Image Comics’ Ice Cream Man anthology horror series has been a fan favorite horror comic since its debut in 2018, and writer W. Maxwell Prince and main artist Martin Morazzo have continued to bring terror to the pages of the series since. While Ice Cream Man #35 is not an ideal starting point for the brilliant series – it is not as engaging as some of the other comics because of it’s “companion guide” like writing and lack of active horror – it’s still a solid and creative addition to the catalogue, deepening the lore of the titular Ice Cream Man, Rick, in subtle ways.
If you’re a diehard comics reader who is simply not interested in long-form writing, then Ice Cream Man #35 might not be for you, because at least 1/3 of the comic features Prince writing full pages descriptions of various “Necessary Monsters,” with an illustrated story tying the different entries together. While this reader very much enjoyed this issue – I am a big fan of both horror novellas and fantasy monster guides – it’s certainly not what a casual reader would expect in a horror comic, even if they are a fan of Ice Cream Man and know to expect the unexpected.
Image Comics
That being said, Ice Cream Man’s new “Book of Necessary Monsters” successfully weaves together the haunting story of a tortured writer, Jacob, as he desperately attempts to finish writing the monster guide (a very meta plot throughout) before he is claimed by the necessary demons within his own home and mind. Much of Ice Cream Man focuses on the unknowability of the entity called the Ice Cream Man, or Rick, or Riccardus, who even in “The Book of Necessary Monsters” is catalogued as maybe being “…the devil, or might be a god, or might be nothing at all…” a nihilistic entity bent on joyously ruining lives who is sporadically opposed by his “brother” Caleb.
These themes, of amorphous “evil” both internal and external, is strongly bolstered by many of the other entries into the Book of Necessary Monsters, such as the esoteric “The Chasm,” a “monster” that is really the essence of never being able to fully know something, or “The Earworm,” a literal version of the figurative earworm that makes it impossible to forget a catchy song. In this way, the monsters throughout Ice Cream Man #35 continue to show that at the end of the day the Ice Cream Man entity doesn’t really matter in the anthology’s stories, it’s more about the “victims'” beliefs, internal environment, and the “necessary monsters” that haunt each of them.
Image Comics
Ice Cream Man #35 has several poignant, if heavy-handed, lessons on the necessary evils that humanity falls victim to in perpetuity, such as addiction, shame, obsession, and fear, all of which the narrator Jacob believes are actual monsters, not just concepts or experiences. While W. Maxwell Prince has always been a stellar writer on Ice Cream Man, this issue really gets to see the talented writer flex his prose skills, and show off the effectiveness of his metaphors, colorful language, and use of esoteric and philosophical ideas. Also, his reference to the the 1892 short “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is the perfect addition to the guide, and Prince’s transformation of the main character in the short story into a kind of cryptid is brilliant.
Interestingly, the narrator Jacob relabels monsters that manifest in real life, typically called things like “cryptids,” as “bad ideas made manifest,” which is another way of describing the Theosophical concept of a Tulpa, which has gained mainstream popularity in recent years. In a lot of ways, a creature like the Ice Cream Man would make perfect sense as a Tulpa, or a creature that is manifested into being through intentional or unconscious thought, and while Ice Cream Man #35 does not explicitly use the term Tulpa, it does add some fascinating food for thought when contemplating the nature of Riccardus the Ice Cream Man.
Image Comics
As always, Martin Morazzo’s art is gorgeous and fits the dark, unsettling tone of the Ice Cream Man anthology perfectly, with Chris O’Halloran’s muted but effective use of color deepening the dank environment that Jacob finds himself writing in. Plus, the illustrated depictions of each of the “necessary monsters” by Morazzo are perfect, evocative of simple pointillism tattoos, or art you would find illustrating the margins of ancient bestiaries. Morazzo’s cover for the book is terrifying in its homage to classic bestiary art, plus the variant covers by Trish Forstner and Andrew Blucha are simply amazing, gorgeous additions to anyone’s short box.
Ice Cream Man #35 will not be everyone’s cup of tea, due to its prose-heavy writing and lack of active horror, but for the right reader this issue will be an ideal companion to prior Ice Cream Man stories, and could also be an enjoyable standalone horror short story for casual horror fans. Deftly weaving together the introspective thoughts on the essence of the Ice Cream Man in a creative way while also making prescient comments on many aspects of human behavior, Ice Cream Man #35 is brilliantly written and uniquely illustrated, making it a must-read for any fans of the Ice Cream Man anthology.
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