BATMAN #121 (1959)
by Dave Wood & Sheldon Moldoff
cover by Curt Swan
The first appearance of Mr. Freeze, although he goes by the name Mr. Zero this time.
The story is by Dave Wood, creator of Animal Man and Dial H For Hero; the art is unsurprisingly by Sheldon Moldoff, who was the “ghost artist” for Batman co-creator and terrible human being Bob Kane.
If you’re used to the modern incarnation of Mr. Freeze, this can be a little disconcerting.
But this is a story where Batman pursues an ice cream truck by wearing rocket skates, so it’s not like “Mr. Zero” doesn’t match the tone they were going for.
Mr. Zero narrates his origin to his latest henchmen, and it’s markedly simpler than what you might think. The fact that an experiment going wrong requires him to stay at sub-zero temperatures at all times is the only thing that remains… we are DECADES away from introducing saving his wife as his motivation.
He’s just a generic supervillain with an ice gun. Not much different from the first appearance of Captain Cold, with the exception of wearing a costume that is ALMOST as ridiculous as Killer Moth’s.
I know it’s completely involuntary, but the fact that Mr. Zero is ALWAYS smiling with that weird expression on his face comes off as very creepy to me.
Get this: Mr. Zero manages to capture Batman and Robin into giant ice cubes…
…but without ANY explanation, they are still alive AND they’re able to move!!!
And that’s how Batman defeats Mr. Zero!
Has the modern Batman tried to cure Mr. Freeze with a steam bath? Because it worked just fine with Mr. Zero! (WTF!?)
How the heck did THIS trash heap of a character manage to turn into Mr. Freeze!?
Few characters have been influenced by appearances in other media like Mr. Freeze.
With just ONE comic book appearance under his belt (or his helmet I suppose), we shows up in the Batman TV show in 1966. That’s seven years after his single comics appearance!
That’s where he changes his name from Dr. Zero to Mr. Freeze, and believe it or not he actually looks FAR less ridiculous than in the comics!
Three different actors with three distinct looks ended up in the role during the series, and each of them looks far better than Mr. Zero.
This was a much needed boost in popularity for the character, who in 1968 adopted the name Mr. Freeze wearing a suit reminiscent of the TV show… but still looking like crap.
He wouldn’t get a decent look until 1979, when in Batman #308 he began being treated as more than a joke villain, with a plot centered around his loneliness.
Mr. Freeze faded into obscurity… he was even featured in the Grant Morrison run of Animal Man of being exiled in Comic Book Limbo, the place where forgotten characters fade out of existence.
And then came Batman: The Animated Series, with the 1992 episode “Heart Of Ice”.
The episode even won a freaking Emmy, and for good reason! Not only it’s consistently rated among the best episodes of the series, but its influence on Mr. Freeze is enormous.
The episode introduced his modern backstory, the motivation of saving his wife, and generally completely re-wrote the character from the ground up.
Ever since that episode, every single Mr. Freeze incarnation owes EVERYTHING to “Heart Of Ice”.
Historical significance: 4/10
First Mr. Freeze… except it’s not even Mr. Freeze.
Silver Age-ness: 8/10
No, there isn’t any explanation on how Batman survives being frozen solid.
Does it stand the test of time? 0/10
This was painful. Really, really painful.
How close is this to the modern character? 3/10
Let’s see, he has the ice gun and he must remain cold… that’s it.
Mr. Freeze sure went through a wild ride! All of these are supposed to be the same character!
