Astonishing Iceman #1 is a blizzard of fun for any minor or major fans of the character. The strong attention to detail makes this the perfect follow up to the Hellfire Gala, with an art team that really understands what makes ice so cool. Read Full Review

One of the Amazing Friends and Uncanny ones finally slides into his own title again as ‘Astonishing Iceman' places the popular but underutilized mutant into the thick of the ‘Fall Of X' event. A romantic emotional soap opera-driven superhero solo series is always a welcome thing in comics, especially one that is slick and pretty, and fun. A very solid outing to kick off this new series. Read Full Review

A busy but satisfying first issue Read Full Review

Astonishing Iceman #1 is an interesting debut that delivers some resistance to Orchis actions but doesn't create a dark cloud for it to fall under. There's a decent amount of humor and heart to it all creating a comic that takes a familiar concept but makes it kind of fun. Read Full Review

With Astonishing Iceman #1, Steve Orlando's story slides between the scenario's the comic introduces and real world situations. While Bobby sees Orchis goal as singular, Romeo is a reminder that their mission is much grander in scale. Romeo knows that organizations, like Orchis, whose message encourages hate, intolerance and oppression by stoking fear, are never content to neutralize just one minority, outcast, outlier group or radical thinker. It just begins with one. And for now there is only one X-Men actively braving the conditions Orchis orchestrates. Unfortunately, following the Fall of X, the forecast isn't suggesting many sunny days for Marvel's merry mutants anytime soon. Read Full Review

I'm always up for a new spotlight on Iceman, but it's even better when it's this damn good. Read Full Review

Vincenzo Carrats art is also very good in this issue; the pages set in Bobbys ice palace in particular give him a lot to work with, between the actual scenes themselves as well as the flashbacks to Bobbys snowy resurrection, framed with ice shards between panels. Combined with Java Tartaglias colors, which are bright and vibrant, I think the visual package of Astonishing Iceman #1 befits its title character, optimistic on the outside while hiding existential darkness on the inside. In the decade or so since Bobby came out, hes given so much interesting material for writers to work with, and Id really like for this book to have a decently long run so that Orlando and his artists have the space to examine Bobbys psyche more. Read Full Review

A whole heck of a lot of explaining needs to take place to set up the characters' new status quo, and that serves as baggage for an otherwise fun first issue. Read Full Review

If you enjoy this character and would enjoy the setting for this one I would recommend it. Read Full Review

Astonishing Iceman #1 is an Iceman comic in name only when the Iceman you think you get is not the Iceman you really get, and when you learn who the Iceman you get really is, the less you want that Iceman to be what he really is. It's weird, it's creepy, it's gross, it's probably not suitable for kids, and it's completely unnecessary. Read Full Review

In Astonishing Iceman #1, I feel we focused too much on the elements we like about the Iceman character while failing to emphasize the tragedy of the Hellfire Gala. Read Full Review

As a kid, I thought Iceman was one of the coolest mutants around. When I got back into comics as a young adult coming into my own sexuality, I empathized with the character when he was forced to come out in way that afforded him no control over his own story even if it didn’t match my own experience. I’m a fan of Iceman content even when writers haven’t done the character justice or have used him in ways that downplay his Omega-level status. But since his controversial outing, I especially love when a writer allows Bobby Drake, the person behind the ice, to define himself and embrace his queerness on his own terms.

Needless to say, I was pumped to see that Steve Orlando would be getting an opportunity to write the character when this series was announced. However, I wasn’t sure how this would play out after Nimrod killed Iceman in X-Men Hellfire Gala 2023 #1. Leave it to Orlando to calm my fears and not only provide a compelling explanation for Bobby Drake’s Five-less reincarnation, but also use ASTONISHING ICEMAN #1 to set up this five-part limited series with a wonderful balance of heart and action.

Orlando balances Bobby’s charms and flaws, from his deep loyalty to those he loves to his cringe-worthy, ice-related dad jokes. We see his powers on full display as he heroically saves the day after he foils an ORCHIS plan to lure him out of hiding. Best of all, Orlando lets Bobby be queer without relying on cheap tropes or patronizing references. The true heart of this issue is the tender moment when Bobby’s boyfriend Romeo explains what it took to bring Bobby back to life and the limit of his powers as a result of the situation. In a metaphor for our current society where the far-right has an endless agenda against any group of people that don’t look/love/pray/etc. like they do, Romeo sees the potential for the dangerous anti-mutant vitriol of ORCHIS to expand to even more groups, including his fellow Inhumans.

The art by Vincenzo Carratu and the colors by Java Tartaglia are also standouts in this debut issue. I love their new design for Bobby’s Iceman form, including what appears to be a harness as part of his new costume, creating a fresh and modern queer costume for a character that has had plenty of looks over the years. Carratu’s attention to details in the background are present in the scenes involving San Francisco and Bobby’s new ice palace. Tartaglia skillfully uses a mix of blues and whites to bring elements of ice to life and create depth to the environment.

If I had one disappoint about this issue, it’s that we’re only going to get 4 more issues. Orlando’s care in writing Iceman is very refreshing and I’m excited to see how he fleshes out the relationship between Bobby and Romeo. It will be interesting to see if/how the conclusion of this limited series plays into the other Fall of X storylines.

Rating: 8/10 more

I was expecting much worse from Orlando, if I'm being honest. This was competent for the most part, without being bogged down in inscrutable lore like his Marauders or Wonder Woman runs. It just hasn't gotten very interesting to me yet. I do really like Romeo's motivations here. Minority groups have to stick together, because the groups that want them dead never just stop at only one group (and even if they did, don't be a coward). I feel like everyone brought up the kiss so I'll give my take: I don't really care. Bold, I know. I saw some people assume it could be that Bobby and Romeo are in an open relationship, but honestly, I don't even think that's necessarily important. It's a kiss. Maybe it's not what you're into, to kiss a stranger now and then. Personally, I try to avoid seeing my partners' faces altogether, but I'm not here to moralize.

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I was really hoping for a lot more here. I decided to pick this up since I wanted to read something Iceman/Bobby Drake. While I think I'll end up seeing the miniseries through since it's only five issues, there isn't a lot here to get me interested. I like Romeo bringing Bobby back and the tension they now have, but I thought it was super weird that Bobby kissed some random guy he saved from Orchis. If Bobby and Romeo have an open relationship, then it makes sense. However, that isn't outright stated here or even hinted at to my knowledge. The overall plot of this isn't enough to fully sell me on this either. I don't know, it just felt like it was missing that something to kick it into the next gear. I will say that I thought Carratù's art was pretty good and it might have been the best part of this book. more

Classic Orlando writing here.
As in to say, there's something missing to make this click which is disappointing.
Will try a few more issues but BOBBY DESERVES A GREAT SERIES.

Scarlet Witch got my hopes up that Orlando's days of wasted potential were behind him, but no, here we are again. As always happens when one does reruns of the Friends of Humanity, Orchis is now just mowing down non-mutant civilians in the streets and destroying landmarks while cackling and stroking their evil mustaches, because the subtlety and humanity of Hickman's hate group is completely gone. (Does no one in any of these groups know the word "optics"??) The dialogue is dreadful, with people having debates about the ethics of hunting mutants in the streets while running in terror. I'm not bothered by the kiss scene because it implies that Bobby & Romeo aren't monogamous (honestly, as a woman with a wife and a boyfriend, I can confirm it's not that unusual in the LGBT community) but it comes out of nowhere and in context it's ultimately kinda just weird. And nothing in particular happens in this issue except a fight scene and an explanation of how Bobby survived the Gala. Carratu at least makes it look pretty — he's kind of aping Pepe Larraz, but I'm not going to criticize someone for swiping from the best if they get away with it. Nevertheless, I didn't see much to convince me to read the next issue. more

It was weird and I was disappointed in this as I was wanting more. The kiss at the beginning was weird and abrupt. He’s alive because of his love but jumps to kissing a stranger?

Six pages in and I’m out. The dialogue is horrible and the random stranger kiss is out of left field.