The Icicle
Icicle I created by Irwin
Hasen & Robert Kanigher
Icicle II created by Dann Thomas, Roy Thomas and Todd
McFarlane
NAME + ALIASES:
Joar Mahkent
KNOWN RELATIVES:
Anna MacDonald (wife,
deceased), Cameron Mahkent (Icicle
II, son), unnamed child(ren),
Doyle Christie (granddaughter), James Christie (grandson,
deceased), Lenora MacDonald (sister-in-law)
GROUP AFFILIATIONS:
Injustice Society of
the World, the Crime Champions
FIRST APPEARANCE:
All-American Comics #90 (Oct.
1947)
The Original Icicle
Dr. Joar Mahkent was a noted European physicist who promised to shock America with his new invention. Upon arriving in America, spectators witnessed his luxury liner freeze solid in Gotham Harbor. The Green Lantern investigated and discovered Mahkent’s corpse aboard the ship.
Then a criminal called the Icicle appeared wielding a unique weapon; he was presumed to be Lanky Leeds, a racketeer who reportedly traveled on the same ship as Mahkent. After several encounters, Green Lantern finally unmasked Icicle as Dr. Mahkent. He had shot Leeds and used his cold ray gun to disguise Leeds’ face as his own and throw off suspicion. The Icicle leaped off the roof of a building and plunged to his apparent death in the Gotham River. (All-American Comics #90) Note: His name was originally spelled "Makent" but later changed to "Mahkent."
As Alan Scott, Green Latnern turned that case into a radio show, but the "actor" playing the Icicle turned out to be the real Mahkent! He kidnapped Scott and took him to the South American nation of Perumbia. The Lantern would have died in a volcano if Doiby hadn't followed him with his power lantern. (All-American Comics #92)
The Icicle returned to plague the Justice Society as a member of the original Injustice Society. This band was betrayed by the Harlequin, who helped the Black Canary free the JSA. (All-Star Comics #41)
One of the Icicle's battles with Green Lantern, in Metropolis, was witnessed by a young Bruce Wayne. (Batman #611)
Postwar
Joar continued his career into his older age, usually teamed with others. In the 1950s, he was spotted alongside the Fiddler and the Gambler. This band was brought down by Starman (and oddly, the Shade, behind the scenes). (Starman vol. 2 #46) He was also one of the first villains to go up against the newly formed Justice League of America. (Justice League: Year One #7)
Years after many JSA members had retired, the dimensional barrier was breached by a Flash from another universe. (The Flash #123) This inspired the Icicle and two other Injustice Society members (the Wizard and the Fiddler) to discover a way to cross that dimensional barrier. It was the Fiddler's special instrument that hit the correct pitch. His violin let them vibrate across Earths and materialize in Central City. As it happened, they arrived in the middle of a heist perpetrated by three Earth-One villains. The six of them joined together to form the Crime Champions. (Justice League of America #21–22)
The Crime Champions formed only twice. The second time was many years later, and again they were defeated by the combined might of the JLA and JSA. (Justice League of America #219–220)
The Injustice Society reformed again under the Wizard and succeeded in temporarily killing the Justice Soceity! (Justice League of America #123)
Their next outing was not nearly as effective despite their capturing two JSA members. (All-Star Comics #63–64) After gaining entrance to JSA headquarters, they kidnapped the heroes and used them as bait for the others. (#65) The JSA returned home to find the full Injustice Society there, but the villains retreated once they were on the ropes. After each of these capers, the Icicle was captured. (#66)
A small group of Injustice Society members (Fiddler, Shade and Icicle) were coerced by Darkseid into helping the dark lord regain his physical body. (Justice League of America #183) They could not refuse his command, and were successful in the effort. Darkseid was grateful for their help — to a point. For attacking his son, Orion, Darkseid turned on the Earth-Two villains and used his Omega Beams to send them to prison cells on Apokolips. (#184–185)
He once froze Opal City’s water processing plant, demanding four million dollars to unfreeze it. This scheme was thwarted by the original Star-Spangled Kid. (Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0)
When he grew too old and tired of the life of crime, Joar eventually reformed — for the most part. He relocated to Keystone City and made a fortune as an inventor.
During the great Crisis, the Icicle returned to crime and aided an army of super-villains to raid the laboratory of the renegade Oan named Krona. He died in this encounter. (Crisis #9-10)
Mahkent had anticipated his death and made a will that left half his fortune to whomever bore the name "Flash." This fortune went then to Wally West (Flash III), who used it for charity. Joar once briefly returned, as a spirit. (Hawk & Dove Annual #1)
Other Media
Powers
The original Icicle possessed a powerful cold ray gun, a device capable of instantly freezing any moisture in the air into ice. The cold ray gun could also freeze living beings in place by solidifying the moisture in their bodies and temporarily placing them in suspended animation. He wore a specially insulated suit to protect him from the effects of this deadly weapon.
Appearances + References
» FEATURED APPEARANCES:
- All-American Comics #90, 92
- All-Star Comics #41, 63-66
- Batman #611
- Crisis on Infinite Earths #9-10
- The Flash vol. 2 #56
- The Golden Age #1
- Hawk and Dove Annual #1
- Justice League of America #21–22, 123–124, 139, 183-185, 219–220
- JLA: Year One #7
- Starman vol. 2 #46
- Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0
» SERIES:
None» SEE ALSO:
NAME + ALIASES:
Cameron Mahkent
KNOWN RELATIVES:
Unnamed mother, deceased,
Joar Mahkent (Icicle
I, father, deceased), unnamed half-sibling(s)
GROUP AFFILIATIONS:
Injustice, Unlimited, Injustice Society
FIRST APPEARANCE:
Infinity, Inc. #34
(Jan. 1987)
Icicle II
Joar had fathered a child by an unnamed woman. The prolonged exposure to his freeze gun caused a mutation in the child, and the mother died in childbirth. He left his infant son, Cameron Mahkent, in the care of an orphanage. (Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0) Later, Joar married an heiress named Anna MacDonald. They had at least one child, and eventually two grandchildren. (The Flash vol. 2 #56)
The estranged son Cameron later took his father's name and joined the Wizard. He made his first public appearance as Icicle II alongside the members of Injustice, Unlimited. This group included Artemis, herself the daughter of two Golden Age villains, the Huntress and Sportsmaster. The group kidnapped certain businessmen attending an international trade conference in Calgary, Canada, which brought them into conflict with Infinity, Inc. and the Global Guardians. The plan went awry when Solomon Grundy beat the Icicle unconscious, and Infinity, Inc. member Jade captured Cameron. Injustice, Unlimited was defeated soon after, but Icicle managed to escape and go into hiding. (Infinity, Inc. #34-35)
Cameron's career mirrored his father's in way. He appeared both independetnly and with a newer incarnation of the Injustice Society. He was thwarted by Starman Jack Knight and the second Star-Spangled Kid while attempting to steal some polar bears for his hideout from the Opal City Zoo. (Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0) He followed the unpredictable Johnny Sorrow in the new Injustice Society, (JSA #9) but Sorrow always had his own agenda. When he was destroyed, the rest of the I.S. were sent to prison. (JSA #16–20)
Soon after this, the Ultra-Humanite took control of Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt and enslaved Earth's strongest heroes. During this time, the Icicle found himself allied with an underground band of heroes. He was the one who successfully freed Sand and their small band eventually defeated Ultra. (JSA #33–37)
After things returned to normal, the Icicle refused Sand's request to lead an honest life. Cameron explained that he had only helped the JSA because of circumstance. Unlike his father, whom he considered "soft," Cameron was a self-admitted bad seed who lacked all conscience for his evil actions. He was soon again free and among the Injustice Society. (JSA: All Stars #1)
He was also among the villains who attempted to collect the billion dollar bounty President Luthor placed on Superman's head. (Superman/Batman #3)
Powers
The second Icicle is a metahuman who can generate intense cold from his body itself. He can freeze living beings by solidifying the water in their bodies and temporarily placing them in suspended animation. He can also solidify moisture in the air to create icicles, which he uses as projectile weapons.