Victor Fries, better known as Mr. Freeze, is a popular tragic Batman villain. As a scientist in Gotham City who suffered a lab accident while trying to cryogenically preserve his terminally ill wife, Nora, Victor turns to crime to fund his research in his obsessive quest to cure Nora by any means necessary, which brings him into conflict with Batman and the GCPD.
In Batman: One Bad Day - Mr. Freeze, Gerry Duggan takes on this origin myth by trying to humanise the character even more and make readers feel empathy for him. Unlike in the other instalments of this sereis, Robin (here in the form of Dick Grayson) plays a vital role as he is the one empathising with Victor, whereas Batman remains unforgiving. According to him, Victor has decided his own fate a long time ago (when he turned to crime and preserved his wife's body without her consent) and deserves none of our warmth.
Personally, I found this issue delightful and heartwarming. Sure, it's a bit cheesy here and there ("Promise me, Victor, that you'll use your big brain to change the world and leave this trouble hind and spread your wings." paired with a panel that literally shows Victor lying in the snow making a snow angel, bahaha), but it did warm my stone-cold heart. I always love when Alfred (MY BELOVED!) and Robin show up as they humanise Bruce so much more. Among my favorite scenes were Alfred making/building a Christmas tree out of Bat claws and Bruce and Dick dressing up as Santa and his Elf as a disguise. Methinks this would make a perfect Christmas read.
Also, huge shout out to Matteo Scalera. His art was WONDERFUL. Truly among the best in this limited series. The colors, the play with light, the whimsiness when appropriate, the tragedy when necessary. He did it all. Beautiful to look at from start to finish!