WARNING: This article contains some spoilers for Iceman #11, on sale now


As Iceman, Bobby Drake is an Omega level mutant with abilities that allow him to do impossible things, like encase himself in frozen armor, make icy duplicates of himself, and travel on a self generated slide of frost. Those powers make it easy to take on all manner of supervillains, but they offer no comfort or assistance in a task everyone must face if they're going to live their best life: accepting and being comfortable with who you are. For Bobby, that meant coming to terms with his sexuality and figuring out how to be a gay man, a mutant superhero, a team leader, and an instructor to adolescent mutants training to be the next generation of X-Men.

In Iceman, writer Sina Grace has been chronicling Bobby's journey of self-discovery and superheroics. In issue #11, he, artist Robert Gill and colorist Rachelle Rosenberg brought that journey, and the series, to a close with a final issue that found Bobby helping a person “come out” as a mutant and enjoy a well earned moment of peace and quiet. CBR spoke with Grace about the issue, which included flashbacks to Bobby's past, drawn in art styles reflective of the era they were set in, his favorite moments from the series, and the projects he's currently working on.

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CBR: In Iceman #11 you brought the series to a close and I thought the final page was a great way to end Bobby's journey in this book. My take on that last shot is he's taking a moment to enjoy a beautiful day and how comfortable he feels with himself. Was that what you're aiming for? How did it feel to reach that point in this story and give Bobby that moment?

Sina Grace: There are a handful of really small moments that hint to where I want Bobby to land long term. I tried to circle back to how much of a nervous mess he was in the first issue. He does an IRL shrug emoji when giving Mr. Poklemba advice about “coming out,” which is a callback to how he ended up doing his dating profile. With that final scene where he’s talking to his dad, the line about being alone was sort of a way to say: Bobby doesn’t have a boyfriend, he doesn’t have his own team yet… but that’s okay. He’s got himself.

I hated bringing everything to a close, but luckily I was able to draft that issue a few times before editorial sent the final off to artist Robert Gill. Marvel warned me from the get-go that solo titles usually can’t break 10-12 issues, so they advised me to build out an arc that reflected a solid HBO season of TV: Nuanced, but complete. Bobby makes fewer jokes towards the end of the series, cuz he doesn’t have to fill the air with nervous banter. That’s kind of how I feel ending it.

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In issue #11 We got to see just how significant the journey Bobby has gone on and what it's meant to him in a series of flashbacks each one drawn by you and exhibiting a different art style. What inspired these sequences and what made you want to draw them?

I wanted to answer the question: how did he get this way? When did he become a jokester, when did he start compartmentalizing, when did he start putting himself second to everyone else’s needs? I made the case to draw the flashbacks as a sort of metatextual nod to the performative nature of sexuality/identity. I’m sure someone out there will call all this something like sociopathy, but to me it reads as survival. Anyone who’s different and able to contort themselves convincingly usually does so when they read a room and navigate how safe to feel. That’s what the art is: I’ll draw like Kirby, I’ll draw like Immonen… it can be that easy to put on a mask.

From an entertainment perspective, I just thought it would be a nice love letter to all the amazing people who contributed to the tapestry of X-Men yarns.

You delivered some big emotional moments in the past and the present day interpersonal drama, humor, and action were handled by your collaborators for the past six issues; artist Robert Gill and colorist Rachelle Rosenberg. Every issue they did together looked better than the one before (and the ones before were great). What was it like working with Robert and Rachelle? What are some things they've added to the series that readers might not necessarily know about?

Robert Gill was one of the most consistent and kind human beings I’ve collaborated with. He wanted to do his best work, so we talked about how to let him excel while still getting whatever story I needed through. The man is a beast with fight scenes, so I tried to cue as many as possible and let him handle a grip of the choreography. Rachelle was a silent weapon. She always met deadlines and turned in really dynamic work. We didn’t get to chat much during the process because I was scared to either meddle with editorial or come off as demanding, but she really slayed with the ice effects and bridging three different art styles together.

Another really fun element of issue #11 was Bobby's dynamic with Rictor. What was it like writing Julio and bouncing him off of Bobby?

I’ve said before in previous interviews that, given I’d only have a year on the book, I wanted to put Bobby in a better place for future writers to have fun with him. A lot of queer comic heroes get in relationships and sort of disappear. The date with Rictor was my way of saying “in real life, couples don’t magically stay together without hiccups. In real life, not every date is a good idea or an instant connection.” The grey area of dating is something we don’t see our queer heroes facing. Given Julio’s love interest, I thought it would be fun for him to pursue a polar opposite in Bobby!

Much credit is due to my editor Chris Robinson for keeping Rictor an active character in the fight scene portion of the issue. It’s not lost on me that Bobby once trained Rictor years ago, so it was cool to have Ric manage his sh** and be there to tell Bobby (and the reader) just how high the stakes are with this erratic mutant they’re dealing with.

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Looking back at the series as a whole what were some of your favorite moments? Who were some of the other Marvel characters you wrote that you'd like to revisit given the opportunity?

I’ll say it: I wish I could have had Bobby interact with Jean or Emma. It didn’t happen. Timing was the main reason I couldn’t get those characters in the book… but yeah, I really wanted to do a “therapy” issue, where he goes into his head with a telepath.

In terms of highlights? Writing issues four and five, and seeing all my thematic threads come together -- that was a great moment. My first Daken scenes were scrumptious (mmm, that white suit!!). Ice kaiju in issue seven felt like there we go, there’s your omega-level badass. I snuck soooo many music references into the book… like in issue five when those girls are talking about boys- those are all Colleen Green references. I also loved passing and failing the Bechdel Test (haha). Like, my lady characters are awesome and brave and count on each other, but dating and clothes are on their minds, too. The Judah “U Up?” scene was super cute. I have no clue how fans felt, but I loved that Bobby and Daken’s first kiss was super bizarre and sexy and a redeeming act.

Two of the most important supporting characters in Iceman lacked any powers whatsoever: Bobby's parents. As a reader, I hated them at first, but my reactions to them softened over the book. Come issue #11, I even kind of liked Bobby's dad! What was it like writing William and Maddie Drake?

Bobby’s parents were so much fun, because they really just don’t understand their son, and vice versa. I loved writing a religious character, because faith brings so much joy to people, but then the institutions of faith tend to ostracize people who are different- mutants, gay folks, etc. I wanted to write them with compassion. My poor friends from Long Island… they thought I was being a great friend asking them questions about growing up with Irish and Roman Catholic parents, when really it was just research! Like, I went so far as to ask my friend Ronnie what his parents would make him for dinner growing up.

I’m so grateful for the experience of working on this book. So many comic book stores went in with blind faith on this book and did a great job getting it into readers’ hands. I’m super appreciative to the journalists who came up with great ways to promote the series. Everyone at Marvel put a little extra effort into a book they had no incentive to advocate for (consider: Fox was not owned by Disney during the production cycle). X-Men fans are super rad and passionate, and I’m always blown away whenever I get a letter or a drawing… that stuff is cool! Only knowing my experience, all I can say is that I feel like the book found a group of people who were legitimately passionate about Iceman, and they were the dopest folks around.

Finally, what's next for you when it comes to comics? Do you have any work for hire deals in development? Any more creator owned stuff in your future?

Haha, I’ve got like seven exclusive contracts waiting for me— NOT! People can find me in the next few months in the pages of Mad Magazine and an upcoming Power Rangers thing… I’ve got a series or two at Image that we’ll be announcing once enough material is done so I don’t mess up shipping… I think people can expect me to collaborate more with musician Jenny Lewis… and that’s all I can share right now!