WANTED: Earth-Two's Most Dangerous Super-Villains
The Icicle
Personal information
Name: Joar Mahkent
Residence: Mobile
Occupation: Professional Criminal, formerly Physicist with specialty
in cryonics
First Appearance (Golden Age): All-American #90 (October 1947)
First Appearance (Post-Golden Age): Justice League of America
#21 (August 1963)
Character History
Joar Mahkent was born somewhere in Europe, most likely during the 1910s.
He was educated in Europe and obtained a doctorate in physics. A rising
star in cryogenic technology, Dr. Mahkent was invited to America in 1947
to present his work. Arriving by ship, onlookers were shocked when the
vessel was suddenly frozen solid. Covering the story as Alan Scott, Green
Lantern also witnessed this event and quickly investigated in his costumed
identity. In the ocean liner's stateroom, Green Lantern was shocked to
discover Mahkent, shot to death. An immediate suspect was Lanky Leeds,
a notorious gangster who had been traveling the same ship as Mahkent. Shortly
after the discovery of Mahkent's body, a costumed criminal named the Icicle
appeared and committed a series of brazen robberies using a freeze-ray
gun. Assuming Leeds was the Icicle using Mahkent's technology, Green Lantern
engaged the villain. Ultimately, the Icicle was defeated and unmasked,
revealing not Leeds but Mahkent. Mahkent, it was revealed, had been accosted
by Leeds in his cabin aboard the ship, but he had overcome the gangster
and slain him. Using his cryonics technology, Mahkent created the illusion
that Leeds's dead body was his own. He then assumed the identity of the
Icicle and used his technology for crime. Faced with a long jail sentence,
the Icicle appeared to commit suicide, diving from the top of a skyscraper
into a Gotham river (All-American Comics #90).
As is often the case, the Icicle survived his apparent suicide. Later
in 1947, the Icicle was contracted by General Galazar of Perumba, a small
nation in South America. Galazar planned to stage a coup d'etat and required
super-powered assistance to complete the crime. The Icicle suggested that
Galazar jam radio broadcasting during the coup, to prevent the government
from summoning outside assistance. To perform this task, the Icicle was
instructed to kidnap someone with the necessary expertise. Remembering
Alan Scott from his previous outing in Gotham City, the Icicle kidnapped
the radio personality during, ironically, a radio dramatization of the
Icicle's original encounter with Green Lantern. Returning to Perumba, Scott
was informed of his role in the affair, and the Icicle set out to spread
discord through the South American nation. Once he was unceremoniously
stashed in a closet, Scott assumed the guise of Green Lantern and defeated
his captors. He then set out to find the Icicle, who was
creating a blizzard (a weather phenomenon never before seen in Perumba)
in the country's capital city. Battling atop a volcano, the Icicle defeated
Green Lantern and bound his hands together. Leaving the hero inside the
crater, the Icicle returned to find General Galazar in control of the government.
Unbeknownst to either Green Lantern or the Icicle, Doiby Dickles and Secret
Service Agent Lorna Dawn had followed the Icicle when he left Gotham City.
They arrived just in time to rescue Green Lantern. In the meantime, the
Icicle betrayed the general and raised the national treasury on a pillar
of ice, where he could loot it at his leisure. As Green Lantern returned
to the scene, the Icicle beat a hasty retreat in his private plane, only
to be captured by Green Lantern. He was then returned to Gotham, where
he was convicted and sentenced to prison (All-American Comics #92).
By 1948, the Icicle had escaped and was contacted by the Wizard to join
the second incarnation of the Injustice Society of the World. In the Injustice
Society's first case, the Icicle stole a prototype US Navy airship and
used it to lift the Washington Monument off its base. His theft was interrupted
by Green Lantern, but the Wizard had planted a post-hypnotic suggestion
in the mind of all the current JSA members. With a snap, Green Lantern
released the Icicle and assisted him in the theft. The Harlequin (a secret
agent who had been masquerading as a criminal herself) and Black Canary
eventually freed the JSA members; the Injustice Society members, including
the Icicle, were captured and sent to prison (All-Star Comics #41). His activities the next 15 years remain unrecorded.
In 1963, the Icicle came out of retirement to join the Wizard and the
Fiddler in a new criminal group, the Crime Champions. Using the knowledge
he had gained of Earth-1 from his previous encounter with the Flash, The
Fiddler helped the trio escape to Earth-1. From there they staged a crime
wave on Earth-2 and then retreated to Limbo. Pursuit of these criminals
led to the first meeting between the JSA and its Earth-1 counterpart, the
Justice League of America. The Icicle, the Wizard, and the Fiddler, although
allied with three criminals of similar interest on Earth-1, were defeated
by the combined teams (Justice League of America #21-22).
The activities of the Icicle for the next ten years remain unknown. In 1975, he again joined up with the Injustice
Society of the World but was defeated, along with the rest of the ISW,
by the JLA and JSA (Justice League of America #123-124). Annoyed
with their continued failures under the Wizard's leadership, the Icicle
re-formed the Injustice Society under his own leadership in 1976. Through
unknown means, the Icicle had acquired knowledge of the alarm system at
the JSA’s headquarters, and bypassed it while the JSA was away. Having
kept the building under surveillance, the Icicle was aware of Hourman's
recent return to the group. The Icicle used Hourman's ignorance of the
new security system to slip into the JSA's headquarters and severely injure
the hero. He then allowed his Injustice Society comrades into JSA headquarters,
where they defeated Wildcat and assaulted the rest of the JSA members when
they returned. Challenging the JSA to rescue their hostage, the Injustice
Society members split up. The Icicle and the Thinker made a stand on a
small island in the Persian Gulf, with the captive Hourman. The two villains
were confronted by the Flash,
Hawkman, and Doctor Fate, and defeated as
a matter of course (All-Star Comics #63-66).
By 1977, the Icicle had escaped confinement and joined Earth-1 criminals
Minister Blizzard and Captain Cold in another foray to freeze a small South
American country. By creating a miniature "Ice Age" in Ecuador, the three
villains distracted the JLA long enough to stage a crime spree in Gotham
City. The capture of the three villains by the Earth-1 counterparts of
Wonder
Woman, the Flash, Green Arrow, and Black Canary failed to end the trouble
in Ecuador, leading to the true mastermind who had hired the three cold-based
criminals: The Shadow Thief (Justice League of America #139). The
Icicle was presumably returned to jail on Earth-2 shortly thereafter.
In the early 1980s, the Icicle had again escaped prison and was committing
crimes with fellow Injustice Society members the Fiddler and the Shade.
The three were contacted by the spirit of Darkseid, Lord of Apokolips,
to assist in his resurrection. The villains were successful, but Darkseid
objected to the capture of Orion, his son, by the Injustice Society, and
banished the trio to a holding pit. They were liberated by the combined
forces of the JLA, the JSA, and the New Gods. The Injustice Society members
then assisted in the liberation of countless captured residents of New
Genesis and the ultimate defeat of Darkseid (Justice League of America
#183-185). A few years later, the Icicle rejoined the original members
of the Crime Champions in a crime spree organized by the Johnny Thunder
of Earth-1, who had a more criminal bent than his Earth-2 counterpart (Justice
League of America #219-220).
During the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Icicle joined in the villainous strike force organized by Brainiac. Several villains traveled back in time to the laboratory of Krona, on the planet Oa, to prevent Krona from triggering the birth of the multiverse. The Icicle, Mirror Master, and Maaldor launched a direct assault on Krona's laboratory. The villains were caught instantly as they burst in, and immediately slain (Crisis on Infinite Earths #9-10).
Powers and Abilities
The Icicle was an expert in cryonics, the study of cold and cold-based engineering. He designed several cold-based weapons, ranging from guns to devices integrated into his uniform. He possessed a thermally-lined suit that protected him from the effects of his own weaponry. In addition, the Icicle was a highly skilled pilot and navigator.
Weaknesses and Limitations
Without his weaponry, the Icicle had the same limitations of other men of his age and physical condition.
Multiversity
Prior Earth-0
The history of
the Icicle is considered largely similar to the Earth-Two version, up
to and including his death during Crisis. Some casework, such as killing the
Invisible Hood with the Mist (reported in Starman #2) a joint venture
with the Gambler and the Fiddler targeting Starman in 1954 (Starman #46)
may or may not be unique to this world. After his death, Mahkent's estate,
much of legitimate as he had developed some income legally, was enormous and required settlement.
Through either his contact with the JSA or individual skirmishes that have
never been recorded, the Icicle had developed a special respect for the
Flash. As a result, he left half of his estate, a multi-million dollar
sum, to whomever bore the name of the Flash. After the Crisis, Jay Garrick
was in Limbo with the rest of the JSA, and Wally West was the only active
Flash; therefore, West inherited half of the Icicle's estate. West used
the money to form a special endowment named after his mentor, Barry Allen
(The Flash vol. 2 #56-57). Mahkent's granddaughter, Doyle Christie,
toyed with idea of becoming a second heroic Icicle (The Flash vol.
2 #58) but such has never materialized.
Mahkent's actual progeny is somewhat confusing. At some point, he was married to woman that she died giving birth to a son, Cameron. Cameron ultimately becomes the second Icicle when his genes, altered by Mahkent's exposure to cryonics, imbues with cold powers. Whether this was the first child father by Mahkent and whether this woman Anna MacDonald, with whom he is known to have grandchildren, is not clear. It is unknown whether this lineage is unique to the post-Crisis earths.
In the afterlife, the post-crisis Mahkent was cast in among several deceased villains such as Clayface and the Top. When the deceased villains attempted to escape hell at the expense of the second generation team of Hawk and Dove, Mahkent rebelled. In his last days, Mahkent had repented his criminal life and wanted only the peace of eternal rest. As he helped turned the tied against his criminal former allies, Joar Mahkent was granted a reprve and went to a restful repose in the hereafter (Hawk and Dove Annual #1)
Earth-22
The Icicle had a similar criminal career as his Earth-2 counterpart and was active as late as 1952, after the Justice Society had been ordered disbanded by the the House Un-American Affairs Committee. He was not present in the later 50's when many former criminal attempted to join the reform movement organized by Tex Thompson (secretly the Ultra-Humanite) in Washington and so was presumably in prison (The Golden Age LS). Much later in the 20th century, a more hoary version was seen in a bar in Gotham where more degenerate meta's congregated. His ultimate fate on this world is unknown (Kingdom Come LS)
Appearances
|
Issue |
Comment |
Reprinted in |
|
All-American Comics #90 |
1st Appearance and Origin, vs. The Golden Age Green Lantern |
|
|
All-American Comics #92 |
vs. The Golden Age Green Lantern |
Green Lantern #86, The Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told(1990) |
|
All-Star Comics #41 |
joins the Injustice Society, vs. the JSA |
Justice League of America #113, Justice League of America Super-Spectacular #1 (1999), All-Star Archives #9 |
|
vs. the Crime Champions, vs. the JLA and JSA |
Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 1 TPB, DC 100-Page Spectacular #6, Greatest Team-Up Stories Ever Told, Justice League of America Archives #3, Showcase Presents: The Justice League of America #2, Justice League of America: The Silver Age Omnibus #1, Justice Society, A Celebration of 75 years |
|
|
Joins the Injustice Society, vs. the JLA and JSA |
DC Retroactive: Justice League of America - The '70s #1 (JLA #123 only), Showcase Presents: The Justice League of America #6, Justice League of America: The Bronze Age Omnibus #2, Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. #4 |
|
|
With Captain Cold and Minister Blizzard, vs. the JLA |
Justice League of America: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol .2 |
|
|
With the Injustice Society, vs. the JSA |
Justice Society TPB Vol. 1, Showcase Presents All-Star Comics Vol. 1, All-Star Comics: Only Legends Live Forever |
|
|
with Injustice Society, vs. JLA, JSA, the New Gods |
Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 5, The New Gods HC |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Part of the Villain War, Dies in the story |
Crisis on Infinite Earths HC, Crisis on Infinite Earths TPB, Crisis on Infinite Earths Absolute Edition |