Brandon Yates
Feb 23, 2002, 11:33 pm
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/icemanv2-3.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/icemanv2-3t.jpg" align=left alt="Iceman (2nd series) #3"></a>Reviewer: Brandon Yates, brandonyates@zentertainment.com
Quick Rating: Above Average
Story Title: Icebreaker
Iceman is lured into a tables-turning battle with the Augmen, as the Winterbrand CEO’s evil plans are revealed!
Written by: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Cover by: Steve Uy
Story Art by: Skott Young
Lettered by: Chris Eliopoulos
Colored by: Color Dojo
Edited by: Mike Marts & Mike Raicht
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
After a solid first issue, and a decent and funny second issue, I’m left disappointed with this installment. It’s become crystal clear to me what the function of each issue is. If you notice, each issue doesn’t exactly further the plot in a speedy manner (i.e. four issues was probably two too many). I’ll break it down to where we are now:
Issue #1: Iceman arrives in Hong Kong, finds son, fights Augmen.
Issue #2: Iceman meets Foe-Dog, fights Augmen.
Issue #3: Fights Augmen, gets captured
... And each of these issues is told in about 22 pages. You can almost see the stretch marks.
That’s not to say that this is a bad storyline. Like I said earlier, I enjoyed the first couple of issues but this one is filled with too many convenient plot devices like 1) Foe-Dog’s “shadow walls” giving Iceman access to anywhere he wants to go, as long as Foe-Dog’s mark has been previously placed there 2) once catching up to Opal (see: example one) she’s able to effortlessly explain just about every facet of Alain Weiss’s plan to use Iceman’s power to “make augmentation a reality.” There is a nice little tie-in between this revelation and the "Germ Free Generation" arc over in New X-Men.
My biggest disappointment with this issue is the art. Karl Kerschl (though credited on the cover) is absent this time around, with Skott Young filling in. For me, Kerschl’s art was the absolute best thing about this series and one of the deciding factors in my buying the debut issue in the first place. He had a clean, sleek style, which was perfect for a character like Iceman. Young’s art, while kind of neat itself, is a jarring, over-stylistic turn from what I was used to seeing in this book. I would like to see Young’s work in other projects (his art reminds me of music videos and techno album covers), perhaps in an Iceman sequel, but the timing of his appearance was a bit off. Right place, wrong time.
As far as the X-Men Icons line of solo X-Man mini-series are concerned, Iceman is above and beyond all of the others released to date, in my opinion (Cyclops, Rogue, Nightcrawler). Because of the well-done first couple of issues, I was able to be more lenient with this one’s faults; I have a feeling things will blend together nicely in the end. Is that infant really Bobby’s son? Will the ramifications of that answer affect him over in Uncanny X-Men? I’m intrigued.
ART:
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STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xhalf.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!
Quick Rating: Above Average
Story Title: Icebreaker
Iceman is lured into a tables-turning battle with the Augmen, as the Winterbrand CEO’s evil plans are revealed!
Written by: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Cover by: Steve Uy
Story Art by: Skott Young
Lettered by: Chris Eliopoulos
Colored by: Color Dojo
Edited by: Mike Marts & Mike Raicht
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
After a solid first issue, and a decent and funny second issue, I’m left disappointed with this installment. It’s become crystal clear to me what the function of each issue is. If you notice, each issue doesn’t exactly further the plot in a speedy manner (i.e. four issues was probably two too many). I’ll break it down to where we are now:
Issue #1: Iceman arrives in Hong Kong, finds son, fights Augmen.
Issue #2: Iceman meets Foe-Dog, fights Augmen.
Issue #3: Fights Augmen, gets captured
... And each of these issues is told in about 22 pages. You can almost see the stretch marks.
That’s not to say that this is a bad storyline. Like I said earlier, I enjoyed the first couple of issues but this one is filled with too many convenient plot devices like 1) Foe-Dog’s “shadow walls” giving Iceman access to anywhere he wants to go, as long as Foe-Dog’s mark has been previously placed there 2) once catching up to Opal (see: example one) she’s able to effortlessly explain just about every facet of Alain Weiss’s plan to use Iceman’s power to “make augmentation a reality.” There is a nice little tie-in between this revelation and the "Germ Free Generation" arc over in New X-Men.
My biggest disappointment with this issue is the art. Karl Kerschl (though credited on the cover) is absent this time around, with Skott Young filling in. For me, Kerschl’s art was the absolute best thing about this series and one of the deciding factors in my buying the debut issue in the first place. He had a clean, sleek style, which was perfect for a character like Iceman. Young’s art, while kind of neat itself, is a jarring, over-stylistic turn from what I was used to seeing in this book. I would like to see Young’s work in other projects (his art reminds me of music videos and techno album covers), perhaps in an Iceman sequel, but the timing of his appearance was a bit off. Right place, wrong time.
As far as the X-Men Icons line of solo X-Man mini-series are concerned, Iceman is above and beyond all of the others released to date, in my opinion (Cyclops, Rogue, Nightcrawler). Because of the well-done first couple of issues, I was able to be more lenient with this one’s faults; I have a feeling things will blend together nicely in the end. Is that infant really Bobby’s son? Will the ramifications of that answer affect him over in Uncanny X-Men? I’m intrigued.
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xhalf.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!