Along with his newfound neuroses, Snyder and Tynion have given Freeze more than just a biological condition and an ice gun. His skin now exudes cold and he can spit ice from his mout. While Greg Capullo's artwork in Batmanhas been fantastic thus far, Jason Fabok does a ridiculously good job conveying the sub-zero temperatures and all the insane new ways Freeze has at his disposal to kill people. All around, Batman Annual #1is great - Mr. Freeze is not firmly established, not only in the 'New 52', but as a reimagined horror that has been part of Bruce Wayne's life for years. Read Full Review

I really enjoyed the bit of Freeze's past we saw, and it explains a lot about who he is and why. I also liked how well Snyder portrayed him here, he had that same swagger as Freeze pre-reboot but seemed so much more dangerous without his suit and gun, which is a vibe Freeze never really gave off before this issue. What else? I HAVE to give a full point to any book I can see someone kick Damian SQUARE in the face... man that was priceless. Oh, the explanation for how Fries became Mr. Freeze was excellent, as well as why he has to wear the goggles. Before the reveal this comic was a damn good comic, after the reveal it became an EXCELLENT comic book. This is probably one of, if not THE best single issue I've read all year. Read Full Review

I quite enjoyed this issue in and of itself, and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in an extra-length but single-issue Batman story focused on a villain; or to those with any specific interest in Mr. Freeze and seeing the character's return (this is what initially caught my attention and interest when this annual was solicited months ago), and of course to those looking for the entirety of the Night of the Owls event/crossover. The cover price may be a put-off, but the story/content page-count are at least as good if not better value for the price than a standard $3.99 issue. Read Full Review

I would recommend this for any fan of the Batman universe, even if you are not subscribed to the series. I am already anxiously awaiting next year's issue. Read Full Review

Fans who grew up with comic companies producing Annuals in the 1970s through the 1990s will remember the once-yearly comics to be big stories, the four-color equivalent to the summer blockbuster. The stories were grand. The art was impressive. Frequently those Annuals would either kick off a longer-form narrative to come in the main series or elaborate a character or concept that otherwise was not afforded the luxury on panel time. With this foray into the realm of Annuals, "Batman" latches onto all of those components and produces a great read that would certainly be a fantastic way to spend your lawn-mowing money. Read Full Review

As an Annual and as a tie-in to “Night of the Owls” (which was done nicely and in a way that made sense) this was a fun read and a great issue. Read Full Review

Also, for more content by Anthony visit his website, Idiosyncratic Wit, at Wordpress (dot) com, or his comic book blog, The Martian Manhunter. Read Full Review

Another winner for Scott Snyder and company is almost par for the course at the moment, but it would sell this issue short to say that it isn't another great one. Snyder and Tynion's take on Mister Freeze is both familiar and different, offering something new to the obsessive scientist's origin as well as a romp around Gotham City with the Bat-Family in tow. For a week light on the ground with releases, DC has made sure that we have quality if not quantity. Read Full Review

What I kind of took away from this was the semi-false advertising of it being a Night of the Owls tie in... It really isn't. The Court, nor the Talons where anywhere to be seen, and only referenced two or so times. It's no where near as bad as the The Dark Knight #9 Tim Drake cover, but I would have liked to have seen the Owls connections explained a bit more, because I'm still kind of confused as to how Freeze's stuff and that implant in the Talon's teeth work... oh well Read Full Review

The illustrations are by Jason Fabok, whos work Im unfamiliar with, looks great, but strikingly resembles Gary Franks (Supreme Power, Superman : Secret Origin) art. Its almost identical, its by no means original, but it sure looks nice, especially the cover. At 4.99$, its a tad expensive, but well worth your hard-earned cash. From DC Comics. Read Full Review

Even with a $4.99 price tag, Batman Annual #1is worth your money. Bat-fans won't be disappointed. Read Full Review

nges and tweaks but Snyder gives Freeze what has been needed for a long time. As great as the story is, it's the art that prevents me from absolutely loving this issue. My expectations are high when it comes to Snyder/Batman issues and for this update with Freeze and the first new BATMAN ANNUAL #1, it should all be mind-blowing. The art is very good and fits the story well. I might be a little greedy in wanting more. We haven't seen many changes to the Batman characters in the "New 52" and Snyder shows us the advantages to being able to make these sort of updates. Mr. Freeze is now completely worthy of being a major villain in Batman's rogues gallery. Read Full Review

This story is a good one. However, it doesn't rise to great because of the strange lecturing that Batman and Bruce Wayne do in a couple of spots in the issue. Freeze is also not a sympathetic character anymore which makes the effectiveness of the heart-string pulling a little tougher to pull off. This is a very entertaining read with a couple of characterization flaws. Read Full Review

The last thing to note is that this is a $5 investment, and while it's certainly over-sized and a high quality production, it's not an essential read by any means and might be better left read as part of a collection in the future. Read Full Review

A final note on the cost – at $4.99 for 38 pages of story, the cost per page is actually the lowest of any book DC is currently publishing. Read Full Review

Jason Fabok’s art is nicely done, with the exception of the flashback to Wayne and Freeze’s first meeting. The lion’s share of this book is solid comic book fare. Strong lines, a nice sense of pacing and action, and Fabok’s talent with the faces of the character. I enjoyed how he used brighter tones to show the flashback of Freeze as a child and then left the rest of the story dark, almost noir. The scene where Wayne and Freeze first meet steps outside all of that and attempts a painted fine-art feel, which just hangs there with no punch to it. Batman Annual #1 is a great story, but this new origin for Mr. Freeze sets the character down a road fraught with boredom. Read Full Review

Jason Fabok's art is effective and sharp. It reminds me a great deal of the style of Gary ("Shazam!" feature in Justice League) Frank, and its level of detail and realism really brings out the drama - notably in the opening and closing flashback scenes. Those scenes are particularly striking due to the sparse background detail. The rural setting isolates Victor physically, reflecting the isolation he'll experience socially and psychologically later in life. The almost blank background in those flashbacks also works as a symbol of young Victor as a blank slate who's about to be defined by an extreme circumstance. The muted blues and greys in those scenes also convey the cold - both literally and thematically - quite effectively. Read Full Review

This isn't an important or necessary chapter in the Night of the Owls. It adds nothing of importance to that overall story. It also isn't a Batman Annual so much as it is a Mr. Freeze reboot that's incredibly divisive. It's sure to spark a really interesting discussion among fans, however, and for that reason you should probably check it out so you can join in on the debate because there are plenty of good points to be made on both sides of the argument.Read more: http://batman-news.com/2012/05/30/batman-annual-1-review/#ixzz22PnlOQeM Read Full Review

While it has some redeeming points, it's overall a disappointing effort, especially from a piece of work with Snyder's name attached to a character for which he's become famous. Read Full Review

Although the story follows events from Night of Owls, the recent crossover isn't directly addressed here. And at $5 it's a little pricey for a story that simply makes the character a little less interesting to me once again, but I'm willing to give Snyder a chance to play with the character's new history and motivations (as long as he keeps the flashbacks of Victor as a child to himself – ugh!). Hit-and-Miss. Read Full Review

At best, Batman Annual #1 is an interesting if wholly unneeded tie-in with the Night of the Owls event. Thanks to previous titles in the series, we already know the hows between Mr. Freeze and the Owls, and anyone that has a shred of knowledge on Freeze will immediately know the whys. So what we really have on our hands is an annual that promised a deeper understanding of one of Batman's best villains. What we got was just another cookie-cutter nutjob with a gimmick. And that is a real crime. Read Full Review

Without a dynamic artist like Greg Capullo or Rafael Albuquerque taking the reins, an annual's expanded page count can bore readers just as easily as it can enthrall them. But with a downgrade in the art and a focus on a villain rather than Batman or any of his fun supporting cast, this book is for Freeze purists only. Snyder's main Batman book is still as untouchable as it gets, but this is too much money for not quite enough fun. Read Full Review

Despite Jay Fabok's great art, I found the story to be really weak. There's a lot going on, especially with the many flashbacks that occur throughout the story, but unlike his usual manner, Snyder is unable to bring everything together into a neat little package at the end. Read Full Review

This story feels like a bit of an interlude from the Night of Owls story with a small tie in. We get Mr. Freezes New 52 origin. His conflict with Batman is quite good with a cool reveal coming towards the end that shocked me quite a bit. This doesn't quite tie in the to Night of Owls like you would expect but a very good annual story.

Origin story retcons are made to add depth, more details and reasons explaining character's known motivations. That happened in september of 1992, when Heart of Ice, one of the best Batman: The Animated Series episodes aired for the first time. It turned Mr. Freeze from just another forgettable, pointless cold based villains into one of the most relatable, tragic antiheroes in the world of DC.

Why did Snyder decide to rewrite Victor? I have no clue - the character was already so complex and beloved there was no point to re-invent him. Let's go back, for a moment, to the very first sentence of this review. This retcon does not add any more depth to Mr. Freeze - in fact, it butchers his backstory and removes Ferris Boyle, and the entire GothCorp company.
Lastly, Snyder decided to remove the very thing that makes Mr. Freeze so sympathetic and lovable - his true, pure love for Nora, his wife. Instead, it's revealed they were never married, and he developed sick fascination with her at work, where he first saw her frozen body. That ruined Mr. Freeze to me, and turned him back from being one of my favourite character, to yet another generic one dimensional sociopath I couldn't care less about. Snyder ruined Mr. Freeze, and because of that very reason, I've stopped reading his Batman run for quite a while, back in the day.

The only good thing about this annual is its art - it's no less than phenomenal. Too bad it was wasted on such a terrible story. One I do not intend to revisit ever again. I want to forget about its existence, I want to erase every thought of it, and I want to live in blissful ignorance that Mr. Freeze is still the same tragic person he was shown in Heart of Ice. Let's hope Rebirth will fix him once again, and put on the right track, retconing this joke of an annual. more