Astonishing Iceman #5 Review

Written by: Steve Orlando
Art by: Vincenzo Carratú
Colors by: Java Tartaglia
Letters by: VC’s Travis Lanham
Cover art by: Jesús Saiz
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: December 20, 2023

Astonishing Iceman #5 brings the odd mini-series to a close when Mr. Clean infiltrates Bobby’s Ice Palace to take out Romeo and Iceman for good.

Is Astonishing Iceman #5 Good?

Astonishing Iceman #5 ends the mini-series with a bang (literally) in Steve Orlando’s vision for a practically unkillable Iceman. All things considered, Orlando wraps up the loose ends in a paper-thin story, but Iceman’s new ability to (almost) resurrect himself, makes the Omega-level mutant a little too OP.

When last we left Bobby Drake’s construct, his battle in NY took a toll on his temporary body. When Bobby returned to his Ice Palace to rest and recharge, he found Romeo (the source of his corporeal cohesion) knocked out and Mr. Clean waiting to do his worst.

Now, Bobby fights Mr. Clean hard enough to pack a punch while holding back enough to not bring the ice palace down on top of Romeo. When Romeo recovers enough to use the escape hatch, Iceman does indeed bring the Ice Palace down on top of Mr. Clean. The villain is zealous enough to enact a nuclear self-destruct if it will take Iceman with him. It does not.

Ahh, there’s the rub. Since the beginning, it was unclear if Iceman was truly Iceman or a replica construct of Romeo’s empathy powers, with most scenes pointing towards the latter. However, Orlando implies that Bobby’s mind is now able to persist in atmospheric water vapor, a skill he learned through Romeo’s “resurrection” power. In effect, this development now makes Bobby more Omega than Omega (a god?), which takes the stakes out of his death in the Hellfire Gala and any threat of death against Iceman in the future. C’est la vie!

What’s great about Astonishing Iceman #5? Vincenzo Carratú’s art is outstanding, and you get plenty of action to make this odd little finale as climactic as possible. History will judge whether or not this unfortunate series of events was the best way to resurrect Iceman, but for what it is, Orlando ends the story as well as could be expected.

What’s not so great about Astonishing Iceman #5? The big downside of the Krakoan era is the lack of stakes inherent in the Resurrection Protocols. It’s baffling that Orlando should evolve Bobby’s powers so that he can resurrect himself, which is a repeat of one of the Krakoan era’s biggest mistakes.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

Astonishing Iceman #5 ends as well as could be expected with energetic fights, an explosive end to the conflict, and a baffling new status quo for Iceman. It seems odd that Orlando would choose to grant Iceman a new power that mirrors one of the chief problems of the Krakoan era, but at least it’s over.