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Batman One-Shots
Batman: Mr Freeze
Written by the producer of the animated series THE BATMAN & ROBIN ADVENTURES! Wanting revenge against Batman, supervillain Mr. Freeze plots to destroy everything he cares about: law and order, and Gotham City.
48 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1997
2 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
Paul Dini
726 books714 followersPaul Dini is an American television producer of animated cartoons. He is best known as a producer and writer for several Warner Bros./DC Comics series, including Star Wars: Ewoks, Tiny Toon Adventures, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, The New Batman/Superman Adventures, Batman Beyond and Duck Dodgers. He also developed and scripted Krypto the Superdog and contributed scripts to Animaniacs (he created Minerva Mink), Freakazoid, Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. After leaving Warner Bros. In early 2004, Dini went on to write and story edit the popular ABC adventure series Lost.
Paul Dini was born in New York City. He attended the Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, California on an art scholarship. He attended Emerson College in Boston, where he earned a BFA degree in creative writing. (He also took zoology classes at Harvard University.)
During college, he began doing freelance animation scripts for Filmation, and a number of other studios. In 1984, he was hired to work for George Lucas on several of his animation projects.
The episodes of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon that were written by Dini have become favorites amongst the show's fans over the internet, although despite this as well as contributing to interviews on the released box sets of the series, Dini has made no secret of his distaste for Filmation and the He-Man concept. He also wrote an episode of the Generation One Transformers cartoon series and contributed to various episodes of the Ewoks animated series, several of which included rare appearances from the Empire.
In 1989, he was hired at Warner Bros. Animation to work on Tiny Toon Adventures. Later, he moved onto Batman: The Animated Series, where he worked as a writer, producer and editor, later working on Batman Beyond. He continued working with WB animation, working on a number of internal projects, including Krypto the Superdog and Duck Dodgers, until 2004.
He has earned five Emmy awards for his animation work. In a related effort, Dini was also the co-author (with Chip Kidd) of Batman Animated, a 1998 non-fiction coffee table book about the animated Batman franchise.
Dini has also written several comics stories for DC Comics, including an acclaimed oversized graphic novel series illustrated by painter Alex Ross. (A hardcover collection of the Dini and Ross stories was published in late summer 2005 under the title The World's Greatest Superheroes.) Other books written by Dini for DC have featured his Batman Animated creation Harley Quinn as well as classic characters Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel and Zatanna.
Best known among Dini's original creations is Jingle Belle, the rebellious teen-age daughter of Santa Claus. Dini also created Sheriff Ida Red, the super-powered cowgirl star of a series of books set in Dini's mythical town of Mutant, Texas. Perhaps his greatest character contribution is the introduction of Harley Quinn (along with designs by Bruce Timm) on Batman: The Animated Series.
In 2001 Dini made a cameo appearance in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back during the scene in which Jay and Silent Bob wear ridiculous looking costumes for a film being directed by Chris Rock, in which Dini says to them "you guys look pretty bad ass".
In 2006, Dini became the writer for DC Comics' Detective Comics. That same year, he announced that he was writing a hardcover graphic novel starring Zatanna and Black Canary. In 2007, he was announced as the head writer of that company's weekly series, Countdown. Paul Dini is currently co-writing the script for the upcoming Gatchaman movie. Dini is also currently writing a series for Top Cow Productions, based in a character he created, Madame Mirage.
Paul Dini is an active cryptozoologist, hunter and wildlife photographer. On a 1985 trip to Tasmania, he had a possible sighting of a Thylacine. He has also encountered a number of venomous snakes, a Komodo Dragon and a charging Sumatran Rhi
Paul Dini was born in New York City. He attended the Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, California on an art scholarship. He attended Emerson College in Boston, where he earned a BFA degree in creative writing. (He also took zoology classes at Harvard University.)
During college, he began doing freelance animation scripts for Filmation, and a number of other studios. In 1984, he was hired to work for George Lucas on several of his animation projects.
The episodes of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon that were written by Dini have become favorites amongst the show's fans over the internet, although despite this as well as contributing to interviews on the released box sets of the series, Dini has made no secret of his distaste for Filmation and the He-Man concept. He also wrote an episode of the Generation One Transformers cartoon series and contributed to various episodes of the Ewoks animated series, several of which included rare appearances from the Empire.
In 1989, he was hired at Warner Bros. Animation to work on Tiny Toon Adventures. Later, he moved onto Batman: The Animated Series, where he worked as a writer, producer and editor, later working on Batman Beyond. He continued working with WB animation, working on a number of internal projects, including Krypto the Superdog and Duck Dodgers, until 2004.
He has earned five Emmy awards for his animation work. In a related effort, Dini was also the co-author (with Chip Kidd) of Batman Animated, a 1998 non-fiction coffee table book about the animated Batman franchise.
Dini has also written several comics stories for DC Comics, including an acclaimed oversized graphic novel series illustrated by painter Alex Ross. (A hardcover collection of the Dini and Ross stories was published in late summer 2005 under the title The World's Greatest Superheroes.) Other books written by Dini for DC have featured his Batman Animated creation Harley Quinn as well as classic characters Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel and Zatanna.
Best known among Dini's original creations is Jingle Belle, the rebellious teen-age daughter of Santa Claus. Dini also created Sheriff Ida Red, the super-powered cowgirl star of a series of books set in Dini's mythical town of Mutant, Texas. Perhaps his greatest character contribution is the introduction of Harley Quinn (along with designs by Bruce Timm) on Batman: The Animated Series.
In 2001 Dini made a cameo appearance in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back during the scene in which Jay and Silent Bob wear ridiculous looking costumes for a film being directed by Chris Rock, in which Dini says to them "you guys look pretty bad ass".
In 2006, Dini became the writer for DC Comics' Detective Comics. That same year, he announced that he was writing a hardcover graphic novel starring Zatanna and Black Canary. In 2007, he was announced as the head writer of that company's weekly series, Countdown. Paul Dini is currently co-writing the script for the upcoming Gatchaman movie. Dini is also currently writing a series for Top Cow Productions, based in a character he created, Madame Mirage.
Paul Dini is an active cryptozoologist, hunter and wildlife photographer. On a 1985 trip to Tasmania, he had a possible sighting of a Thylacine. He has also encountered a number of venomous snakes, a Komodo Dragon and a charging Sumatran Rhi
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 18, 2017
This one was a little too depressing and mundane, as well as lacking a solid ending. I knew there was a problem when I was wishing Victor Fries would be on a therapist's couch instead of eventually having a showdown with Batman.
August 21, 2021
Batman: Mr. Freeze, written by Paul Dini and illustrated by Mark Buckingham, is one of the earliest Batman stories that I read, and I did not like it initially. I gave it 1 out of 5 stars because it was not the Batman story that I was expecting. I thought it was geared toward kids, and I did not like the dialog. I just reread this story with a better understanding of the character, and I realized that I judged this story too harshly.
The first iteration of Mr. Freeze first appeared in Batman #121, and he was known as Mr. Zero back then, a villain with an ice gun that needed a below-zero temperature environment in order to survive. Mr. Zero, who was eventually renamed Mr. Freeze in the Batman '66 TV show, was a very forgettable character, that is, until the Batman: That Animated Series (BTAS) episode, "Heart of Ice". This episode retconned the history of Mr. Freeze and turned this joke villain into a tragic character that you cannot help but sympathize with. The BTAS episode was a great hit, so DC decided to adapt Mr. Freeze's BTAS backstory into the comics, and who better to write this story than BTAS writer, Paul Dini.
Mr. Freeze is one of the more popular Batman villains, and yet, unlike the other top-tier villains, he does not have a lot of standalone stories. That is why I think this story is an important part of the Batman mythos. It is a good character study of Mr. Freeze. In this story, Dini initially explores the difficult childhood of Victor Fries (am I the only one who initially read this as the fries in french fries?) and his fascination with cryonics. His life turns around when he meets the woman who would give his life meaning, only for her to be taken away by an unfortunate circumstance. This is a solid story, although I wish Dini focused more on Victor and Nora's relationship in this story to emphasize how much she means to him.
Chronology: I would read this after Batman: Year Two.
The first iteration of Mr. Freeze first appeared in Batman #121, and he was known as Mr. Zero back then, a villain with an ice gun that needed a below-zero temperature environment in order to survive. Mr. Zero, who was eventually renamed Mr. Freeze in the Batman '66 TV show, was a very forgettable character, that is, until the Batman: That Animated Series (BTAS) episode, "Heart of Ice". This episode retconned the history of Mr. Freeze and turned this joke villain into a tragic character that you cannot help but sympathize with. The BTAS episode was a great hit, so DC decided to adapt Mr. Freeze's BTAS backstory into the comics, and who better to write this story than BTAS writer, Paul Dini.
Mr. Freeze is one of the more popular Batman villains, and yet, unlike the other top-tier villains, he does not have a lot of standalone stories. That is why I think this story is an important part of the Batman mythos. It is a good character study of Mr. Freeze. In this story, Dini initially explores the difficult childhood of Victor Fries (am I the only one who initially read this as the fries in french fries?) and his fascination with cryonics. His life turns around when he meets the woman who would give his life meaning, only for her to be taken away by an unfortunate circumstance. This is a solid story, although I wish Dini focused more on Victor and Nora's relationship in this story to emphasize how much she means to him.
Chronology: I would read this after Batman: Year Two.
December 18, 2023
A short, quick and mellow read. I actually checked if it's a Batman story or not because it's a very light read but also these vague books make the characters took like a watered down version of themselves
April 22, 2013
I love Paul Dini. I was absolutely sure that he could write a comic book, and it would be at least pretty good. This is pretty terrible. The back story that does not involve Nora is absolutely cliché, and not done in a way that can make the cliché a good one. The art was absolutely terrible (not Dini's fault), and the present day story wasn't really all that great (also not his fault, I'm sure). I would recommend keeping away from this one. Especially if you're like me and think that Dini can do no wrong. I don't want to tarnish that image for you.
July 29, 2012
Another great Batman story from the brilliant mind of Batman fan Paul Dini.
November 10, 2019
Pretty good. A more in-depth retelling of Mr. Freeze's origin, based out of Paul Dini's B:TAS episode. The bits of him freezing bugs as a child seemed too silly and on the nose at first to me, but then I ended up liking it. At first I'd thought "it's more interesting for Mr Freeze to have been perfectly normal before his accident" but then realized that's stupid, having hints to his later violence and craziness as a child makes lots of sense. The only problem I did still have though, was the decision to have Freeze himself accidentally shoot and kill Nora's frozen body. I don't remember if anything like that happened in the cartoon. I didn't care for that at all. The art was good, by Generation X inker and future Fables penciller Mark Buckingham. A touch of warped stylization, mostly on Freeze himself and Batman (drawn in full Doug Moensch-era style, with the really long pointy ears). It was really good looking. The climax of their fight was horribly unclear to me, I got that Batman attracted bats toward Freeze but other than that I don't really understand what happened. It didn't matter too much, but was weird. Oh well. All in all a good Batman book for sure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2021
I am a huge Batman fan and have been revisiting some of the stories that I remembered reading when I was younger.
I didn't remember a whole lot about this one other than the fact the Mr. Freeze ends up turning someone very important in to ice. When I reread it, I found that while I enjoyed it, there were some plot holes that really bugged me in the story.
The tale itself was built up really well, it was well written and paced for 3/4 of the story. It created a real sense of wondering what was going to happen next as well as giving us a sense of sympathy for the main villain too. That was really nicely done. It was let down slightly by the rushed ending that glossed over so many important aspects. It felt like they had written themselves in to a corner then realised that they didn't have many pages left and panicked.
I did enjoy the book itself, it's just that the ending itself felt rushed and a little sloppy.
I can't give half stars on here so I've rated it as a 3 but it's more of a 3 1/2 but still enjoyable if you are a Batman fan.
I didn't remember a whole lot about this one other than the fact the Mr. Freeze ends up turning someone very important in to ice. When I reread it, I found that while I enjoyed it, there were some plot holes that really bugged me in the story.
The tale itself was built up really well, it was well written and paced for 3/4 of the story. It created a real sense of wondering what was going to happen next as well as giving us a sense of sympathy for the main villain too. That was really nicely done. It was let down slightly by the rushed ending that glossed over so many important aspects. It felt like they had written themselves in to a corner then realised that they didn't have many pages left and panicked.
I did enjoy the book itself, it's just that the ending itself felt rushed and a little sloppy.
I can't give half stars on here so I've rated it as a 3 but it's more of a 3 1/2 but still enjoyable if you are a Batman fan.
August 19, 2020
The impact that Batman: The Animated Series left on the franchise is still felt to this day.
Before the animated series, Mr. Freeze was just another villain. But in "Heart of Ice," one of the best episodes in the series, Mr. Freeze becomes a sympathetic villain and not just a guy with an ice fetish.
This comic successfully incorporates this sympathetic origin story into the post-crisis continuity. This is a must-have for every true Batman fan.
Before the animated series, Mr. Freeze was just another villain. But in "Heart of Ice," one of the best episodes in the series, Mr. Freeze becomes a sympathetic villain and not just a guy with an ice fetish.
This comic successfully incorporates this sympathetic origin story into the post-crisis continuity. This is a must-have for every true Batman fan.
May 30, 2023
I really liked the story, I love Paul Dini as a writer and the art was decent, typical of the time unfortunately. I enjoyed some padding to the Mr. Freeze story. Worth a read for any fan of the Villain.
August 20, 2018
A solid compilation of Mr. Freeze stories, from his very first appearance as "Mr. Zero" through the years to his New 52 DC reboot.
September 21, 2019
One of my favourite comics as a kid. This was one of the efforts to make Mr. Freeze a 'character' - and I loved it! Great stuff.
September 30, 2020
Not the usual witty writing expected from Dini. This is revenge making Mr. Freeze stupid, and he is not supposed to be stupid.
August 13, 2023
Well illustrated retelling of the origins of Mr. Freeze.
September 23, 2023
This is just very forgettable. Not bad, although as is typical in DC comics had stupid weird spelling and logic errors, but it wasn’t great either. It just sort of existed.
June 6, 2024
Libro de historietas con ISBN propio. Especial unitario.
June 23, 2015
Mr Freeze is basically an origin story with a small amount of new story material bookending. If you are familiar with the Mr. Freeze character, I don't need to tell you his back-story, but if you aren't then I don't want to ruin anything (because 90% of this book is his back-story). The frame story is that Mr. Freeze is trying to take away the things that Batman loves most. We start with Robin frozen at Mr. Freeze's hand, but that isn't the end of Freeze's plan; hes want's to destroy Gotham City. It's obviously not a long volume and it can be read in a few minutes. That being said, the art was pretty good and it's a solid retelling of the Mr. Freeze story. For what it is, it is a quick, enjoyable read but it obviously feels lacking in story. It could very easily have been just the origin story and it wouldn't have made the volume any worse.
April 17, 2015
This is the story of Mr Freeze, from a child, to a married man to Batman's enemy. There's some nice character moments here, a shame it is such a short book. It added more depth to his character, surprisingly, I have always felt that he was one of the most fleshed out characters anyway. A good read.
December 3, 2012
A Origin story and possibly a must read for every Mr Freeze fan out there.
November 5, 2013
The art inside this comic is quite different from the one on the cover and it's much more beautiful. Definitely recommended.
May 29, 2022
Tomo especial dedicado al Sr. Frío. No recuerdo si lo tengo incluido en otro recopilatorio también.
June 3, 2016
Great look into the history and psychology of Mr. Freeze.
Poor Tim spent the entirety of the issue as an ice cube, though.
Poor Tim spent the entirety of the issue as an ice cube, though.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews