Bobby Drake: Iceman Appreciation 2023

[BobbysWorld]

Honestly, my only real big wishes for Bobby this year is whatever his big moment or things to watch are, as hinted at by JDW - its for something other than his powers. I love his powers and the range and creativity they allow for, but I'm so ready for his character to be valued - in universe and out of universe - for reasons other than just being a super powerful mutant. This guy has been doing the hero thing for longer and more consistently than just about anyone else.....whereas most other characters have long stints of being dead or being brainwashed and evil or taking time off from heroics, in his sixty years of existence he's basically only stepped away from the hero game to go to college and then he took some time off to tend to his dad after the whole Graydon Creed storyline. Beyond that, he had one short arc of being influenced by the Death Seed, and that was it. Except for those brief moments, he's been a dedicated superhero practically his entire life, starting far earlier than most other heroes.

Bottom line is there is a VERY short list of heroes who have devoted as much of their lives to helping other people as this guy has, and that's treated as negligent and lesser than the fact that he has himbo energy or makes silly jokes as his coping mechanism for all that he's been through and seen. I'm just ready for people in universe to start acknowledging that like....this guy has given EVERYTHING of himself to protecting people, uplifting other mutants, building communities beyond just mutantkind, etc. He regularly champions underdogs that other mutants sneer at like the Morlocks or the Russian underground of mutants, he's never limited himself to just mutantkind and has friends among other hero groups like Black Widow and Hercules and Johnny Storm, etc, etc.

Too often he's just treated as the butt of jokes and not taken seriously for anything other than his powers but he has valuable experience, insights, etc. He USED to be one of the more ambitious and hotheaded characters back in the day, and ironically - considering how frequently the untapped potential trope recurs with him - he has a much longer track record of actively seeking to improve himself and his powers than just about any other hero. He hones that **** constantly. He absolutely has an awareness of what its like to be afraid of what you're capable of - he was shown putting more thought and introspection into the aftermath of the Dark Iceman arc than most writers have ever afforded characters like Scott, Emma, Colossus, etc, in the aftermath of their brushes with absolute power....the Dark Iceman arc WRECKED Bobby, emotionally, but when have writers ever allowed him an opportunity to sit down and seriously compare notes with old friends like Scott or Jean about what that kind of experience is like? Hell, they never even let him talk about it with Warren and NOBODY knows more about being affected by a Death Seed than Warren Worthington - the guy who originally was only shocked out of his own brush with Apocalypse's Death-programming by Bobby tricking him into thinking he'd killed Bobby when instead Bobby just switched himself with one of his ice dupes.

I'm just ready for other characters to take him seriously. I love Bobby's fun-loving nature and don't want him to ever lose his trickster energy but he doesn't have to, in order to have storylines where he like...goes through **** and people regard him as more than just a goofball. There's no shortage of characters who have the same reputation for goofing off - Peter Parker, Dick Grayson, etc - and yet time and again writers prove its possible to treat characters like that as more than one note and having depth. Liu, Carey, Lobdell, Mackie and multiple others have done it with Bobby himself, it just never seems to stick and he constantly gets reverted back to being a one trick pony, with that trick being look at me guys, I have lulz and feats, but that's it! LOL.

So that's what I'm looking for from his character this year - same as every other year, lol. For writers to finally do something with him that elevates him to more than just superpowerful support character or most valuable jokester. Give him a storyline that puts him at the emotional heart of a plot, let other characters actually invest in his NON-power-related traits, his experience and intelligence and deep, consistent passion for standing up for the people nobody else is standing up for, even among mutants. Let him do something other than throw ice around, let his ACTIONS and CHOICES dictate the shape of a story. Give us a story where other characters take their lead from him - it doesn't mean he needs to be a leader or have his own team, just let him drive a freaking plot for once.

He has ALL the substance needed to actually make it as an A-list character, but he never ends up in that rarefied air for any reason other than iconic visuals because too often, writers just don't bother TRYING to make him matter. His character is capable of so much more - being used for so much more - than to just swing at low-hanging fruit.

[JB]

Well said BW and you're absolutely right that he should be honored for than his sense of humor and amazing powers. He's one of the most consistent superheroes mutantkind has and he's an actual team player - he loves working with his teammates. I remember not long ago you reminding us about his role in mentoring the youths in OG X-Factor. I'd love to know what some of your favorite Iceman stories are because I'd like to revisit them.

[JB]

Mark Eastwood putting his expert touch on Bobby next.

[Nicoclaws]

Nice classic vibe!

[Til]

Was there ever a follow-up to the Voices mini saying Bobby was going to move off Krakoa into his own place on the West Coast? I was hoping that was leading into some more solo stories, but I've heard nothing since.

[From The Shadows]

I hope you dont mind me posting these. One of my fave moments with Bobby. And with some wonderful Joe Mad art. :-)

[Damien]

God I wish we had more moments with Ro and Bobby together! This was one of my favorite X-Men vignettes growing up. I loved the downtime stories we use to get.

[Nicoclaws]

Was there ever a follow-up to the Voices mini saying Bobby was going to move off Krakoa into his own place on the West Coast? I was hoping that was leading into some more solo stories, but I've heard nothing since.

Well he got put on the X-men and that was completely forgotten.

[JB]

I hope you dont mind me posting these. One of my fave moments with Bobby. And with some wonderful Joe Mad art. :-)

Beautiful moment. Joe Mad drew one of my favorite Bobby's (and Storm) ever.

[Fokken]

BEAUTIFULLY done sequence. The build up of the emotion from the processing moment as the tears fill Bobby's eyes, to the crashing into himself and that expression when he looks over at Storm! That kind of emotion is really challenging to capture without making a face look like its melting, honestly. Joe did incredible. Oh and that HAND HOLDING! Anyone that draws, casual or not, knows hands are a real bitch and you can feel the weight and the pressure of the grip in that panel.

[Odd Rödney]

Happy New Year to Bobby and all his cool fans. I want more jokes like that "bi-beast" one in '23.

[From The Shadows]

I personally think Lobdell didn't get enough credit. His down time bits were some of the best.

[Nicoclaws]

I personally think Lobdell didn't get enough credit. His down time bits were some of the best.

That little dinner thing after the Onslaught saga was so endearing.

[froggyisnewtocomics]

Happy New Year to Bobby and all his cool fans. I want more jokes like that "bi-beast" one in '23.

happy new year!!! I personally think the joke is corny:////

[PolarIceFire]

I hope you dont mind me posting these. One of my fave moments with Bobby. And with some wonderful Joe Mad art. :-)

Such a heartfelt, touching moment, that's beautifully rendered, THANK YOU!!

I personally think Lobdell didn't get enough credit. His down time bits were some of the best.

And couldn't agree more on how underrated & subsequently, underappreciated, he was. Especially when it came to these instances that were far more intimate, meaningful, & substantive in nature, than the usual, as you say. Hopefully that will change & he'll get more respect, as time goes on & segments of the fandom continue to age out of it.

Also, for relevancy (IMO)... from HAV0K's thread:

"The lady doth protest too much,
methinX," from William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'.
? IS, was still closeted, gay-boy Bobby speaking...
unwittingly -- or not --

for fellow, in denial bi-guys ALEX(YXXX) Summers, HAVOK... AND... Mr. X(Yxxx) himself, REMY Lebeau, GAMBIT...

2?!!