Written by Guest Contributor: Jordan North This week’s Ice King centric issue of Adventure Time was full of juicy tidbits. An Ice Queen crossover?! Ice King has a history with Hudson Abadeer?! OH MY! Yes readers it was chock full of meaty, meaty lore.
Issue #16 opened great with Jake and Finn having a rare bro-out sesh with the Ice King as both of them piloted their own goofy versions of what were essentially the Power Ranger`s Megazords. Finns of course being a massive Jake suit and Ice King’s being… well, ice. It was fun and the negligence of both parties to pay attention to a trapped Lumpy Space Princess was funny. One trap door latter and the kind of nemeses get to spend the day in an epic ice dungeon together and maybe score some mad loot!
This is also the beginning of what ends up being a really stand out issue for the Ice King. His monologue on his view of what it`s like to be a princess and how what he’s doing for them isn’t all bad and is actually pretty insightful and shows a rare wise old man side of Ice King that we rarely have the privilege of seeing. And it’s not the only glimpse into his multifaceted personality that we get to see as the heroes and “villain” travel deeper into his cavern of ice and madness. Aside from the typical monsters and traps there are other interesting reveals here.
The issue isn’t all serious. A bit where Jake tries to seduce some eyeball monsters who willingly allow themselves to be cleaved in two by Finn to stop the process is hilarious as is a wink at a classic DC comics locale. “You created a hall of justice?!” “No, check the kerning, it’s a hall of just ice.” Funny stuff.
Back to the Ice King, later on in the issue we encounter, THE ICE QUEEN! How wacky is this? It’s actually a big deal, this is the first time we’ve seen a crossover with the fictional-fictional universe of Fionna and Cake. Granted, this version of the Ice Queen is just a robot but it`s still cool. A line, following asking her creator why he left her alone for 200 years was actually pretty damn sad. Ice King immediately and cheerfully begins to destroy his creation who asks, “Why? Why did you create me just to do this?” and I promise you it never gets mentioned again. It certainly doesn’t here. Why you gotta be so cold AT? Follow that with a scene where Ice King explains the torture of being so old and having so many painful memories and so much loss that’s great, “Finn, when you get older you realize some things...memories blow so hard sometimes” and you have a great issue of Adventure Time.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Ryan North Artists: Shelli Paroline & Braden Lamb Publisher: Kaboom/Boom Studios Price: $3.99 Release Date: 5/22/13