ICEMAN #4 REVIEW

[Brandon Yates]

<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/icemanv2-4.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/icemanv2-4t.jpg" align=left alt="Iceman (2nd series) #4"></a>Reviewer: Brandon Yates, brandonyates@zentertainment.com
Quick Rating: Average
Story Title: No More Mr. Ice Guy

Alan Weiss has Iceman in his clutches, but the X-Man has plans of his own with a little help from Opal and Foe-Dog!

Written by: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Art by: Karl Kerschl
Cover by: Steve Uy
Lettered by: Chris Eliopoulos
Colored by: Color Dojo
Edited by: Mike Marts & Mike Raicht
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas

The ball has dropped big time, lads and lassies. The story thus far has been like a fun Saturday morning cartoon, but this ending is so cliched and so much like every medicore "final showdown" comic you've ever read that I couldn't possibly recommend it. Even the return of Karl Kerschl (after last issue's fill-in by Skott Young) couldn't save this conclusion from its failings. I try to be a nice guy, when possible, so I'll start with a couple of positive points.

Karl Kerschl's art is fantastic, as usual, though the rather dull plot left him with little to work with, so no grand visuals this time around (unlike the ending of #1 and parts of #2). Also, isn't that cover just awesome to look at? Hopefully, cover artist Steve Uy will have some interior penciling gigs in the near future.

Now, that that's out of the way, let's say what needs to be said:

What happened to the funny dialogue, the witty comebacks? This time we get corny one-liners like "Do your worst! Cuts no ice with me." and "...you'd be amazed how fired up a guy like me can get. And I don't believe anybody... has got me so hot under the collar..." Ugh, okay we get it... he's Iceman and he's steamed! (See? I can do it too.)

The fight scenes with the Augmen were nowhere near as dynamic as the previous ones, and I'm not sure where Kerschl went wrong there. He was able to put together some great battle effects in the first couple of issues, but we've got basic "wham! pow! blam!" superhero fare here.

Remember that part, in those anime films, when the Big Boss bad guy says something like "Ha! You think you've beaten me?! I will show you my true power!" then morphs into Barney the Purple Dinosaur or whatever? Pretty much the same deal here, as Alan Weiss uses his technology on himself, becoming a semi-powerful lava man, leading to a lame Dragon Ball-style test of strength against Iceman, who doesn't even break a sweat, heralding the most anti-climactic "Final Battles" I've read in ages.

Worst of all, the revelation about Bobby's parentage is a huge letdown for this reader, who thought this mini-series might actually have some bearing on the future of the Bobby Drake character, and carry over to Uncanny X-Men. No such luck, and I feel like I spent ten dollars for nothing.

If I come down so hard on this issue it's because I expected so much better after the fun first couple of issues, though the lackluster third installment should have been a hint for trouble ahead. I would still recommend giving the eventual trade paperback a look-see, as I would still call this the best of the X-Men Icons mini-series' to date, though, if you really want your money's worth, wait on a discount.

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/xhalf.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg

STORY:
http://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.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/xhalf.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!

[Brian Wilkinson]

I've been pretty disappointed in the whole ICONS series... a lot of promise not living up to any of the hype.

Great review, though, and I completely agree with what you're saying here. I felt I wasted money on more than one LS before (anyone remember the horrid Gambit & Bishop?).

[Eric J. Moreels]

I actually quite enjoyed this mini, seeing as I went into reading it knowing that nothing of any real consequence ever happens in limited series', and so knew that baby Robert couldn't be Bobby's son, and I was right.

Even despite the fill-in on the art from #3 (which I didn't find that jarring, although collected in trade form I can see how it will be), I was pretty satisfied with the conclusion as it showed a side of Bobby that we don't often get to see.

Easily the best of the X-Men Icons series thus far. I'd love to see DnA and Kerschl on an Iceman monthly to show what they can really do with the character!

[Brandon Yates]

I don't know about an ongoing, but I'd definitely be for another limited series with maybe a different writer(s). I liked some of the stuff Abnett & Lanning did but Iceman, to me, is one of those characters who has some extra potential, and seeing different writers try (as long as they keep Kerschl!) to bring that out would be fun.

[Jim Lemoine]

Totally agree with this review. Pretty lame series, altogether. Why oh why can't Marvel do half the job with these ICONS that they do on their regular monthly books?

[Monolith]

Originally posted by Jim Lemoine
Totally agree with this review. Pretty lame series, altogether. Why oh why can't Marvel do half the job with these ICONS that they do on their regular monthly books?

I think they are. That's the problem.

[Plagioclase]

I agree that Iceman has been the best of the Icons series so far but has ultimately been a let-down with issue #4. The mini hit its visual and writing apices with #2, but since then it has slipped. I was excited about the prospect of Bobby being a father, but I too didn't quite believe it to be real, although as the series progressed, and there were no hints to the contrary, I thought it was a sure thing. Then I read the last two pages.

[Neolithic]

I stopped after Rogue #2 and Cyclops #2. Picked up Nightcrawler just because it is Nightcrawler, stopped after #1.

I became disgusted with anything related to ICON miniseries. What a halfassed attempt at making some bucks. :spidey:

[Dexember]

Thought that the Cyclops LS was ok and Nightcrawler isn't that bad. But honestly, they should have done more with these characters, they were too afarid to change anything and so haven't really shown us too much new about these characters.

The action in my opinion just turned to mush. It was terrible action scenes here in the end. Nothing spectacular, nothing new with his powers. Should of, could of been a lot better. Just uninspiring action and not much of a plot to make you not notice.

If you can't tell I like good action. :]