And so we've come to another rather divisive comic. There are people who really like this comic, and there are people, like me, who hate it. I really, really hate it and it's weird because it isn't an all-round bad book. The artwork is good and in spite of it taking place during a crossover event, it is both integrated and self-contained.
Before I can
get into exactly what I hated about it, let's give a little background. Mr
Freeze's character had undergone radical changes over the years. He debuted as
a character named Mr Zero, but then the Adam West Batman series called him Mr
Freeze and show was popular enough for the change to stick. Several iterations
of his origins have been told over the years but the most famous is the
Batman: The Animated Series' Heart of Ice. Where Victor Fries (convenient name)
steals resources from the company he works for, GothCorp, to restore his sick
wife, who had been cryogenically frozen. But when GothCorp's CEO, Ferris Boyle,
discovers what's going on, he causes a cryogenic accident that affects Fries' skin. Now he cannot survive in normal climate and must use a suit to survive.
 |
| Batman The Animated Series made an iconic Mr Freeze, and almost every other origin since has p*ssed all over it |
This origin
has been butchered in the past. Batman and Robin made Freeze a punning
psychopath, wanting to hold the city to hostage to complete his cure (because
robbing a bank is too conventional, I guess) and any sympathy for the character
was lost because you were too irritated at every freeze-related pun and that
fact his plan was ridiculously over-complicated.
Even the
DCAU made some slip ups with Mr Freeze, having him descend into stealing hope
and living for revenge, both of which made him a lesser character (in my opinion). There were
also attempts to use Dini's origin in the mainstream DC Universe. I haven't
read the issues so I'm not really qualified to comment on it. In September 2011
DC rebooted their line with the New 52. The idea that continuity is the reason
people aren't reading comics is ridiculous anyway (I started reading comics
with a number 2 issue) but I digress, it was a perfect opportunity to revisit
Mr Freeze, and who better to write his origin that Scott Snyder, who’s work
with both the Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne versions of Batman have received
high critical acclaim.
Now let me
summarize the story of the comic and expect a lot of rage this time.
