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Best Served Cold / Koonak of the North
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Main Story
Written by Jason Hall
Pencils by Kelsey Shannon
Inks by Terry Beatty
Colors by Heroic Age
Lettering by Pat Brosseau
Cover by Kelsey Shannon
Asst. Editor Harvey Richards
Editor Joan Hilty
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Back-Up
Written by Jason Hall
Pencils by Kelsey Shannon
Inks by Terry Beatty
Colors by Heroic Age
Lettering by Pat Brosseau
Cover by Kelsey Shannon
Asst. Editor Harvey Richards
Editor Joan Hilty |
Issue #15 - Best Served Cold / Koonak of the North
Cover Date - August 2004. Released on June 16th.
Mr. Freeze goes on the run after trying to kill a romantic rival, but does the crime truly have his cold-blooded touch? Plus, the Eskimo boy Koonak tells the story of how Freeze became the father he never had. |
Review
In 2002, Jason Hall, Brad Rader,
and Terry Austin quietly delivered one of the best Mr.
Freeze stories in years, Batman: Gotham Adventures
#51. The now-classic tale had Nora Fries, now revived,
attempting to break her former husband out of Arkham.
All was not as it seemed, however, and the story, like
all Mr. Freeze tales, ended in tragedy.
Coming as it did in the middle of the largely
forgettable Scott Peterson run on the title, Gotham
Adventures #51 was like manna from Heaven. There are
certain things which, from a narrative perspective, the
audience should never see. There are moments, and
characters, that are more powerful when they go unseen.
One could certainly make the case that Nora Fries is
such a character, a person whose absence throughout BTAS
only made her more mysterious and compelling. For that
reason, it was a genuine gamble to bring Nora into the
title, but one that paid off handsomely, giving us a
resonant and deeply human issue. Understandably, fans
were excited for Jason Hall’s return to the animated
Batman titles, and Nora Fries, when it was announced he
would pen the fill-in #15. Regrettably, the resulting
story, though it has its moments, ranks as a
disappointment when weighed against its predecessor.
The issue picks up with an attempt, supposedly by
Freeze, on the life of Francis D’Anjou, Nora’s current
husband. As Batman attempts to solve the crime, Freeze’s
culpability comes into question. It wouldn’t be giving
the story away to reveal that Freeze didn’t do it… and
therein lay perhaps the issue’s central problem. Though
he’s made few appearances in the animated DC titles,
D’Anjou was previously portrayed as a completely
rational and sympathetic character, and his actions in
this issue don’t ring clear. There’s little
justification for his sudden betrayal, and Jason Hall
doesn’t succeed in selling the moment.
Hall does succeed wonderfully with his depiction of Nora
Fries. Longtime Spider-Man fans will note more than a
little Gwen Stacy influence in her, and her place within
the story is logical. Her interactions with Freeze are
surprisingly fulfilling from a dramatic standpoint. But
the tale is structured around D’Anjou’s choices, and it
crumbles on the weak foundation of his motivations (or
lack thereof). There’s also a good deal of “callous
Batman” in these pages, reminiscent of “Mudslide”. It’s
hard to root for, or care about, the presence of the
Batman family in this story.
The art, for its part, is perfectly serviceable and
well-crafted. The backup, a pseudo-origin story for
Koonak, the Eskimo boy seen in this issue and in
Sub-Zero, is largely unremarkable, though it does nicely
shine some light on Freeze’s character. What we are
essentially left with is an issue which falls short of
lofty aims. Though powerful in some spots, the final
story is regrettably uninsightful and inconsistent.
Though Freeze completists will want to seek this issue
out, most Batman fans can skip it without missing too
much. |
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