Mr. Freeze collects 11 comic book issues about this Batman villain told over the decades ('50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s). Here, we learn of Freeze's beginnings (as "Mr. Zero")- a lab accident forced him to live in sub-zero temperatures, either in the environment or a regulated suit. And we see the formative tragedy in his life- his wife, Nora, was terminally ill, so he cryogenically froze her until scientists could develop a cure. But things haven't gone as planned, so now he's doomed to a life of loneliness . . . and he wants others to feel the coldness in his heart. So he develops 'freeze-ray' technology and uses his freezing abilities for evil. This collection presents select stories featuring him as the primary antagonist.
As with the Clayface collection, I really like the concept of this series- seeing how both villains (and art, and storytelling) have evolved over sixty years is fun and interesting. I like this one a little better than Clayface, as there weren't multiple characters becoming Mr. Freeze, so the stories are less repetitious. And the 1997 story ("Mr. Freeze #1") delved more into his origins and was particularly good. That said, there is repetition in that the other Mr. Freeze stories here follow the same arc- Mr. Freeze commits crime, Batman arrives, gets frozen solid, somehow escapes, smashes Freeze's helmet to raise his temperature, and saves the day. Not the most original, but somewhat entertaining.
Rating: B+
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