Astonishing Iceman #1 

Writer – Steve Orlando 

Artist – Vincenzo Carratu 

“Out Cold Part One”

The Fall of X has arrived! The first two titles featuring the aftermath and repercussions of the 2023 Hellfire Gala were X-Men #25 and Astonishing Iceman #1 (both released on August 2, 2023). 

Orchis is on the hunt for mutants that survived the Gala but one they never expected to deal with was Iceman aka Bobby Drake. Nimrod took care of the omega level mutant by injecting him with cellular napalm that melted him from the inside out.  Is this Iceman the real deal or someone pretending to be him? The answer is waiting for you inside this issue. I could tell you but I don’t want to spoil the revelations. 

Since Iceman was one of the first mutants to form the X-Men, it only makes sense that he would get one of the first miniseries/spinoffs detailing the fallout of the Fall of X. He is one of my favorite X-Men so I wanted to check out this issue. If you have been hesitant in jumping into the X-Men books, The Fall of X is a good starting point. If you are a lapsed reader, you don’t need to know a heck of a lot to enjoy this comic and whatever you need to know is fleshed out during the course of the issue.  

Most people could agree that some of the X-Men books in the Krakoa era have been dark and depressing. Astonishing Iceman #1 was fun and lighthearted up until the very end of the issue when Orchis reveals their plan to draw Iceman out of hiding. They say you have to fight fire with fire. Orchis is bringing the hurt with an individual called Helium, The Unfreezable Man and his Elements of Doom! If they fail in their mission, there is someone called The Cleaner waiting in the wings. I don’t know who this individual is but I’m excited to find out and see what type of powers they have. The only piece of information that’s revealed about them is “they are a last resort because of the mess they make.” 

Astonishing Iceman is a five-issue miniseries and I will DEFINITELY be picking up the rest of the series. If you need a respite from the summer heat, grab the first issue and sit and read it in a nice cool room. 

Astonishing Iceman #2 will be released Wednesday September 13^th.