leave but Willie tells him that he needs to rest and that he looks to be in trouble. Iceman admits that he is scared and Madeline explains that everyone is scared because of the war. Like Willie she feels that she can trust him and even states that she will help him. They talk for the next few hours and Iceman makes a few realisations but he still doesn’t have the heart to tell them who he really is.

Suddenly Iceman notices the hoard of giant flying spiders coming towards him. Kali leads the hoard and they have tracked his location through the bounce box. As they attack Iceman ices over and shields his parents from harm. As Kali demands the child to show herself Iceman realises that she is talking about Marge and he begins to wonder who she actually is. He is able to fend off Kali and leads her away from his parents. This battle is being watched by the Smiths in 1892 and although they want to help Marge states that there is nothing she can do.

In the rubble of their apartment Willie realises that the box that Iceman is carrying isn’t a radio but some kind of device. He wishes to return it to Iceman since he believes that he needs it but Madeline protests.

Iceman continues to battle Kali in the streets and at first he does well but she is able to break through his shield and lock in a bear hug. She believes that he is merely a creation of Marge but she soon realises that he is human. She is not as willing to kill him but she swears that she will if he doesn’t tell her where Marge is. Willie suddenly runs up to the battle with the bounce box in his hands. Iceman has already figured that the box works by reading the mind of the user and transporting them to the time of their wishing.

Kali sees the box and decides that it can lead them to Marge. She sends two of her minions on spider back to retrieve it. They grab Willie who purposely drops the box, for this he is smashed into a wall. Seeing that his father is in trouble Iceman is able to break out of Kail’s grip and save him. He is dropped but Iceman is able to grab him before he hits the ground. Suddenly the face of Marge appears in the sky. She states that it is her that Kali wants and completely forgetting about Iceman and his parents Kali flies into the face which is also a doorway which will lead her to Marge.

Iceman and Madeline tend to the injured Willie. In his state he believes that Iceman is his brother Georgie. He tells him to take care of Madeline before he dies in his arms.
Madeline begins to cry and blames Bobby for what has happened. This makes him feel guilty but he realises that now that his father is dead he shouldn’t even exist and much to his horror he fades into nothingness.

My Thoughts

Now we return to Iceman in an enjoyable and somewhat whacky issue that involves time travelling and even more questions about the Smith family and Marge in particular. We saw Iceman have a big row with his folks and then meets their younger selves. He even watches his younger father die and as we all saw what happened to Iceman after that. I wonder how he can carry on now that he no longer exists.

The issue also introduced the villain known as Kali although I highly doubt that she is ever seen or heard of again after this series concludes. She reminds me a lot of future X-Men villainess Spiral although Kali has two less arms. Is this a prelude of what is to come perhaps?

The Smith family didn’t seem to jump to a different place entirely but a different time instead. They are hiding out in the late 19th century and they seem to be running from Oblivion (who we only briefly saw at the beginning of the issue). It also seems that Marge is the one in charge of the family and the rest of them seem to be terrified of her. Not sure why yet but it is most likely something that we will find out in the near future. All we know is that they’re certainly not a normal family.

Once again we saw Iceman having a row with his parents but we saw that they do love him, even before he existed since they were willing to help him in the past. Iceman seems to have a striking resemblance to his uncle Georgie who had died during the war. This seems to be why the younger Willie was so willing to help Iceman. Ultimately this leads him to be killed.

At the end we are unsure of Iceman’s fate since he fades from existence since his father has been killed. A reader might think that we’ll never see him again but since there are another two issues of this series to go we know that this isn’t the end of an Original X-Men. I did find it somewhat odd he still wore an X logo although he left the X-Men almost a decade earlier. I thought it would have been a D for Defenders but maybe it is just to remind him of his roots.

One thing I also found funny which is a little off topic. I am reading the original and inside there was an advertisement for a G.I Joe video tape which they said was at an affordable $40. That is basically the same price as buying 50 comic books at the time, so basically buying a video cassette would cost you enough money to buy roughly four years’ worth of comics for a particular series (if you took away annuals and specials). It is insane to think a video tape cost that much back then (and that comics were so cheap).

Back to the issue it was overall a good story that was well contained and although the past era didn’t feature any characters like Captain America (besides the poster), Namor or the original Human Torch it felt like they weren’t needed. It didn’t suffer from having to worry too much about what was happening around the series and is a fun little comic to read, especially for a fan of Iceman.

In conclusion I’m giving the issue a 7 out of 10. It was an enjoyable read but obviously lacked the big wow factor that other series have.

Next Issue
Beauty and the Beast (Volume 1) #2

[xhx23x]

So over at the Marvel Heroes game forums I saw a particularly interesting spoiler for ANXM 40 regarding Bobby. I'm not sure what can be posted or discuss here though, just giving people a heads up.

[Beezzi]

So over at the Marvel Heroes game forums I saw a particularly interesting spoiler for ANXM 40 regarding Bobby. I'm not sure what can be posted or discuss here though, just giving people a heads up.

Well it's a new day...

We'll see how this goes...

Depends on how well its written...so this will be Bendis' legacy...

[KurtW95]

Oh dear. All-New 40 just leaked and spoilers:

Bendis just made Bobby gay.

end of spoilers

[xhx23x]

Well it's a new day...

We'll see how this goes...

Depends on how well its written...so this will be Bendis' legacy...

We wanted something to be done with Bobby. And I don't mind this one bit.

[Mr. Brightside]

I, for one, am ecstatic!!!!
I do, however, fear how it'll be explained regarding ArrrBobby
#ThankYouBasedBendis

[xhx23x]

I, for one, am ecstatic!!!!
I do, however, fear how it'll be explained regarding ArrrBobby
#ThankYouBasedBendis

Maybe that's where all his anger's been coming from lately.