MTG Comics Reread: Ice Age
Now we’re in the thick of it. When I think about comics that made me truly come to love Magic: The Gathering, Ice Age is usually what comes to mind. This series and Shadow Mage are among my favorite titles in the line. And even though the Ice Age comic has been completely retconned by the Ice Age cycle of novels by Jeff Grubb, it still holds a special place in my heart.
Unlike Antiquities War and The Urza-Mishra War, there’s no amount of mental gymnastics I can do to justify that this comic may still be canon. It’s presented by an omniscient narrator, and there’s no reason to think the information we’re given as readers is unreliable.
However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a ton to love about Ice Age. This story’s narrative is particularly strong among Magic’s tie-in materials, and the design is absolutely stunning. From the way spellcasting is depicted to the costume and character designs, everything about Ice Age is a feast for the eyes and the imagination.
(One example of spellcasting using arcane designs corresponding to the spell’s color and usually transitioning from one panel to the next.)
(Freyalise in all her battle-scarred glory.)
(Zaraya’s outfit is just one of many intricate costume designs.)
Like other parts of Armada’s MTG comic line, Ice Age is partially incomplete in that a sequel of sorts was planned in the form of an Alliances prestige one-off. Based on a synopsis found in issue 2 of The Urza-Mishra War, we know that the story would have followed Jaeuhl Carthalion and Kaysa, who fall in love during their later adventures together. Something was also meant to occur that would have caused a rift between Kristina and Taysir, leading all the way up to the Planeswalker War. To see screengrabs of this synopsis, head on over to the entry for The Urza-Mishra War.
Still, since Ice Age is a complete narrative in and of itself, I don’t have too much to complain about.
Ice Age was published between July and October 1995. Issue 1 included a copy of the card Bone Shaman. Issue 2 included a copy of the card Chub Toad. Issues 3 and 4 included sets of heavy cardboard tokens.
STORY SYNOPSIS
Over the course of 500 years, the Planeswalker Freyalise acquires allies and adversaries while trying to end Dominaria’s Ice Age.
CREATIVES
Jeff Gomez (Fallen Empires) wrote the entire series.
Rafael Kayanan provided pencils for the entire series. Kayanan is an entertainment industry veteran, having worked for nearly every comic company under the sun. He’s provided artwork for Conan: The Adventurer, Turok, Firestorm, Spider-Man, and Star Wars. He’s also done concept work for video games, Broadway shows, and film, as well as art for tie-in collector cards. Perhaps most interesting is that Kayanan is also a martial arts and bladed weapons master! He’s trained actors and designed fight and stunt choreography for films such as The Hunted and John Carter of Mars.
Rodney Ramos (Arabian Nights) served as inker.
Eric Hope provided painted color for the issues. In addition to Ice Age, Hope worked on several other Valiant titles in the 1990s.
Charles Vess did the covers of all four issues, continuing the streak of Armada hiring legendary genre artists to produce their MTG comic covers. Vess is a multiple award-winning sci-fi and fantasy artist who has worked in books, comics, and the fine art scene. He’s collaborated with Neil Gaiman and Charles de Lint, and has been the subject of art exhibitions held around the world.
LORE
It’s interesting to see the idea of “Planeswalkers” in pre-revisionist storytelling, before the idea of becoming a Planeswalker was standardized, per se. One gets the sense from Ice Age (and other titles) that a wizard could become a Planeswalker through hard work and study, and not by a quirk of genetics or the mysterious Planeswalker “spark.”
Likewise, a wizard who tried casting a powerful spell prior to “becoming” a Planeswalker risked endangering his or her own life. This happens to Zilgeth of Clan Ruby when he sacrifices himself to Incinerate a Johtull Wurm.
Early in issue 1, we learn that Freyalise is considered a Planeswalker both before and after her death. Death itself is termed “walking the ether planes.”
Both Jason Carthalion and Freyalise are orphans, though Jason presumably married at some point and fathered children to continue the Carthalion line. Jason’s parents are said to have died “to the cold,” though we only learn this from the notes at the end of issue 2.
Jason’s descendant, Jaeuhl Carthalion, is depicted as part-Elf, and the synopsis for the unpublished Alliances comic describes him as “elven.” Since Jaeuhl begins a relationship with the Elvish druid Kaysa, it’s safe to assume that the Carthalion line intermingled with Elves both before and after Jaeuhl’s time.
The kingdom of Kjeldor is named for Oriel Kjeldos, the shaman of Clan Emerald, who led her people and others away from the crumbling kingdom of Storgard.
Prince Darian exists in both pre-revisionist and revisionist stories. Here, he is the prince of Kjeldor. In the Ice Age cycle of books, he is King Darian. Of particular note is the role he plays in issue 2 in making diplomatic overtures to the Balduvians, since Kjeldor will go on to unite with Balduvia at the end of the Ice Age to form New Argive. Darian is depicted on the card Darian, King of Kjeldor.
Issue 3 is absolutely packed with lore, so much so that it could almost be its own entry. Let’s begin with the setting: Dominaria’s Null Moon. The moon plays an important narrative role not only in this story, but also in The Thran by J. Robert King and in the Weatherlight Saga.
The Shard is described by Faralyn as a dozen planes that have been splintered from a “continuum of a trillion worlds.” However, we known of only two (possibly up to four) planes that make up The Shard, and this information is likely gleaned from the Ice Age comic. The first, of course, is Dominaria. The second is Azoria, where Freyalise and Tevesh Szat fight part of their duel. As the MTG Wiki points out, if the Null Void is a plane, it would be the third of the 12. Only one other has possibly been identified (read on).
In the opening panel of issue 4, Szat indicates that he’s familiar with Phyrexia. This isn’t particularly surprising in and of itself, seeing that Szat is at least 2,500 years old and may have even traveled there at one point. What’s more notable is Phyrexia’s potential role as part of The Shard. This is never explicitly stated, but it would make sense. Szat seems to have access to a Priest of Yawgmoth from Phyrexia, and the priest later threatens to banish Jaeuhl there — something that shouldn’t be possible if Phyrexia wasn’t among the 12 worlds of The Shard.
[EDIT 9/12/2017: After I started this project, I was introduced to the excellent Multiverse in Review, in which blogger Berend is reading and reviewing every MTG tie-in story ever produced. Since he's already covered the Armada comics, I try not to read his analysis of the issues until after I've written my own so as to avoid any unintentional influence, the appearance of plagiarism, etc. In any case, Berend points out in his Ice Age entry that Phyrexia is NOT part of The Shard. Head over to Multiverse in Review to see why!]
Ravidel states that he comes from one of the 12 planes within The Shard. Since we don’t know the identity of 8-10 of these planes, we never learn his place of origin. Ironically, Kristina also notes that Ravidel is “pure at heart” and “a student of the plains” — quite a contrast from what he becomes in later comics.
Rhuell’s inclusion in issue 3 is extremely important. Szat specifically identifies Rhuell as “an Elder Beast,” so it’s safe to assume that Rhuell is the Chromium Elder Dragon. As I noted in my entry for the Elder Dragons comic cycle, we know that Nicol Bolas is one of only five Elder Dragons still alive.
Vaevictus Asmadi may or may not have been killed in issue 2 of Elder Dragons. That’s one.
Chromium Rhuell meets his end in Ice Age issue 3. That’s two.
Before Rhuell’s death, though, Ravidel explains, “Leshrac forcibly summoned Rhuell’s brother into a duel -- the dragon was destroyed by Leshrac’s opponent.” Rhuell had two brothers among the other Elder Dragons: Bolas and Arcades Sabboth. Since Bolas is still very much alive, this may be how Sabboth met his end. That’s three.
Perhaps Palladia Mors is still buried on Dominaria.
The Labyrinth of Raynor at Soldev in issue 4 is a callback to the glacier that was pressing down on Storgard in issue 2.
MISCELLANEOUS
During the riots in Storgard in issue 1, a warrior who appears to have a hook for a left hand exclaims, “By the Ebon Hand, this quarrel must end.” This is interesting for a few reasons. First, it means that all remnants of the Order of the Ebon Hand were not wiped out by the Thrulls during the Fallen Empires era. Second, it means that some vestige of dedication to Tourach existed in the early years of the Ice Age. Of course, the Ice Age comics are no longer canon, so we can only speculate as to whether this was a flavorful addition by the writer or simply a continuity error.
Jason Carthalion’s nickname for Freyalise is Alise. Her nickname for him is Jace.
In his “Seer Analysis” column at the end of issue 1, Shawn Carnes writes, “It’s also cool to see some of the legends referred to in the upcoming Ice Age expansion (King Miko and his Staff of Ice Lords, Kjeldos, and the Kingdom of Storgard itself, to name a few).” As far as I can tell, neither King Miko nor a “Staff of Ice Lords” is referenced on any game card. However, by issue 4, it is clarified that Staff of the Ice Lords was changed to Staff of the Ages prior to the printing of the Ice Age card set. King Miko was perhaps cut entirely.
The shaman Bolar, introduced in issue 2, never has his race or species identified. He has quite a unique design, in that he has a bald head, pointed Elven ears, and two small arms growing from his chest. In the notes at the end of issue 2, he is further described as, “An aspiring Planeswalker caught in the Shard, who has chosen to make his home on Dominaria.” Given the shaky definition of Planeswalker at this point, it’s possible that Bolar is indeed a Planeswalker of a species that, nearly 25 years later, we still haven’t met.
In issue 2, Onala calls on Oriel as “grandmother.” However, since issue 2 takes place 500 years after issue 1, this is likely an error.
Kailo utters the oath, “Miko’s blood!” in reference to King Miko of Storgard
Zaraya is seemingly given two artifacts by the Marked Ones: the Nova Pentacle, which was printed in the Legends expansion, and the “Reflecting Star,” which seemingly doesn’t refer to any printed card. It is only in issue 4 that it’s clarified that these are two names for the same artifact.
Disa the Restless and her husband Kolbjorn are introduced as minor characters in issue 3. Kaysa is their adoptive daughter. Kolbjorn appears on the Ice Age printing of Elder Druid, while Disa is quoted in the flavor text of no less than 20 individual cards.
Kaysa would not be printed on a card until the Alliances set. She appears on a card that bears her namesake. Likewise, Jaeuhl Carthalion appears on the card Juniper Order Advocate in the same set — albeit looking significantly different than he does in the comic.
In issue 2, Zaraya uses the enchantment Katabatic Winds on Lim-Dul, and Carnes identifies this as a card in his “Seer Analysis” column at the end of the issue. However, Katabatic Winds would not be printed until the release of the Visions expansion in February 1997. In the notes at the end of issue 4, the editors explain that Katabatic Winds was renamed Freyalise’s Winds. So the name was originally considered for the Ice Age expansion, was changed, and was then recycled for Visions.
Faralyn seems to think that by repairing The Shard, Taysir can return to Rabiah. Neither seems to realize that Nailah has closed the plane so that Taysir can never return. This also means that Rabiah is not within The Shard.
Faralyn has interfered in the lives of at least three Elder Dragons.
Being an ante card, Amulet of Quoz is banned in all formats.
At the end of issue 1, Editor Jeff Gomez mentions that he learned to play Magic at Chameleon Comics in Queens, N.Y. Interesting, that shop is still a thriving comic and hobby store!
Issue 3 includes a piece of concept art depicting Storgard by C.R. Lister. Lister was a penciler for Valiant Comics at the time, though he never produced any art for MTG.
Even though the Magic comics were not published under the Valiant masthead (but instead by a subsidiary of a subsidiary), Valiant used the MTG titles as part of its “Birth-Quakes” advertising campaign.
Issue 4 has two copy errors: On page 18, the word “their” is repeated in the sentence, “Some arrive by sorcery, others upon their fastest steeds -- all to offer of their their personal mana, to the efforts of Goddess Freyalise.” On page 29, the word “has” is missing from the sentence, “At press time, the M:TG Ice Age expansion finally been released!”
Unlike Antiquities War and The Urza-Mishra War, there’s no amount of mental gymnastics I can do to justify that this comic may still be canon. It’s presented by an omniscient narrator, and there’s no reason to think the information we’re given as readers is unreliable.
However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a ton to love about Ice Age. This story’s narrative is particularly strong among Magic’s tie-in materials, and the design is absolutely stunning. From the way spellcasting is depicted to the costume and character designs, everything about Ice Age is a feast for the eyes and the imagination.
(One example of spellcasting using arcane designs corresponding to the spell’s color and usually transitioning from one panel to the next.)
(Freyalise in all her battle-scarred glory.)
(Zaraya’s outfit is just one of many intricate costume designs.)
Like other parts of Armada’s MTG comic line, Ice Age is partially incomplete in that a sequel of sorts was planned in the form of an Alliances prestige one-off. Based on a synopsis found in issue 2 of The Urza-Mishra War, we know that the story would have followed Jaeuhl Carthalion and Kaysa, who fall in love during their later adventures together. Something was also meant to occur that would have caused a rift between Kristina and Taysir, leading all the way up to the Planeswalker War. To see screengrabs of this synopsis, head on over to the entry for The Urza-Mishra War.
Still, since Ice Age is a complete narrative in and of itself, I don’t have too much to complain about.
Ice Age was published between July and October 1995. Issue 1 included a copy of the card Bone Shaman. Issue 2 included a copy of the card Chub Toad. Issues 3 and 4 included sets of heavy cardboard tokens.
STORY SYNOPSIS
Over the course of 500 years, the Planeswalker Freyalise acquires allies and adversaries while trying to end Dominaria’s Ice Age.
CREATIVES
Jeff Gomez (Fallen Empires) wrote the entire series.
Rafael Kayanan provided pencils for the entire series. Kayanan is an entertainment industry veteran, having worked for nearly every comic company under the sun. He’s provided artwork for Conan: The Adventurer, Turok, Firestorm, Spider-Man, and Star Wars. He’s also done concept work for video games, Broadway shows, and film, as well as art for tie-in collector cards. Perhaps most interesting is that Kayanan is also a martial arts and bladed weapons master! He’s trained actors and designed fight and stunt choreography for films such as The Hunted and John Carter of Mars.
Rodney Ramos (Arabian Nights) served as inker.
Eric Hope provided painted color for the issues. In addition to Ice Age, Hope worked on several other Valiant titles in the 1990s.
Charles Vess did the covers of all four issues, continuing the streak of Armada hiring legendary genre artists to produce their MTG comic covers. Vess is a multiple award-winning sci-fi and fantasy artist who has worked in books, comics, and the fine art scene. He’s collaborated with Neil Gaiman and Charles de Lint, and has been the subject of art exhibitions held around the world.
LORE
It’s interesting to see the idea of “Planeswalkers” in pre-revisionist storytelling, before the idea of becoming a Planeswalker was standardized, per se. One gets the sense from Ice Age (and other titles) that a wizard could become a Planeswalker through hard work and study, and not by a quirk of genetics or the mysterious Planeswalker “spark.”
Likewise, a wizard who tried casting a powerful spell prior to “becoming” a Planeswalker risked endangering his or her own life. This happens to Zilgeth of Clan Ruby when he sacrifices himself to Incinerate a Johtull Wurm.
Early in issue 1, we learn that Freyalise is considered a Planeswalker both before and after her death. Death itself is termed “walking the ether planes.”
Both Jason Carthalion and Freyalise are orphans, though Jason presumably married at some point and fathered children to continue the Carthalion line. Jason’s parents are said to have died “to the cold,” though we only learn this from the notes at the end of issue 2.
Jason’s descendant, Jaeuhl Carthalion, is depicted as part-Elf, and the synopsis for the unpublished Alliances comic describes him as “elven.” Since Jaeuhl begins a relationship with the Elvish druid Kaysa, it’s safe to assume that the Carthalion line intermingled with Elves both before and after Jaeuhl’s time.
The kingdom of Kjeldor is named for Oriel Kjeldos, the shaman of Clan Emerald, who led her people and others away from the crumbling kingdom of Storgard.
Prince Darian exists in both pre-revisionist and revisionist stories. Here, he is the prince of Kjeldor. In the Ice Age cycle of books, he is King Darian. Of particular note is the role he plays in issue 2 in making diplomatic overtures to the Balduvians, since Kjeldor will go on to unite with Balduvia at the end of the Ice Age to form New Argive. Darian is depicted on the card Darian, King of Kjeldor.
Issue 3 is absolutely packed with lore, so much so that it could almost be its own entry. Let’s begin with the setting: Dominaria’s Null Moon. The moon plays an important narrative role not only in this story, but also in The Thran by J. Robert King and in the Weatherlight Saga.
The Shard is described by Faralyn as a dozen planes that have been splintered from a “continuum of a trillion worlds.” However, we known of only two (possibly up to four) planes that make up The Shard, and this information is likely gleaned from the Ice Age comic. The first, of course, is Dominaria. The second is Azoria, where Freyalise and Tevesh Szat fight part of their duel. As the MTG Wiki points out, if the Null Void is a plane, it would be the third of the 12. Only one other has possibly been identified (read on).
In the opening panel of issue 4, Szat indicates that he’s familiar with Phyrexia. This isn’t particularly surprising in and of itself, seeing that Szat is at least 2,500 years old and may have even traveled there at one point. What’s more notable is Phyrexia’s potential role as part of The Shard. This is never explicitly stated, but it would make sense. Szat seems to have access to a Priest of Yawgmoth from Phyrexia, and the priest later threatens to banish Jaeuhl there — something that shouldn’t be possible if Phyrexia wasn’t among the 12 worlds of The Shard.
[EDIT 9/12/2017: After I started this project, I was introduced to the excellent Multiverse in Review, in which blogger Berend is reading and reviewing every MTG tie-in story ever produced. Since he's already covered the Armada comics, I try not to read his analysis of the issues until after I've written my own so as to avoid any unintentional influence, the appearance of plagiarism, etc. In any case, Berend points out in his Ice Age entry that Phyrexia is NOT part of The Shard. Head over to Multiverse in Review to see why!]
Ravidel states that he comes from one of the 12 planes within The Shard. Since we don’t know the identity of 8-10 of these planes, we never learn his place of origin. Ironically, Kristina also notes that Ravidel is “pure at heart” and “a student of the plains” — quite a contrast from what he becomes in later comics.
Rhuell’s inclusion in issue 3 is extremely important. Szat specifically identifies Rhuell as “an Elder Beast,” so it’s safe to assume that Rhuell is the Chromium Elder Dragon. As I noted in my entry for the Elder Dragons comic cycle, we know that Nicol Bolas is one of only five Elder Dragons still alive.
Vaevictus Asmadi may or may not have been killed in issue 2 of Elder Dragons. That’s one.
Chromium Rhuell meets his end in Ice Age issue 3. That’s two.
Before Rhuell’s death, though, Ravidel explains, “Leshrac forcibly summoned Rhuell’s brother into a duel -- the dragon was destroyed by Leshrac’s opponent.” Rhuell had two brothers among the other Elder Dragons: Bolas and Arcades Sabboth. Since Bolas is still very much alive, this may be how Sabboth met his end. That’s three.
Perhaps Palladia Mors is still buried on Dominaria.
The Labyrinth of Raynor at Soldev in issue 4 is a callback to the glacier that was pressing down on Storgard in issue 2.
MISCELLANEOUS
During the riots in Storgard in issue 1, a warrior who appears to have a hook for a left hand exclaims, “By the Ebon Hand, this quarrel must end.” This is interesting for a few reasons. First, it means that all remnants of the Order of the Ebon Hand were not wiped out by the Thrulls during the Fallen Empires era. Second, it means that some vestige of dedication to Tourach existed in the early years of the Ice Age. Of course, the Ice Age comics are no longer canon, so we can only speculate as to whether this was a flavorful addition by the writer or simply a continuity error.
Jason Carthalion’s nickname for Freyalise is Alise. Her nickname for him is Jace.
In his “Seer Analysis” column at the end of issue 1, Shawn Carnes writes, “It’s also cool to see some of the legends referred to in the upcoming Ice Age expansion (King Miko and his Staff of Ice Lords, Kjeldos, and the Kingdom of Storgard itself, to name a few).” As far as I can tell, neither King Miko nor a “Staff of Ice Lords” is referenced on any game card. However, by issue 4, it is clarified that Staff of the Ice Lords was changed to Staff of the Ages prior to the printing of the Ice Age card set. King Miko was perhaps cut entirely.
The shaman Bolar, introduced in issue 2, never has his race or species identified. He has quite a unique design, in that he has a bald head, pointed Elven ears, and two small arms growing from his chest. In the notes at the end of issue 2, he is further described as, “An aspiring Planeswalker caught in the Shard, who has chosen to make his home on Dominaria.” Given the shaky definition of Planeswalker at this point, it’s possible that Bolar is indeed a Planeswalker of a species that, nearly 25 years later, we still haven’t met.
In issue 2, Onala calls on Oriel as “grandmother.” However, since issue 2 takes place 500 years after issue 1, this is likely an error.
Kailo utters the oath, “Miko’s blood!” in reference to King Miko of Storgard
Zaraya is seemingly given two artifacts by the Marked Ones: the Nova Pentacle, which was printed in the Legends expansion, and the “Reflecting Star,” which seemingly doesn’t refer to any printed card. It is only in issue 4 that it’s clarified that these are two names for the same artifact.
Disa the Restless and her husband Kolbjorn are introduced as minor characters in issue 3. Kaysa is their adoptive daughter. Kolbjorn appears on the Ice Age printing of Elder Druid, while Disa is quoted in the flavor text of no less than 20 individual cards.
Kaysa would not be printed on a card until the Alliances set. She appears on a card that bears her namesake. Likewise, Jaeuhl Carthalion appears on the card Juniper Order Advocate in the same set — albeit looking significantly different than he does in the comic.
In issue 2, Zaraya uses the enchantment Katabatic Winds on Lim-Dul, and Carnes identifies this as a card in his “Seer Analysis” column at the end of the issue. However, Katabatic Winds would not be printed until the release of the Visions expansion in February 1997. In the notes at the end of issue 4, the editors explain that Katabatic Winds was renamed Freyalise’s Winds. So the name was originally considered for the Ice Age expansion, was changed, and was then recycled for Visions.
Faralyn seems to think that by repairing The Shard, Taysir can return to Rabiah. Neither seems to realize that Nailah has closed the plane so that Taysir can never return. This also means that Rabiah is not within The Shard.
Faralyn has interfered in the lives of at least three Elder Dragons.
Being an ante card, Amulet of Quoz is banned in all formats.
At the end of issue 1, Editor Jeff Gomez mentions that he learned to play Magic at Chameleon Comics in Queens, N.Y. Interesting, that shop is still a thriving comic and hobby store!
Issue 3 includes a piece of concept art depicting Storgard by C.R. Lister. Lister was a penciler for Valiant Comics at the time, though he never produced any art for MTG.
Even though the Magic comics were not published under the Valiant masthead (but instead by a subsidiary of a subsidiary), Valiant used the MTG titles as part of its “Birth-Quakes” advertising campaign.
Issue 4 has two copy errors: On page 18, the word “their” is repeated in the sentence, “Some arrive by sorcery, others upon their fastest steeds -- all to offer of their their personal mana, to the efforts of Goddess Freyalise.” On page 29, the word “has” is missing from the sentence, “At press time, the M:TG Ice Age expansion finally been released!”
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