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| The cover of Iceman #1 by Kevin Wada |
It’s December again, and that means checking in with
the Queer Comics Blog’s favorite queer X-man: Iceman! This year saw the start
of his own series, written by Sina Grace with
covers by Kevin Wada, and this first issue drawn by Alessandro
Vitti, lettered by VC’s Joe Sabino, and colored by Rachelle Rosenberg. This is a dream team for a dream book, and it has not
disappointed. And so, at the end of the year, I wanted to go back to the
beginning.
The opening pages show Iceman trying to “describe
himself” for a dating app “(in 500 words or less),” which recalls a very
different gay superhero’s solo series and how it handled the same material.
Whereas Midnighter is confident and focuses on his superpowers, Iceman has
difficulty thinking of what to write and focuses on what others would say about him. His struggle to finish as much as a sentence becomes a motif before he is forced to deal
with his parents and a mutant-hunting Purifier.
Bobby begins by writing that his friends are his
family, and he realizes how true that is when he visits his parents in the
hospital after his father has a heart attack scare. Health issues aren’t the
only thing they’re keeping from him, and despite his best efforts to explain
how he’s “always a mutant,” he realizes they’re not as close as he is to people
with whom he’s fought Magneto and the White Queen.
I’m still not out to my parents. We were estranged
long before I realized I’m gay, and I may never tell them myself. When I did
come out to one of my cousins, I was told, “I don’t understand it and I don’t
agree with it, but I still love you.” This was not the worst reaction I got
from a family member. What I’ve learned, and what Iceman depicts with humor and sympathy, is that family does not
need to be a necessary part of my self-discovery; that’s what my community is
for. Bobby struggles with his role as a mentor and a son, but he displays
nothing but confidence when helping a young mutant girl who can turn her spit
solid. I’ve been fortunate to have great friends to help me figure myself out
along the way.
Sadly, it was announced earlier this month that this
title is ending. This is unfortunate for several reasons, not the least of
which is the continued erasure of the marginalized voices at Marvel Comics. It
highlights many flaws in an already weak system, but Mr. Grace confirmed on Twitter in an answer full of kindness and a call for empathy. Iceman may be over soon,
but we can always enjoy this work and whatever this incredibly talented team
creates in the future.
Iceman #1 is still available as a single issue, but
will also be part of Iceman Volume 1: Thawing Out. It might be released after
all the holiday shopping is done, but it’s worth getting.
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| The cover of Iceman #1 that I got signed by Kevin Wada and Sina Grace at FlameCon earlier this year |
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