Batman: Green Ice & Deep Freeze

Green Ice

"A reporter's lot is not easy-making exciting stories out of plain, everyday people like Robin and me..."

Mr Freeze is back, but this time he's been not only re-cast (as respected director Otto Preminger, none of whose films I've yet blogged, shamefully) but re-designed with a costume which more echoes the 1959 comic boom version as Mr Zero. And he's kidnapped Miss Iceland, naturally, from that not-so-feminist institution of a beauty contest. He then puts her in a cell and tells her she will learn to love him. Brr. Creepy.

It's a great episode for exciting set pieces, with the Commissioner and O'Hara frozen almost to death in Gordon's office. There's also yet another campaign to smear Batman, and yet another hostile female journalist. But the recycled plot threads are at least done with panache. And the cliffhanger- turning our heroes into frosty freezies (pineapple and lime) is splendidly absurd.


Deep Freeze

"Boo, Batman!"

The cliffhanger resolution is certainly a deliberate climax- our heroes find a tap inside! The smear campaign continues, and Mr Freeze's plan is revealed: to demand $1 billion (the biggest ransom demanded by any villain so far) or he'll freeze the whole city. This is proper sci-fi.

The resolution echoes that of Mr Freeze's previous story, but it's all entertaining enough. And Batman regains the faith of a contrite Commissioner Gordon who, it's fair to say, holds a bit of a candle for him. I wonder- is there any TV themes Batman/Commissioner Gordon filthy fanfic? I dare not look...

A fairly so-so two-parter, then, by Batman standards. But this is still both enormous fun and very watchable stuff. And next week we have the Joker- illustrated by a photograph which really accentuates Cesar Romero's moustache...