Best Mr. Freeze Comics: Where to Start, Key Issues and Origin Stories

Mr. Freeze is a special case in Batman's rogues gallery: his current identity was born on television before settling into the comics, and the best stories devoted to him are recent. A reader who sticks to the single issues of the 1960s therefore misses what makes him interesting. This guide ranks six reads and gives you the landmarks to date his appearances.

As always in this guide, we only state verified facts (creators, issue numbers, dates); the analysis is our own, with no reproduction of protected pages or dialogue.

His first appearance

The character is born in Batman #121, cover-dated February 1959, under the name Mr. Zero. References credit him to Dave Wood and Sheldon Moldoff, under Bob Kane's editorial signature. His costume, helmet and freezing weapon are all set from this issue, but the name Mr. Freeze does not appear in it. Our guide to this issue details the pitfalls of listings that talk about the "first appearance of Mr. Freeze."

The name comes from television: it appears in the episode "Instant Freeze" of the Batman series, aired on February 2, 1966. In the comics, the character is renamed in Detective Comics #373, cover-dated March 1968. A decisive turning point comes next: the "Heart of Ice" episode of Batman: The Animated Series, aired on September 7, 1992, written by Paul Dini and directed by Bruce Timm. Mike Mignola redesigned the character, Michael Ansara lends him his voice, and the episode gives him the Victor Fries backstory that DC later folded into its continuity. Almost everything that makes Freeze memorable today flows from that quarter hour of animation.

This timeline has a practical consequence for the reader. Three actors, George Sanders, Otto Preminger and Eli Wallach, played the character in the 1966 series: their Freeze is a serial-style eccentric, far from the widower of 1992. The comics of the 1960s and 1970s resemble him more than today's version, and that is why we do not put them at the top of this ranking. They interest the collector for their date, the reader for their historical curiosity.

1: Batman Annual #1, "First Snow," Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV and Jason Fabok (2012)

This one-shot issue, cover-dated July 2012, is the best way in. Scott Snyder writes it and Jason Fabok draws it. It gives Victor Fries a new origin for the DC of the time, around the "Night of the Owls" event. The issue is self-contained: it reads fine without knowing the rest of the series.

What this story gives Freeze: an anchor point in the universe relaunched in 2011. It is for every reader, including those who have never read any Batman. To read it, look for a collection of the Annual stories from this period or the single issue, easy to spot by its number and year. Our page on Scott Snyder's comics places this Annual within his body of work.

2: Gotham Central #1-2, Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka and Michael Lark (2003)

Gotham Central tells the story of Gotham from the point of view of the cops in the Major Crimes Unit, and its first two issues, cover-dated February to May 2003, feature Freeze. He kills Detective Charlie Fields there, then the detectives hunt him without Batman's help. They discover he is planning an attack on the Gotham University graduation ceremony, and they ultimately have to call Batman to stop him. Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka write, Michael Lark draws.

What this story gives: a threat seen from below, with no costume or vigilante gadget. Freeze is a methodical killer here rather than a tragic figure, which provides a useful counterpoint to his sentimental versions. It is for readers who like crime fiction and investigations, and it reads in the series' first collection, In the Line of Duty. Find the writer in our page on Ed Brubaker's comics.

3: Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story, Lauren Myracle and Isaac Goodhart (2020)

This graphic novel, released on November 3, 2020, tells of Victor Fries meeting Nora long before he becomes Mr. Freeze. Lauren Myracle writes, Isaac Goodhart draws, Cris Peter colors and Steve Wands letters. The story opens in a cemetery outside Gotham, where their relationship quickly takes hold.

What the book gives: the love story that was missing from the bibliography, since the whole character rests on his feelings for Nora. It is for readers who want to understand the character's motivation rather than pile up fights. Reviews are mixed: some see a pleasant book for Freeze fans, others point out that the last chapters tackle heavy subjects (despair, consent) that call for some distance. Read it after the 2012 Batman Annual to compare the two ways of telling the same story.

4: Batman: One Bad Day, Mr. Freeze, Gerry Duggan and Matteo Scalera (2022)

This one-shot comes out on November 15, 2022 in the One Bad Day single-issue series, and a hardcover collection follows in 2023. Gerry Duggan writes, Matteo Scalera draws, Dave Stewart does the colors and Deron Bennett the lettering. The story takes place in winter: Batman and a young Dick Grayson, as Robin, wonder whether Freeze can be redeemed, then help him get the tools to save his wife Nora, who is in cryogenic suspension. The story also reveals that the couple was not happy.

What this read gives: a calmer, almost sentimental version, which pits Freeze against a Batman ready to help him. It is for readers looking for a complete story in a single issue, with a Christmas-tale tone. One reviewer judged it more convincing as a holiday story than as a definitive portrait of the character: a good gauge of what to expect from it.

5: Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #201-203, "Cold Case," Christos Gage and Ron Wagner (2006)

This three-part arc, written by Christos Gage and drawn by Ron Wagner, starts from an investigation into the Gotham Ripper, a killer whose clues seem to lead to Thomas Wayne. Mr. Freeze does not enter the scene until the third chapter, "Legacies" (#203, June 2006), where his attack on Leslie Thompkins sends Batman down a false trail. The arc reads in three consecutive issues, but the character only plays a pivotal role in it.

It is for those who have already read the previous entries and want a compact story in three issues. It is a secondary read: it makes the most sense when you know the origin set up by "Heart of Ice," and it depends on a series issue that can be hard to find one at a time, so the series' collections are an easier route. Plan on one evening of reading.

A tip on method for these first three issues: note the year and number of each part before buying, because the Legends of the Dark Knight series runs more than two hundred issues and listings readily mix up the arcs.

6: Batman: White Knight Presents, Von Freeze, Sean Murphy and Klaus Janson (2019-2020)

This fifty-six-page one-shot, put on sale on November 20, 2019 with a cover date of January 2020, belongs to the White Knight universe and not to the main continuity. Sean Murphy writes the story and draws the cover, Klaus Janson draws the interiors and Matt Hollingsworth does the colors. It revisits Victor Fries's past.

What the story gives: a character study in a parallel continuity. It is for White Knight readers first of all, and it reads better after skimming the main version of the character. Reviewers found it thoughtful, while finding it less striking than the miniseries it stems from.

Where to start depending on your profile

If you are coming from the animated series and want to find the character of "Heart of Ice," read Batman Annual #1 first, then check our guide on the animated series vs. the comics. If you like crime fiction, open Gotham Central. If you are looking for the love story, read Victor and Nora then One Bad Day.

Other Batman enemies get a parallel treatment here: see the Penguin and Two-Face. And if you want to follow the character in publication order, read Batman #121, then Detective Comics #373, then entries 5, 2, 1, 6, 3 and 4.

The key issues to know

The hierarchy follows three landmarks. The first is Batman #121 (February 1959), the first appearance under the name Mr. Zero. The second is Detective Comics #373 (March 1968), where the character becomes Mr. Freeze in the comics. The third is Batman Annual #1 (2012), which rewrites the origin for the relaunched DC.

The more recent landmarks are Gotham Central #1 (February 2003), Batman: White Knight Presents, Von Freeze #1 (January 2020) and Batman: One Bad Day, Mr. Freeze #1 (November 2022). All three are single issues of their era, whose interest is first and foremost narrative. The 2012 Batman Annual #1, for its part, follows a different logic: it is the reading landmark we recommend first, and it is also the one that most clearly links the comics Freeze to the animated one.

To rank a Mr. Freeze issue in your collection, ask yourself a simple question: does it belong to the birth of Mr. Zero, the 1968 rename, the 2012 rewrite or a standalone story? This grid keeps you from confusing issues that all carry the same character name but not the same importance.

For Batman #121, the essential precaution is to read the character's name in the listing: a seller who writes "Mr. Freeze" is describing a lineage, not the printed title. The ranking of Batman key issues places this issue among the series' other keys.

Frequently asked questions