Image Comics‘s Ice Cream Man has been on a roll lately, nabbing Comic Book Club’s spot as the #1 book of 2024 (and general critical acclaim, big sales, etc, blah, blah, blah). And right here at the top of the year, we’re already getting an early contender for Best of 2025 with Ice Cream Man #43.
The conceit of the issue is that it’s a collection of one-page horror stories from comic book luminaries, including Grant Morrison, Patton Oswalt, Geoff Johns, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Jeff Lemire, Matt Fraction, and more. Regular series writer W. Maxwell Prince provides multiple pages in the issue, and the regular art team of Martín Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran provide art for almost all of the pages.
What’s most impressive about the issue is both the array of layouts and focuses for each horror story; but also how they all hew to the very specific tone and direction of Ice Cream Man‘s horror (something the team delved into heavily in issue #42’s “Horror House”). It’s not an easy challenge, but nearly every page nails the assignment, conforming to the feel of Ice Cream Man rather than hewing Ice Cream Man to each writer’s own, specific style.
The real stand-out, though, is Zoe Thorogood’s heartbreaking true-life story focusing on her brother, titled “For James.” Thorogood has been very open about how her brother died by suicide last year, and how difficult it has been for her to deal with it. That’s on display in this one-pager, a raw, devastating short that shows how real-life horrors can hit harder than the scariest of monsters. Laudably, the issue is dedicated to James, and some proceeds from the issue will be donated to a charity of Thorogood’s choosing. But what’s also impressive is that in this page, Morazzo and O’Halloran slightly tweak their style to match Thorogood’s, so much that it seems like it could be a page created by her.
This is, overall, the thrill of this particular issue, watching these various creators play in the same playground. It’s no mistake that the cover shows the titular Ice Cream Man, Rick, on a seesaw with a skeleton. That’s what this issue is: playing, even when it’s deadly serious. And even if you’ve never read an issue before, this will slip you right into the dark world of Ice Cream Man right off the bat.
Look, horror anthologies are all the rage right now, so you might want to lump this in with the rest and write it off. But the Ice Cream Man team has found something unique and exciting here. While the draw is the Big Names, it’s clear they’re all just as happy to be figuring out how to challenge themselves, as the ICM team is to welcome them to slide the slides and ride the swings. It’s a special issue. And if this is how Ice Cream Man is starting off 2025? I can’t wait to see what they have in store for the rest of the year.
Ice Cream Man #43 hits stores on January 29, 2024.
Ice Cream Man #43 Rating:
Ice Cream Man #43 Official Synopsis:
“One Page Horror Stories”
It’s a star-studded, make-your-jaw-drop-to-the-floor issue of ICE CREAM MAN!
The challenge: make a comics horror story that’s only ONE PAGE LONG.
And boy, did we find some amazing folks ready to take that one on!
Issue 43 will feature one-page horror yarns (all drawn by MORAZZO and O’HALLORAN) from:
–GRANT MORRISON
–PATTON OSWALT
–GEOFF JOHNS
–KELLY SUE DeCONNICK
–JEFF LEMIRE
–MATT FRACTION
–ZOE THOROGOOD
-and more!
There will also, of course, be plenty of weird one-pagers from W. MAXWELL PRINCE and Team ICM—we wouldn’t want to miss out on all the fun!
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