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Iceman #8 Review: The X-Men Book with the Most Heart Continues

Iceman #8 from Marvel Comics by Sina Grace, Robert Gill, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Joe Sabino continues the look at the adult Iceman's exploration of his new world as an out and proud gay man with a look at something every gay man (and in honesty, everyone) has had: an awkward family dinner.

Iceman
Iceman #8 cpver by Mike Deodato Jr. and Federico Blee

Of course, this is comics, and these are the X-Men, so this is one with a twist: this dinner involves Bobby Drake, his parents, and… his time-displaced younger self, who technically came out first.

It's a fun setup, and a big part of the pleasure of it comes from something I mentioned already. As I say, those awkward dinners are something all of us can relate to, whether LGBTQ+ or not, and again, this is where the book excels: it presents something that the LGBTQ+ audience has been lacking in terms of representation in Marvel comics, but in such a way that it is accessible to absolutely anyone.

It's also fun to see the banter between the older and younger Icemen, like an internal monologue laid out in the open. But we also see how the older and younger versions are different. The elder is more used to dealing with his parents and their pretty poor attempts at understanding their son, and the younger is more honest and forthright than the elder is used to.

Meanwhile, we get the continued hint that bisexual bad boy Daken is up to something that will inevitable come back to bite Bobby, and there's superhero intrigue yet to come.

Oh, and not to forget, the issue features one of the cutest 'text message' moments towards the end.

Gill and Rosenberg's art is wonderful here, as they have developed a strong feel for representing the emotion of a scene in a down to earth and detailed manner. That is lovely to see. And when things get superheroic, Gill's linework is so frenetic and energetic while being clear and clean; it makes for an easy to follow comic that is a joy to look at.

Iceman #8 continues to be one of the X-Men books with the most heart and a strong understanding of emotional stakes, bringing them into the realm of the superhero.


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Joe GlassAbout Joe Glass

Joe Glass has been contributing to Bleeding Cool for about four years. He's been a roaming reporter at shows like SDCC and NYCC, and also has a keen LGBTQ focus, with his occasional LGBTQ focus articles, Tales from the Four Color Closet. He is also now Bleeding Cool's Senior Mutant Correspondent thanks to his obsession with Marvel's merry mutants. Joe is also a comics creator, writer of LGBTQ superhero team series, The Pride, the first issue of which was one of the Top 25 ComiXology Submit Titles of 2014. He is also a co-writer on Stiffs, a horror comedy series set in South Wales about call centre workers who hunt the undead by night. One happens to be a monkey. Just because.
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